January 6th Committee Hearings

[allegate]

very good breakdown of that last night:

Interesting points that I took away from last night (for those who chose to selectively ignore):

While the riot was unfolding, Trump was sitting alone and watching it on TV, calling senators (who were running for their lives) and harassing/indirectly threatening them to change their votes, while his terrified and exasperated staff pleaded with him to do what was required of his job, and warning him that he was derelict in his duty.

Then when he found out that the rioters were chanting "Hang Mike Pence", he excitedly tweeted an attack on Mike Pence less than 2 minutes later, which ignited the moment where the rioters broke into the capitol. A staff member overheard him say that Pence "deserves what he is gonna get". Then secret service agents protecting Pence began sending out messages to their families because they believed they were going to die. At this point, several members of Trump's staff resigned in disgust, because it was clear to them that he supported the riot and had no interest in stopping it.

The white house call log is also COMPLETELY BLANK during the entire thing, despite proof that he was making tons of phone calls (mostly to harass senators). It's also the only time ever that he told the white house photographer to stay away from him and not document anything.

The whole thing is unprecedented and entirely insane. Imagine what would be going on now if the vice president or any senators had actually been killed, which seems to be what Trump was hoping for.

But there's nothing to see here, move along. Trumpy misunderstood. Nothing could have been done about the peaceful protest. LOLOL. Derp.

what a twat: Trump Peeved He Couldn’t Give Himself the Medal of Honor: ‘They Wouldn’t Let Me Do It’

Former President Donald Trump admitted Saturday that after he flew to Iraq aboard Air Force One that he wanted to give himself the Medal of Honor — the country’s highest award for military valor in action — but was told he wasn’t allowed to.

“As president, I wanted to give myself the Congressional Medal of Honor, but they wouldn’t let me do it…they said that would be inappropriate,” Trump said on July 23 at the Turning Point USA summit, whose “mission is to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.”

The Congressional Medal of Honor, which is typically presented by the president in the name of Congress, represents values of “bravery, courage, sacrifice [and] integrity,” and is only awarded for military valor in action.

[allegro]

very good breakdown of that last night

https://www.politico.com/minutes/con...-detail-on-16/

"Members of the VP detail at this time were starting to fear for their own lives. There was a lot of yelling — a lot of very personal calls over the radio. It was very disturbing. I don't like talking about it. There were calls to say goodbye to family members. For whatever reason on the ground, the VP detail thought that this was about to get very ugly."
— White House security official testifying to what they heard on the radio

Nicolle Wallace (currently an MSNBC host) said she worked in the White House on 9/11 and didn't hear people calling family members to say goodbye, and that this is very disturbing stuff.

[allegate]

shouldn't he be going to jail soon?

Bannon Celebrates Report on Trump’s Plan For ‘Deconstructing’ the Government, Install Thousands of Loyalists

[allegro]

shouldn't he be going to jail soon?

Bannon Celebrates Report on Trump’s Plan For ‘Deconstructing’ the Government, Install Thousands of Loyalists

He’s appealing, and his sentencing hearing isn’t until October.

Steve wants to be a martyr. He could have honored the subpoena, showed up, brought his lawyers, and simply answered any questions that his lawyers felt crossed the line of executive privilege as “executive privilege.”

This is what several people did.

He likes to create a circus wherever he goes.


Re above: Shock troops? You mean, Stoßtrupp, Steve?

Like this one, Steve? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoßtrupp-Hitler

[allegro]

Breaking, per WaPo, today at 5:58 p.m.

The Justice Department is investigating President Donald Trump’s actions as part of its criminal probe of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to four people familiar with the matter.


Prosecutors who are questioning witnesses before a grand jury — including two top aides to Vice President Mike Pence — have asked in recent days about conversations with Trump, his lawyers, and others in his inner circle who sought to substitute Trump allies for certified electors from some states Joe Biden won, according to two people familiar with the matter. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.


The prosecutors have asked hours of detailed questions about meetings Trump led in December 2020 and January 2021; his pressure campaign on Pence to overturn the election; and what instructions Trump gave his lawyers and advisers about fake electors and sending electors back to the states, the people said. Some of the questions focused directly on the extent of Trump’s involvement in the fake-elector effort led by his outside lawyers, including John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani, these people said.


In addition, Justice Department investigators in April received phone records of key officials and aides in the Trump administration, including his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, according to two people familiar with the matter. That effort is another indicator of how expansive the Jan. 6 probe had become, well before the high-profile, televised House hearings in June and July on the subject.

