Trump and his allies are just as guilty as the QAnon Shaman: op-ed

In her column for the Washington Post this Thursday, Jennifer Rubin contends that the recent sentencing Jacob Chansley, also known as the "QAnon Shaman," to more than three years in prison for his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol was "a direct rebuke to former president Donald Trump and his apologists."

But Rubin says former President Donald Trump was just as guilty, considering that he had beaten the drum for weeks, spread the "big lie" about a stolen election, and demanded his followers "stop the steal" as Congress was certifying the 2020 election's results.

"Penalties for the crimes committed that day are needed to send a message to purveyors of the Jan. 6 whitewash," Rubin writes. "District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth handed out a punishment at the low end of the sentencing guidelines. But his message was clear: 'What you did was terrible. You made yourself the epitome of the riot.'"

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Rubin adds that is obvious that "the decline" of the GOP "has accelerated" since the Jan. 6. "With a handful of exceptions, the House Republican caucus has tried to prevent a full investigation of Jan. 6 and remains aligned with Trump."

Given that Trump and his allies are still denying the violent nature of Jan. 6, Rubin writes that "criminal investigation and prosecution must ensue for everyone involved to the extent that facts and the law allow."

Read her full op-ed at The Washington Post.