Letters to the Editor: Trump insiders are no heroes for telling the truth about Jan. 6

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 13: A still photograph of William Stepien, former Trump Campaign manager is seen on screen while excerpts of his deposition is played during a House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th hearing in the Cannon House Office Building on Monday, June 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. The bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack On the United States Capitol has spent nearly a year conducting more than 1,000 interviews, reviewed more than 140,000 documents day of the attack. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
A photograph of Bill Stepien, former Trump campaign manager, is seen on screen while excerpts of his deposition are played during the House Jan. 6 committee hearing on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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To the editor: Even though the depositions of former Atty. Gen. William Barr, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien and other craven inner circle members laid bare the ultimate truth behind the Big Lie, let's not be tempted to induct these people into the hero hall of fame.

These people kept silent for nearly a year and half while former President Trump repeatedly peddled his toxic lies and downright nutty conspiracy theories about the election, and ultimately incited his rabid followers into a violent bloody coup attemp on the sacred steps of our nation's Capitol.

The fact that Trump and his dishonorable sycophants raised more than $250 million, duping his followers into believing that their money would be used to fight widespread fraud and put him back into office, is flagrantly corrupt and should enrage those who were conned by Trump and his lackeys.

Ramona Saenz, Alhambra

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To the editor: Strictly speaking, the Jan. 6 committee is bipartisan, but that doesn't mean it isn't monochromatic. It would have been better served by having some dissenting voices.

Yes, the Democrats and the media would have been highly annoyed by, say, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and he would have made the workings of the committee more difficult. But his presence and that of a few like-minded Republicans would have acted as a basic fairness check.

Also, they would have added an element of true drama (breaking: conflict sells). They might have caused more voters friendly to Trump actually to tune in. And to the extent that there is anyone still persuadable about this event, they would presumably have forced the committee to pay more attention to Jan. 6 counter-narratives that the committee should want to address (and, if possible, debunk).

Instead, Democrats opted to take a shortcut and what they believed was the easy way out.

Brian Goldenfeld, Oak Park

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.