If you ask the average American who is John Rogge you would probably be faced with a blank stare and a response of who is that. Thanks to Rachael Maddow some may now know that John Rogge was an assistant attorney general for the United States during the 1940’s who investigated American Nazi sympathizers and a facist plot to overthrow the American government. During his investigation which included trips to Germany he discovered that there were at least twenty four sitting United States Congressmen Republican and Democrat who were in alignment with the Nazi government and had used their office to spread Nazi propaganda. Unfortunately when it came to releasing his findings he was told he couldn’t do it because it would be too explosive for the public. Nonetheless, Rogge did engage in a number of public lectures, while still assistant attorney general, about his findings which resulted in his being fired. His findings were also leaked to the press including columnist Drew Pearson. His firing is believed to have been instigated by Democrat Senator Burton K. Wheeler who was a strong supporter of America First, an isolationist and anti-Semetic and one of the twenty four congressmen named in Rogge’s report. He was also very close to and a former mentor to then President Harry S Truman when he was Senator.
It was Rogge’s desire to bring these people to light and to trial. Rogge whose star had risen because of his investigations and subsequent convictions against the corrupt political machine of Louisiana Senator Huey Long, died in relative obscurity although he may be remembered by some for being involved in fighting for justice for the Trenton Six, the six black men accused and convicted of killing an elderly white man. Four of the six were eventually acquitted. While the allegations against the US Congressmen leaked out leading to many of these congressmen being defeated in their elections, they escaped criminal prosecution because of their political position and standing within society,
Fast forward to today as the nation is faced with a potentially similar situation in which the upper echelon of society which was behind the big lie and the so-called stop the steal campaign have thus far escaped accountability.
It is interesting that in regards to January 6th there are those who want to whitewash what occurred and have called for an investigation into the January 6th committee as well as the FBI.
It is easy to understand the frustration expressed by many about what seems to be an inexorable slow response by the Biden Justice Department in holding Trump or his associates accountable.
While they have gone after low hanging fruit by arresting and charging people who clearly do not have the intellectual capacity to plan and carry out a seditious act, the real perpetrators have thus far escaped unscathed.
Questions persist as to whether congresspersons who ignored legal subpoenas issued by the January 6th committee will face accountability as millions languish in jail cells for non-violent offenses many of whom have not even had a trial yet.
Frustration abounds amongst people who have seen a former President abscond with classified documents and yet is treated with kid gloves even as others with no social or political standing have been arrested, charged and imprisoned for the exact same thing. The recent report about classified documents being found in Biden’s library office after he left office as Vice President is not even remotely comparable to Trump’s egregious behavior.
Righteous indignation is justified about Pamela Moses who is serving a six year sentence in Memphis Tennessee for voting irregularities while Donald Trump remains untouched for attempting to coerce a public official in Atlanta Georgia to “find” votes so he could win the state’s electoral votes. One would be forgiven for being skeptical about whether Atlanta Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis will have the intestinal fortitude to indict Trump for attempting to coerce the Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ito overturn Georgia’s election results..
There is no doubt Attorney General Merrick Garland is an honorable man but let’s be clear his network of relationships is more aligned with the higher echelon of society than it is with the working class. At this stage it is looking highly unlikely that he will go after that segment of society which planned, financed and then hid in the shadows as the nation’s capital was under attack. While he has appointed Jack Smith as special counsel there is a chance that Smith may suffer the same fate as John Rogge if he gets too close to pushing for an indictment of the former President and his accomplices.
The solution to holding those who would put the American democratic system in jeopardy accountable has to occur on several levels. One is obviously within the criminal justice system. The planners of the January 6th insurrection must be brought to justice. Thus far however, the criminal justice system has not as yet appeared willing or capable of doing its part. The second way is through the electorate. Those who would use their political position to undermine America have to face electoral consequences. Unfortunately, the electoral response has been mixed. While the democrats increased their numbers in the Senate, defeated most election-deniers at the state level and held off a so-called red wave nonetheless, the congresspersons who peddled the big lie were re-elected including Kevin McCarthy and now wield power in the House of Representatives. Third is through the media. While fairness is a necessary aspect of balanced journalism there is a tendency to use the “both sides” argument to such a degree that it diminishes today’s actual threat to democracy which is the extreme segment of the GOP.
America has always had to deal with the reality and perception of there being two systems of justice and some would say three. One for poor people in general, one for black and brown people and one for the rich and powerful. Thus far the three perceptions are holding up. The reluctance thus far on the part of the Justice Department will certainly serve to strengthen that perception.
Perhaps it is time to send a message to the socially and politically connected who by and large are in charge of the criminal justice system by engaging in systematic jury nullification, which is a perfectly legal response on the part of juries, when it comes to non-violent offenses especially by the poor and people of color. Perhaps it is time for the poor and working class to send a message that says if you are reluctant to go after the rich and powerful when warranted, they will not be used to enforce the rules on the low and powerless.
There are those who seek to speak truth to power but they need to know they are supported in their efforts. Prosecutors Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz resigned from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office because he paused their investigation of Donald Trump despite their hard work in investigating this case. This is an example of not being supported.
If the perpetrators of January 6th are not held accountable it will not only have grave consequences in the United States but around the world as well. One only has to look at the recent events in Brazil as supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, the recent loser of Brazil’s presidential campaign, took to the streets and ransacked government buildings to see the similarities between that event and January 6th. It is not a coincidence that former Trump associates Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon who began questioning the Brazilian run-off election even before it began have cheered on the Bolsonaro rioters.
Unlike America however, Brazilians in response to the riots took to the streets to demand that there will be no leniency for those who sought to overturn a fair election including those who ordered it and financed it.
It remains to be seen how the investigations will turn out. Republicans because of their own complicity in the attempt to overturn an election will attempt to muddy the waters through pointless investigations headed by Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan. Democrats in their incomprehensible attempt at bipartisanship will seek a middle ground with the excuse it’s time to move on. As a result despite having survived the attacks democracy will be severely weakened.
Another attack will occur on democracy and one day it will succeed not because of the strategic genius of anti-American forces but because those who once had the power and authority to ensure this would never happen again failed to do so out of cowardice and complacency.
The cartoon character Pogo said “we have met the enemy and he is us.” Time will tell if America has permanently dodged the anti-American bullet or has its political cowardice and complacency placed the nation in a comatose state oblivious to a slow implosion.