Plus, how the 2020 election could still affect Sen. Mike Lee and all four of Utah’s congressmen this year.
Good morning. Salt Lake City will have a high of 43° and a low of 36°. The winter storm warning from the National Weather Service remains in effect through 5 p.m. Today marks one year since the Capitol riot, and we're taking a look at how the events of Jan. 6 have affected politics, law enforcement and faith groups since then. Also on our mind today: the new record Utah set Wednesday, the fight to save Utah’s declining inland sea and Real Salt Lake's new owners. Programming note: You may recognize this newsletter by its previous name, Morning Edition. Utah Today looks a little different, but it still has all the things you love. We curate the best of what media outlets are publishing in and about the Beehive State so you get everything you need to navigate the day feeling more informed. |
| Washington, D.C. wasn't the only place where protestors gathered on Jan. 6. Organizers also held a "Stop the Steal" rally at the Utah Capitol that day. According to the Department of Public Safety, the office found 1,657 “preparedness” emails in the week leading up to the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally and protest at the state Capitol. But critics have called into question the department’s actual preparedness at that event. Critics say the state troopers' actions at the Utah Capitol that day show a bias in favor of the armed militia groups. An alternate explanation from Lt. Nicholas Street, then the spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, is that behaviors that may have looked like support for militia groups could actually have been de-escalation strategies. “Sometimes we have to pick our battles as law enforcement,” Street said. |
Read more from Eric S. Peterson about how Utah law enforcement has responded to militia groups at public demonstrations. |
| All four of Utah’s congressmen and one senator face reelection this year. Their words and actions surrounding 2020 could play into their races. Rep. Chris Stewart and Rep. Burgess Owens largely toed the party line in supporting former President Donald Trump. Stewart and Owens also voted against forming a bipartisan congressional committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack. Rep. John Curtis and Rep. Blake Moore voted to certify the presidential election results and in favor of the investigative committee. Utah’s four congressmen all voted against impeaching Trump. Sen. Mitt Romney voted to certify the election results and joined six other Republicans in voting to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection. Sen. Mike Lee also voted to certify the electoral votes but did not vote to convict the former president in the Senate trial. Could it happen again? Jason Perry, director of the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics, said there’s nothing to suggest an uprising couldn’t happen again. Some Americans are still distrustful of government institutions and the electoral process. He said elected leaders need to reassure voters not only that their ballot matters but that elections are not being manipulated. Read more from Dennis Romboy. More in Politics What were 2021’s biggest news stories? Democrats and Republicans disagree (Deseret News) Opinion: One year later, we still can't agree on basic facts of Jan. 6 (Deseret News) Eliminating vote by mail could make Utah election costs skyrocket (Salt Lake Tribune 🔒) |
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