[allegate]

rumours abound that this is why Trump didn't announce on July 4th and that he might not at all. The sooner he announces, the sooner the charges will need to be brought and that means the sooner he'll have to stop pussyfooting around with the will he/won't he grift.

You know, in a perfect world.

[allegro]

rumours abound that this is why Trump didn't announce on July 4th and that he might not at all. The sooner he announces, the sooner the charges will need to be brought and that means the sooner he'll have to stop pussyfooting around with the will he/won't he grift.

You know, in a perfect world.

Also, supposedly, once he declares himself a nominee, he loses (legal) personal access to that PAC money (because it becomes solely campaign money).

The money he’s been using to pay stuff like LEGAL BILLS.

[versusreality]

I'm ready for season 2 of the hearings. They left us on a cliffhanger lol.

[allegro]

These emails (NY Times) are a treasure trove of what the fuck.

In emails reviewed by The New York Times and authenticated by people who had worked with the Trump campaign at the time, one lawyer involved in the detailed discussions repeatedly used the word “fake” to refer to the so-called electors, who were intended to provide Vice President Mike Pence and Mr. Trump’s allies in Congress a rationale for derailing the congressional process of certifying the outcome. And lawyers working on the proposal made clear they knew that the pro-Trump electors they were putting forward might not hold up to legal scrutiny.

“We would just be sending in ‘fake’ electoral votes to Pence so that ‘someone’ in Congress can make an objection when they start counting votes, and start arguing that the ‘fake’ votes should be counted,” Jack Wilenchik, a Phoenix-based lawyer who helped organize the pro-Trump electors in Arizona, wrote in a Dec. 8, 2020, email to Boris Epshteyn, a strategic adviser for the Trump campaign.

When you talk to Trumpamzees on Twitter, they’ve stressed the ability to use January 6th to overturn the election based on the Electoral Count Act. They circulate this screen shot of some article showing that the Act was enacted after the Tilden controversy of 1877, and point to that as being exactly the same as “Trump’s election was stolen.” Or something.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compromise_of_1877

Except, no.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_Count_Act

The Act was enacted by Congress in 1887, ten years after the disputed 1876 presidential election, in which several states submitted competing slates of electors and a divided Congress was unable to resolve the deadlock for weeks.

Trump and team didn’t have that from the states; each state had already submitted certified electors without controversy, and the drop-dead (statutory safe harbor) deadline for disputes had long passed.

So, in the alternative, Trump’s team CREATED second sets of FAKE electors (NOT SIGNED BY STATE GOVERNORS, THEREFORE NOT CERTIFIED) and intended to mix these in with the certified ones, thereby creating a “Tilden” situation which they assumed would put VP Pence in the position to determine, per the ECA, the outcome of the election.

This was being done in full view, too. Subpoenas are currently being issued to everyone involved in these states.

In Michigan, fake electors (they dubbed themselves “alternate” or some bullshit) tried to force their way into the State Capitol in Lansing on the day the actual electors were chosen based on the popular vote in Michigan when Gov. Whitner certified Biden. State Police denied them entry.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/pol...is/6538683002/

https://www.freep.com/story/news/pol...na/7710326001/

[allegro]

WaPo article, hope this isn’t paywalled on your end:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ion-january-6/



Discussions with people on Twitter who’ve served on grand juries say that investigations went on for a long time before anything became public, and especially before subpoenas were issued; these people say that investigators had already spoken to people several times, informally, before subpoenas were issued to appear before the grand jury and when THAT happens, it pretty much signals that you’re getting nearer to indictments.

Here’s one:

I was a witness once. I was interviewed twice by a US Attorney. Then I testified to a grand jury, which covered only a small fraction of the original interviews. The grand jury was the end of the investigation, not the beginning.

Note: I received a fed subpoena to be a witness in a fed trial, but I’ve never had anything to do with a grand jury, ever.

[ekrekel]

WaPo article, hope this isn’t paywalled on your end:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ion-january-6/



Discussions with people on Twitter who’ve served on grand juries say that investigations went on for a long time before anything became public, and especially before subpoenas were issued; these people say that investigators had already spoken to people several times, informally, before subpoenas were issued to appear before the grand jury and when THAT happens, it pretty much signals that you’re getting nearer to indictments.

