Re: “No Kings rally has lost even this sympathetic critic of President Donald Trump,” Oct. 19 commentary

Krista Kafer has forgotten why we dumped the tea in the harbor in the first place. Revealing latent Tory sympathies, Kafer suggests the “No Kings” marches should be curtailed because the events aren’t changing any minds.

Perhaps Kafer shouldn’t be so sure about that. Did her Sunday column change any minds?

One march might not change a mind, one march does not create a movement. But as the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements demonstrated, prolonged protests can create political momentum and, in the end, can change minds. The Voting Rights Act is one example of that. You know, the same Voting Rights Act the Trumplicans want to dismantle.

There are so many reasons to protest Trump. No Kings marchers attend for different reasons.

March on, my brothers and sisters.

Barry Noreen, Denver

For those who claim the No Kings demonstrations are worthless and ineffective, look at America during the last 110 years. Women fought and won the right to vote through peaceful demonstrations. The protesters were confronted with many being sent to jail. Men were directed to prohibit their wives and daughters from participating in the marches with men physically assaulting the protesters. Rights for women prevailed.

In the 1950s and 60s, protesters marched for civil rights for people of color, often being met by extreme violence perpetuated by racists and bigots. The Civil Rights Act was passed because of the bravery of those demonstrators. Today, the No Kings protesters face accusations from the GOP that No King demonstrators are paid, violent domestic terrorists. If you look at images of yesterday’s rallies, you will find grandmas and grandpas, sometimes using walkers, parents, and children chanting they love America and loudly reminding all that these demonstrations is what democracy looks like. Yes, the demonstrators stand behind antifa, antifascism. Antifa is NOT a ‘dark’ organization. It is taking a hard stand AGAINST fascism.

My question to those who criticize these marches, why aren’t you a follower of the antifa belief? If you disagree with antifa, then you support fascism, dictatorship, and the abolishment of our Constitution. The millions of people who marched and rallied on Saturday are true patriots who are demonstrating to protect our country, our democracy, and our Constitution.

Gary Johnson, Greeley

Krista Kafer is the kind of Republican I can respectfully listen to. I don’t always agree with her, but she often offers perspectives that are worth considering. But her criticism of the No King’s rally was disingenuous. Did she really think millions of people gathered with the idea they were going to convert MAGA supporters? Did she think those at the rally thought U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson was going to see the crowds and get the cojones to become a leader rather than a minion?

Saturday’s rally sent a message of hope. It was a boost to battered spirits that we are not alone. It is elevating to realize there are many kinds of Americans who share the idea America should not cave to the ugliness and self-interest of people like Donald Trump or Stephen Miller.

Reasonable people know good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things. If the Gaza peace deal survives, kudos to Trump for giving it impetus, but that doesn’t erase the genuinely destructive effect of his domestic policies. The No Kings protest was a joyful acknowledgement that there is still a lot to love about America, and it was out in force on Saturday. It was a shout, “We still have hope!” The fact that Kafer didn’t get that says more about her than about the protesters.

A. Lynn Buschhoff, Denver

I have found myself agreeing with much of what Krista Kafer has said recently, until Sunday. In her opinion piece, she argued against the No King Rallies by saying “Trump is no king”, which most people would agree is technically a true statement. However, a king governs absolutely, ignoring the rule of law and ignoring all democratic principles. This is exactly the way Trump is attempting to govern. All his social media posts last Saturday, showing himself garbed as a king, are representative of how he sees himself and his unlimited power.

The No Kings rallies all over the world were in support of the philosophy that we don’t want someone leading the United States who thinks they can govern like a king, ignoring all our democratic principles and laws.

Lynne Montague-Clouse, Highlands Ranch

I agree that someone could have come up with a more pertinent title for the No Kings event. But please, don’t disparage the entire event.

Yesterday, I attended my first No Kings rally, and I can say it was empowering to see so many like-minded people getting together to make a statement. I felt empowered to do more. These events are extremely important, especially in an age where most people sit at home looking at screens. These events are a very visible and tangible statement of how people think and feel, and have been since at least the 1960s. Ms. Kafer asks, “Did this event change a single mind?” Of course it did! It changed my mind!

Bart Cox, Denver

Kings employ rule by fiat, edict, intimidating shows of force and acts of retribution, along with personal attributes of arrogance, hubris and entitlement. These characteristics are clearly in practice and on full display by President Trump. Their enumeration will not all fit on a protest placard. Neither will the admitted litany of President Trump’s negatives listed in Krista Kafer’s Sunday column.

She mistakes the vast number of protestors as having the same platform as she does for elongated expressions of their positions of discontent.

Criticizing the expressions used by the throngs of protestors is shortsighted. A column in a newspaper is not needed to remind Trump and his minions that while we hear him declare he is not a king, the tried-and-true axiom “actions speak louder than words” is wholly applicable.

In statistics, there is a widely accepted term known as a representative sampling. Based upon this statistical application, the numbers in the streets on Saturday depicted a larger level of discontent with the Trump administration. While we applaud the Middle East’s progress towards a peaceful existence, between the tens of millions there, as we approach 400 million here, we are as concerned with our own freedom as we are with theirs.

Bill Starks, Arvada

Disingenuous has never been more applicable than with Krista Kafer’s assertion that “No Kings” lacked clarity. She knows the gaudy gold fittings and lack of the symbolism of royalty are not the issue. It is his actions against the citizens of his own country. The good he has done with Israel and Palestine is not going to be the salve that binds him to his clear-eyed and fearful detractors.

