‘Numbers aren’t just numbers; they are votes’

(News4usonline) – A lie can’t last forever. The Big Lie of a rigged presidential election stolen from underneath him due to alleged voter fraud and other stuff is running into a web of truth that has knocked former President Donald Trump into the land of mythology.

Part 2 of a series of congressional hearings into the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, further shredded Trump’s barking accusations of a bogus election that ended up with results that would prevent him from staying in power.

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“He didn’t have the numbers,” hearing chairman Bennie Thompson said of Trump. “He went to court, and he still didn’t have the numbers. He lost. But he betrayed the trust of the American people. He ignored the will of the voters. He lied to his supporters and the country. And he tried to remain in office after the people had voted him out—and the courts upheld the will of the people.”

The will of the American people is not what Trump was interested in. What he cared about was his thirst for keeping his presidential powers. The voters of the United States had other ideas. The country was eager to move on from Trump. President Joe Biden got 51 percent of the vote (81,284,666) to 45 percent of the country that cast their ballot for Trump (74,224,319).   

“For the most part, the numbers don’t lie,” Thompson added. “But if something doesn’t add up with the numbers, you go to court to get a resolution. And that’s the end of the line. We accept those results. That’s what it means to respect the rule of law. That’s what it means to seek elected office in our democracy.”

Thompson continued, “Because those numbers aren’t just numbers. They are votes. They are yourvotes. They are the will and the voice of the people. And the very least we should expect from any person seeking a position of public trust is the acceptance of the will of the people—win or lose.”

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According to testimony in front of the Select Committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, that reality was more than a little hard for Trump to swallow.

“He falsely told the American people that the election was not legitimate, in his words ‘a major fraud.’ Millions of Americans believed him,” said Liz Cheney, vice-chair of the Select Committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Unlike the first day of the Jan. 6 hearings where there were plenty of well-placed visuals that highlighted the insurrection, Day 2 was more about the nitty-gritty stuff, behind-the-scenes truth-telling about the alleged arrogance and deceptive ploy that Trump utilized at his disposal to remain in office.

“As is obvious, this is before the attack on the Capitol,” remarked Cheney. “The Trump campaign legal team knew there was no legitimate argument – fraud, irregularities, or anything – to overturn the election. And yet, President Trump went ahead with his plans for January 6th anyway.”

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On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of individuals stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attack that left scores injured and cost some people their lives. The failed coup was not a good look for the homeland. Members of Congress had to scramble to get out of harm’s way. The physical takeover of the U.S. Capitol was the last alleged effort by Trump to flip things in his favor.      

“Former President Trump’s plan to overturn the election relied on a sustained effort to deceive millions of Americans with knowingly false claims of election fraud. All elements of the plot relied on convincing his supporters about these false claims,” said California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.

Lofgren went on to add that there are still a lot of people out there that still support Trump. This despite the fact that he manipulated a great number of them into believing and accepting he was the winner of the presidential campaign.    

“Rather than accept the results of the election and the decisions of the courts, Mr. Trump pursued a different strategy,” Lofgren said. “He tried to convince the American people the election had been stolen. Many of his supporters believed him. Many still believe him today.”

Featured Image: The first night of the January 6th hearings, as Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, Capitol Police Sgt. Harry Dunn; Erin Smith, widow of Officer Jeffrey Smith, Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges, and Michael Fanone arrive for the hearing. Photo courtesy of Victoria Pickering