According to S.V. Dáte, White House correspondent for HuffPost, former President Donald J. Trump is worse than the late mass murderer Osama Bin Laden, and January 6 was worse than 9/11.
“Twenty-two years ago this morning, a foreign terrorist murdered nearly 3,000 Americans,” the journalist tweeted Monday. “But he could not come close to ending or even hurting our democracy. That attack arrived 19 years, three months and 26 days later, at the hands of an ersatz American,” he said, referring to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Ironically, the locus of his assault was the same building that was saved by the bravery of the passengers on United 93.”
Regardless of what one thinks of Trump or the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Dáte’s comparison is reproachful, disgusting, and historically ignorant.
Last year, an FBI agent made a similar statement, arguing that “when you look at something that is an attack on democracy… that could actually bring about a fundamental change to American governance, as we understand it, 9/11 is nothing compared to January 6.” Additionally, he pushed for the federal government to “be on the same war footing that we were on in the weeks and months and years after 9/11" in cracking down on the Americans who participated in the riot.
At the time, I pointed out the obvious:
The 9/11 terrorist attacks were perpetrated by Islamic militants who sought to bring America to her knees. Osama Bin Laden reportedly boasted that “with the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York, there occurred an even bigger destruction: that of the great American Dream and legend of Democracy."
Three thousand people were killed on 9/11. Thousands more have since died from Sept. 11-related illnesses.
The 9/11 extremists targeted two civilian buildings, the United States Department of Defense, and are believed to have had their sights set on the United States Capitol Building as a fourth target.
“But Jan. 6 was worse than that,” I asked.
Comparing Jan 6. in any way to 9/11 is inane and offensive. It ought to infuriate even those who denounce Trump and his supporters. Why? Because it’s nothing more than a thinly veiled call for political persecution. The very fact that an FBI agent publicly uttered the words “9/11 is nothing compared to January 6” is outrageous and shameful. The fact that he called for the government to treat MAGA protestors no differently than murderous al-Qaeda terrorists is terrifying.
We must ask ourselves—who is the real threat to democracy? Flag-waving Americans furious at their government, or a government furious at its citizens? As Americans, we should all be concerned about a weaponized federal government—no matter who it goes after—and pursue peaceful solutions to restore a just balance of power. If we don’t, we very well may find ourselves oppressed under an authoritarian system that silences dissent and treats its subjects like terrorists.
Luckily, there is an answer to federal tyranny, and it does not require political violence. With an Article V convention, laid out in the U.S. Constitution, the American people of both political parties can take back power from the feds and diffuse an increasingly volatile crisis.
Our country needs this. Join us today, and sign the Convention of States petition below.
