We witnessed history yesterday. The U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol convened for their 10th and final time in front of the American people. After 18 months of investigation and nine hearings, bringing plenty of receipts, they finally announced that they are making criminal referrals to the Department of Justice for four – count 'em, four – felonies that The Salmon Seditionist committed, including the feloniousest of felonies, inciting an insurrection. Hallelujah! It's about damn time someone said it out loud!
Granted, the referrals are symbolic, as only the Department of Justice has the authority to make the decision whether to indict. But still, the action is unprecedented. No former or sitting president has ever had criminal referrals levied against them.
Chairman Bennie Thompson (D- MS) and Vice-Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) laid out the overreaching rationale for the charges: accountability. As Rep. Ruskin noted, "Ours is not a system of justice where foot soldiers go to jail and the masterminds and ring leaders get a free pass." Vice-Chair Cheney reminded us that throughout the nation's history, every single president has committed to the peaceful transfer of power. All but one.
To the point about defending our democracy, Cheney told a poignant story about her great-great-grandfather who fought all four years of the Civil War and who was present to march in front of President Johnson and General Grant at the end of the war. An historian wrote about the troops that day. Cheney recounted, "He said they had 'a just appreciation of the value and advantage of free government and the necessity of defending and maintaining it, and they enlisted prepared to accept all the necessary labors, fatigues, exposures, dangers and even death for the unity of our nation and the perpetuity of our institutions.'"
Poignant stuff.
Monday's meeting was rather brief, mostly a recap of the evidence presented so far. There were a few new tidbits, however.
The committee presented powerful testimony from Hope Hicks, who we had not seen before as a witness. Ms. Hicks, as you remember, was one of SCROTUS's most trusted, closest, and valued aides. She said that she confronted him about the fact that there was no evidence of fraud and that there was danger of "damaging his legacy." His response? "Nobody will care about my legacy if I lose, so that won’t matter. The only thing that matters is winning."
There was also new evidence about witness tampering. Rep. Lofgren said that the funds from some of 45's probably-illegal fundraising were used for definitely-illegal things, like hiring lawyers to intimidate witnesses. She said that:
One lawyer told a witness, the witness could, in certain circumstances, tell the committee that she didn’t recall facts when she actually did recall them. That lawyer also did not disclose who was paying for the lawyer’s representation, despite questions from the client seeking that information. He told her, “We’re not telling people where funding is coming from right now.” We’ve learned that a client was offered potential employment, that would make her, “financially very comfortable,” as the date of her testimony approached, by entities that were apparently linked to Donald Trump and his associates. These offers were withdrawn or didn’t materialize, as reports of the content of her testimony circulated. The witness believed this was an effort to affect her testimony, and we are concerned that these efforts may have been a strategy to prevent the committee from finding the truth.
Yeah. That's not ok.
CNN has since reported that it was a former Whitewash House ethics lawyer that put this pressure on his client, star witness Cassidy Hutchinson. All the while not disclosing that ***** was paying for his services. Bad, bad stuff.
The Committee presented a video summary of the aspects of the POTATUS Coup Plans showing that
1. He knew the election was not stolen;
2. He pressured states;
3. He pressured the DOJ;
4. He pressured the V.P.;
5. He summoned the mob;
6. And he was derelict in his duties for 187 minutes as the invasion was happening.
Here is that short video:
I liked that each of the nine committee members spoke. The Chairs laid out the need for accountability, and each of six members took a piece of the coup plan and reiterated the evidence.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) reiterated the evidence about The Big Lie;
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) summarized how he pressured the States and conspired to send false electors to Congress;
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) reminded us how he pressured the DOJ and nearly installed a sycophant to be AG;
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) summarized the Pence Pressure Campaign;
Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) outlined how he assembled the mob and sent them to do violence;
Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) recapped Agent Orange's 187 minutes when he was derelict in his duty to faithfully execute the laws of the United States;
And last but very much best, Rep. Jamie Raskin outlined the criminal referrals to the DOJ. He sat a little straighter and spoke a little louder and firmer when he announced the referrals. It was exciting to hear the charges that the Committee recommends. They included:
Obstruction of an official proceeding,
Conspiracy to defraud the United States,
Conspiracy to make a false statement,
"Incite," "assist" or "aid and comfort" an insurrection.
The "conspiracy" part of the charges includes a criminal referral for attorney John Eastman, but would-be fake AG Jeffrey Clark and Rudy Giuliani should be right there too. I'm thinking other conspirators may also be referred, people like Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone, Mark Meadows, and Mike Flynn. You know, those asses that plead the Fifth during their meetings with the Committee.
The committee also made referrals to the House Ethics Committee for censure of several members over ignoring subpoenas. Though they were not named during the meeting, those who flaunted subpoenas include House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Andy Biggs of Arizona.
As I said, though Congress can make criminal referrals, only the Department of Justice can decide whether to seek indictments. The DOJ has been doing their own investigation. A special counsel, Jack Smith, has been overseeing it for the past month. Though the DOJ is doing its own investigation and has the final authority, no doubt the Committee's body of evidence will be an important piece. Come on, Mr. Garland! Do. It.
Videos of the Meeting. Yesterday's meeting was only 70 minutes. Watch the whole thing below (not sure why it's dated 12/14/2022. It is yesterday's hearing, 12/19/2022).
If you have only a few minutes, here is WaPo's 4-minute version:
I'm really pleased and proud of how the Committee conducted this investigation and how they brought the evidence before us. Each of the 10 televised hearings was riveting. Jaw-dropping evidence, fine-tuned organization, well-spoken witnesses, and good production value, all presented by a calm and resolute bi-partisan committee, made it must-watch TV. It's a model for any future investigations, and one that will live in the history books.
The Final Act. The Committee's report is due to be published this week. It will contain a depth of evidence and will detail many of the criminal players' nefarious actions. I can't wait to get my hands on it! I hope the DOJ has a team ready with some fine-tooth combs and magnifying glasses, and an extra server for the spreadsheets! They need to build a very tight case and get it in front of a jury.
*****
In other news!
The Ways and Means Committee are poised to release the long-sought tax returns of the Conman. It may even be tomorrow! Let's see 'em!
A mysterious Truth Social post went out last week promising "a major announcement." Speculation abounded. Running mate? Endorsement for Speaker of the House? Invitation to dinner for more Nazis?
No. It was just another grift. The announcement was for the release of some "digital trading cards," NFT images for sale. Offered were several images of BLOATUS as calendar pin-up boys. 45,000 of them for sale at the cool price of $99 each. They sold out within 12 hours. NFT trading cards: The modern way of separating fools from their money.
