MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The January 6th committee’s criminal referrals against former President Donald Trump are unprecedented and historic.
No other presidents in history have ever faced a Congressional recommendation that they be charged with federal crimes. And not just any crimes. The committee is urging the Justice Department to charge Trump with inciting an insurrection, conspiring to make false statements, conspiring to defraud the United States – and obstructing an official proceeding – which was the certification of the 2020 electoral college votes.
Whether Trump will actually be indicted remains to be seen. I believe he will be – based on the mountain of evidence already compiled. But to no surprise, the former president still has strong support among Tennessee voters. The latest Vanderbilt University Poll shows that 34 percent of Republicans surveyed – said they consider themselves MAGA Republicans rather than supporters of the mainstream party. What’s worse, just 21 percent of these MAGA Republicans believe Joe Biden won the presidency in 2020. Nearly 40 percent of them believe the 2022 midterm election results nationwide were not counted fairly. Those findings likely mirror the sentiments in other GOP controlled states Which means the Republican Party is just as divided from within as it is from Democrats.
But political divisions aside, it would be a complete travesty for Trump to escape accountability for a host of crimes. Either we are a nation of law and order – or we’re not.