To the editor: It seems that President Trump’s comment that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not suffer consequences might come true if we are not forceful in demanding accountability. President Trump, his Republican legislative enablers and the “conservative news commentators” who propagandized the flagrant lie that the election was rigged have poisoned the minds of millions of innocent Americans and are directly responsible for the insurrection that led to the murder of a Capitol Police officer during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capital.

There is an effort to impeach President Trump again, but I am wondering why murder charges are not warranted in this case. For weeks he called his ragtag army to come to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6. He, Rudy and Trump Jr. gave them specific instructions to storm the Capitol by force. One of his followers caused the death of a police officer, and that makes Donald and the others just as guilty as the perpetrator. It has been widely reported that Trump watched the carnage on TV and was thrilled with the results and only read a statement calling for them to stand down after he was warned of his culpability.

Rudy Giuliani, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and the many other Republican legislators and lawyers have for months backed up Trump’s lie that there was widespread voter fraud. They did so knowing there was no truth in it. These people must be expelled from our government, because they gave legitimacy to the lie that deceived millions of Americans. 

If you were taken in by this lie about voter fraud that has been debunked by the courts and all the Republican election officials, it is time for you to look at reality. The reality is that you have been conned by Donald Trump and his enablers, and, unfortunately, a few hundred of his supporters who participated in the assault on the Capitol will probably go to jail. To deny this reality and not hold him accountable will lead to more pathological liars like Donald Trump. Trump and his enablers must be held accountable.