News is that the NFTs have drastically lost value already. Big surprise.
Do you feel that calm? That's fascism heading toward its hidey hole!
It has been a good week for democracy, and there is a fair bit to unpack. Not sure I can dive too deep here. Because, you know, life.
The Red Wave That Wasn't
Prognosticators and polls predicted a punctual, pertinacious pull of the parties past progressive. But it didn't happen. As of this writing, five days after the polls closed, the Democrats have retained control of the Senate, and the House is on a knife's edge, with a dozen or so races yet to be called. Though "they" say that the right still has an advantage to take the House, the Dems could still pull off a majority. But even if they don't, I believe the country still won.
The Anxiety That Wasn't
Or rather, shouldn't have been. If we learned anything from 2016, it was that polls lie. They lied again this year. I know I'm not the only one who had a deep anxiety in the weeks leading up to Election Day. It took a toll on my sister resisters, too. It's was a long four years, and January 6th trauma still simmers, so to face even one more day of being governed by people who "love" the country so much that they are willing to burn it down, was too much to face.
Note to self: save the anxiety for the actual counting days and skip the polls and the pundits. Do the work, then let the voters say.
Big Lie? Bye-bye!
The voters decided that they weren't going to tolerate any more MAGAT nonsense. They rejected most of the MAGAT-backed candidates. From coast to coast, they were sent packing. The SCROTUS Effect, turns out, is poison ivy. Here's a summary from AP News about the election-deniers who were denied. As they quoted Joanna Lydgate of States United, "It was a good day for democracy."
My predictions, thankfully, came true.
In these pages more than once I proposed that the only way out of our MAGA mess was for the Republican Party to become divided and to burn their own house down. Yes! It happened! The Republican Party became their own worst enemy; it became divided into "Team Crazy" and "Team Normal." Team Crazy pulled ahead when their MAGAT, election-denying candidates won primary elections across the country. But those crazies lost to Democrats' Team Normal candidates last week.
Qualified, reasonable Democrat candidates swooped up votes when independent voters – and Team Normal Republicans – decided that Team Crazy wasn't for them.
Thanks for the meme, Sister Resister Anne!
My Pollyanna Moment
We have hope for the future! Hopefully the Republicans can hold on to Normal, regain their moral compass, and put forth qualified candidates. Maybe then we can actually start taking about policy again rather than if the Apricot Pol Pot is the Messiah, if we should oppress brown people, if we should regulate women back to being barefoot and pregnant, and if we should kill the Vice President of the United States of America.
Dare we hope? Maybe this will embolden the reasonable Republicans to speak up loudly, reject a TЯUMP candidacy, and shut the far-right shit down. Do we dare hope?
The "Usual" trends did not materialize
It's a historical trend that midterm voters have usually turned away from the party of the current president, especially when approval ratings were low. The usual didn't hold up this year. In fact, not only did they not firmly turn away from the current president, this year voters turned away from the previous president*.
In past trends, voters tend to push against the reigning party, especially in the first term. Here's what has happened in the last half-century or so of House midterms (stats thanks to UCSB's The American Presidency Project).
1974 Ford (post Nixon) approval rating 54%, lost 78 seats (following Watergate)
1978 Carter 45%, lost 15
1982 Reagan 42%, lost 26
1986 Reagan 64%, lost 5
1990 Bush I 57%, lost 8
1994 Clinton 48%, lost 52
1998 Clinton 65%, gained 5
2002 Bush II 67%, gained 8 (just after 9/11)
2006 Bush II 37%, lost 30
2010 Obama 45%, lost 63
2014 Obama 41%, lost 13
2018 T**** 44%, lost 40
2024 Biden 42%, TBD
At this writing, the final results are not known. Though this year's numbers are still to be determined, it looks like Democratic losses this year will not follow the usual trend. We are not in usual times.
Even if the Dems don't keep control of the House, we all won. The Repugs will have control by the slimmest margin, and the Democrats control the Senate. The election really could not have gone much better given all the circumstances. Who else is feeling elated?
What was important to the voters
Abortion rights and saving democracy. Yes, certainly the economy, too, but it appeared to be less of a driving factor than the pundits led us to believe.
We still have toxicity out there.
FAUX News's talking heads like F*cker Carlson, as well as the toxic radio and YouTube crowd, will continue to spew misinformation and whip up the whip-upable.
We still have the Wart Squad: Boebert (possibly; her seat is still undecided), Margie Green, Matty G, Scamperin' Josh Hawley, and the rest of that ilk, along with the newbies such as Senator-elect J.D. Vance in Ohio and Representative-elect Ted Budd in North Carolina. Come 2024, though, perhaps we'll have that industrial size barrel of Compound W ready and waiting at each polling place to get some of those nasties off our asses.
Yes, FAUX News is still a scourge, but without the additional mouthpieces spouting the nonsense and obstructing constructive work in the Congress, and with Moscow Mitch gone (whoo-hoooo!) as Senate Majority Leader (please, please, please, Mitch, might you consider retiring when your term ends in 2027?), at least we may have a quieter place in which to do the work.
And there's the non-elected white supremacists. They are still out there. We must continue to fight! The misogynists still wanna misogyn. They must feel strong push-back. We still have much work.
Yes, indeed, we do have a lot of work to do.
In the near term, we need to help get Senator Raphael Warnock re-elected in Georgia! His runoff election is Tuesday, December 6. Donate to his campaign or write postcards! I use Postcards to Voters. I like the way they manage the task.
We must codify abortion rights into the law of the land. We must strengthen our civil rights and work on our justice system. We must work NOW to combat climate change. We need to better our children's educations. We must continue to examine January 6 and bring all the ne'er-do-wells to justice. We must promote federal judges that will be fair and protect our Constitution and civil rights. We must continue to examine Supreme Court justice malfeasance. And so much more. The progressive agenda isn't going away just because it's going to be a little more difficult.
The Once and Future President*?
Supposedly there's a "big announcement" coming from that puckered orange mouth this week. But yanno, I don't want to talk about some two-bit bigoted grifting seditionist has-been who has umpteen court cases pending against him. Let's just bask in the big win and delegate that heaping orange turd to the loser's corner.
The U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol convened for their ninth hearing a little over a week ago, on Thursday October 13. "Hearing" is a bit of a misnomer; there were no live witnesses this time. It was more or less a recap of the previous evidence, with some new video and new testimony tidbits from the recorded depositions. Plus a bombshell at the end: a notable subpoena. Just about every committee member participated as they recapped and expanded their evidence on all the facets of the multi-level plot. Here I'm going to present just a few.
