January 6 has become a date of hallowed pagan sacredness to the ruling class – a supposed talisman marking chaos, a shorthand for “threats to democracy.” But the media, predictably, has focused on the wrong January. And the wrong threat.
January 6 has become a date of hallowed pagan sacredness to the ruling class – a supposed talisman marking chaos, a shorthand for “threats to democracy.” But the media, predictably, has focused on the wrong January. And the wrong threat.
Because the real January 6 – the one that changed everything – wasn’t in 2021. It happened four years earlier, in 2017. Not at the Capitol, but rather in a glass-walled conference room on the 26th floor of Trump Tower.
That morning, President-elect Donald J. Trump received a classified briefing from top intelligence officials – a routine, transitional step for any incoming commander in chief.
But what he got wasn’t intelligence. It was a malicious setup, a trap.
FBI Director James Comey entered the room alone and handed Trump the political equivalent of a political grenade: the now-debunked Steele dossier. A document so flimsy, partisan, and salacious, it wouldn’t pass editorial review at Mother Jones, let alone FBI verification. And yet, veracity wasn’t the point.
The objective wasn’t to actually inform the incoming president, but instead, Comey arrived at the behest of President Obama and CIA Director Brennan with two missions. First, he sought to bait Trump into some sort of dubious false confession. Second, once the briefing was made, the even bigger trap was set.
How?
Because once the FBI told Trump about the dossier – even informally, even off the record – that fact became the news hook, it became the poisoned seed to grow the entire Russian collusion hoax. The contents of the briefing were leaked to legacy, Trump-hating media, likely by Brennan himself.
Within hours, BuzzFeed and CNN were live. The chyron wrote itself: “President-elect Trump briefed on Russian kompromat.” Boom. Mission accomplished. The fuse was lit.
Join 7,500+ smart readers who trust TIPP for sharp, timely analysis → Subscribe now.
These actions weren’t national security protections of legitimate law enforcement operations. Instead, Obama and his top security officials engaged in secret information warfare – waged not by foreign actors but by our very own intelligence community.
Comey’s maneuver gave the press permission to launder partisan opposition research into a years-long national scandal that had the veneer of respectability because of the alleged imprimatur of the U.S. intelligence community. Even though they all knew that the story was false, from Hillary Clinton to James Clapper, in these propaganda ops, truth is not the coin of the realm. What matters is what can be effectively sold to the compliant media and a divided electorate, regardless of the absurdity of the allegations.
The story did not need to be verified, only mentioned to Trump. Then media charlatans like Jake Tapper and Joe Scarborough took their effective marching orders.
Let’s call this plot what it was: a soft coup in slow motion. A preemptive strike against a duly elected president.
For all the talk about “resistance,” this scheme wasn’t legitimate political opposition. It was preemption … and a crime.
Permanent Washington was not about to try to wait for Trump to fail. Instead, they conspired to ensure he would never get the chance to succeed. Before he signed a single order. Before he picked his cabinet. Before he took the oath of office.
January 6, 2021, made for dramatic images of chaos in Washington. While the violence vs. the police that day will always be inexcusable, the affront to our republic did not unfold on that cold January day on the Mall, but rather four years earlier, as the White House concocted a hoax, using the full powers of a weaponized federal government.
The January 6, 2017, plot does not lend itself to compelling images, but it was nonetheless a wicked, coordinated institutional betrayal carried out by insiders who simply refused to accept the will of the American people in the 2016 election.
They feared Trump not because he was reckless, but because he was serious. Serious about pulling back the curtain. Serious about cutting off the Beltway lifelines. Serious about cleaning house.
And for the permanent class – that’s the real threat. Not tweets. Not tone. But independence. So they acted. Quietly. Strategically. And with the full knowledge that the supplicant media would play its part.
What followed was years of sabotage dressed as journalism. Leaks. Investigations. Impeachments. Perjury traps. All seeded from that original sin – the January 6 meeting that gave the Steele dossier a phony legitimacy.
If the goal was to erode trust in American institutions, it worked. The public watched as once-respected agencies turned into tools of narrative warfare. They saw a sitting president hunted for crimes that didn’t exist – while his accusers were lionized for their lies.
So yes – let’s talk about January 6.
But let’s talk about the one that set the whole thing in motion. The day unelected elites turned a routine briefing into a headline ambush. The day narrative replaced truth as the driving principle of the federal bureaucracy. The day the media, intelligence community, and political class all quietly agreed: Elections only matter when the “correct” side wins.
That’s the real January 6 … and we’re still living in its aftermath.
Steve Cortes is president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group, and senior political advisor to Catholic Vote. He is a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance, and a former commentator for Fox News and CNN.
RealClearPolitics published this article on July 26, 2025.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Trump Urges End To Ukraine War, Calls It Biden's Blunder - TIPP Insights
President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine, calling the conflict a needless tragedy that should never have started.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump revealed that nearly 20,000 Russian soldiers died in July alone, bringing Moscow's 2025 toll to over 112,000.
Ukraine has reportedly lost 8,000 troops this year, not counting those missing or civilian casualties from Russian strikes.
2. Trump Moves Nuclear Submarines After Ex-Russian President's Comments - BBC
President Donald Trump says he has ordered two nuclear submarines to "be positioned in the appropriate regions" in response to "highly provocative" comments by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
In a post on social media, Trump said he acted "just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances". Medvedev has posted several comments in recent days threatening the U.S. in response to Trump's ultimatum to Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, or face tough sanctions.
3. Witkoff Visits Gaza Amid Global Outcry Over Aid Site Killings - TIPP Insights
Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, visited Gaza on Friday, touring one of the heavily criticized aid sites in Rafah where Israeli forces have reportedly killed hundreds of Palestinians waiting for food.
