Donald Trump and a choir of Jan. 6 insurgents produced a hit song. What a travesty | Opinion

If you’re into music — or conservative politics — you may have heard of the J6 Prison Choir.

No?

Then perhaps you’re familiar with the guest artist on the choir’s new single: Donald Trump.

Yep, that’s none other than The Donald, as in the ex-president, who accompanies the J6 Prison Choir — a group of men jailed for crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

In early March, the choir released a single called “Justice for All,” with the proceeds going to Jan. 6 defendants and their families.

It features the group’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” interspersed with Trump’s recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The song culminates in a rousing chant of “USA, USA.” Trump reportedly recorded his portion of the song at his home at Mar-a-Lago.

Think about that. A group of traitors that attempted to overthrow the legitimate government — egged on by a defeated president — is singing the National Anthem, and the recording has actually gained some traction.

For a while, it was at the top of the Apple iTunes sales chart, though that isn’t quite as impressive as it may sound.

“Politically based songs often register high No. 1 on iTunes, where it usually takes only a few thousand sales a day to command the chart,” Variety reported.

‘Shame on Apple!’

Even so, the recording has collected plenty of fans, including, apparently, the San Luis Obispo County Republican Party.

When the song was temporarily pulled from iTunes, the SLO County GOP was among those who lashed out at Apple.

On Monday, it emailed a message to members with the headline “Shame on Apple!”

It also shared an article from Breitbart News, the far-right news site, and a video from Bannon’s War Room, hosted by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.

“This video is going to bring you to tears,” said Kash Patel, who worked at the Pentagon during the Trump administration.

In the Breitbart article, Patel leads the charge against Apple Music for removing the song “for a period of hours.”

According to various reports, Apple claimed it was a glitch — possibly the fault of an intern. But fans saw it as an assault on free speech, which explains why the local Republican leadership jumped on the outrage with its “Shame on Apple” missive.

The real shame, though, is this campaign to transform a group of traitors into innocent martyrs who are serving time in a “gulag,” as Bannon describes it in his video.

Recapping the events of Jan. 6

Have those who sympathize with the “prison choir” forgotten what happened on Jan. 6, 2021?

The assault on the Capitol was an attempt to overthrow a legitimately elected president. Five people died as a result. More than 100 police officers were wounded. Members of Congress and the vice president feared for their lives.

Yet the SLO County Republican Party says it’s Apple Music — not the rioters — in the wrong.

Ironically, the organization took a far different stance on the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

“We support free speech but not violent protests and rioting!” was the party’s message back then.

Yet for the J6 insurgents, they have nothing but sympathy.

It’s painful to see what has become of the local GOP — the same organization that gave us outstanding leaders like the late Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian and retired state Sen. Sam Blakeslee.

Now the party leadership supports charlatans and traitors, encourages outrageous conspiracy theories about stolen elections, and runs political campaigns full of lies and distortions.

Sadly, this has become so commonplace that it’s hardly worth noting, but this latest outrage — supporting a so-called choir of men who joined in a brutal attack on our Capitol — cannot be ignored.

Members of the J6 Prison Choir are behind bars for good reason.

They deserve neither your sympathy nor your respect — and neither do those who support them.