Now that we have had a few days to digest the ugly events of Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C., we need to have a serious conversation about what happened and its implications.

Encouraged to come to our nation’s capital by the president of the United States, thousands of Donald Trump’s loyal supporters heeded his call to make a last-ditch stand to keep the 45th chief executive in office for another four years.

Constitutionally, there was no way that this was going to happen. The people had voted. President-elect Joe Biden received 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232. These results had been certified by the states and had been sent to Congress to be officially recognized.

Trump and his legal team had challenged votes in key states, including Pennsylvania, which they had every right to do, but state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, had heard more than 50 challenges and rejected all but one as meritless. Many called this presidential election one of most secure ever, despite a record turnout and the enormous challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite this, Trump drove his false narrative that the election had been “rigged,” “stolen” and that he had won by “hundreds of thousands of votes.”

Trump used his bully pulpit to persist in this damaging, untruthful narrative, convincing his supporters that they had been hoodwinked by forces of the “deep state” and a nonexistent conspiracy and urged them to descend on Washington to overturn the will of the electorate.

At the same time, he put intense pressure on Vice President Mike Pence, who as president of the Senate, would oversee the official vote count on Jan. 6 - usually a ceremonial confirmation of the states’ certifications.

Just before noon, Trump addressed his supporters, again repeating his baseless claims and urging the massive crowd to march to the Capitol, where the 535 members of Congress were in session to confirm the election’s outcome.

His inflammatory rhetoric has been cited as a catalyst for the mob action that unfolded leading to an invasion of the hallowed building itself and left in its aftermath five deaths, including a Columbia County man, numerous injuries and significant property damage.

Trump has not always appreciated the impact of a president’s pronouncements on his supporters and their unintended consequences.

Aiding and abetting the false election narrative were a number of House and Senate Republicans, including Rep. Dan Meuser, whose district includes Carbon and Schuylkill counties. Even after terrorized members of Congress huddled in fear as insurrectionists took over the Capitol, these legislators persisted in unsuccessfully challenging the Pennsylvania results.

Later on Thursday, Meuser, one of Trump’s loyalist supporters, said, “The lawlessness and violence must be condemned, just as all violent protests must be condemned.”

Rep. Susan Wild, a Lehigh Valley Democrat whose district includes Lehigh, Northampton and southern Monroe counties, admitted to having had a panic attack because she was so fearful that she and her colleagues would be victims of violence at the hands of the riotous intruders. A compelling CNN photo of a terrorized Wild lying on the House gallery’s floor holding on to a fellow legislator’s hand for comfort vividly told the story.

“Those who attacked our Capitol were not patriots,” Wild said. “They are traitors with blood on their hands who must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright, whose district includes the rest of Monroe County, called the day’s events “intolerable and unacceptable behavior by an American president. I join those calling for his immediate resignation.”

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, a former Trump backer who lives in Lehigh County and who will not seek re-election in 2022, laid the blame for what happened squarely on the president’s intemperate words in egging on the crowd. “The mob’s attack is a stark reminder of the damage that can result when men in power and responsibility refuse to acknowledge the truth,” Toomey said.

I unequivocally support peaceful protests, and although the rally in Washington was ill-conceived, the president’s supporters had a right to express themselves so long as they followed the law and didn’t make trouble.

After all, the First Amendment not only gives us the right of freedom of speech, the press and religion, it also allows us the right to assemble “peaceably” and to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

No one should condone what happened in Washington. It is indefensible. It was the most serious assault on the Capitol since the British burned the building during the War of 1812. This was a case of domestic terrorism, pure and simple.

Many levelheaded Republicans say they are “heartbroken” by these events. During Trump’s tenure, they convinced themselves that Trump’s faults were worth tolerating if it meant furthering the conservative agenda.

They are saddened that Trump’s fulfillment of campaign promises, such as strengthening the military, taking important steps to bring peace to the Middle East, approving tax cuts for most Americans and protecting our southern border from illegal immigration by building a wall, along with other accomplishments, will be lost in the untenable and self-destructive role in what will be remembered as a sinister day in American history.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.