The notable bits:
Reiteration of the advanced planning for the Big Lie
There were plans to declare victory even in the case of a loss as early as July.
The false victory speech was drafted as early as October 31, several days before Election Day, and on the same day Steve Bannon said on video:
And what Trump's going to do is just declare victory, right? He's gonna declare victory, but that doesn't mean he's the winner, he's just gonna say he's a winner. The Democrats — more of our people vote early that count. Theirs vote in mail, and so they're going to have a natural disadvantage and Trump's going to take advantage of it. That's our strategy.
He's gonna declare himself a winner. So when you wake up Wednesday morning, it's going to be a firestorm. Also — also if Trump is — if Trump is losing by 10:00 or 11:00 at night, it's going to be even crazier, you know, because he's gonna sit right there and say they stole it.
I'm directing the Attorney General to shut down all ballot places in all 50 states. It's going to be no, he's not going out easier. If Biden is winning, Trump is going to do some crazy shit.
And on January 5th, the same ugly mug spewed this word vomit:
All hell is going to break loose tomorrow. It's all converging and now we're on, as they say, the point of attack, right, the point of attack tomorrow. I'll tell you this, it's not going to happen like you think it's going to happen. Ok. It's going to be quite extraordinarily different. And all I can say is strap in. You have made this happen and tomorrow it's game day. So strap in, let's get ready.
The troll under the bridge Roger Stone said similar things as he paraded around with his Proud Boys. On November 1, he said:
I suspect it'll be — I really do suspect it will still be up in the air. When that happens, the key thing to do is to claim victory. Possession is 9/10 of the law. No, we won. Fuck you. Sorry. Over. We won. You're wrong. Fuck you.
I said, fuck the voting, let's get right to the violence.
We'll have to start smashing pumpkins if you know what I mean.
It's important to remember that Stone was the link between The Salmon Seditionist and the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Stone was one of Twitler's favorite villainous actors, and he was firmly entrenched with those odious groups, using them as security and associated often with them. When he appeared before the committee for the January 6th matter, Stone pled the Fifth over and over.
As you may remember, SCROTUS pardoned Stone in July of 2020, just before he was due to report to prison for a 40-month sentence for lying to Congress about his involvement in the Russian interference.
McFib couldn't save Steve Bannon, though. Bannon was indicted, convicted, and sentenced for contempt of Congress after his would-be pardoner left office. He will be reporting for a 4-month stay at the Graybar Hotel.
Intentions for the "last, most desperate and dangerous" prong
The committee provided evidence that 45 intended all along to send the mob to the Capitol.
When all his other attempts failed, by December 19th he was setting into motion his plans to attack. He issued this tweet, "Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election. Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!"
Though the Secret Service illegally deleted many texts surrounding January 6, the committee presented newly discovered emails and other evidence showing the Secret Service and other agencies knew about impending violence in advance of the speech on the ellipse. They knew about the armed mob assembling; they had heard chatter about direct threats to Pence. Here are a few tidbits from the USSS evidence:
By December 26, the Secret Service and FBI received tips that the Proud Boys were planning to come armed on January 6. Rep. Adam Schiff reported, "The source went on to say their plan is to literally kill people." Literally kill people.
On December 31, there were intelligence reports that supporters were planning to occupy Capitol Hall and there was an uptick in violent hashtags.
On January 4th, one rally organizer texted, "POTUS is going to have us march there at the Capitol. And POTUS is going to just call for it 'unexpectedly.'"
In the evening of January 5th, the Secret Service learned from the FBI briefing that right-wing groups were organizing "quick reaction forces" for January 6.
On the morning of January 6, agents were aware that rally-goers were armed and gathering outside the magnetometers. Even before the speech began, they were aware of attendees with body armor, ballistic helmets, radio equipment, pepper spray and tactical shields. By 11:30, they knew of specific armed individuals carrying handguns and rifles and an assault rifle.
One secret service agent wrote around 12:30 p.m., "With so many weapons found so far, you wonder how many are unknown. Could be sporty after dark."
The worm Jason Miller, senior communications director, forwarded a link from the website TheDonald.win to Mark Meadows about a week before January 6. Miller proudly proclaimed that "I got the base fired up." Comments on the link included:
"Gallows don't require electricity."
"If the filthy commie maggots try to push their fraud through, there will be hell to pay."
"Our lawmakers in Congress can leave one of two ways; one, in a body bag, two, after rightfully certifying Trump the winner."
The word "BETRAYAL" is scrawled in my notes after I heard Rep. Schiff say this.
"The same day Jason Miller sent his text message, agents received reports about a spike in activity on another platform called Parler. This was December 30th. In this email, an agent received a report noting a lot of violent rhetoric on Parler directed at government people and entities, including Secret Service protectees.
One of these protectees was Vice President Pence, perhaps the primary target of President Trump's pressure campaign in the days leading up to January 6th. The day before the joint session, on January 5th, Secret Service was aware of increased chatter focused on Vice President Pence, in particular whether he would do what President Trump wanted him to do, reverse the results of the election in the joint session the next day, January 6th. On the morning of the 6th, agents received alerts of online threats that Vice — Vice President Pence would be 'a dead man walking if he doesn't do the right thing.' Another agent reported, 'I saw several other alerts saying they will storm the Capitol if he doesn't do the right thing.' The anger reflected in these postings was obvious, the man at the center of the storm on January 6th, President Trump."
Why didn't the Secret Service do more to protect Mike Pence? Disgraceful.
The Burned POTATUS
The committee has more evidence that SCROTUS was "irate" after he was denied making the trip to the Capitol with his armed mob. It was characterized as "water cooler talk" around the Whitewash House. It was obvious that many people realized that as bad as January 6 was, having him there would move the day to, as one former Whitewash House employee described, "something else if he physically walked to the Capitol. I don't know if you want to use the word insurrection, coup, whatever. We all knew that this would move from a normal democratic, you know, public event into something else."
The Real Leaders
One of the most compelling pieces in the hearing was the never-before-seen video of Congressional leaders, both Democrat and Republican, acting to get help from different agencies. Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Mike Pence, and others were seen on the phone, calmly and decisively working to get law enforcement agencies to the scene, secure the Capitol, and resume the business of the People. As the mob was descending and 45 was watching in glee, the real leaders of our nation, whose very lives were threatened, were organizing help.
You may have seen it, but it bears watching again. I never thought I would hear a Speaker of the United States House of Representatives speak of the "poo poo that they're making all over the — literally and figuratively in the Capitol."
The Subpoena
At the end of the hearing, the committee unanimously voted to subpoena Double Agent Orange himself. It is the right thing to do. Through nine hearings they lay the blame squarely and firmly at his feet. To not subpoena the chief player would not make sense.