She is intentionally obtuse when she claims the lack of regalia is more relevant than Mr. Trump’s moves toward authoritarianism and a unitary presidency than his actual deeds of sending masked police into cities with the military, people being swept off the street and their whereabouts unknown, the wholesale termination of the employment of persons perceived to be disloyal, the unctuousness he demands of his minions and his threats to other politicians, even in his own party.

Well, Ms. Kafer, if that doesn’t qualify him to be in the ranks of the Putins and Maduros, I am not sure what more evidence you need. If you do not understand this, then I guess you are not paying attention. So, just keep laughing at the “overwrought” who are concerned and marching for our future.

Mary Wamsley, Denver

What did No Kings accomplish?

Kafer is lost. The No Kings march was not about Israel or any of Trump’s policies, but his tactic to act in a belligerent and autocratic manner to sweep power from Congress, corporate America, universities and states. The conceptual connection between the name “No Kings March” and Trump’s first months back in office should be obvious.

Ms. Kafer never addressed her central question, so I will:

‱ Informed citizens. We learned the incremental shift in our democracy to an autocratic and dictatorial form of government.

‱ Galvanized patriots. Division and chaos are Trump’s tools. This march brought unity and a vision for millions of patriots marching towards the 2026 elections.

‱ Therapeutic outlet. Many have experienced shock and awe, anger, bewilderment, depression, and even stained relations with family and friends from Trump’s charades. This march reminded us that we are not alone and there are groups to join and actions to take.

‱ Motivating force. Within 24 hours of the FOCO march, I donated $100, flaunted my No Kings badge at the CSU homecoming game, and wrote this response.

‱ Messaging. Seven million patriots sent a loud message of unrest to Democrats, Republicans and independents. The honeymoon is over, and we will not cower before an authoritarian regime.

‱ GOP embarrassment. Trump and his jesters look like fools here and abroad for their lies and belittlement of this “we the people” march.

‱ Momentum. The 2026 marches will be bigger and in every gerrymandered district!

Glenn Haas, Fort Collins

I looked at your online photo of tens of thousands of “No Kings” protesters in jaw-dropping disbelief. The throngs outside the state Capitol dome, gleaming in the sunshine, were reminiscent of the civil rights march on Washington in the ’60s, or at the very least, a Broncos Super Bowl win. I was so happy, I cried.

Then I turned to Perspective and saw the huge, page two headline on Krista Kafer’s column putting down the protests and my bubble burst. I was transported back to the grim reality of the many Americans who still support the tactics of a dictator. It isn’t hyperbole to say that.

I wrote this for the same reason people were demonstrating — not to have an immediate impact, but to support and validate other people like myself.

Beverly Bennett, Aurora

Krista Kafer decided to avoid Saturday’s No Kings rallies, because she had to look up the purpose of the rallies on a website.

How precious.

It¶¶Òőap tempting to paraphrase the — e.g., obstructing the administration of justice; dissolving our legislature; refusing his assent to our laws; affecting to render the military superior to civil offices; imposing taxes without our consent; quartering large bodies of armed troops among us — to paint the parallels between the Trump administration and King George III.

It is sufficient to observe Ms. Kafer’s extenuating apologies notwithstanding, Trump thinks of himself as king. He posted a crowned image of himself flying a fighter jet emblazoned with “King Trump,” and dumping sewage, sludge, or feces on a No Kings march. His disdain for Americans is palpable.

Randy Livingston, Denver

Regarding Krista Kafer’s op-ed, where she does not know what “No Kings” means, I would direct her attention to Justice in Trump v. United States, where she said, “the relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.”

Mark Risner, Englewood

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The move comes as President Donald Trump doubles down on his administration’s efforts to push late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel off the air. Crow, a Democrat who represents the Aurora-centered 6th Congressional District, said ABC’s recent suspension of the comedian over comments following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk — before he was reinstated Tuesday — sped up plans to bring the bill.

“We’ve been talking about this for some time,” Crow said in an interview, “but certainly we‘ve seen a huge acceleration of efforts by this administration to silence dissent and to impinge on people’s First Amendment rights — so we similarly have expedited our efforts to send a very strong message (that) that¶¶Òőap not acceptable.”

He and the other lawmakers unveiled the NOPE — short for — Act late last week, a day after Disney-owned ABC suspended Kimmel amid pressure from federal regulators and local TV affiliates.

The bill, which has not yet been introduced in Congress, would in part underscore existing constitutional speech protections, . It would codify in federal law protections for people facing litigation because of their speech, and it would give an explicit private right of action to sue.

In a nod to a recent Trump threat, it would also provide legal avenues for American nonprofits targeted by the administration.

The bill may face a difficult path in Congress, where Democrats are in the minority in both chambers. Though some Republicans criticized the government¶¶Òőap pressure on ABC, there are not yet any GOP lawmakers among the bill’s supporters.

Crow will back the bill in the House. In the interview Wednesday, Crow didn’t have a timeline for when the bill would be introduced but said it was being fast-tracked. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, will carry a companion measure in the Senate.

The bill will likely include language akin to Colorado’s and other states’ anti-SLAPP laws, Crow said. Those laws generally protect journalists and members of the public against frivolous, speech-related lawsuits, allowing early dismissal of such cases. have been unsuccessful.

The legislation, if passed, would help codify existing speech protections that have been established by court precedent, said Alan Chen, a professor at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law who focuses on free speech. It would also provide “front-end protection from government agencies abusing their authority,” he said.

“For the most part, it mirrors what the law already is, while reinforcing that the federal government shouldn’t be involved in violating any of these rights — which, again, should be obvious,” Chen said of Democrats’ plans for the bill. “But sometimes, agencies need a reminder.”

The NOPE Act’s drafting comes as Trump and his administration have increasingly sought to crack down on news reporting and public comments the president does not like, or which he alleges are inaccurate.

