On Tuesday, writing for Deadline Detroit, Greg Stejskal, a retired FBI agent from the Ann Arbor, Michigan field office, compared former President Donald Trump to a "cult leader" — and urged he be prosecuted for his role in inflaming the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
"Many of those individuals went to the Capital to 'stop the steal' — to stop Congress from certifying electoral votes submitted by the states," wrote Stejskal. "Over 100 officers were injured, the Capitol was breached and property was destroyed. Threats to hang the vice-president were voiced. That is what they believed Trump told them to do."
Stejskal drew a comparison between Trump and Charles Manson, the infamous California-based cult leader who was imprisoned for life after his followers murdered nine people in an effort to instigate a race war.
"This is obviously an imperfect analogy as to what Trump did up to and following the election, which ultimately culminated in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. But Trump does seem to be a cult leader, with a significantly larger cult than Manson’s," wrote Stejskal. "A certain segment of his supporters has unquestioning loyalty. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., characterized it this way: 'Politics is not about the weird worship of one dude.'"
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Moreover, noted Stejskal, "In addition to lying, Trump has refused to denounce the white nationalist militia groups and QAnon conspiracy aficionados — conspiracies that are every bit as loony as anything Manson dreamed up. These groups were well-represented among the insurrectionists who visited so much violence on the Capitol and its defenders."
"The House committee inquiry continues, as does the DOJ/FBI investigation. The case will get stronger, I believe. And based on the evidence already made public, I think that incitement of an insurrection and/or conspiracy to incite an insurrection are viable, prosecutable offenses that should be pursued against Donald Trump and others," concluded Stejskal. "Trump had sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind."
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