On Friday, the subpoena was delivered. We all know his testimony will never happen. But it was a must that they issue an order. He'll likely mount legal challenges, and if those can be extended through the end of the year and the House is flipped back to Red, it'll be moot. If not, he'll continue to fight it and may just find a sympathetic court.
Although....late breaking news. Speaker Pelosi called him out today, saying he's not "man enough" to testify. Will this be enough of an ego-challenge to prompt him to show up?
Please watch the entire hearing here:
The Future
What's next? <shrug> There is no word that the Committee will hold any more hearings. They will issue a report before the new Congress is seated in January. It will no doubt be a must-read. It will be packed with more evidence than was presented during the hearings.
It's imperative that we get out the vote. If the Repugs take control of the House in this mid-term election, the committee will be disbanded and this will be the end of it.
And not all of it down the Whitewash House executive toilet.
On Monday night, the FBI went to Mar-a-Lago and collected boxes of documents.
The first question we all had: "Ooooh! Which crime?!"
Answer: One we didn't know about yet!
Search and Seizure: The Facts So Far
The feds held a warrant signed by Federal Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart to search the offices, storage areas, and residence at Mar-a-Lago and seize documents.
Judge Reinhart (not to be confused with Judge Reinhold) had been a federal prosecutor, then in 2008 he became a defense attorney for some types of shady people like those who aided and abetted Jeffery Epstein. He became a magistrate judge, not a presidentially appointed position, in 2018. He is reportedly well-respected and "meticulous." He has donated to Republican and Democrat candidates, up and down the ticket, and not in huge amounts. He seems like a middle-of-the-road, stand-up judge (unfortunately, however, he has become the victim of violent, antisemitic threats as I type these words).
Anyway, the FBI took Reinhart's warrant down to Palm Beach and grabbed what they wanted. Legally, and by the book. They gave notice that they were coming and the secret service was there, not to help, but to facilitate access. SCROTUS's lawyers were also there, and reportedly Drumpf himself had a good view of the action on CCTV.
They took some 20 boxes from the residence.
It had to be serious. The DOJ was willing to expose itself to the Wrath of the Right, so it had to have been big stuff. Luckily we have free press, and reporters went to work finding out for us.
Immediately After the Raid
Hours after the raid, Treason D'être himself leaked the news. He issued a wordy press release, characteristically victim-y and included the requisite "But her emails!" Read the blather here.
Early speculation was that they seized documents that he took home with him in violation of the Presidential Records Act. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) wanted what was theirs. Presidential documents belong to The People, not former presidents.
Earlier that same day, we had just learned of photographic evidence of POTATUS's penchant for ripping up documents and flushing them down the toilet.
The DOJ has a policy of not discussing ongoing investigations. So, they remained quiet in the days afterwards, especially since Double Agent Orange himself informed the public that it had gone down and had the warrant and the receipt in hand and could release those on his own.
The Right's reaction was like you would expect in the hours and days afterwards. Indignation, outrage, bluster.
"It is unprecedented!" Well, yes, you are correct. We have never had such a criminal president before.
"Documents were planted!" Ummm, 20 boxes in the agents' back pockets? Or are they being issued new special FBI Planter Cargo Pants these days?
"We need an explanation NOW!" You could ask the man himself. He has the warrant as well as a list of items seized.
"The DOJ and FBI need to be investigated! How dare they investigate crimes!" So much for the party of law and order.
"If they can do this to a former president, they can do it to you!" Sure, I would expect it if I had committed a felony.
Days After the Raid
It soon became apparent that the raid wasn't entirely a surprise. It turns out that NARA had quietly gone down to Florida in January and retrieved 15 boxes of documents. When they realized some were missing, they asked again. Finally, NARA referred the matter to the Justice Department. The DOJ also tried informal means before they issued a subpoena for return of the rest of the items. When that was ignored, well, the only choice is to go get them.
So you can ignore all the outrage from The Spy Kid when he truth-socialed, "ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS ASK!" They did, you moron. Over and over. Quit 👏🏻 Lying👏🏻
On Thursday, Merrick Garland spoke to the American people. In a short statement, he explained that he himself had signed off on the action, and that the DOJ is working with integrity "without fear or favor." Watch it here.
Garland then forced 45's hand. He moved to ask a judge to release the warrant and the receipt. The judge gave Diablo Naranjo a chance to object to the release. In his usual deception-is-the-way way, he issued a statement, "Not only will I not oppose the release of documents … I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents....Release the documents now!" You could've done it yourself all along, dumb-ass.
And so, they did.
Our speculation about violations of the Presidential Records Act? Well, yes, but....
What he stole weren't run-of-the-mill documents or his hand-sharpied hurricane map. On Thursday, The Washington Post broke that the FBI seized numerous classified documents. They took four sets of documents marked "top-secret," three sets of documents marked "secret," and three sets documents marked "confidential."
Not only that, some of the documents classified as top secret had the extra designation "top secret/sensitive compartmented information (SCI)." This last designation is the highest security classification, meant for documents that are so sensitive, and so dangerous to national security, that they are for the eyes only of the most privileged, and then in highly secure locations called "SCIF" or "Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility."
A storage room in the basement of Mar-a-Lago? Not so secure.
Top Secret/SCI designates the country's tippy-top most secret stuff, the things that can risk national security. You know, like nuclear weapons information. Yup. Nuclear weapons information. WaPo confirmed this.
Shit.
The Justification
"It was all declassified!" says the Salmon Seditionist. True, the sitting president has the power to declassify information. But it isn't just a matter of scribbling on it in Sharpie:
There is a formal process, which includes a written and signed memo, review and input by agency heads that have an interest in the material, and an eventual official stamped designation on the document itself saying, "Declassified on (date)."
Besides that, a private-citizen former president has no power to declassify documents, no matter how long they were sitting in his basement.
And nuclear weapons information? Honey, there ain't no justification for declassifying TS/SCI documents unless......
The Motive: Show Me the Money
What drives TЯUMP in almost everything he undertakes? The Almighty Dollar. The motive in this theft? Undoubtedly money. There is no doubt in my mind that he was planning to sell government secrets to the highest bidder. No doubt in my mind.
The Possible Charges
Possible criminal charges include: violations of the Presidential Records Act of 1978, obstruction of justice, and violations of the Espionage Act of 1917.
Violations of the Espionage Act. Violations of the Espionage Act!!
There are three sections of Title 18 of the United States Code listed on the search warrant. They have to do with the Espionage Act of 1917. Section 793 surrounds the unlawful retention of defense-related information that could harm the United States or aid a foreign adversary; Section 1519 surrounds destroying or concealing documents to obstruct government investigations; Section 2071 covers the unlawful removal of government records.
