After Trump won in 2016, I guess they all feared they would be exposed. We can only imagine the theft, murder, bribery, extortion, blackmail, and other crimes they had committed prior that caused them to launch civil war.
"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."
John 3:20-21
And it's not just Democrats in D.C. The civil war combatants and allies include Big Tech, most corporations (who Trump gave trillions in tax cuts), Hollywood, 95% of all media, professional sports, academia, and almost all international bodies (UN, WHO, World Bank, IMF, EU, etc.)