Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt displays both hyperbole and ignorance of what a real “traitor” is in Democrats’ response

It’s all over the internet, including the picture from state Senator Darren Bailey’s gubernatorial campaign’s Facebook page with Bailey and accused January 6 protestor Lawrence Ligas of Chicago giving a Trump thumb’s up.

It’s come out Ligas, whether as a featured volunteer or a contractor, was a point of contact for Bailey’s gubernatorial campaign. Throw-in Ligas was arrested Wednesday, released, and has a court appearance in Washington, D.C. next week to answer to misdemeanor charges from January 6 and Bailey’s frontrunner candidacy for Illinois governor provided his primary opponents and Democrats with more than enough fodder in early December.

From the desk of John Lopez: Readers can read all of the coverage in the media, but here are my two cents, both a reminder to Republican campaigns, and the hyperbolic Democrat response, particularly from Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) Executive Director Abby Witt.

Bailey’s campaign was either outright stupid or asleep at the switch, to not thoroughly vet ANYONE who is a campaign’s point-of-contact, even as a volunteer concerning January 6, and where that person was on January 6.

Ask the question, as a genuine volunteer doesn’t want to make the candidate they’re helping look bad.

And if the Bailey campaign knew of Ligas’ involvement/participation of entering the U.S. Capitol illegally on January 6 prior to the December 1 arrest of Ligas, and kept him as a featured volunteer, then Bailey’s campaign has more to answer for, and Republican primary voters are reminded there are at least six other declared Republican candidates for governor in the primary on June 28.

The fact Ligas wasn’t a W-2 employee on campaign staff is not good enough, and that excuse doesn’t promise Bailey would be a competent governor. As prosecutions and convictions for January 6 have taken place throughout 2021, any campaign, especially at statewide and really at all levels, need to ask the key volunteers where they were on January 6, along with other questions.

Again, this isn’t for the volunteers putting up signs, delivering literature or helping at the campaign office or phone banking from home, this is for a key volunteer a campaign names to inform other supporters to contact them as a point-person. Most grassroots campaigns have volunteer coordinators and it’s these featured volunteers a campaign team’s leaders should be asking important questions.

Now to the Democrats, and DPI’s Witt response, which was posted on DPI’s Twitter page, transcribed for ease of reading from Wednesday:

“DPI Executive Director Abby Witt released the following statement regarding the news that a Chicago man charged in connection with January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has been working with the campaign of Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey:

‘The January 6 attack on our democracy was one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. Now, we find out that one of the attackers has since been working with and representing the campaign of Darren Bailey, a Republican candidate for governor.

‘When it comes to the traitors of January 6, there must be no equivocation: Darren Bailey must immediately denounce Mr. Ligas and revoke any and all association with him at once. The governor’s office is no place for associates of traitors to this great nation.'”

Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt, 12/1/21, with emphasis added

.

“traitors”?

Someone needs to remind Witt concerning what a “traitor” is, someone who has committed treason: arrested, charged for, tried for, and (if found guilty) punished.

Ligas, in spite of his allegedly being in the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, has not been charged with treason, and someone charged with treason would not have been released on the promise to show up to a D.C. federal court appearance.

Witt’s use of the word “traitor” is on par with the Democrats’ and their allies in the media calling the events of January 6 an “insurrection”.

Jeanne Ives put it best on June 6, 2021, describing what happened at the Capitol on January 6th, “…idiots acting like idiots”.

Yes, anyone who broke the law on January 6 should be arrested, tried, and if found guilty, pay the price of either fines or imprisonment or both.

And if they’re acquitted, they’re acquitted.

Given he’s charged with misdemeanors, Ligas will likely do no jail time if convicted.

If Ligas is convicted of the misdemeanors he’s accused of committing, it doesn’t make him a “traitor”.

But Abby WItt’s hyperpartisan hyperbole of embellishments concerning Ligas consistently points to Illinois Democrats’ going after anyone who was at the Capitol, even having no part in the violence/destruction of property of that day.

Take state Representative Chris Miller (R, Oakland), the husband of Congresswoman Mary Miller (R, IL-15).

The Illinois Democrats censured him in the House for being at the Capitol that day, in spite of his vigorous denial he had nothing to do with the violence.

Then in late May/early June, Miller was cleared by the Legislative Inspector General of any wrongdoing from his being at the Capitol Riots on January 6, proving he was attending the numerous peaceful rallies/protests outside the Capitol practicing his First Amendment right.

The Democrats in the IL House refused to rescind the censure.

The Democrats refused to rescind their self-righteous condemnation of Miller.

They refused the truth Miller was an innocent man wrongly censured for just being outside of the Capitol and away from the violence of that day.