The right's reaction after all this information came out?
Who else was convicted under the Espionage Act? Well, you remember the Rosenbergs. Remember what happened to them? Yes! 1951: executed. You know who prosecuted them? None other than Roy Cohn, Don the Con's good ol' buddy and ersatz protector.
Remember in 2016 when a whistle-blower warned about Russian interference in the 2016 election? The 25-year-old whistleblower, Reality Winner, was convicted for leaking an (meaning one) intelligence report under Section 793. She was sentenced to 63 months in prison and is now on supervised release at age 29.
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. They aren't parallels; they are perpindiculars. Giving comparisons any ink is giving them life. But let me give you others' voice. Here is a good write-up from a former DOJ attorney cautioning about any comparison to Hillary. This week, the National Archives and Records Administration issued a statement putting to bed any notion that Obama took classified – or any – documents with him when he left office.
I wish the lies would stop.
It's obvious, and I feel silly for pointing this out, but remember, Mar-a-Lago is not only the Rabid Yam's residence, it is also a resort. People come and go. Members are allowed to bring guests. There is no way to know what motives people have for joining the club, nor for visiting the very-well-known now-private citizen who lives there, nor what equipment they bring with them! Yes, you go through a secret service check-point (no weapons, please), but in general there is not the level of security that top-secret documents demand.
True, to stay there, you must join for a $200,000 initial fee with a $15,000 annual fee. There are about 500 members, and the list is shrouded in secrecy. Most people can't afford that, but if you have the dough, and if Orange Julius Rosenberg likes you, you can join. Or visit.
And you can see things and hear things if you go. Remember the Chinese national – a trespasser! – who had thumb drives and other electronic equipment at the resort? Or the tourist who took photos of the nuclear football during dinner? Or the dinner with Japanese P.M. Abe? Bystanders overheard their conversation about possible responses to a North Korean missile launch. Security? *shrug*
The Consequences
So far, there haven't been consequences to Cheeto Benito. Instead, there is hate boiling up again, with violent rhetoric around the internet and death threats to Merrick Garland, Judge Reinhart, FBI director Christopher Wray, and FBI agents, among other individuals surrounding the investigation, including addresses and family members' names. It's no surprise that the agents' names were leaked from an unreacted copy of the warrant by Brietbart. Hmmmm. Who had an unrelated copy?
The Hope. Well, my hope
My hope is that the Scamburgler will be indicted on numerous charges and will be tried, convicted, and sentenced to jail and he will die there at age 99½.
The Speculation. Well, my speculation
My reality check is that the government may decide that having the documents back is good enough and the political fallout would be too great to pursue an indictment. Best-case speculation: Agent Orange will be charged with one count, there will be a long, drawn-out legal process, and nothing will come of it.
What Makes Me Mad
Well, all of it. But what makes me especially mad is that he lies as often as he scratches his balls, and his minions lap it all up. They don't read any truth. They don't want to. They don't care. The Lord of the Lies can say whatever he wants, spin it completely opposite the reality, and his flunkeys run with it.
Agencies are forced to waste time stomping out these little fires, like the National Archives countering his claim that Obama "kept 33 million pages of documents, much of them classified." Or Garland having to waste a judge's time when 45 could have released the documents himself.
But mostly the lies. Because the lies lead to the rest.
Cartoons and Memes
Because we need them.
Here is video of our banner saying HAHAHA flying over Mar-a-Lago today. This is how you treat wannabe authoritarians like Trump. You ridicule and mock them. pic.twitter.com/gFqndjMSUv
Actually, dereliction of duty is not the right term. As we saw in Thursday's primetime hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, it was not simply a failure to do his duty. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) made the point that "he didn't fail to act, he chose not to." But even that is inadequate. It wasn't his choice to abscond his responsibilities to take action that was most troubling, though that certainly was quite troubling. It was his continued attempts to rile up the mob to do his dirty work even as he witnessed the horrendous deadly violence.
It wasn't dereliction of duty. It was actively twisting the knife that he had thrust into the gut of our nation.
The bulk of the hearing focused on the 187 minutes between the time SCROTUS finished his speech on the Ellipse at 1:10 p.m and when he put out his milquetoast video at 4:17 pm. The hearing was lead by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.). The overall steerage was by Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) because Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) had tested positive for covid and appeared remotely.
Two former Whitewash House officials offered live testimony. We heard from both Matthew Pottinger, deputy national security adviser from the first day of the term until the early morning hours of January 7, 2021 and Sarah Matthews, deputy press secretary who came aboard with Kayleigh McEnany. Matthews also resigned in the hours following the insurrection. Both of them were in the Whitewash House on January 6.
Through the hearing, the committee went minute by minute of those three hours, juxtaposing what was happening at the Capitol, with many clips from the Faux News broadcast to which Derelict Arnold was glued, alongside security footage from inside and outside the Capitol building, and also with what was happening in the Whitewash House dining room on the darkest day in our nation's history.
Buckle in. This one is dense.
Senator McTurtle
The Committee, brilliantly, started the hearing with video of Senator Mitch McTurtle (R-Ala.), one of the Mango Mussolini's staunchest enablers. The senator forcefully condemned The Commander in Creep's actions and inactions on that day.
"A mob was assaulting the Capitol in his name. These criminals were carrying his banners, hanging his flags, and screaming their loyalty to him. It was obvious that only President Trump could end this. He was the only one."
Later in the hearing, they invoked Sen. McTurtle again. He spoke in the days after the insurrection:
"There's no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. No question about it. The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their President. And having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing crescendo of false statements, conspiracy theories, and reckless hyperbole which the defeated President kept shouting into the largest megaphone on planet Earth."
As the committee pointed out, the senator did not have the benefit of reams of evidence from a year-long investigation like we have today. It was immediately obvious who was at fault. No question. None.
What Didn't Happen on January 6
Official records of his activities that afternoon: we don't have them. Normally, a president has every action documented in official call logs and diary entries. Let's look at the records for January 6th, 2021. The official record of phone calls between the president* and anyone? None. The official diary entries, which normally documents 45's every waking moment? Blank. Photographs from the official photographer that is always nearby at every moment of every working day? Zippo.
Corroboration
Liz Cheney provided evidence that corroborated Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony about the activities in the presidential SUV just after the speech. At least two other witnesses testified to the "heated" exchange in the SUV and an "irate" president*. If only we had, I dunno, text messages from the secret service that might shed more light on the situation?
