Evidence Trump tried to overturn the election 5 years ago is "overwhelming." There haven't been any consequences

[marmar]

We learned nothing from Jan. 6
Evidence Trump tried to overturn the election 5 years ago is “overwhelming.” There haven't been any consequences

By Russell Payne
Staff Reporter
Published January 6, 2026 6:30AM (EST)


(Salon) After a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, it appeared the attack would result in a rare moment of reckoning in American politics — at least for a moment. Even hardline GOP politicians had distanced themselves from Trump, then President Joe Biden was in charge and Congress and the Department of Justice were investigating both the attack and the plot to overturn the 2020 election behind it.

Five years later, any accountability, political or legal, that Trump and his allies faced has been erased.

One of Trump’s first acts after assuming office in his second term was to pardon the nearly 1,600 people who had either already been convicted or were awaiting trial for crimes related to Jan. 6. Many of these people had prior criminal records including sexual assault and domestic violence, many were part of far-right organizations like the Proud Boys and many have been charged with additional, unrelated crimes following their release. None of them, however, will have to serve their sentences for storming the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the election results and allow Trump to cling to power.

Likewise, Trump has avoided both legal and political accountability. Trump has effectively excised any Republicans willing to stand up to his false claims that the election was stolen from the party. He easily won the GOP nomination for president in 2024, though he faced multiple prosecutions over the plot to overturn the 2020 election, the first coming in the form of his second impeachment, for which he was acquitted. He was later indicted in Georgia, in a state-level racketeering case and again in Washington D.C. on charges of defrauding the U.S. and obstructing an official proceeding. Both cases stalled out in court and were not tried before the 2024 election.

....(snip)....

In the U.S., the Supreme Court paved the way for Trump’s political return, helping to stall his legal cases and ensuring he would remain on ballots in the 2024 election. And, in the U.S., pundits and officials alike mused on whether prosecuting Trump for his efforts to deny the democratic results of an election would qualify the country as a “banana republic.” ................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/01/06/we-learned-nothing-from-jan-6/

[Blues Heron]

1. Some people learn the hard way.

[evolves]

12. And some people never learn....

[OldBaldy1701E]

16. No matter what you say or do. (n/t)

[bluestarone]

2. Actually, in my way of thinking TSF would have been in prison today, if it weren't for

Judge Cannon. SHE was his savior and will soon be a supreme court judge to continue destroying our country.

[Escape]

7. ...and the fact that Merrick Garland....

]
refused to hold Trump accountable for any of his myriad illegal offenses. There are many people to blame for Trump returning to power and destroying our country---- none more obvious or egregious than Garland.

[maxsolomon]

9. Garland eventually tried.

He should have filed charges immediately - but taking a year-plus allowed the courts to run out the clock.

[maxsolomon]

8. He was never going to prison for that criming.

But you're right - she was his champion in derailing any accountability.

[UTUSN]

3. K&R

[Scubamatt]

4. IF . . .

we ever take control of our country back, a high priority has to be on accountability for the all of this wrongdoing. No slow walking prosecutions; no "we have to let the country heal", no "we have to move forward, not look back". When criminals are not held accountable, they learn very quickly that there are no consequences to their malfeasance and so get bigger and bolder. That's where we are right now.

[Solly Mack]

5. K&R

[DemocracyForever]

6. There were no consequences for Bush 2000

and that created Trump.

[evolves]

24. Nixon suffered no consequences.

THAT created trump, because they saw that they could get away with it.

Hell, JFK was assassinated in the middle of the street in a major US city in broad daylight and we've never gotten a straight story on that....

Lack of consequences runs deep.

[DemocracyForever]

25. Nixon set the stage, GW Bush created the roadmap

I agree that Nixon set the stage but it was GW Bush, his brother Jeb and Florida campaign co-chair Katherine Harris who created the Presidential election stealing roadmap in 2000 that Trump followed in 2020 and since.

[Orrex]

10. So glad that Garland avoided the appearance of a political agenda

That would have been terrible.

[orangecrush]

17. Especially since the present administration

Is making every effort to avoid appearances of partiality.

[JoseBalow]

11. Unabashed criminal scumbag has immunity and pardon power

Forget "consequences," that ship has sailed.

[Ray Bruns]

13. Thank you Merick Garland. Speaking of slugs, anyone hear of anything from him lately?

[flashman13]

14. Thank you Merrick B. Garland.

[JMCKUSICK]

15. A permanent stain on America and what she supposedly stands for.

[gAI Obsession]

18. Every day from January 2025 on - the GOP could do the right thing at any time.

Sadly, they won't. GWB had his own form of a 'cult' and was relegated to the dustbin of history within a month of leaving office.

They need to grow a spine. Fast.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

19. Stalled in court ????

No, the Supreme denied and then dog walked a rancid decision that allows the president to pretty much do anything in the guise of official duties. (none of these are official duties, but it will not take years to prosecute the president for his newest and latest and biggest and greatest crimes yet) Fuck you Roberts and crew. Thomas and Alito don't even have the courage to recuse on this case even though they were knee deep in it !

Second Judge Cannon if you can call her that blocked and impeded the US DOJ from even attempting to put on the most slam duck classified documents cases ever. you think a just of his peers would let him go with all the documents spread all over his tacky bathroom, hell no. If he wasn't president he would have been rotting in a supermax the whole time till his trial and during any and all appeals...that is where he should be right now.

[AStern]

20. At least he's not a brutal dictator like Maduro

[in2herbs]

21. Say what you want about Garland but it was because of him we got Jack Smith. nt

[hibbing]

22. Still a ton of unanswered questions n/t

[moondust]

23. Meanwhile in Brazil...

the guy who tried the same kind of coup there a couple years later is now serving 27 years in prison. I guess Brazil has an effective legal system.

[Scrivener7]

26. Stop complaining. This isn't a Law & Order episode. Garland's got this.