Lambasting the media and his critics has been a constant of Trump’s political career, but his return to the White House has brought more direct attempts to punish perceived opponents. He’s filed lawsuits against outlets that have reported upon him critically, and federal immigration officials . from news events after the outlet refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” as his administration had renamed it.

After the assassination of Kirk, Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, promised consequences for ABC if the network didn’t take action against Kimmel for the comedian’s remarks about Kirk and his supporters. Kimmel’s show was subsequently suspended by ABC.

Carr’s comments drew broad criticism, including from Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz.

The suspension ended Tuesday night. But Kimmel’s return prompted Trump to threaten more litigation, and Carr said the FCC would continue with its congressional mandate to ensure broadcast TV serves the public interest. “If people don’t like it,” , “they can go to Congress and change the law.”

Chen said congressional Democrats’ legislation is an effort by Congress’ minority party to wield legislative power and respond to the pressures on the First Amendment. Congressional committees and members could more directly launch investigations, hold up funding or demand answers from federal officials, he said.

“When legislators seek to protect free-speech rights that are already protected under the First Amendment, what they’re usually signaling is they think a couple different things,” Chen said. “They’re worried courts won’t do their job enforcing the First Amendment. The second is … to have a more systemic or systematic approach to deterring violations of the First Amendment.”

The expected bill would also seek to provide due process for nonprofits that “the government attempts to label as criminal or terrorist organizations,” according to Crow’s office. Trump told reporters last week that he wanted to designate a range of unspecified groups as domestic terrorist organizations, which — among other things — could strip those groups of their tax-exempt status.

While more standard attempts to remove that status can be challenged in court, the terrorism designation would be much more difficult for a nonprofit to undo.

The New York Times contributed to this story.

Colorado State House Rep. Scott Bottoms should know better. No one — not even his own congregation — is going to waste time on such a simple story.

Better go with: The quiet lawyer, with a reputation as the honest confidant, is secretly a long lost and embittered family relation. He killed the heir in the vineyard while the victim’s vain and headstrong daughters conspired to rid themselves of their meddlesome father, and the third wife was with her lover, a corrupt government agent connected to cartels to whom the victim’s sons owed mounting gambling debts. Now that¶¶Òőap a page-turner!

This is the level of inane and improbable complexity that a conspiracy theorist should aim for after an unexpected event such as an assassination or attempt, a narrow election, a terrorist attack, or a pandemic. So when Bottoms told his congregation that of Donald Trump, he could have done better as a purveyor of fiction … a lot better.

Bottoms has already blamed the FBI for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. His new conspiracy theory needs a fresh villain. And since he’s presented zero evidence of an FBI plot, he could choose anyone!

While unnamed Deep State operatives controlling both the State and Justice Departments provide an air of mystery, they desperately need an outsider connection. And it can’t be George Soros or the Koch Brothers; they’re busy animating other fictions. As long as Pastor Bottoms is going to take time away from the Gospel to preach Christian Nationalist politics, he should name names. Resurrect Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Toss in a connection to Monsanto, the Masons, the Comintern, and the Kardashians.

Bottoms told his congregants the FBI would have succeeded were it not for God’s intervention. Too bad Presidents JFK, Garfield, McKinley, and Lincoln weren’t on the divine presidential protection plan. Bottoms predicted that by Nov. 5, Trump would be dead or in jail or the election would be suspended. Can we get a scripture citation on that?

Colorado-based podcaster Joe Oltmann did one better.

: “Shooter is a rabid antifa member … like Erik Maulbetsch of the Colorado Times Recorder or Sean Heidi Beedle of the same organization. Or Kyle Antifa Clark of 9news … These are evil, disgustingly vile people and they need to be held accountable. They are terrorists. They are unAmerican and their Soros-funded rhetoric needs to stop. They stole elections, stole our voice and it¶¶Òőap time to hold them accountable. They are terrorists.”

Terrorists?

Illuminati would have been better bait for his followers looking for something to dig into on Parler and Truth Social. Clark is too dapper for a suicide vest anyway. And with names like Maulbetsch and Beedle, Oltmann should have said the Times Recorder crew are part of the Bilderberg Group or the Trilateral Commission, undercover globalists sowing the subversive seeds of free trade on the Front Range. Also, Antifa has been overplayed. The American public needs more Russian collusion conspiracy theories. Oh, and chemtrails would be a nice touch.

On the left, “it-was-staged” conspiracy theories have found fertile ground. A Morning Consult poll found a third of those who supported President Joe Biden believed the attempted assassination was faked to improve Trump’s prospects. Support for that theory explains why Democrats didn’t immediately propose new gun laws in the wake of the shooting.

In this faked-assassination-attempt conspiracy theory, Trump slashed his own ear or used a concealed fake blood capsule to create the illusion. How do believers explain the death of bystander Corey Comperatore? Must have been the COVID shot.

Aberdeen, Wash., mayor, Douglas Or, said he wants independent doctors to look at the injury to make sure it wasn’t faked. Admittedly, the oversized gauze bandage adorning Trump’s ear at the Republican Convention did seem suspect. However, a fake injury could be covered by fake doctors with fake lab coats and reported as fake news. That¶¶Òőap where things could get interesting. Let¶¶Òőap bring in Mossad, Haliburton, Hillary Clinton, Project 2025, and those behind the faked moon landing and really develop the derisory potential of this half-baked conspiracy theory.

After all, if we’re going to circulate things without a single shred of evidence, let¶¶Òőap go big.

Krista L. Kafer is a weekly Denver Post columnist. Follow her on X: @kristakafer.