Here’s one:




Note: I received a fed subpoena to be a witness in a fed trial, but I’ve never had anything to do with a grand jury, ever.

I can't imagine getting a fed subpoena ever gets non-shitpantsy scary.

[allegro]

I can't imagine getting a fed subpoena ever gets non-shitpantsy scary.

I had to do mug shots, fingerprints, and handwriting samples, because a defendant in the case (a client) said “I didn’t sign that! The PARALEGAL forged my signature!!!”

The FBI later told me (after they put me through all that crap) that they knew the piece of shit was lying, but they had to go through the motions. That client admitted he lied, then flipped on other defendants to save his own ass.

Edit: I should add that the scariest part was when the FBI paid me a surprise visit at 8:30 p.m. on a weekday while we were eating dinner. Guys in suits at my door, can you do us a favor and look at these documents? I said I gotta talk to a lawyer or something first, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to respond to this. I might have saved myself a trip downtown to get fingerprinted had I just let them in and looked at documents, dunno. But I was tired and had a glass of wine by that point, so I figured LETTING THE FBI INTO MY HOUSE might not be prudent.

My law firm provided me with “free representation” who said “yeah you gotta show up.” My most recent boss told me that was total bullshit; he said he would have fought it and told the FBI to fuck off and show just cause, etc.

I had NO idea what THAT subpoena meant (or the demand for handwriting samples!) until the FBI told me to sign THIS CLIENT’S NAME!!! LOL LOL!!! Wtf.

Then I realized, “omg that piece of shit.”

In the instance of this case, I wasn’t even acting as a paralegal; it was outside the scope of my expertise, so I only typed the documents with no real idea what they were about (it was a really complicated involuntary bankruptcy case). I STILL don’t understand wtf happened. One of my bosses went to federal prison for 2.5 years.

[ekrekel]

he said he would have fought it and told the FBI to fuck off and show just cause, etc

That'd be a Glengarry Glen Ross type brass ones moment for sure. Just in case anyone else here has to watch it anytime they reference it.

[allegro]

That'd be a Glengarry Glen Ross type brass ones moment for sure. Just in case anyone else here has to watch it anytime they reference it.

Yeah, that’s what the lawyer said. (Who I knew for years, good guy, a good criminal attorney.)

He said, “Miss D (that’s what he called me), I’ll tell ya something … the Feds always get their man.”

And he’s right. You can fight the Feds, but you won’t win.

[allegate]

Pro-Trump influencer upset after documents detailing 'substantial' cooperation with FBI are released

Oh no!

Anyway.

[allegate]

[allegate]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Riggleman

On August 6, 2021, Riggleman was appointed to serve as a senior staffer to the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Oh my.

[bobbie solo]

Pro-Trump influencer upset after documents detailing 'substantial' cooperation with FBI are released

Oh no!

Anyway.

political show I watch regularly had a field day with this.

[BRoswell]

The FBI raided Mar-A-Lago earlier today.

[M1ke]

[Jinsai]

I love how the Republicans are responding to all this. They're completely confused. You've got Desantis who is pitching a flag on team-Trump, and almost everyone else is toe-ing a line where it's like "I have a problem with... uh... this is a police state invasion!!!!"

As if Trump should be special. ARREST HIM. He's been fucking BEGGING FOR IT for his whole life. If you have enough evidence to convince a federal judge to sign off on investigating you, well, let's look at that. TRUMP IS NOT SPECIAL. He's the opposite of special.

He deserves everything he's asked for over and over again, and had the audacity to say "I could shoot someone" and nothing bad would happen. He thinks he's invincible because he's never had to actually pay for his crimes...

And then there's all these stupid fuck republican peasants praising this Elite asshole for having to be subjected to the same sort of thing they might need to be subjected to.
Fucking insulting. Let's see where this goes before we decide... but obviously I hate this fucking guy, and I want to see him at least have to feel the shame he deserves. Fuck the idea that the former president can't be aggressively investigated?!

IF ANYONE SHOULD BE OPENLY INVESTIGATED, it should be the president of the fucking United States who has more power for abuse than anyone else on this fucking planet.

[allegro]

The FBI warrant was probably related to this (from February of 2022):

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/07/nati...ar-a-lago.html

Presidential Records Act of 1978

See also:

https://www.justsecurity.org/73265/d...federal-crime/


Trump's staff, moving him out of the White House:

[cdm]

The FBI warrant was probably related to this (from February of 2022):

There's no way they would raid a former president if it was just him holding onto documents.

