I was not surprised at Freitas’ reaction to the violent mob breaching the security of the U.S. Capitol and the subsequent destruction of life and property. He claimed the mob that moved from the National Mall’s Save America Rally to the Capitol was just copying “the tactics of another group” that had demonstrated over injustice.

Of course, he was referring to last year’s nationwide Black Lives Matter rallies. But there are many differences. First among them, the law-enforcement response to the BLM rallies was quick, decisive and brutal. Most BLM marchers were peaceful; in some communities, some got caught up in a melee when they were attacked by right-wing, racist extremists.

Freitas said the mob that attacked the Capitol was expressing their anger at the injustice they suffered. What injustice? That Trump lost the election?

There was no injustice. Even Trump’s loyal attorney general, William Barr, admitted there was no evidence of fraud in the November election that would have changed its outcome.

Wednesday’s mob was incited by President Trump, who spoke to them for nearly two hours, urging them to go the Capitol, saying he would march with them.

A law-enforcement officer and a rioter died as a result of the violence.

The conduct of all of our elections and the publication of their results are the sole responsibility of the states—not the executive branch, not the Congress, not the U.S. Supreme Court.

Anyone who attended Wednesday’s rally in our nation’s capital could only have misguided and mistaken ideas of what support for Trump’s psychotic delusions could accomplish. Does the 30th District representative to the Virginia House of Delegates share these ideas?

This was not a demonstration. This was anarchy. Violence and death were the outcomes.

Dennis F. Verhoff

Reva