Frida Ghitis, (@fridaghitis) Former CNN producer and correspondent is the world office work columnist. She is a CNN weekly opinion contributor, a Washington Post contributor columnist, and a World Politics Review columnist. Her views expressed in this commentary are her own. SeeOther Opinions on CNN.
(CNN)The testimony was heartbreaking. Two women, holding back tears and trying to play their part for American democracy, told their story. It is said that former President Donald Trump almost destroyed their lives in an attempt to gain power even after losing the election.
But former Georgia Election Worker Wandrea "Shay" Moss And her mother, Ruby Freeman, told Parliamentary Commission investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol how Trump's attack in the 2020 elections would hurt them. He said it was more than a story about Taka. It provides further evidence of why a man who is still trying to undermine American democracy must be prosecuted.
Trump and his acolytes not only undermine confidence in the system, but also normalize false information and poison the wells that maintain democracy.
Certainly, prosecuting the former president is a dangerous proposal. But the evidence for Trump is strong and it is essential. Legal action must be taken.
The incident unfolded by the House Selection Commission is nominally related to what happened on January 6, 2021. It's about the past, but more importantly, about the present and future of the country.
See what Moss and Freeman say they experienced, and think about how Trump's plot trampled democratic ideals to steal elections.
One of the things she and her mother Ruby don't do anymore is the job of elections. Who can blame them after what Trump and his followers have done.
Much of the evidence presented at the hearing was provided by Republican officials who worked for Trump, who not only assaulted democracy but also ruined his life. It threatens officials, stirs mobs, and shows approval of the plan, which is equivalent to a coup attempt. All eyes are on Attorney General Merrick Garland as the January 6 Commission sets a layer of abominable evidence against the former President.
Advanced democracy usually does not chase the losers of the election. It's never happened here, and the prospect that it could become a new trend is really alarming. Then there is the risk of further inflaming a deeply divided and heavily armed nation where followers of the former president have shown a willingness to use violence to promote his cause.
But Trump was not a regular president. And his actions since the election are immeasurable. If he lied about the election, claimed he won, and left it alone, he might move on for national reconciliation. But that's not what happened.
Every day, what Trump stops doing and continues to his country is a day that makes injuries deeper, more difficult to heal, and more uncertain about the future. ..
Trump's approach to elections seems to be reminiscent of his tax tactics. Test your limits and expect only the mildest results. That his strategy seems to have rewarded him so far.
But trying a tax trick is one thing, trying a coup.
Destroying the lives of two women may not even have been ranked as a retrofit in Trump's campaign to steal elections. But in the rest of the country awaiting a decision by the Justice Department, Moss and Freeman said Trump had one belief in American democracy at a time, one pollster at a time, and one ideal at a time. It stands as evidence of how to dismantle a democratic citizen. It's not just painful. It demands action.