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He deftly handled the latter when he responded to the Colorado GOP’s recent email “Call to action for all county officers, elected officials, and concerned citizens.” The email solicits signatures for a letter to Colorado Members of Congress regarding the treatment of individuals jailed for their involvement in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

The rambling petition, penned by Todd M. Watkins, Vice Chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party, contends these “prisoners” are being “mistreated and abused.” Hundreds are “still detained without bond, most for misdemeanor offenses” or they have not been formally charged.  Many have “suffered physical abuse and injury at the hands of their jailors or been denied medical treatment.” They are unable to meet with their attorneys. Their constitutional rights are being violated. They are being silenced for political dissent. America “is a despotic, tyrannical, banana republic,” the petition concludes, that “looks more like The Gulag Archipelago than “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Congressman Buck responded to these excretal claims in a lengthy letter in hopes that authors “will cease disseminating false information.” Specifically, Buck explained all January 6 defendants . The number of detainees has dropped from 56 in the spring of 2021. Those who remain in custody have been charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer or conspiracy or possession of a deadly weapon on Capitol grounds, all felonies. They remain behind bars because they pose a danger to the community or are a flight risk or are likely to obstruct justice.

Buck handily dismantled the Walkins’s claims of abuses, violation of constitutional rights, and unequal treatment. He criticized the GOP call to action email for making irresponsible, false, and misleading claims and for misdirecting “the energy and resources of Republican activists at a time when this country is facing crises after crises as a result of the failed policies of the Biden administration.”

The congressman could not be more right. President Biden’s time in office has been characterized by foreign policy mistakes and unconstitutional domestic policies shot down by the courts. Since Democrats plan to field this unpopular, sometimes confused octogenarian in 2024, the GOP should be focused on Biden’s blunders and GOP solutions.

Instead, the Colorado state GOP is appending new plot lines to an absurd conspiracy theory.

First, we were told the mysterious deep state, election equipment companies, foreign powers, Democrats, election workers, and other nefarious characters rigged the election results for Biden with such skill they left no evidence behind.

Then we were told a peaceful protest on January 6 was crashed by armed Antifa and undercover federal agents. Maybe a few righteous patriots got a little too enthusiastic and entered the Capitol. ‘Twas a misunderstanding, a mere contretemps to which far too much attention has been paid.

Now for the sequel: Hundreds of innocent patriots from the January 6 “incident” are being held as political prisoners without charge, deprived of due process, denied medical care, given only bread and water, beaten and berated, crowded together in unheated prison cells in the frigid north. You know, like in The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a former prisoner of the Soviet prison system who lived to tell. Just like that.

Will the rebuttal letter by Congressman Ken Buck, a respected conservative, disabuse deluded Colorado Republicans of these embarrassing fantasies? Hope springs eternal. As long as conspiracy theorists helm the state party, it is more likely Buck will have to return to the dirty work of dispelling disinformation. Keep the shovel handy, Congressman. And keep up the good work.

Krista L. Kafer is a weekly Denver Post columnist. Follow her on Twitter: @kristakafer. She joined a lawsuit this week to attempt to keep Donald Trump off the Colorado ballot in 2024 based on his violation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment while he was president of the United States.

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T.K, Helsingfors, Finland

Kiz: Maybe we will never learn why Nichushkin disappeared from a team that desperately needed his scoring during the NHL playoffs. But it might be extremely difficult for the Avs to get anywhere near the value of his $6.125 million annual salary until they come clean with a trade partner on what happened in that Seattle hotel room.

Kiz, were you in Nichushkin’s hotel room when the 9-1-1 call was made? No? Didn’t think so. Until you get all the facts, stop being a whiny little (bleep) set out to badmouth the Avalanche organization. Go cover some Black Lives Matter or Antifa garbage and praise them.

Mark, kinda upset

Kiz: So, if I understand you correctly, your conspiracy theory is liberal activists kidnapped Nichushkin from the playoffs? Well, alrighty then. Nice tinfoil hat, by the way.

Thank you for at least keeping some light on the Nichushkin issue, because if there was real wrongdoing, moral or legal, the Avs could otherwise just sweep it under the rug. And if Nichushkin basically did nothing wrong, he deserves to have his reputation cleared by the team.

Dean, concerned U.S. citizen

Kiz: Whether they void his contract or welcome Nichushkin back to the team, the Avs are going to insist it’s all personal and none of our business? That would be more irresponsible than how Avalanche management acted as the team’s playoff aspirations swirled the drain.

I’m proud of you, buddy, telling it like it is. The liberal East Coast media and the woke NBA installing Joel Embiid as their MVP, while the rest of us know it¶¶Òőap Nikola Jokić.

Keith, Northglenn

Kiz: Well, I’ve been accused of being one of those evil woke liberals a few times myself. So to tell the truth, buddy, I’m a little uncomfortable when you drag your political agenda into a debate about the basketball merits of Embiid vs Jokic. It’s not really any different than how ESPN commentator Kendrick Perkins bruised Joker’s heart by trying to make him a poster child for systemic racism in America.

If Allah wills it, maybe one day you will also get a peek at Embiid’s undergarments.

N.C., Toronto

Kiz: OK, it’s easy for anybody, especially folks obsessed with stoking false outrage, to take great offense because I’m amused Jokic wears Budweiser-logo underwear. So I’m happy to explain it to you: The hullabaloo about systemic racism in the MVP election was almost as ridiculous as the goofy boxers Jokic puts on before he leaves the arena and goes home to do something actually important, like hugging his young daughter.

And today’s parting shot is a Colorado fan’s worst fear about the dreadful baseball being played by your Pet Rocks.

