L
EGACY Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
WEDNESDAYS • Jan. 20, 2021
INSIDE Candidates champion equality - 2 COVID vaccine event cancelled - 3 Va.’s Black conservatives speak - 5
Richmond & Hampton Roads
Kay Coles James
LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE
Preaching unity at the scene of an insurrection FROM WIRE REPORTS WASHINGTON — Joe Biden, who ran on a message of unity and healing, is being sworn in as the country’s 46th president Jan. 20 at the literal scene of a crime. One hand on the Bible, the other in the air, Biden will stand in front of the U.S. Capitol just two weeks after angry supporters of President Donald Trump, including white supremacists, breached and then ransacked the building, leading to five deaths. The tanks, razor-wirecovered fences, and thousands of National Guard troops surrounding the stage will only further emphasize the precariousness of the peaceful transfer of power this year in a dystopian scene that clashes loudly with the inauguration’s official theme: “America United.” It’s a theme that also clashes with the mood of many Democrats after watching Trump, aided by many members of his party, attempt to steal an election and disenfranchise millions of voters. “Why do we think we can have unity and no justice?” asked LaTosha Brown, cofounder of the Black Voters Matter grass-roots organization that helped mobilize Black voters in Georgia and other swing states. “What’s very frustrating to me is usually ‘unity’ is reduced to meaning white comfort.” At a time when the political system has been rocked to its core, it’s fitting, in a sense, that Biden’s unwavering message of uniting, returning to “normalcy,” and righting the ship of U.S. democracy will take center stage this week. The outbreak of political violence underscores Biden’s campaign message that Trump, in encouraging extremism and racism, is a danger to the country. But this moment also presents a formidable challenge to Biden’s hopeful vision of a postTrump America, a place where Republicans would experience an “epiphany” about bipartisanship and join with magnanimous Democrats in a narrowly divided Congress to
The Capitol is seen behind a razor wire fence. prove his mantra that “there’s nothing we can’t do if we do it together.” Democratic lawmakers, many of whom feared for their lives as the mob overran the Capitol, are arguing that justice must come before healing. The House impeached Trump for the second time on Wednesday, and a Senate trial to convict him could begin shortly after Biden is sworn in. If Trump is convicted, senators could move to bar him from holding future office or take a separate vote to strip him from receiving postpresidential perks. There’s also a movement to expel any lawmakers who were found to have encouraged the riot. “We need accountability in order to achieve unity,” said Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts. “We can’t turn a blind eye.” The thirst for justice mirrors the attitude of voters overall. A slim majority of voters in a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll said they believe Trump should be barred from holding future office; while nearly 90 percent of
Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said the same. A similar share of Democrats believe Trump should be charged with a crime for inciting the attack. Biden has named those who attacked the Capitol “thugs” and called for their prosecution, as well as for a thorough investigation into the events of Jan. 6. But he’s stayed far away from the question of consequences for Trump himself, or for Republican lawmakers. “I’m not going to tell the Justice Department who they should prosecute and who they should not,” Biden told reporters on Jan. 8. He also said he didn’t believe Senators Ted Cruz or Josh Hawley should be expelled from the Senate for pumping up the false claims of fraud and leading the congressional movement to contest the election results. Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, declined to say if Trump should be barred from holding office again in an interview with The Washington Post on Friday. “The president is going to be on trial before the Senate — that’s going to be their business to sort out,” Klain said. “Our focus is on trying to get things done for the country.” The reticence reflects both Biden’s reluctance to give a partisan sheen to any future consequences for the raid, as well as his desire to quickly move on from the Trump years when he takes office. Biden and his team have emphasized that they don’t want a Senate trial to overshadow his agenda, which is topped by battling the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. He introduced a $1.9 trillion relief package last week and outlined his vaccine distribution plan. Markey said he believes the trial can be brief so that senators can also focus on approving Biden’s legislative priorities and nominations. “We don’t need a long-winded investigation or multiple-weeks-long trial to determine that Donald Trump committed high crimes and
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