Letter to the editor: Trump must be held accountable

I believe in honesty, the rule of law and our democracy.

The Republican senators and representatives who continue to downplay the January riot, in which five people died and 140 were injured, are ignoring the most important principle of our democracy. Fair elections and a peaceful transfer of power are the cornerstone of our Constitution, which these same elected officials swore an oath to serve and uphold. These same representatives who continue to support President Trump’s long- standing mantra of a crooked election (with no proof) are just as responsible for the Jan. 6 insurrection and for resulting deaths and destruction.

Quoting George Conway: “I believe many people that do not know any better believe Mr. Trump’s lies. But I believe that the ignorance, intellectual indolence or hatred of those who don’t know better cannot excuse the failures of those who do, who could have said something but did not because it was too inconvenient, unpleasant or politically perilous to do so.”

Our nation is built on the rule of law, a principle under which all people, institutions and entities are held accountable. Trump’s shield of invincibility must be removed, and he needs to be held accountable for his part in spreading misinformation and encouraging an uprising to overturn the results of a fair election.

One man alone cannot destroy our democracy, but the collective blind allegiance to his ill-devised whims will severely erode its foundations.

Diana Hull

McCandless