According to The Associated Press and the House January 6th Select Committee, “Trump lit the fire.”

The committee’s final report reads: “Donald Trump criminally engaged in a ‘multi-part conspiracy’ to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election.” They contend that former President Trump inflamed his supporters and that resulted in the Jan. 6 occupation of our United States Capitol Building.

Honestly, I don’t remember ever reading something from Democrats or The Associated Press that said anything good about Trump. They both have relentlessly hurled accusations at him from the start of his presidency. The whole Jan. 6 investigation was a political witch hunt. They could have written their final report the day after the incident and it would read the same.

In his speech to his supporters before the occupation of the Capitol Building, Trump said, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

Everyone needs to remember that several days before Jan. 6, Trump authorized and requested the deployment of 20,000 National Guard to help control the expected crowd. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Capitol Police refused the request. If Trump had been planning the insurrection, he never would have requested these troops.

There were a significant number of suspicious actors in the Jan. 6 event who instigated violence and who were never identified or arrested. The New York Times reported that there were at least eight trained FBI informants in the Proud Boys organization who participated in the event and it is well known that Ray Epps, who was a major instigator in the incident, was tied to the FBI. How many more were there?

Just in from the Jan. 6 committee: Epps in a return text to his nephew at 2:12 p.m. on Jan. 6: “I was in the front with a few others. I also orchestrated it.”

What were they doing? Was this a setup to get Trump? Go to www.revolver.news/?s=Meet+Ray+Epps Darren Beattie-Meet Ray Epps, Part 2, and make up your own mind.

When Trump was president, the Democrats and the news media were in a constant state of rage. Trump was accused of every crime under the sun. The full force of the corrupt FBI, the Justice Department, the mainstream media and the Democratic Party were after him. And because Elon Musk purchased Twitter, we now know that almost all of Big Tech were also conspiring against him. The illegal raid of Trump’s home produced nothing but a few headlines, and the release of his tax records has been a huge “nothing burger.”

California Congressman Adam Schiff and New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler were on the national news almost daily for years accusing Trump of horrible crimes against the American people. But he has never been convicted of anything.

Believe me, if there had been one shred of real evidence against Trump for anything, he would have been prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Lost in the turmoil of Jan. 6 were the charges from 154 Republican members of Congress who claimed that they had solid evidence proving that there had been extensive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. They were demanding an investigation of the election irregularities before confirming the election results. Their appeal was ignored.

Four brothers watched this happen. This is what they did. They filed two identical lawsuits in two different courts. The lawsuit filed by Raland J. Brunson has made it to the U.S. Supreme Court for consideration. The one by his brother, Loy, didn’t. Few suits make it this far.

(ralandbrunson.com/History/History.html. Find Brunson v. Alma S. Adams; et al.:

l The lawsuit — Both lawsuits include defendants President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Vice President Mike Pence and 385 members of Congress for breaking their oaths of office by voting against the proposition — which came from members of Congress — to investigate the claims that there were enemies of the Constitution who successfully rigged the election.

l Both lawsuits are about the defendants breaking their oaths of office — “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. …”

l The question — How can you support, and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign, and domestic? Answer: You investigate.

If there are claims that there is a threat, even if you don’t believe there is a threat, you investigate. How else can you determine if there is a threat unless you investigate? You can’t.

Were there claims of a threat to the Constitution? Yes.

Where did these serious claims come from? One-hundred members of Congress.

What was the threat? That there were enemies of the Constitution who successfully rigged the 2020 election.

Is this lawsuit about a rigged election? No, it’s about the members of Congress who voted against the investigation, thereby thwarting the investigation.

Was this a clear violation of their oath? Yes.

l The relief that Loy and Raland Brunson are seeking — That defendants be permanently removed from office and not allowed to hold a public office again.

Supreme Court case No. 22-380 was ultimately denied further consideration. I can’t even imagine the amount of political pressure these judges were under.

This case should have been a slam dunk. Our legislators did break their oaths of office. There is really no difference between an armed insurrection taking over a government or a rigged election. The results are the same.

Now because of Congress and the Supreme Court, we may never know the truth about the election.

Before Jan. 6, predictions of massive crowds and possible violence were everywhere on social media. The Norfolk, Va,. FBI office sent FBI Director Christopher Wray an urgent warning. It was never shared with other departments or the White House.

Jan. 6 was a staged insurrection to destroy Trump and silence the complaints of election fraud.

Dugger retired as a journeyman carpenter from Clearwater Paper. He lives in Lewiston.