I wish franchise owner Dick Monfort cared. My guess is if attendance at Coors Field drops and he quits making money, Monfort will just move the team and fleece a new city.

TDF, cynical soothsayer

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Yet the hoaxes, conspiracy theories and attempts to rewrite history persist, muddying the public’s understanding of what actually occurred during the most sustained attack on the seat of American democracy since the War of 1812.

By excusing former President Donald Trump of responsibility, minimizing the mob’s violence and casting the rioters as martyrs, falsehoods about the insurrection aim to deflect blame for Jan. 6 while sustaining Trump’s unfounded claims about the free and fair election in 2020 that he lost.

Spread by politicians, broadcast by cable news pundits and amplified by social media, the falsehoods are a stark reminder of how many Americans may no longer trust their own institutions or their own eyes.

Several different conspiracy theories have emerged in the year since the insurrection, according to an analysis of online content by media intelligence firm Zignal Labs on behalf of The Associated Press. Unfounded claims that the rioters were members of antifa went viral first, only to be overtaken by a baseless claim blaming FBI operatives. Other theories say the rioters were peaceful and were framed for crimes that never happened.

Conspiracy theories have long lurked in the background of American history, said Dustin Carnahan, a Michigan State University professor who studies political misinformation. But they can become dangerous when they lead people to distrust democracy or to excuse or embrace violence.

“If we’re no longer operating from the same foundation of facts, then it¶¶Òőap going to be a lot harder to have conversations as a country,” Carnahan said. “It will fuel more divisions in our country, and I think that ultimately is the legacy of the misinformation we’re seeing right now.”

An examination of some of the top falsehoods about the Capitol riot and the people who have spread them:

CLAIM: THE RIOTERS WEREN’T TRUMP SUPPORTERS

In fact, many of those who came to the Capitol on Jan. 6 have said — proudly, publicly, repeatedly — that they did so to help the then-president.

Different versions of the claim suggest they were FBI operatives or members of the anti-fascist movement antifa.

“Earlier today, the Capitol was under siege by people who can only be described as antithetical to the MAGA movement,” Laura Ingraham said on her Fox News show the night of Jan. 6, referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. “They were likely not all Trump supporters, and there are some reports that antifa sympathizers may have been sprinkled throughout the crowd.”

The next day, Ingraham acknowledged the inaccuracy when she tweeted a link to a story debunking the claim.

Another Fox host, Tucker Carlson, has spread the idea that the FBI orchestrated the riot. He cites as evidence the indictments of some Jan. 6 suspects that mention unindicted co-conspirators, a common legal term that merely refers to suspects who haven’t been charged, and not evidence of undercover agents or informants.

Yet Carlson claimed on his show that “in potentially every single case, they were FBI operatives.”

Carlson is a “main driver” of the idea that Jan. 6 was perpetrated by agents of the government, according to Zignal’s report. It found the claim spiked in October when Carlson released a documentary series about the insurrection.

Members of Congress, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., have helped spread the theories.

“Some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters, they were masquerading as Trump supporters and, in fact, were members of the violent terrorist group antifa,” Gaetz said.

Spokespeople for Carlson and Gaetz say they stand by their claims.

In truth, the rioters are just who they said they were.

One was a recently elected state lawmaker from West Virginia, a Republican Trump supporter named Derrick Evans who resigned following his arrest. Evans streamed video of himself illegally entering the Capitol.

“They’re making an announcement now saying if Pence betrays us you better get your mind right because we’re storming the building,” Evans said on the video. “The door is cracked! 
 We’re in, we’re in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!” Vice President Mike Pence was in the building to preside over the Senate’s certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory. Pence went ahead despite Trump’s pleas to get Pence to block the transfer of power.

During testimony before Congress, FBI Director Christopher Wray was asked whether there was any reason to believe the insurrection was organized by “fake Trump protesters.”

“We have not seen evidence of that,” said Wray, who was appointed by Trump.

CLAIM: THE RIOTERS WEREN’T VIOLENT

Dozens of police officers were severely injured. One Capitol Police officer who was attacked and assaulted with bear spray suffered a stroke and died a day later of natural causes.

Former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who rushed to the scene, said he was “grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country.” The assault stopped only when he said he had children. He later learned he had suffered a heart attack. Fanone resigned from the department in December 2021.

Rioters broke into the Senate chamber minutes after senators had fled under armed protection. They rifled through desks and looked for lawmakers, yelling, “Where are they?” In House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, staffers hid under desks while rioters called out the name of the California Democrat.

That¶¶Òőap not how some Republican politicians have described the insurrection.

Appearing on Ingraham’s show in May, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he condemned the Capitol breach as well as the violence, but said it was wrong to term it an insurrection.

“By and large it was a peaceful protest, except for there were a number of people, basically agitators, that whipped the crowd and breached the Capitol,” Johnson said.

Johnson has since said that he doesn’t want the violent actions of a few to be used to impugn all.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, after watching video footage of rioters walking through the Capitol, said it resembled a “normal tourist visit.” Other video evidence from Jan. 6 showed Clyde, R-Ga., helping barricade the House doors in an attempt to keep the rioters out.

Trump called the insurrection a display of “ spirit and faith and love.”

Rioters also broke windows and doors, stole items from offices and caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage. Outside the Capitol someone set up a gallows with a noose.

“The notion that this was somehow a tourist event is disgraceful and despicable,” Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said in May. “And, you know, I won’t be part of whitewashing what happened on Jan. 6. Nobody should be part of it. And people ought to be held accountable.”

CLAIM: TRUMP DID NOT ENCOURAGE THE RIOTERS

Trump may now want to minimize his involvement, but he spent months sounding a steady drumbeat of conspiracy theory and grievance, urging his followers to fight to somehow return him to power.