Secret Service on Standby
After he failed to wrest the steering wheel (does he even know how to drive?) from his limo driver, T**** was delivered by the secret service to the Whitewash House. The limo and the security detail were placed on standby for nearly an hour, because da baby still wanted to go to the Capitol to participate in his coup in person. He didn't get to go. Instead, he did his second-favorite thing: he watched TV. I'll tell ya, the insurrection got great ratings! Tremendous! The highest ratings of any reality show!
The Island of Doctor Morose
From the moment he got back to the Whitewash House until he was dragged kicking and screaming in front of the cameras late in the afternoon, he watched Faux News coverage of his coup attempt on his own little island: the dining room adjacent to the Oval Office. There he sat. For three hours at the dining room table, he watched a large flat-screen TV mounted opposite him, Faux News a-blarin'. Aides testified that's all that they saw him do.
But he might have kept himself busy in other ways...
1:10 p.m. The speech is finished. Before he even left the podium at the Ellipse, the trouble was brewing. Remember, long before this time, he knew the mob was armed. He sent them and their weapons toward the Capitol building to "fight like hell" and had told them he planned to join them. By 1:10 p.m., according to Rep. Luria, "the Vice President was in the Capitol. The joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden's victory was underway and the Proud Boys and other rioters had stormed through the first barriers and begun the attack."
1:25 p.m. It took a couple minutes to drive back to the Whitewash House, and immediately POTATUS settled in front of the TV.
1:39 p.m. He called Rudy Giuliani (we only know this from Giuliani's phone records; official phone records are blank). He also called a bunch of Senators asking them to delay the count.
1:49 p.m. A riot is declared by D.C. police. At the same time, Twitler tweets a link to a replay of his speech. He stays silent on the violence.
Who did he call. A bunch of Senators, asking them to delay the certification. Among them was Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who said that he had to hang up the phone with the Commander in Cheat because he was under siege had to freaking run for his life!
"He called — didn't call my phone. Called somebody else and they handed it to me. And I — I basically told him, I said Mr. President, we're — we're not doing much work here right now because they just took our Vice President out. And matter of fact I'm gonna have to hang up on you. I've got to leave."
Who he didn't call. Everybody else. There was silence. He did not place calls to the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the National Guard, the Capitol police, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the D.C. police, the FBI, the Secret Service, nor the Secretary of Defense. Any and all of those agencies could have garnered assistance to this volatile situation. He didn't call his Vice President, who was in mortal danger.
What was happening around him. Trumpty-Dumbty's closest staff, his top lawyers, and his family were all pleading with him to do something to call off the rioters.
The Second Hour: Twisting the Knife
2:13 p.m. Vice President Pence was removed from the Senate Chambers. The president* knew Vice President Pence was running for his life, because Sen. Tommy Tuberville described to him that they had just taken the V.P. out of chambers. And in the next nine minutes, he composes a tweet.
2:24 p.m. Traitor Joethrusts the knife a little deeper when he tweeted his odious message calling Pence a coward. Immediately the crowd glommed on to the tweet, spreading the news that "Pence screwed us" and soon the chants began, "Hang Mike Pence!"
Ms. Matthews testified that this tweet sickened her and that she saw it as "pouring gasoline on the fire." She was shaken. It was after this tweet that Mr. Pottinger decided to resign. He also thought of it as adding fuel to the fire.
Shortly after the infamous tweet, the vice president was preparing to evacuate a second time.
"We may lose the ability to leave."
At 2:26 p.m. Pence evacuated the second time. Rioters were just 40 feet away as his security detail tried to evacuate him to safety.
One of the most wrenching moments from the hearings so far was the audio from radio traffic between secret service agents, trying desperately to find a quick and safe escape for Pence. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to hear the radio transmissions as they frantically tried to find an escape route for the Vice President of the United States. The committee also played emotionally-laden audio testimony of one voice-disguised witness who testified that agents were putting calls through to their families to say goodbye.
They were preparing to die that day.
Hawley-ing Ass!
Around this time, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also high-tailed it out to safety. The committee absolutely reamed him. They were scathing in their description of Hawley and how he had "riled up the crowd" that morning with his famous raised fist only to later scamper through the building to hide from his mob.
Here's their presentation to that end. Notice the natural laughtrack.
Comedians have been *ahem* running with Hawley's fleet-footed flee.
Thanks sister resister Pagrs for pointing me to this image
Ultimately Mike Pence was moved safely – at a normal, but urgent pace – to an underground loading dock, where he stayed the rest of the day and into the night. What did he do? He took charge. He made phone calls.
He called Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley; he called Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller. He worked to get help to the law enforcement who was so badly overrun. Gen. Milley was surprised at the Wanker in Chief's lack of action, saying, “You know, you’re the commander in chief. You’ve got an assault going on in the Capitol of the United States of America. And there’s nothing? No call? Nothing? Zero?”
Gen. Milley said Pence was "very animated and he issued very explicit, very direct, unambiguous orders. There was no question about that.... He was very animated, very direct, very firm. And to Secretary Miller, get the military down here, get the guard down here, put down this situation, etc."
In the meantime, aides in the Whitewash House were scrambling to change the narrative. Gen. Milley recalls a call from Mark Meadows: "He said, we have — we have to kill the narrative that the Vice President is making all the decisions. We need to establish the narrative that, you know, that the President is still in charge and that things are steady or stable."
2:38 p.m. Members of Congress who were unable to leave the House chamber were cowering in the gallery, fearing for their lives, donning gas masks, and removing their congressional pins so as to avoid being identified as members of Congress. You remember the video.
This is what Lex Loser was seeing on Faux News at that 2:38 p.m. moment, just about the time he put out the tweet below. (Note: the videos below start at the correct point, but YouTube does not give me the option to clip, so you're on your own to stop the video)
2:38 p.m. As members of Congress were fearfully running for their lives, or flattened against the floor of the gallery, the Bloat of Many Colors tweeted this inane message: "Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!"
He had to be cajoled by his daughter to include the phrase "stay peaceful" in this tweet. Ms. Matthews stated that he didn't want to have the word "peace" in there at all but finally relented with Ivanka's urging.
"He didn't say not to do anything to the Congressmen."
Ali Alexander knew that the insurrectionists were "not ignorant of what his words would do." Orange You Glad He's Not President knew how his words would twist the knife. How did the mob react to this tweet? Here's communications between several members of the Oath Keepers just after the 2:38 tweet. Chilling.
(again, stop the video when you see fit)
The Third Hour: Fingers in His Ears "La - la- la! Can't hear you!"
