It’s always a bit of a spectacle, isn’t it, when the old guard in Washington starts to feel the ground shift beneath their feet? You can almost set your watch by it. The moment someone new comes along with a mandate to actually shake things up, you start hearing the predictable chorus of discomfort from those who rather liked the swamp just the way it was.

And boy, when the narrative they’ve carefully polished for years begins to show a few cracks, the volume really goes up. It’s like watching someone realize their favorite, well-worn armchair is about to be reupholstered with something a little less… well, them. The latest to join this choir of the concerned? None other than the outgoing U.S. Capitol Police Chief, J. Thomas Manger.

What’s Got the Chief’s Feathers So Ruffled?

It seems Chief Manger is none too pleased with President Trump’s decision to pardon many of the January 6th defendants. In fact, he’s downright miffed. According to a recent Fox News report, Manger, who is set to retire, described the day of the pardons as “one of the most troubling moments of his career.” He didn’t mince words:

From ‘Fox News’:

“I was angry and as frustrated about that as I’ve ever been professionally.”

He even lamented that “somebody’s got to stay here and stand up for these cops.” Noble sentiments, perhaps, but one has to wonder which version of events he’s so keen on defending, especially when the President is working to untangle what many see as a deeply politicized legal mess.

Funny, He Wasn’t Chief During the Chaos, Just the Cleanup Crew

Now, it’s worth remembering a crucial detail here. Chief Manger wasn’t actually at the helm of the Capitol Police on January 6, 2021. He was appointed in July 2021, tasked with rebuilding the force and implementing reforms after the fact. So, while he wasn’t directing operations during the actual event, he certainly became a key figure in shaping and managing the institutional response and the prevailing narrative that followed.

His tenure saw him condemn the event as an “insurrection” and an “attack on democracy,” a stark contrast to President Trump’s characterization of those imprisoned as “hostages.” So, when Manger expresses frustration, is it about justice, or is it about seeing a narrative he became a custodian of being challenged by a President determined to offer a different perspective – and a different kind of justice?

Selective Sympathy? The Curious Case of Ashli Babbitt’s Settlement

Here’s where things get particularly interesting, and where one might raise an eyebrow at the Chief’s indignation. The same Fox News article reminds us that Manger was also “extremely disappointed” when the Justice Department agreed to a $5 million settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran shot and killed during the Capitol riot. He reportedly wrote to his officers that this settlement “sends a chilling message to law enforcement officers across our nation.”

So, a settlement for a citizen shot by law enforcement is “chilling,” but pardons for citizens who many believe were overcharged and politically targeted are “troubling” and “frustrating”? It’s enough to make one wonder if the real concern is less about abstract justice and more about protecting the system and its narratives, no matter what. Trump’s actions are clearly aimed at what he sees as righting wrongs inflicted by that very system, and the Chief, it seems, doesn’t appreciate the cleanup.

“Erasing History” or Exposing a Politically Charged Narrative?

This discomfort isn’t limited to just the Chief, of course. The establishment’s allies are also in a tizzy. As the Latin Times reports, Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wailed that Republicans, allegedly “directed by their puppet master Donald Trump, have been told, try to erase January 6th, as if it has never happened.” This pearl-clutching is apparently over a commemorative plaque for Capitol Police officers that hasn’t been installed yet.

But let’s be clear: Is President Trump trying to “erase” history, or is he challenging a very specific, politically convenient interpretation of it? An interpretation that Manger, by his own admission (“My cops know what happened”), seems wholly invested in. Perhaps what they fear isn’t erasure, but the emergence of a fuller, less one-sided account – one that doesn’t fit neatly into their preferred storyline of “insurrection.”

Chief Manger’s parting shots sound less like a principled stand and more like the lament of someone watching the D.C. playbook he knows so well get tossed out the window. President Trump isn’t “erasing” Jan. 6; he’s addressing the injustices that arose from its politicized aftermath. If that makes some in the establishment uncomfortable, well, perhaps that’s a sign things are finally moving in the right direction.

Key Takeaways:

• An outgoing Police Chief attacks Trump’s J6 pardons, showing establishment resistance to true justice.
• The Chief’s selective outrage over the Ashli Babbitt settlement reveals deep-seated D.C. hypocrisy.
• Trump isn’t “erasing” J6 history; he’s dismantling the Left’s false narratives.

Sources: Fox News, Latin Times