On January 6, 2021, I was at home in Portland, Oregon that day writing when I saw strange alerts about an attack on the U.S. Capitol. As I turned on the TV to see what was happening, I had not felt so nauseous and heartbroken for the USA since the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
I wrote on Facebook during the insurrection, “As an American, I am feeling very sad right now. Donald Trump can’t face reality that he lost his re-election, so he instigated his followers to breech the U.S. Capitol security where Congress was supposed to finalize the Electoral College results. It’s just shocking to see so many people who claim to be patriotic. Yet (they) don’t believe in the rule of law, democracy, and honoring the results of a free & fair election.”
During that day, the news broke that a woman, later identified as Ashli Babbitt, was shot dead by Capitol Police as she attempted to climb through a broken door to enter the U.S. House of Representatives inside the Capitol Building.
I then posted: “Donald Trump’s political career is finished. No way he is the GOP nominee in 2024. He burned too many bridges now. This woman died because of his arrogance and mental issues that he can’t accept a free and fair election. The blood is on his hands. It is such a tragedy that this woman listened to Trump, right wing media, and her peers to be to participate with this unlawful mob today.”
Later that day on January 6th, I posted an old photo of me from November 2018 taken in front of the U.S. Capitol smiling with my Earthball. I then wrote, “My stomach felt like it was kicked in today. I have had the privilege of traveling to Washington D.C. and lobbying Congressional Offices for climate action 8 times in the past (6 years). It is one of my biggest thrills whenever I get to lobby Congress for #ClimateAction. If you ever get a chance to lobby Congress, I highly recommend it. This is a sacred place of our American democracy. It made me sick to see this unruly and unlawful mob desecrate this sacred and hollow ground. These are also sacred grounds to peacefully protest to speak truth to power in a way that respects and honors members of Congress and their staff while they try to do their jobs.”
As an American who loves our democracy and U.S. Capitol Building, I felt assaulted by Donald Trump and his supporters by the violent insurrection on January 6th. It shook my faith that the America had a stable and solid democracy. As I watched live on TV, it looked like the American equivalent to the 1933 Reichstag Fire in Berlin that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis used to consolidate power in Germany that eventually led to World War II.
Fortunately, the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S National Guard were able to reassert control over the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Congress was able to complete its duties to certify the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden would still be inaugurated as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President on January 20, 2021.
As a result of his actions leading up to and on January 6th, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump on January 13, 2021.
The U.S. Senate held this impeachment trial of President Trump from February 9-13, 2021. A clear majority of 57 U.S. Senators voted to convict Donald Trump. Sadly, that vote fell short of the two-thirds majority required by the U.S. Constitution to convict Trump. Thus, the Senate found Trump determined to be not guilty on the single article of impeachment.
On January 30, 2021, the House of Representatives voted to establish the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol that was responsible for investigating every aspect of the insurrection—including the role of the former President. Over the next 18 months, I followed closely this committee’s hearings and proceedings.
On December 19, 2022, the committee released its final report. It listed a serious list of accusations against Trump: obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to defraud the nation; conspiracy to make false statements; and most grave of all, inciting, assisting, aiding, or comforting an insurrection. For the first time in the history of the United States, Congress referred a former President to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. Unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Justice ran out of time to hold Donald Trump accountable for his crimes when he was elected President on November 5, 2024.
As I watched the media coverage of the 2021 Senate Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump and the House January 6thSelect Committee, one man stood out to me who was involved with both proceedings, Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland. Before entering Congress, Rep. Raskin was a professor of constitutional law at American University’s Washington College of Law for more than 25 years. in January 2021, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed him as the lead impeachment manager in the second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump. Later in 2021, Rep. Raskin was subsequently appointed to serve on the bipartisan January 6th Select Committee and led its legal and constitutional team. With his actions in those situations to make the strong case why Donald Trump should be held legally accountable for January 6th, I was very impressed with the arguments and evidence he articulated against Trump.
Though I found I found the January 6th Insurrection to be a devastating blow to American democracy, I did not let it stop me from traveling to Washington D.C. in June 2023 and June 2024. I went there to attend the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) conference and lobby day on Capitol Hill to meet with Congressional Offices to urge them to pass strong climate legislation.
On June 11, 2024, I attended the CCL Lobby Day on Capitol Hill to attend meetings with several Congressional Offices. As I traveled inside an underground tunnel connecting the Longworth to the Rayburn House Office Buildings, I heard a joyful commotion. A group of young CCL volunteers barely in their 20s were very gleeful and awe struck to run into Congressman Jamie Raskin. I was stunned to see him in person. I knew of him for years as the lead impeachment manager for the Senate impeachment trial held after Trump’s second impeachment. This was followed by then Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointing Raskin to serve on the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack in 2021 and 2022. For these last four years, Rep. Jamie Raskin is one of the top defenders of American democracy in the U.S. Congress.
The young CCL volunteers eagerly took photos with him. Congressman Raskin seemed just as thrilled to get his photos with them. I don’t know who was more excited. I was just a couple of feet away. When he finished his photos with them, I found myself standing right next to him. I meekly said, “Can I get my photo with you?”
He shot out a big grin, stomped his foot, and responded with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”
I then quickly took a selfie meeting with him before he bolted to his next meeting. I squeezed in a very brief, “Thank you for all you have done to try to protect our democracy!” He seemed very appreciative to hear that. This very short less than a 30 second interaction made the whole trip from Portland Oregon to Washington D.C. worth it. Jamie Raskin was around my height of 5 feet 8 inches, if not an inch shorter. Yet, this is a man of a big stature.
With all my canvassing and organizing for climate change over the years, it felt like a very positive reward to have this brief but spectacular moment with Congressman Jamie Raskin. Even more, meeting Representative Raskin was a peak moment of inspiration for me to meet someone who has worked so hard in Congress to protect our democracy. My brief interaction with him inspired me to do more to uphold our democracy and to keep lobbying Congress to pass effective climate policies.
Thank you, Congressman Raskin, for all your public service. Even more, I will always be grateful how kind you were to those students and me when we interacted with you at the U.S. Capitol.