“Big protest in D.C. on January 6th,” Trump tweeted on Dec. 19, 2020. “Be there, will be wild!”

Immediately before the mob stormed the Capitol, Trump spoke for more than an hour, telling his supporters they had been “cheated” and “defrauded” in the “rigged” election by a “criminal enterprise” that included lawmakers who were now meeting in the Capitol.

At one point, Trump did urge his supporters to “peacefully and patriotically make your voice heard.” The rest of his speech was filled with hostile rhetoric.

“We fight. We fight like hell,” he told those who would later break into the Capitol. “And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

Now, Trump says he had nothing to do with the riot.

“I wasn’t involved in that, and if you look at my words and what I said in the speech, they were extremely calming actually,” Trump said on Fox News in December.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe Trump bears some responsibility for the Capitol breach, according to a survey last year by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

CLAIM: ASHLI BABBITT WAS KILLED BY AN OFFICER WORKING FOR DEMOCRATS

Babbitt died after being shot in the shoulder by a lieutenant in the Capitol Police force as she and others pressed to enter the Speaker’s Lobby outside the House chamber.

Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, was unarmed. An investigation cleared the officer of wrongdoing.

The Capitol Police Department protects all members of Congress, as well as employees, the public and Capitol facilities. The officer wasn’t assigned to any particular lawmaker.

Trump falsely claimed the officer was the head of security “for a certain high official, a Democrat,” and was being shielded from accountability. He also misstated where Babbitt was shot.

“Who is the person that shot 
 an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman, a military woman, right in the head?” Trump asked on Fox News.

CLAIM: THE JAN. 6 SUSPECTS ARE POLITICAL PRISONERS AND ARE BEING MISTREATED

No, they are not, despite some assertions from members of Congress.

“J6 defendants are political prisoners of war,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tweeted in November. She said she had visited some suspects in jail who complained about the food, medical care and “re-education” they were receiving in custody.

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., said the Justice Department was “harassing peaceful patriots” by investigating their involvement in the insurrection.

While it¶¶Òőap true some of the suspects have complained about their time in jail, it¶¶Òőap wrong to argue they’re being held as political prisoners. Authorities have said the suspects in custody are being given the same access to food and medical care as any other inmate.

One of the most notorious rioters, Jacob Chansley, known as the QAnon Shaman, was given organic food in his jail cell after he complained about the food options.

This year it was a scaled-back event, with less-notable speakers and a smaller venue: the Hyatt Regency in downtown Denver.

Here’s what our reporters saw Friday and Saturday.

Andy Ngo

Only one speaker was met with a sustained standing ovation at the beginning and end of his remarks: , a controversial conservative journalist who has been assaulted while trying to “unmask” activists he believes are members of antifa, a loosely organized and sometimes violent left-wing group.

Ngo claimed Saturday that antifa is a “terroristic organization that organizes openly” and has “ideological ties to communism.” He criticized the U.S. Department of Justice for not using anti-mafia laws to bring down the group.

As he spoke, several police officers stood sentry in front of the stage to protect him; they left when he left the stage. Ngo is often a target of protests, and that a range of progressive groups, including the Denver Communists, would protest outside the Hyatt — an event dubbed the “Western BLM-Antifa Summit.” But no protesters were spotted inside or outside during Ngo’s remarks Saturday.

Inside, Ngo was hailed as a hero who has risked life and limb to report the truth. Jeff Hunt, the event¶¶Òőap host, said he deserves a Pulitzer Prize and several guests who left after Ngo spoke said he was the reason they came.

Congressional panel

On Saturday morning, all three Colorado Republicans in Congress — U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert, Ken Buck and Doug Lamborn — took part in a panel hosted, like a late-night talk show, by Hunt. He asked the trio about Colorado’s leftward trend.

“It used to be a cuss word for you to say to a Democrat politician, ‘You’re from Denver.’ That was all that people needed to hear,” Buck said. “‘They’re from Boulder.’ ‘They’re a Boulder liberal.’ That used to be a label that Democrats would run away from. Now they embrace being a Boulder liberal; they embrace being from Denver.”

Boebert claimed that Colorado — where Democrats control the legislature and all but one statewide office — is not a blue state: “We are a red state with blue cities.” Buck predicted that Colorado “will go purple or red in the future.”

Buck also predicted that Republicans will control the U.S. House after the 2022 midterm elections. He urged conservatives to run for office and wondered aloud why more did not challenge pandemic restrictions last year.

“In Colorado — this is completely amazing: Dispensaries were open, and churches were closed. And I didn’t see a group of pastors, priests and others protesting somewhere about that happening. We went like lambs to the slaughter. We can’t allow that to happen,” said Buck, of Windsor.

Boebert, who lives in Silt, defended her decision last week to vote against a bill that would award congressional gold medals to U.S. Capitol police and Washington, D.C., police for defending the Capitol on Jan. 6. Boebert was one of only 21 House members to vote nay and the only Coloradan to do so.

“They want to say we are against our police officers if we voted against Nancy Pelosi’s radical language. You know, I want to say here today, thank you to the police officers who are here,” the congresswoman said.

Jack Phillips

America’s most famous anti-LGBTQ cakemaker, Lakewood’s Jack Phillips, tearfully spoke of the various court battles related to his refusals to bake cakes for gay and transgender clients.

“We knew there were cakes that we would not create,” Phillips said of starting Masterpiece Cakeshop. “Cakes that celebrate Halloween, cakes that were anti-American or atheist 
 but also cakes that would insult or denigrate anybody in any way shape or form, even people who identify as LGBT.”