Witkoff’s visit, reported by multiple Israeli outlets, came shortly after meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His trip follows growing international condemnation over starvation in Gaza, exacerbated by months of Israeli-imposed aid restrictions.
4. China, Russia Showcase Security Ties With New Pacific Drills - RFE/RL
China and Russia have kicked off joint naval exercises near the coast of the Russian port city of Vladivostok as the two countries continue to deepen their ties through military cooperation.
The drills are annual naval exercises between Chinese and Russian forces that are part of an accelerating trend of strengthening security ties through bilateral and multilateral exercises. According to The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, Beijing and Moscow have carried out 113 combined exercises since 2003.
5. Nippon Steel Warns Of More China Dumping Due To Trump Tariffs - Nikkei Asia
China's steel dumping may accelerate due to U.S. tariffs, as it could have an effect on Chinese manufacturing activity, Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel warned.
Nippon Steel, which completed a $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel in June, is looking to the U.S. market to counter the impact.
6. Global Markets Take Hit As Scale Of Trump Tariffs Sets In - BBC
Stock markets around the world have opened lower as President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on more than 90 countries.
An economic adviser to the president says he sees "zero evidence" prices on goods will rise for Americans, but warnings are swirling that tariffs will hit consumers directly.
7. German Air Force Begins Gaza Aid Drops - D.W.
The aid drops began as German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the occupied West Bank. Meanwhile, U.S. special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is in the Gaza Strip.
Spain and France also announced on Friday that they had airdropped tons of food into Gaza.
8. U.S. Must Agree To Compensation Before Nuclear Talks Resume: Iran’s FM - Reuters
The U.S. must agree to compensate Iran for losses incurred during last month’s war, the Financial Times reported, citing Iran’s foreign minister.
“They should explain why they attacked us in the middle of ... negotiations, and they have to ensure that they are not going to repeat that (during future talks),” Abbas Araghchi told FT in an interview in Tehran. “And they have to compensate (Iran for) the damage that they have done.”
9. Iranian President Says Country Is On Brink Of Dire Water Crisis - Reuters
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian warned against excessive water consumption which he said was untenable for the country and could leave Tehran facing severe shortages by September, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Faced with resource mismanagement and over-consumption, Iran has faced recurrent electricity, gas and water shortages during peak demand months. The country has faced drought conditions for the last five years according to the director of the Environmental Protection Organisation.
10. EU Court Questions Italy's 'Safe Country' List For Migrants - D.W.
Judges at the European Union's top court ruled that Italy can fast-track deportations of migrants to countries it designates as "safe" if it meets certain conditions.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) was asked if an accelerated asylum procedure, allowing officials to quickly return migrants from countries not facing war or significant crises, was permissible. EU countries are allowed to designate safe countries of origin to fast-track asylum procedures if authorities disclose the sources for their assessment, the court ruled.
11. Trump Adjusts Tariff Rates For Dozens Of Countries - TIPP Insights
President Trump has released adjusted reciprocal tariff rates covering imports from a wide range of trading partners, as he steps up efforts to reorder the global economy in favour of the United States.
12. Malaysia Seals 'Win-Win' Deal, Slashing Tariffs On 98% Of U.S. Goods - Nikkei Asia
Malaysia has secured a "win-win" tariff deal with the U.S., taking a comprehensive and systematic approach in deciding its final offer, the Southeast Asian country's trade minister said.
Malaysia agreed to reduce or eliminate tariffs on 98.4% of American products, covering more than 11,000 items, such as industrial and agricultural imports. Trade minister sees 19% reciprocal rate as 'fair,' with details to be finalized.
13. Seoul, Washington Reaffirm Commitment To N. Korean Denuclearization - UPI
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held their first talks since the election of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung last month.
The top diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and the enforcement of international sanctions against Pyongyang during a meeting in Washington, both governments said.
14. Musk's X: Britain's Internet Safety Law 'Seriously Infringes' Free Speech - UPI
The Elon Musk-owned social media platform X said that Britain's newly-enacted Online Safety Act "seriously" is on the cusp of violating free speech masked as the fight to protect kids from explicit online content.
"Many are now concerned that a plan ostensibly intended to keep children safe is at risk of seriously infringing on the public's right to free expression," the Global Government affairs wing of the Bastrop, Texas-headquartered X said. Britain's Online Safety Act created a new set of legal duties by which tech companies must abide.
15. The AI Race Has Big Tech Spending $344 Billion This Year - Bloomberg
Microsoft Corp., which set a $24.2 billion capital spending record last quarter, plans to drop upwards of $30 billion in the current period.
Amazon.com Inc. spent $31.4 billion last quarter, almost double what it dropped a year ago, and is maintaining that level of investment. Google owner Alphabet Inc. raised its capital expenditures guidance this year to $85 billion. Altogether, the four companies are expected to spend more than $344 billion for the year, with much of it going to the data centers necessary to run AI models.
16. Trump To Build Ballroom At White House - TIPP Insights
The White House has announced plans to construct a $200 million ballroom on the executive mansion’s grounds, fulfilling a long-held ambition of President Donald Trump.
17. Your Heart Could Be Aging Faster Than You Are - HealthDay
Researchers who have developed a new "heart age" calculator say many Americans have unhealthy hearts that are physiologically older than their chronological age.
Over the whole cohort, women had an average heart age of 55.4 years, compared to an average chronological age of 51.3, the study found. The news was worse for men: Their average heart age was 56.7, compared to an average chronological age of 49.7. The research team theorizes that telling folks their heart age might help spur them to healthier lifestyles and treatment.
