Local experts weigh in on Wednesday storming of the Capitol

As the country reels from an episode that saw its Capitol stormed by a pro-Trump mob, local political scientists say the path forward remains murky for a nation that remains deeply divided along ideological lines.

Washington State University Professor of government, Cornell Clayton, said the last time the Capitol was breached like it was Wednesday was when it was burned to the ground by British soldiers during the war of 1812.

Clayton, who is also director of WSU’s Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service, said the fact that those ransacking what he described as “the temple of American democracy,” were themselves American citizens makes this an event without precedence in the country’s history.

Clayton described rioters who pushed past Capitol Police and caused members of Congress to flee for their safety as “insurrectionists.” He said there can be little uncertainty regarding who bears the bulk of the responsibility for sparking violence that unfolded in the nation’s capital.

“The whole idea of seeing a sitting president of the United States inciting that kind of insurrection was also striking and remarkable -- there’s nothing like in American history,” Clayton said. “I think it fits perfectly the definition of sedition and incitement to insurrection and that’s federally prosecutable. Now, the politics of prosecuting him for that, I think, would be very, very tricky.”

University of Idaho Professor of Political Science Brian Smentkowski agreed the president’s remarks ahead of the episode, where he repeated baseless claims of voter fraud and urged supporters to march on the capitol as lawmakers formally certified the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, amounted to a federal crime. However, both said there is little chance he will be prosecuted or receive a formal rebuke of any kind.

While the possibility of Vice President Mike Pence and members of the cabinet invoking the 25th Amendment and unseating President Trump on the grounds that he is unfit to perform the duties of his post has been raised following Wednesday’s events, Clayton said such a move was unlikely to gain traction. He said the most appropriate response would be for Congress to impeach the President -- which would bar him from seeking public office in the future -- but this too would be a longshot without significant Republican support. While he noted former President Richard Nixon was prosecuted for “far, far less,” he said it would be near impossible to get a conviction in the Republican-controlled Senate for a variety of reasons.

“I think the problem is the Republican Party right now has become so captured by Donald Trump and even though they are starting to split away, I don’t think you would get enough support in the Senate to make it stick,” he said.

However, Clayton said, something must be done to hold people accountable or else American institutions will continue to be eroded by political opportunism.

“In this case, given the fact that you have a radicalized group of Americans now, I think you do need to hold some people accountable and it starts with prosecuting people who were engaged in this riot in the Capitol Building,” he said. “But I think also, you have to hold some of the leaders accountable.”

Clayton admitted the form this accountability could take is uncertain. He said there is a reasonable chance both chambers of Congress could pass a joint censure or a formal rebuke of the president’s actions, but such a move has few material repercussions attached to it.

Smentkowski, who is also director of the UI’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, said it may not be in the nation’s best interest to pursue what will invariably be perceived by some as revenge politics but for the nation’s leaders to focus on moving forward. He said he is hopeful that Wednesday’s events serve as a wake-up call that will help end an era of combative politics. However, he said both sides of the aisle would have to be complicit in restoring civility to the country’s political discourse.

“We need to be laying the foundation for something better to happen as a consequence of what we observed (Wednesday) and during the last four years,” Smentkowski said. “I think politically, most savvy politicians are thinking pragmatically, thinking aspirationally about what kind of nation we are and what kind of nation we hope to be at our best and potentially less ideologically.”

Scott Jackson can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to sjackson@dnews.com.