Phillips plans to appeal a recent Denver district court judge’s $500 fine against him for not baking a cake for a transgender woman.

Heidi Ganahl

University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl, considered a favorite to run for governor in 2022, had a booth at the Western Conservative Summit to tout her podcast, .

Ganahl told The Denver Post that she hasn’t decided whether she will seek the GOP nomination for governor next year — or any other political office.

She described a potential run against Gov. Jared Polis, the incumbent Democrat rich enough to far outspend his opponents, as a “moonshot.”

Eastman is officially the “visiting scholar in conservative thought and policy” at the Bruce D. Benson Center for The Study of Western Civilization.

I’ve long wondered why a school like the University of Colorado Boulder would host something called the Center for the Study of Western Civilization. Does Western Civilization not have enough students, defenders, or scholars? The violence at the U.S. Capitol this month incited in part by John Eastman reminds me of the words of Mahatma Gandhi on Western Civilization: “I think it would be a good idea.”

Visiting the Benson Center’s website provides some clues. The Center defensively and self-consciously explains that “one can celebrate the achievements of Western civilization without denigrating the world’s other cultures. Indeed, it is a mark of ignorance, not enlightenment, to make claims of superiority for the culture of ‘the West.’ ” But how is that not the purpose of an institution dedicated to creating a haven for bigoted, racist right-wing ideologues who make six-figure salaries to teach classes no one attends and gives fringe racist organizations like Turning Point USA a warm welcome when they visit Boulder under the guise of “free speech” and “open debate?” When will we stop giving credence and credibility to eugenicists in the name of their “scholarly research”?

Disgraced “visiting scholar” John Eastman is the end result of this academic misadventure. At the rally before the deadly attack on the Capitol, Eastman stood with Guiliani and fed baseless conspiracy theories to the throng of Trump supporters in the ellipse, including the new and exciting lie that there were “secret folders” of votes to rig the election for President Joe Biden. After the violence, Eastman claimed without evidence that those who stormed the Capitol were not Trump supporters at all, but “Antifa” — a lie disproven by the hundreds of arrests of right-wing Trump-supporting militia members from Colorado and across the nation.

As it turns out, inciting seditious violence is bad for one’s career. Eastman quickly “retired” from his home institution, Chapman University in Orange, California, after the Capitol riot, claiming that his work environment had become hostile after over 160 Chapman faculty called for his ouster.

Here in Colorado, demands for Eastman’s firing from CU were swift and loud from the University of Colorado student body, the student governments of both the graduate and undergraduate schools, and BIPOC organizations on campus. CU stopped short of firing Eastman, whose $185,000 contract expires in May, but stripped him of his teaching assignments (citing “low enrollment”), outreach responsibilities, and speaking duties. It seems as if the University of Colorado would rather pay the remainder of Eastman’s outlandish salary than face him in court. That¶¶Òőap probably the most expedient choice from the University’s perspective, lest Eastman wrests an additional few million from CU in lawsuits on his way out the door.

And it wasn’t Eastman’s first offense. Last fall, Eastman published a racist and unfounded column in Newsweek arguing that Vice President Kamala Harris was not eligible to serve because her parents were not US Citizens when she was born — even though she was born on American soil. Any D-student in constitutional law can tell you that¶¶Òőap simply not true. Newsweek’s top editors have put a note on the top of the op-ed: “This op-ed is being used by some as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia. We apologize.” That Eastman served as the dean of law at Chapman University is astounding and embarrassing to that institution.

With Eastman in CU’s dog house, what should become of the institution that brought him to Colorado? Should the Benson Center even exist? Aren’t the alumni of CU Boulder embarrassed that their alma mater now has a permanent association with a kook like Eastman? Isn’t this what Colorado Christian University is for? If CU values the humanity and dignity of their most marginalized students, they should reconsider this shrine to Western Civilization and the trauma that evokes for many students.

The Benson Center has long outlived its usefulness if it ever had any to begin with. CU Regent and lone-statewide-elected-Republican Heidi Ganahl told my favorite local conservative radio host Ross Kaminsky last year, “there are fantastic folks who come in, right now, it¶¶Òőap Dr. John Eastman, who’s riling some folks up.” Ganahl is listed among the donors to the Benson Center along with a double-helping of Anschutz money.

In fairness to Regent Ganahl, that was before Eastman helped incite violence at the U.S. Capitol. But it was after Eastman published his factually bankrupt and racist attack on Vice President Harris, which should have been enough to send Eastman packing.

In 2014, the first-ever visiting scholar in conservative thought, Steven Hayward, wrote a blog post called “Off on a gender bender” in which he mused that his orientation at the university included a section on gender identity and it was uncomfortable and confusing: “LGBTQRSTUW (or whatever letters have been added lately.” Then he wrote that he doubted any student had ever told a professor about their preferred gender pronouns.

Instead of funding an archaic academic sinkhole that has brought nothing but an embarrassment to the University of Colorado since its creation, these generous donors should instead consider writing a check to fight our nation’s real existential threats at the moment — climate change and white supremacy — or it will spell the end of western civilization anyway.

Ian Silverii is the executive director of ProgressNow Colorado, the state’s largest progressive advocacy group.

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Even during the Civil War, a Confederate battle flag was never paraded through hallowed halls of the U.S. Capitol. But last week one was — along with with dozens of Trump flags, a green version of the Nazi German flag popular with the alt-right, and openly white supremacist and neo-nazi paraphernalia.

One of the failed insurrectionists wore a sweatshirt that said “Camp Auschwitz” while roaming the halls of Congress with Trump supporters wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats holding the broken nameplate of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Again, these were not “Antifa infiltrators” or “false flags.” This mob of would-be revolutionaries was made up of Trump supporters, with the president himself having sent them to the Capitol.

