House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries continues to focus on the events of January 6, 2021, as if they are unfolding in the present, highlighting the Democratic Party's apparent lack of discourse on current national issues.
According to Western Journal, nearly five years have passed since the Capitol breach, which has been followed by a series of arrests, prosecutions, and congressional investigations, yet Jeffries' response to pressing concerns like inflation, crime, and housing costs is to stage another theatrical reminder of a historical event that has already been extensively examined.
When leaders lack solutions, they often resort to recycling outrage, and Jeffries' recent actions exemplify this tendency.
Jeffries' "Dear Colleague" letter serves more as a political security blanket than a governance roadmap. Each paragraph is crafted to keep Democrats tethered to a moment in time that absolves them of accountability for current challenges. Instead of addressing the affordability crisis, border issues, or institutional failures under his party's watch, Jeffries reverts to a familiar narrative where Republicans are cast as villains, Democrats as victims, and performative outrage is mistaken for tangible results.
In his letter, Jeffries writes, "I write with respect to the upcoming solemn anniversary of the January 6th brutal attack on the Capitol. Nearly five years ago, a violent mob incited by Donald Trump attempted to halt the peaceful transfer of power. As a result of the extraordinary bravery of the men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement professionals, the treacherous effort to prevent certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election failed."
This statement is little more than a rehearsed incantation, framing January 6 as a "solemn anniversary" that Democrats feel compelled to observe annually.
The language remains unchanged over the years"violent mob," "incited by Donald Trump," "peaceful transfer of power"all familiar, exhaustive, and serving no purpose beyond moral posturing. This is not a call to address today's problems; it is a reminder that Democrats have little more to hold onto than past grievances.
Jeffries continues, "However, the cost was profound. More than 140 heroic police officers were seriously injured and many suffered lasting physical and psychological trauma. Several tragically lost their lives. In the years since that disgraceful day, far-right Republicans in Congress have repeatedly attempted to rewrite history and whitewash the events of January 6th. Our country has been indelibly scarred."
The suffering of Capitol Police officers is real and deserving of respect, yet Jeffries uses it to justify an indefinite political grievance. He fails to acknowledge the passage of time, the prosecutions that have taken place, or the institutional responses already enacted. Instead, January 6 is presented as an open wound, never meant to heal or be resolved, and therefore always politically useful.
Jeffries further states, "Donald Trump promised to lower the high cost of living on day one of his presidency. One year later, costs are out of control, America is too expensive and Republicans believe that the affordability crisis is a hoax. They have done nothing to lower costs for everyday Americans, but are gutting healthcare and enacted massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors." It is almost humorous how Jeffries suddenly acknowledges real issues affecting Americans, such as inflation and affordability, not to propose solutions but to assign blame.
The irony is palpable. Democrats controlled the White House and Senate during the worst inflation spike in decades, yet Republicans are accused of believing the crisis is a "hoax." There is no explanation of how Democrats would lower costs now, only recycled talking points about billionaires (many of whom donate to Democratic causes) and healthcare cuts. Jeffries then makes sweeping allegations: "The toxic priorities of the Republican Party are clear. On day one of his second term, President Trump issued blanket pardons and commutations to the nearly 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the January 6th attack, including hundreds of violent felons who brutally assaulted law enforcement officers. Several of those individuals have been charged with new crimes throughout the country, putting the safety of the American people in jeopardy. A troubling number of the criminals pardoned by Donald Trump have been arrested for child molestation, sexual assault and kidnapping. Republicans own the failed economy, their broken promise to lower costs and the crime spree the dangerous criminals pardoned by the President have visited on our country."
These allegations are sweeping, inflammatory, and conveniently vaguelacking numbers, sourcing, or proportionality. It is a familiar tactic from the left: collapsing every form of criminality into one amorphous moral horror and laying it at the feet of political opponents. Democrats are not serious people; they are prone to fear-mongering. Jeffries concludes, "We must never forget the horrors of January 6th and will continue to honor the brave law enforcement officers who were injured and lost their lives defending the rule of law in the United States. To that end, on the fifth anniversary of that fateful day, led by the Honorable Bennie Thompson and the Members of the January 6th Select Committee, House Democrats will hold a special hearing that will commence at 10:00 a.m."
The fixation on January 6 is evident. The issue many Americans have with the event is the left's obsession with it, treating it not as a chapter in American history but as a perpetual justification for empty theatrics. What, exactly, is this hearing going to fix? Jeffries' penultimate paragraph reads, "At the hearing, we will examine ongoing threats to free and fair elections posed by an out-of-control Trump administration, expose the election deniers who hold high-level positions of significance in the executive branch and detail the threats to public safety posed by the hundreds of violent felons who were pardoned on the Presidents first day in office. We will also present a panel of Members who wish to share their personal experiences from that horrific day. If you wish to testify, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 12:00 p.m. ET on Friday, January 2."
This hearing underscores the absurdity of the entire letter. At a time when Americans are concerned about housing costs, healthcare access, border security, and global instability, House Democrats are planning another retrospective. Not legislation, not reform, not relief, but a hearing, because hearings are evidently easier than actual governance. Jeffries' final line epitomizes the absurdity: "Thank you for your leadership and I look forward to our continued work in the new year to make life better for the American people."
What "leadership"? What have Democrats spearheaded in recent years that genuinely benefits Americans? Jeffries' promise to "make life better for the American people" sounds appealing, but nothing preceding it supports that claim. There are no ideas, proposals, or metrics for success.
The entire letter is backward-looking, grievance-driven, and consumed by unhinged leftism. If anything, it reads like a tacit admission: Democrats no longer know how to argue for the future, so they cling to the past.
If Democrats seemed underwhelmed by Christmas this year, this letter clarifies why. January 6 has become the left's favorite holiday, and we are likely one more "Dear Colleague" letter away from it becoming an actual one.
Login