What was happening at the Whitewash House? Shortly after his 2:24 and 2:38 tweets, there came a barrage of entreaties from several members of Congress, allies, and family members to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, asking earnestly that the president* issue a statement or a tweet or anything to call off the mob. (Evidence from the hearing, also some of these are from CNN's reporting):
2:28 p.m. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.): "Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn't the way to solve anything,"
2:32 p.m. Faux News's Laura Ingraham: "Hey Mark, The president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home. This is hurting all of us."
2:34 p.m., North Carolina-based Repug strategist Carlton Huffman: "You've earned a special place in infamy for the events of today. And if you're the Christian you claim to be in your heart you know that."
2:35 p.m. former chief of staff Mick Mulvaney: "Mark: he needs to stop this, now. Can I do anything to help?"
2:44 p.m. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.): "They have breached the Capitol. It's really bad up here on the hill."
2:46 p.m. Rep. Will Timmons (R-S.C.) : "The president needs to stop this ASAP."
2:53 p.m. Don Junior: "He's got to condemn this shit ASAP. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough."
3:09 p.m. Kevin McCarthy finally got through via phone to Ivanka as well as Jared, then finally to the president* (see below).
3:11 p.m. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) issued a video tweet directly speaking to 45 asking him to "Call. It. Off."
3:13 Communications aide Alyssa Farah Griffen: "Potus has to come out firmly and tell protestors to dissipate. Someone is going to get killed."
3:13 p.m. Dr. Do-Little issues another inane tweet, knowing that there were terrible things happening.
3:15 p.m. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tx.): "Fix this now."
3:31 p.m. Faux News personality and minion Sean Hannity: "Can he make a statement. I saw the tweet. Ask people to peacefully leave the capital"
3:42 p.m., North Carolina-based lobbyist Tom Cors: "Pls have POTUS call this off at the Capitol. Urge rioters to disperse. I pray to you."
3:52 p.m., North Carolina lawyer Jay Leutze: "Mark, this assault in the Capitol is tragic for the country. Please call it off so the Congress can resume its peaceful debate."
3:58 p.m. Faux News performer Brian Kilmeade: "Please get him on tv. Destroying every thing you guys have accomplished."
4:08 p.m. President-elect Joe Biden makes an video entreaty: "I call on President Trump to go on national television now, to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution, and demand an end to this siege."
Ms. Matthews testified that another staffer resisted having the president* condemn the violence because that would "hand a win to the media." WTAF? Matthews thought the same as me, retorting, "And so, I motioned up at the TV and I said do you think it looks like we're effing winning? Because I don't think it does."
The McCarthy Factor
After 3:00 p.m., House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Cal.) called Jared, getting him out of the shower, and relayed to him that he "was scared." At 3:09 p.m., McCarthy finally got through and spoke to the president* directly, imploring him to do something. The conversation went something like this, according to Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.):
"And he said you have got to get on TV, you've got to get on Twitter, you've got to call these people off. You know what the president said to him? This is as it's happening. He said, 'Well, Kevin, these aren't my people. You know, these are — these are Antifa.' And Kevin responded and said 'No, they're your people. They literally just came through my office windows and my staff are running for cover. I mean, they're running for their lives. You need to call them off.' And the president's response to Kevin, to me, was chilling. He said, 'Well, Kevin, I guess they're just more upset about the election, you know, theft than you are.' And that's — you know, you've seen widespread reports of — of Kevin McCarthy and the president having a — basically a swearing conversation. That's when the swearing commenced, because the president was basically saying, 'Nah, I — I'm okay with this.'"
In the days after January 6, McCarthy continued to be scathing in his condemnation of the president's* behavior, saying among other things,
"The President bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding. These facts require immediate action by President Trump."
and
"But let me be very clear to all of you, and I've been very clear to the president. He bears responsibility for his words and actions, no ifs, ands, or buts. I asked him personally today does he hold responsibility for what happened? Does he feel bad about what happened? He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened and he needed to acknowledge that."
and
"I've had it with this guy. What he did is unacceptable. Nobody can defend that and nobody should defend it. The only discussions I would have with him is that I think this will pass and it would be my recommendation he should resign. I mean, that would be my take, but I don't think he would take it, but I don't know. But let me be very clear to all of you, and I've been very clear to the president. He bears responsibility for his words and actions, no ifs, ands, or buts. I asked him personally today does he hold responsibility for what happened? Does he feel bad about what happened? He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened and he needed to acknowledge that."
Since that day, as you know, McCarthy has gotten back in the lap of his Honey Bear.
They be Tired Babies: "Day's Over"
3:58 p.m. Finally, after more than three hours of chaos and violence, the TV in the Whitewash House dining room showed Faux News reporting that the DOD had brought in the National Guard at the V.P's request.
4:03 p.m. It was only after he understood that the National Guard was taking control and rousting the mob away from the Capitol building that the Tangerine Toddler finally relented to his allies' begging and headed to the Rose Garden to film a statement.
Finally, at 4:17 p.m., after a full afternoon of urging, 45 released the video message telling the rioters to leave the Capitol. The video he tweeted was just over a minute long. He refused to have it scripted. His remarks were off-the-cuff and characteristically disgusting. You remember the video. They had done his bidding, so he told his murderous mob that he "loves them" and that they "are very special." If you need a refresher, here it is, along with never-before-seen outtakes.
That was the moment that Ms. Matthews decided to resign. It was all too much.
Immediately after the video was released, many of the insurrectionists took the president's* message as marching orders and spread the word that their supreme leader ordered them to disperse. It was pretty clear from the evidence that they were indeed hanging on his words and literally took them as orders. They said so! Several of the rioters reacted:
For the folks at the Whitewash House, immediately after the video was released at 4:17, Whitewash House attorney Eric Herschmann testified that everyone was all tuckered out. "We were all emotionally drained," he said. "Day's over." Poor babies! Go get some rest!
Meanwhile, back at the riots.....cops were still being beaten unconscious. Insurrectionists were still trying to beat down the doors. Violence continued. You can see the video in the hearing.
And at this same time, our government officials were figuring out how they could get back into chambers and finish the People's business. Pence was making phone calls strategizing a quick, safe return to the building. Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Schumer were also figuring out their way back. They were determined not to let the day's events delay the official certification.
At 6:01p.m., just in case the knife didn't meet the artery, Twitler adjusted his grip and thrust once more. He sent an inflammatory tweet justifying the violence: "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!"
6:27 p.m. Don the Con retires to the residence for the night. The last thing he says to an aide, and about the only thing he has said all day, "Mike Pence let me down."
7:02 p.m. Rudy Giuliani called Sen. Tuberville as if nothing had happened! He was still asking to delay the proceedings. Seriously, man?! Weren't you watching TV today!?
