Remember back in October 2020, when Sen. Mike Lee compared then-President Donald Trump to the Book of Mormon figure, Captain Moroni? I always liked the story of Captain Moroni. I especially liked the part where Captain Moroni refused to accept the will of the people and insisted he should be the leader of the Nephites regardless of the outcome of their vote.
Oh, wait. That was Amalickiah. Captain Moroni’s sworn adversary.
Then there was the time when Captain Moroni made an effort to enlist foreign powers to alter the outcome of an election he disagreed with.
Hold on. Sorry, that was Amalickiah again.
How about the time when Captain Moroni got his loyal followers to try installing him as king by way of a violent insurrection?
Wait, wait. Checking my notes. My bad, that was Amalackiah.
Now we’ve seen text messages exchanged between Senator Lee and then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, conspiring to invalidate the outcome of the 2020 election and keep then-President Trump in office.
The Book of Mormon had a name for people who attempted to nullify the voice of the people and make sure their guy was top of the political heap: “king-men.”
Maybe Sen. Lee’s effort to appeal to Latter-day Saints by invoking our signature scripture on behalf of his preferred candidate wasn’t such a great idea after all.
Palmer G. Pattison, Murray