Key Jan. 6 witnesses are singing like canaries for House investigators as Trump stonewalls

While Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and others continue to defy the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol insurrection, other witnesses are cooperating and "providing reams of evidence to investigators," according to a report from Axios.

The report cites Rolling Stone's bombshell story from Sunday, which revealed that two "Stop the Steal" organizers told investigators they discussed plans for the protests with House Republicans and Trump aides.

"The report — despite being hailed by some Democrats as a 'smoking gun' and grounds for expulsion (from Congress) — does not allege those Republicans were involved in a plot to attack the Capitol," Axios reported. "It does indicate key players in the day's events may be cooperating and providing new information to the committee."

In addition to the Stop the Steal organizers, cooperating witnesses include former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark — whom Trump sought to install as attorney general — and, according to CNN, at least five White House staffers from the Trump administration.

"The five former staffers who have had conversations with the committee have done so with either members or their staff. Some believe they have information worth sharing, while others are hoping to avoid being legally compelled to talk to the committee," CNN reported.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democratic member of the committee, told CNN: "I've got good reason to believe a number of them are horrified and scandalized by what took place on January 6th and they want to do their legal duty and their civic duty by coming forward to explain exactly what happened."

This must be said again: Donald Trump is not just another typical politician. He is a malignant narcissist whose worst intentions are to destroy anything and anyone that threatens to deprive him of power, wealth and reverence. He will not stop until he is stopped by others because he has no conscience or moral compass. He is beyond political or personal salvation — he is deceitful, conniving, corrupt and dangerous, without any regard for others. He has no business being the leader of a country; to him, public service is an anarchic playground for his personal gratification. His malicious intentions cannot be overestimated.

Trump's "slow-moving coup" — his runaway train — must be stopped. To accomplish that, several steps need to be taken immediately. First, Trump must be prosecuted for his misdeeds, his incitement of the insurrection of the Capitol and his attempts to sabotage the election by trying to alter the vote count (for example, in Georgia). Second, the congressional investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack must be fully completed. Third, elected Republican officials who supported the insurrection must be held accountable. All the saboteurs must be rooted out — otherwise, they are like a cancer that is metastasizing with deadly force. We know with a high degree of certainty that Reps. Mo Brooks, Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs, Louie Gohmert and others had contact with the insurrectionists in the days leading up to the Capitol attack. These members should resign or be expelled.

Trump is hoping that his efforts will pay off in the election of 2024. He does not care about the safety and happiness of the American people, and he sure as hell does not care about democracy. If it is up to him, America's democratic tradition will be cast aside on the day he places his hand on the Bible and takes the oath of office again. That would mark the final triumph of his coup.

Americans are left with a dramatic choice: Save democracy by rejecting Donald Trump and his Republican comrades, or allow them to run roughshod over our hard-won democratic principles and institutions by completing their coup — which now appears to be a runaway train.