I have no empathy for the insurrectionists who tore through the Capitol, intent on overturning the results of our election and installing Donald Trump as some sort of king.
Many will be fired from their jobs and end up in prison, which is exactly what they deserve.
Nor do I believe that those involved in securing the Capitol who ignored warnings and put frontline officers in peril or those officers who posed for selfies or helped insurrectionists trample through the halls of Congress should avoid punishment.
But what about those who encouraged the actions of the insurrectionists — the elected officials, media outlets and corporate executives who profited from years of chaos and division? Will they be allowed to simply condemn the violence, then move on as if they couldn’t have predicted this outcome, as if they played no role in this shameful moment in our history?