If there ever was any doubt regarding the true objective of the Democrat-led congressional inquisition into the so-called Jan. 6 “insurrection” it was dispelled when the sham committee announced the hearings would begin in prime time on Thursday night.
It’s never been about anything other than the Dems’ sad little game of trying to tie former President Donald Trump and his supporters to the insipid idea that Jan. 6 was an attempted coup.
There really was little doubt it was going to be a farce the moment the committee’s makeup was announced and the GOP’s two choices for the committee were, in an unprecedented move, rejected by Pelosi and two virulently anti-Trump Republicans, Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyoming) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Illinois), were installed. In other words, the fix was in.
So, while the House committee will present its “case” and try to impugn anybody who worked in the Trump administration, there will be two names that will likely not be heard, but really should be the subject of any honest inquiries.
Those two names are Ashli Babbitt and Matthew Perna.
You likely have heard about Babbitt. She was among those who attended the Jan. 6 rally. She was shot in the chest and killed by U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd, who never gave any warning before fatally wounding the Air Force veteran.
While Babbitt was in the wrong, there was no indication she was a threat as she tried to enter the inner chamber through a broken window. The Capitol Police whitewashed Byrd, who then had the audacity to defend his actions against unarmed Babbitt, declaring he did so as “a last resort.”
Then there is Matthew Perna, whom few would have known about if not for journalists like Julie Kelly, who have the courage to honestly tell his story and write about the government’s pernicious prosecution.
Writing for American Greatness, Kelly wrote in February how Perna attended the Jan. 6 rally. He was a supporter of Donald Trump — which too many in the media believe is a criminal offense itself. But he hardly fits the stereotype the media tries to portray about Trump supporters. In truth, he was more like his fellow Trump supporters than the media would want you to believe.
Perna, from Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, was a Penn State University graduate. His aunt, Geri Perna, told Kelly he graduated at the top of his class.
According to his obituary, he was a world traveler and while living in Thailand and South Korea, taught English to schoolchildren. He also went on a mission trip to Haiti. His obit said he attended the Jan. 6 rally “to peacefully stand up for his beliefs.”
It turned out to be a tragic mistake.
Kelly reports after Trump spoke, Perna “walked through an open door on the Senate side of the building. ... Capitol police, shown in surveillance video, stood by as hundreds of Americans entered the Capitol.” Perna, wearing a “Make America Great Again” sweatshirt left after about 20 minutes.
Perna later learned his image appeared on the FBI’s most wanted list in what Kelly notes was a campaign to round up Trump supporters. Perna contacted the FBI and volunteered to be questioned. He was arrested by six FBI agents at his home on Jan. 18.
In short order, Kelly writes that Perna was indicted by a grand jury in Feb. 2021 on four counts including obstruction of an official proceeding and trespassing misdemeanors. His participation was completely nonviolent and he did not vandalize any property, but that didn’t matter.
His arrest was news in his hometown newspaper and many assumed he was some kind of traitor and the corresponding social media was a torrent of horrible comments.
Perna, on the advice of his attorney, agreed to plead guilty to all four counts. Kelly notes that with a nonviolent history, his family expected a sentence of no more than a year. His sentencing was scheduled for March 3, 2021, the seventh anniversary of his mother’s death.
But that was not enough for Biden’s justice department, which asked for a delay in sentencing as it pondered further charges and seeking more jail time. Kelly notes a similar case of a nonviolent protester, Jacob Chansley, who subsequently committed suicide, being sentenced to 41 months on an obstruction charge.
“While every case and every defendant are different, the Government is attempting to ensure that similarly situated January 6 defendants are treated in the same manner,” the prosecuting attorney wrote in a motion on Feb. 11, according to Kelly.
Perna’s family was now a pariah in their own town because of the publicity. Perna’s life was in tatters and now he was potentially facing years in prison.
Kelly said Perna called his aunt and he told her ‘”I am guilty, I am guilty!’ He said that he deserved whatever punishment they were going to give him,” his aunt said. “That was the last straw. The constant harassment was too much.”
Matthew Perna, 37, later hanged himself in his garage.
“I miss my son,” Matthew’s father, Larry, told Kelly as he prepared to leave for Matthew’s funeral, his voice breaking. “This leaves a giant hole in my heart. I don’t know how I will get through this. He was a good person, so kind and considerate. He couldn’t harm a flea.”
Perna’s obituary said he “died of a broken heart. His community (which he loved), his country, and the justice system killed his spirit and his zest for life.”
Perna’s case, along with Babbitt’s and who knows how many others, is worthy of an investigation. But this committee isn’t about justice.
Remember their names while the partisan hacks conduct their show trial.
Dave Ruthenberg is a multiple award-winning columnist and is Main Street Nashville opinion editor. Contact him at druthenberg@mainstreetmediatn.com.
