Editorial Roundup: Louisiana
The Advocate. December 20, 2023.
Editorial: Louisiana Congressional leaders need to leave Jan. 6 behind and put democracy first
Our country is approaching the third anniversary of one of its darkest days, the violent Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol aimed at thwarting the peaceful transfer of presidential power.
By the end of that terrible day, 140 police officers tasked with protecting Congress had been injured, Vice President Mike Pence had been evacuated as rioters chanted for his execution and no less a Donald Trump ally than South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham had declared that “enough is enough.” And this was all after 86 judges, quite a few conservative and a number appointed by Trump himself, rejected every claim of serious irregularities that the sitting president hoped would undercut Joe Biden’s Electoral College win, and every state had certified its results.
Yet we’re still watching national leaders echo Trump’s efforts to recast these events, including several Louisianans in Congress who either remain in his thrall or are afraid to cross him.
Thankfully, leaders of both parties united to certify the voters’ will after Congress was finally able to reconvene after the attack. But among Louisiana Republicans, only U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy recognized the importance of the moment and rose to it. The others — U.S. Sen. John Kennedy and U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise, Clay Higgins, Mike Johnson and Garret Graves — all voted against certifying votes in at least one other state.
There was no excuse then, after they’d seen where a disinformation campaign could lead. And there’s no excuse for continuing to try to flip the script now, as several of those Louisianans are doing. This is about way more than whether they, or we, prefer Trump or Biden, or any president; it’s a matter of safeguarding our electoral system.
The most absurd contortions, not surprisingly, come from Higgins, who left FBI director Christopher Wray dumbfounded at a recent hearing by claiming that federal agents posing as Trump supporters rode “ghost buses” to the Capitol to participate in the riot.
We’re used to such nonsense from the Lafayette congressman, but we’re disappointed by the actions of Louisianans in positions of influence.
Johnson, of Benton, had been a key Trump enabler back in 2020, when he orchestrated Congressional support for a groundless Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate other states’ results, which was unanimously rejected by the conservative U.S. Supreme Court.
Now, as House speaker, Johnson is kowtowing to fringe activists seeking to create an alternative Jan. 6 narrative by releasing 44,000 hours of sensitive security footage. He even blurred the rioters’ faces, suggesting they needed protection from the Department of Justice, although his office later said his concern was citizen investigators.
Then there’s Scalise, the majority leader from Jefferson, who still — still! — squirms when asked directly whether the 2020 election was stolen.
That’s particularly frustrating because we’ve seen him take the high road on occasion, like when he invited Louisiana Democrat Donna Brazile to join him at Biden’s inauguration. Scalise is no Biden fan, but at least he saw the bigger picture.
“I thought it would be a good show of unity. It’s important we all focus on trying to bring the country back together,” he said at the time.
It still is.
Johnson and Scalise could show their leadership by leaving 2020 in the rearview mirror, putting our democracy first and focusing on America’s real challenges.
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