The Atlantic
The proper response to these extremists isn’t counterterrorism. It is mental hygiene.
January 19, 2021
Shutterstock / The Atlantic
At noon tomorrow, our four-year experiment in being governed by the political equivalent of the Insane Clown Posse will finally end. It is ending in Juggalo style (some have called it “Trumpalo”), violently and pointlessly, with a handful of deaths, the smearing of various bodily fluids, and a riot on the way out. After any bacchanal of this magnitude, the sober dawn is almost as disorienting as the hysteria itself and the most urgent task, after wiping the shit from the Capitol hallways, is to prevent a repeat performance.
D C Attorney General: City Prosecutors Could Charge Trump with Misdemeanor over Capitol Riots yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Rebecca Klar - 01/16/21 07:00 PM EST
Law enforcement officials seeking out participants of the riot at the Capitol last week have one big leg up: a plethora of social media posts and data of the suspects they’re searching for.
Widespread posts on social media from last week’s deadly riot, along with other less public-facing technology such as cellphone metadata, are aiding officials as they seek to identify members of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6.
The Department of Justice has already charged dozens of people associated with the riots just over one week after the event took place. Law enforcement experts say that social media has not only helped track these individuals but also provided ample evidence for prosecutors to build airtight cases.
The Atlantic
Treat the Attack on the Capitol as Terrorism
Failing to do so simply because most of the rioters are white and regard themselves as “patriots” would be deeply unjust.
January 17, 2021
Joseph Prezioso / AFP / Getty
Public officials from Vice President Mike Pence on down have sung a consistent refrain since a mob attacked the Capitol on January 6: Those involved should be prosecuted to the “fullest extent of the law.” For those implicated in the murder of the Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, the penalties are obviously severe. Murdering a federal official carries a life sentence and, depending on what is proven at trial, could carry the death penalty.