January 08, 2021
America Must Show Unity for the Sake of National Security
Within hours of the rioters breaching the Capitol, the chaotic and violent attack was over. A day later, President Trump conceded the election he lost in November. And on January 20, Americans will have a new leader. Yet the national security effects of the Capitol insurrection will endure far longer.
I spent seven years working in the Senate, and to watch the siege on a place so familiar had an especially painful resonance. Congress is the body that, at its best, comes together in debates and votes on the most consequential issues facing the country. The branch that, for all the bitter partisanship, has retained a sense of decorum and even camaraderie. The institution designed to channel popular opinion and passions into sober and representative action. The living symbol of American democracy and union even in an era of division.
The Capitol assault was an attack on democracy itself.
The Capitol assault was an attack on democracy itself. It threatened rule by leaders empowered only through consent of the governed, chosen by and responsible to the people alone. The tragedy is that the mayhem was based on a lie: the crowd sought to stop a vote not stolen, protest a system not rigged, and save a country not fallen. It was an insurgency in pursuit of a fever dream, driven first and foremost by a commander in chief clinging to power at any cost.
Read the full article in The Hill.
More from CNAS
-
The Fed, Ed Accreditation, and DHS
Podcast
Loren and Radha reminisce about wintry memories and Benedict Cumberbatch before a cocktail parties worth of gossip on Fed rates, tariffs, and appropriations politics. In dumps...
By Carrie Cordero
-
Accountability and Oversight Concerns in DHS
Video
CNAS general counsel and senior fellow Carrie Cordero joins CNN to discuss a 2020 CNAS report detailing how to improve the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through enhanc...
By Carrie Cordero
-
Legal Questions Remain After U.S. Capture of Maduro
Video
CNAS senior fellow and general counsel Carrie Cordero joined CNN to discuss the arrest and capture of Venezuelan leader Maduro, legal issues surrounding the military campaign ...
By Carrie Cordero
-
Nicolás Maduro Indictment Implications
Video
CNAS senior fellow and general counsel Carrie Cordero joined CNN to discuss the case brought against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration's interventi...
By Carrie Cordero