3:00 a.m. Finally, Congress was able to return to the chambers. They certified the election results just before 4 a.m. Yes, some members objected to the vote. Yes, they all had to engage in debate with the idiots (Primary idiot Haulin' Hawley was front and center objecting to certification and voting against it). At the Whitewash House, we can only assume IMPOTUS was staring and the ceiling and stewing.
That Ship Has Sailed. There was some discussion on what statement to release after certification finally happened. Campaign advisor Jason Miller took it upon himself and set about composing a statement. His boss suggested that the statement include the phrase "peaceful transition of power." Miller flatly replied, "That ship's kind of already sailed." ...How about "orderly transition?" Miller said that was about all the discussion that was had about the message.
3:49 a.m. The tweet went out from Deputy Chief of Staff for Communication Dan Scavino's Twitter account because @realdonaldtrump had been finally been suspended.
Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Electoral Certification:
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our...
The next day, under threat of calls for resignation or invoking the 25th Amendment, those that surrounded the president* again dragged him, if not literally kicking and screaming then slamming and pouting, and they made him make another video statement to affirm that he would commit to an orderly transition of power. This one was heavily scripted, and he was visibly angry as read the words. Some of the words, like the word "yesterday" were difficult for him to say. Others, like "the election is over" nearly choked him.
A visibly angry T**** could not bring himself to say the election was over.
He was definitely in Toddler Mode, and in the end he just looked small and incompetent.
Watch:
More Deafening Silence
45 has never acknowledged the loss of the lives of LEOs. Director of communications Tim Murtaugh noted this void in messages with one of his deputies, Matthew Wolking:
Murtaugh texted to Wolking, "Also shitty not to have acknowledged the death of the Capitol Police officer." Wolking responded, "That's enraging to me. Everything he said about supporting law enforcement was a lie." Murtaugh replied, "You know what this is of course? If he acknowledged the dead cop, he'd be implicitly faulting the mob. And he won't do that because they're his people. And it would also be close to acknowledging that what he lit at the rally got out of control. No way he acknowledges something that could ultimately be called his fault. No way."
He has, by contrast, acknowledged the tragic death of Ashli Babbit. Not as a terrible, senseless death for which he is remorseful and bears responsibility. No, he has turned her into a martyr. Just another pawn in his repulsive propaganda game.
Oath be Damned
It's doubtful POTATUS ever remembered or cared that he took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. He is not one to care about promises, ethics, or duty. But as a country, we do. We care a lot. Because keeping our promises is what individuals do in order to honor each other and the rule of law.
Thursday's witness Matt Pottinger took the oath multiple times in various capacities in his service to the nation. He holds the oath sacrosanct. He remarked, "It is to — to support and defend the Constitution. It's to protect the Constitution, to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution. And it is a sacred oath. It's an oath that we take before our families. We take that oath before God. And I think that we have an obligation to live by — by that oath."
The Message to The Former Guy
Liz Cheney was clear in her words. The dam is breaking. More witnesses are coming forward. The snake oil salesman won't be able to wiggle out of this.
The Message to the Trumpkins
We know you are patriotic, but you've been duped, and it's not your fault. In her closing statement, Cheney said:
"Donald Trump knows that millions of Americans who supported him would stand up and defend our nation were it threatened. They would put their lives and their freedom at stake to protect her. And he is preying on their patriotism. He is preying on their sense of justice.
And on January 6th, Donald Trump turned their love of country into a weapon against our Capitol and our Constitution. He has purposely created the false impression that America is threatened by a foreign force controlling voting machines or that a wave of tens of millions of false ballots were secretly injected into our election system or that ballot workers have secret thumb drives and are stealing elections with them.
All complete nonsense. We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation. "
Honoring the Sister Resisters
Liz Cheney made it a point to praise the women who have come forward to testify, including Cassidy Hutchinson and Thursday's witness, Sarah Matthews. In her opening statement she said,
"And let me again thank our witnesses today. We've seen bravery and honor in these hearings. And Ms. Matthews and Mr. Pottinger, both of you will be remembered for that. As will Cassidy Hutchinson. She sat here alone took the oath and testified before millions of Americans. She knew all along that she would be attacked by President Trump and by the 50, 60, and 70 year old men who hide themselves behind executive privilege.
But like our witnesses today, she has courage and she did it anyway. Cassidy, Sarah, and our other witnesses including Officer Caroline Edwards, Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, are an inspiration to American women and to American girls. We owe a debt to all of those who have and will appear here."
Her remarks were likely in response to the GOP wanting to eat their own. Of course, the GOP hates women in general, but the day before this hearing, Garrett Ziegler, a former aide to Dan Scavino, posted this misogynistic, racist rant. Those people are just disgusting. Through and through. (Thanks to sister resister Anne for pointing me to this)
Garrett Ziegler, a former Trump WH aide, lost his mind after his interview with the @January6thCmte yesterday.
He accused the committee of being “anti-white” and referred to his female colleagues who spoke out against Trump as “thots and hoes.” pic.twitter.com/S7wOdH3tY1
— The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) July 20, 2022
Other News that May Inform the Investigation
Steve Bannon was found guilty of contempt of Congress. Sentencing will be in October. Minimum sentence: 30 days. Witnesses, take note! Cooperate or else! We will get to the truth.
Investigations continue into the deleted tweets from the secret service. There are criminal investigations underway and some secret service agents have retained attorneys. Read here to catch up on that scandal. It's looking very dark.
And regarding the secret service, I was concerned to read a follow-up regarding possibly different reasons that Pence did not leave the Capitol grounds on January 6. You remember Anthony Ornato, who has refuted in the press – not under oath – Cassidy Hutchinson's claims about the ride in the SUV that day. He is the individual who oversaw secret service protection, and he is also a staunch T**** loyalist – he had a position in the administration between stints with the secret service. Ornato had been pushing that day for Pence to leave the Capitol grounds. Was Pence afraid that the secret service was complicit in the coup? I know it's a little conspiracy-theory-y, but Ornato is turning out to be not a very good guy. We need to hear from him under oath. He is one of the ones who has lawyered up. There's some about this angle in the article above, but you can hear more about the puzzle pieces surrounding the V.P.'s evacuation from an April MSNBC piece.
The Future
Hearings will resume in September. If indeed "the dam has broken" and evidence and witnesses continue to roll in, they will have lots more to present. You can bet I will be glued to the television and right back here after.
Thank You
As long as this post is, I've only touched on the evidence presented during this hearing. Thanks for hanging in there until the end.
I encourage to you please watch the entire proceedings for yourself. It's important. See you in a few weeks. Thanks for reading!
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