Jan. 6, 2021, was “MAGA Day.” And it was among the darkest days in American history.

This is an inflection point for our nation. We must make the conscious choice to reject the radicalization and polarization that Donald Trump has caused in our nation, and instead heal the divides that have brought us to the brink of national destruction.

That does not mean ignoring those who incited the violence on MAGA Day, where four Trump supporters and at least one Capitol Police officer lost their lives in a failed insurrection. If we are to ever put the nightmare of the last four years of alternative facts, hatred, and conspiracy theories behind us, those responsible for inciting the violence — everyone from the president, to members of Congress — must be held accountable.

Colorado’s newest member of the congressional delegation, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, took her oath of office last Sunday. By Wednesday, she had made a mockery of her oath to defend the Constitution.

On Dec. 19, Boebert tweeted “Save the Date: January 6, 2021.”

On January 2, Boebert Tweeted that “Ted Cruz is an American hero and patriot! On January 6, we’re both going to be fighting for freedom!”

And on January 5th, the day before MAGA Day, Boebert said “Remember these next 48 hours. These are some of the most important days in American history.”

And then came the worst: “Today is 1776,” Tweeted on the morning before violence and destruction engulfed the U.S. Capitol on MAGA Day.

How are we to interpret these messages from Boebert in the aftermath of the assault on the U.S. Capitol? What effect did these Tweets have on her 360,000 Twitter followers, at least some of whom were almost certainly in the crowd that stormed the building?

There are only two possibilities. One is that Boebert is so ignorant of the potential consequences of her own rhetoric that she couldn’t see anyone taking her performative faux-patriotism literally.

The other possibility is that she knew exactly what she was doing. That she knew that her words were inspiring an attempted insurrection complete with the construction of actual gallows, chants of “Hang Mike Pence,” urine and feces smeared throughout the U.S. Capitol, historical artifacts destroyed, Trump supporters scouring the halls of Congress with plastic zip-tie handcuffs, backpacks full of molotov cocktails, explosive and incendiary devices placed at both headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee.

Boebert said on the floor of the House before the attack: “Madam Speaker, I have constituents outside this building right now. I promised my voters to be their voice.”

And somehow it gets even worse: at the exact moment insurrectionists were pouring into the Capitol, Boebert was tweeting about Speaker Pelosi’s location. Either she was ignorant to the point of gross negligence of the possibility that she was broadcasting intelligence to the insurrectionists or she was knowingly broadcasting that intelligence to the violent mob of Trump supporters.

Either of these possibilities is completely and totally disqualifying. Boebert¶¶Òőap actions on “MAGA Day” must be thoroughly investigated.

Boebert should immediately resign or be expelled from the United States Congress. Allowing her to complete the rest of her term could be a security risk to her fellow lawmakers. If Boebert isn’t held accountable for these actions, what on earth will she do next?

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We must protect the statehouse and family business from vandals equally

Re: “Stop this madness,” Jan. 8 letter to the editor

Since the riots last Wednesday, The Post has published numerous letters in the Open Forum condemning President Donald Trump for his role and condemning the rioters. However, you have only published one view making a comparison between Trump’s followers and Black Lives Matter and Antifa. I know your paper leans to the left, but don’t be so blatant. Try, l know it¶¶Òőap hard, to show some semblance of balance!

The letter writer’s analysis of the turmoil in America this past year truly demonstrates that the “man in the street” gets it! I too have been perplexed that BLM and Antifi burned and looted American cities and states and federal buildings for months while many in the government and the media failed to call them criminals or terrorists. Many in the media even justified the mayhem and quoted Martin Luther King by stating that riots are “the language of the unheard.”

There is no difference between the statehouse and the White House. The owner of a family business and a congressman both need protection from rioters. We are all equal under the law. Now, the politically elite have experienced what people in Portland, St. Louis, Denver and many other American cities have dealt with this past year. All rioters, looters and terrorists should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There should be no tolerance for this kind o behavior regardless of the grievances.

George H Wayne, Golden

Dispel election fraud claims

Re: “The wackadoos in the deep end with Trump,” Jan. 9 commentary

I want to express my gratitude for Megan Schrader’s column. I think the time has come to call out by name those committed to the continued spread of disinformation in support of President Trump’s lies, not to berate them, but to answer their false claims with the truth, as Schrader has nicely done. Her response to the lady in Colorado Springs is clear, factual, and convincing as it needs to be. Good work, Ms. Schrader.

William West, Denver

Thank you, Megan Schrader and The Denver Post, for the recent article that describes the “wackadoo” conspirators who have made multiple attempts to undermine trust in our democratic institutions.

The article also provides confidence-building information about what actually took place in the voting process. Much truth and many individuals have been compromised during the last four years. Thankfully, the free press, including The Denver Post, has survived the assault and continues to provide the coverage that is essential to democracy’s continuance.

Bill Kirton, Denver

Vaccinate 24/7

Only a small percentage of COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed to date, even though the CDC said that they’d have 20 million citizens inoculated by now.

To increase and aggressively roll out this program, instead of giving injections 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, increase the time to 24/7. Twenty four hours are the great equalizer, regardless of your age, income, or nationality. So, in reducing COVID cases, we’ll be saving lives; getting people back to work, thereby improving our economy; creating a sense of normalcy, and eradicating this pandemic.

Because our federal government made no blanket mandate but rather handed over the vaccine rollout to individual states, it becomes a competition. Let¶¶Òőap make Colorado the winner in this race for our lives!

Berith Jacobsen, Denver

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