[Jinsai]

Yup, and I love how all these people firing up their Twitter app to defend him are all like "but he's special and doesn't deserve to be treated like me."

If you're suffering that kind of cult-induced Stockholm Syndrome, y'know what, fuck youuuuuuuuuuu. You've got so much communicative power at your fingertips, it's only because that's a new concept that's empowering this sort of evasive "he's special and law shouldn't apply to him" bullshit.

I honestly do NOT get how anyone is able to put on their big boy pants and defend this guy at this point. COME ON. Ditch him! You do not want the leader of your fucking party to be a known liar, cheat, charlatan fuck. You just don't WANT THAT

[allegro]

There's no way they would raid a former president if it was just him holding onto documents.

18 U.S. Code § 2071 - Concealment, removal, or mutilation generally

(a) Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

(b) Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States. As used in this subsection, the term “office” does not include the office held by any person as a retired officer of the Armed Forces of the United States.

But, I don't think that's solely what they're up to, here.

TRUMP says he took all that stuff for his "Presidential Library."

Uh huh.

I do not think it's a coincidence that the FBI "raid" took place on the anniversary of Nixon's resignation.

The judge who signed the warrant is a Trump appointee.

The head of the FBI is a Trump appointee.

[allegro]

Trump and his cronies keep shouting about Hillary Clinton.

Except Ivanka Trump, George W. Bush's administration, and Colin Powell, all used personal servers.

The OPM data breach exposed ALL the sensitive personal data of over 4 MILLION Federal employees, their family members (including CHILDREN and spouses -- AND ME) and government contractors.

The OPM collects/collected data for security clearances.

https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/de/...eral-employees

My and my husband's credit data has to be frozen until we die.

I do not wonder for one second why HRC's advisors wanted a "personal server."

Meanwhile, the Adderall King himself, Donnie Jr. is yelling about Hillary using "a hammer and bleach" on her server.

Hillary notoriously knew/knows nothing about computers, and only used her Blackberry while Secretary of State. She now only uses an iPhone. She needs help making an Amazon purchase. She is in no way, shape or form tech savvy. She had a staff of very very expensive attorneys handling the curation of data that was turned over for examination upon request. Clinton's IT team was found to be disorganized, somewhat inept, and even archaic as compared to modern IT setups. The FBI conducted a full and thorough investigation and while determining that Clinton's team was probably stupid and naive, it had no criminal intent. Nobody had to conduct a "raid" because everyone was fully cooperative and transparent. Any deletions were done because the IT staff genuinely believed they were removing "personal" data (HRC's daughter's wedding plans, HRC's personal yoga schedules, calendar data, etc.).

https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...nt-fbi-214307/

But, there's no use in trying to explain this to Trump cult members. Because, to them, Mar-a-Lago is akin to The Vatican. And Trump is their Pope.

[Jinsai]

can we also just take a moment to lounge in how shitty the name "Mar a Lago" is? Just... I mean, maybe it's finally reduced to this "Mar a Lago Moment" that will probably forever dethrone Anygate... I love that it takes place in the Spanish language-named palace he built for himself, where they were definitely not sending the best and brightest. They're rapists, they're murderers, and some of them, I presume, are very nice people.

EDIT: ah, darn, actually, it was built before he was born, and he just bought at some point. That bums me out a little. Oh well, I still don't like the name.

[allegro]

EDIT: ah, darn, actually, it was built before he was born, and he just bought at some point. That bums me out a little. Oh well, I still don't like the name.

Yeah, Marjorie Merriweather Post

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marj...riweather_Post

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/...ce/4215478001/

Her Father was C.W. Post:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._W._Post

Her daughter?

Actress, heiress, socialite, businesswoman, and philanthropist, Dina Merrill.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dina_Merrill

Ms. Merrill’s father was E.F. Hutton.

(When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen.)



Trump only DREAMS of being aristocratic old money like these people.

[BRoswell]

You do not want the leader of your fucking party to be a known liar, cheat, charlatan fuck. You just don't WANT THAT

Nope, that's exactly what they want. They want someone who doesn't give a fuck about the rules. That's why they cheer him on when he does something illegal, immoral, etc. They think he's a rebel, but he's not. He's the epitome of the status quo, but he has them eating out of the palm of his hand. Too bad what he's feeding them is total bullshit.

[poinoup]

This season of the spin-off of The West Wing is getting superb.