Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita Refuses to Condemn Armed Insurrection of Nation's Capitol

On January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump, egged on by the President Donald Trump's speech and that of his son, Donald, Jr., Rudy Giuliana, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) and others, engaged in an assault on the nation's capitol in an effort to stop the counting of electoral votes which would officially elect Trump's opponent, Joe Biden.   During the assault, rioters broke into the Capitol, beat police officers, and searched the Capitol building looking for members of Congress to kidnap and/or kill.  A gallows was constructed with a noose to carry out the executions.  Rioters angry at the Vice President for not agreeing to carry out Trump's request that he simply not count Democratic electoral votes, chanted "Hang Mike Pence" as they hunted for the former Indiana Governor during their search.  Fortunately, a quick-thinking Capital Police officer led the approaching mob away from an open door to the Senate chambers where the Pence was located.

Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita

Rioters also targeted other politicians, in particular, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  They called her a "bitch," a "traitor," and said that they were "coming for her."  One of those involved in the assault said he was thinking of "putting a bullet in [Pelosi's} noggin on Live TV."  Another man at the rally was armed with an assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, which the man told friends, was going to be used to kill Pelosi.

During the invasion of the Capitol Building, doors were broken down, windows smashed, and government property taken.   A police officer was lying on the ground as protesters hit him and beat him with a pole attached to an American flag.  Other protesters ironically used poles attached to "Trump 2020" and (ironically) "Thin Blue Line" flags to beat police officers.  Another officer was crushed in a door and yet another police officer's head was bashed in by a insurrectionists wielding a fire extinguisher.  Explosive devices were found located on the grounds of the Capitol and at headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Committees.  A pickup truck with 11 homemade bombs was found parked just two blocks from the Capitol.  

During the assault on the nation's capitol, five people died, including the officer whose head was crushed by the fire extinguisher.

In response to the attack on the Capitol, the National Association of Attorneys General crafted a letter condemning the attack on our nation's capitol:

“We, the undersigned state attorneys general, are committed to the protection of public safety, the rule of law, and the U.S. Constitution. We are appalled that on January 6, 2021, rioters invaded the U.S. Capitol, defaced the building, and engaged in a range of criminal conduct—including unlawful entry, theft, destruction of U.S. government property, and assault. Worst of all, the riot resulted in the deaths of individuals, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, and others were physically injured. Beyond these harms, the rioters’ actions temporarily paused government business of the most sacred sort in our system—certifying the result of a presidential election.

We all just witnessed a very dark day in America. The events of January 6 represent a direct, physical challenge to the rule of law and our democratic republic itself. Together, we will continue to do our part to repair the damage done to institutions and build a more perfect union. As Americans, and those charged with enforcing the law, we must come together to condemn lawless violence, making clear that such actions will not be allowed to go unchecked.”

The letter was signed by 50 attorneys general, hailing from virtually every state and four territories.  Newly-sworn in Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita though refused to sign the letter.  In doing so, Rokita joined such notable Attorneys General as Texas'  Ken "Desperately Seeking a Pardon" Paxton, who is under felony indictment for securities fraud and is currently being investigated by the FBI for bribery and abuse of office.

Instead, Rokita issued a letter he released on Twitter, in which he took the "we must condemn violence in all forms" approach.

Earlier today, I shared this letter with my fellow attorneys general, many of whom signed the letter to @TheJusticeDept.

We must condemn violence in all forms with our loudest voices. It does not matter what political protest is at the root of the violence. https://t.co/vGZSEKMK92 pic.twitter.com/mjChaLvgYU

— Todd Rokita (@AGToddRokita) January 13, 2021

Apparently, Attorney General Todd Rokita is unable unwilling to distinguish between random acts of street violence and an organized attempted coup that stormed our nation's Capitol, in an effort to kidnap or kill political leaders and stop the transfer of political power. 

Rokita a a smart guy who knows better.  What he is doing is a craven act of political opportunism, an effort to curry favor with President Trump and the Trump base.  One would think he would learn from the experience from other elected officials, especially Vice President Trump who, while hiding out in the Capital as marauding group of Trump supporters looked to possibly kill him, suddenly realized that his undying loyalty to Trump over the years meant nothing to the President.

Rokita is likely misreading the political winds.  Trump is unlikely to be on the ballot again in 2024 when the Secretary of State is seeking re-election or, perhaps, running for Governor  In that election, GOP turnout in the more rural parts of Indiana will almost certainly return to pre-Trump levels.  Meanwhile, Indianapolis is solidly Democratic and its formerly Republican suburbs have steadily trended more Democratic.  Whatever office Rokita runs for in 2024, he will be the No. 1 target for Indiana Democrats.  Rokita's unwillingness to condemn the armed insurrection of our nation's government won't be looked at too favorably by suburban voters who like to vote Republican as long as the Republican isn't a crazy Trumper. 

Further, it's just a matter of time before someone starts looking through Rokita's campaign finance reports and contact his large contributors to see if they support the Secretary of State's refusal to condemn the armed insurrection of the nation's Capitol.  I believe Rokita also supported the attempt of certain members of Congress, i.e. the Sedition Caucus, to throw out the electoral votes of several states and thus toss out the votes of millions of Americans.  In recent days, big political donors have decided to stop funding politicians, like those in the Sedition Caucus, who refuse to honor the result of American democratic elections.

OOP's short takes:

• It seems Donald Trump is angry at Rudy Giuliani who he says is to blame for his being impeached for a second time.  Trump has ordered his staff to stop paying Giuliani his reported $30,000 a day legal fee.  Hmmmm, Donald your second impeachment, like your first, is the result of what you did.  As far as Giuliani, who knew that his extreme, undying loyalty to Trump would not be rewarded?  Pretty much everyone.
• Can we stop pretending Melania Trump is not as awful as her husband?   It took her nearly a week to condemn the riot at the nation's Capitol and only did so after criticism had started to build. Donald Trump has proven himself to be someone devoid of morality and human decency, someone who cares only about himself.   That he could find someone to match his immorality and selfishness is a love story for the ages.  Not sure how the two birds of a feather met, but I imagine it went like this.