The 01-06-21 Select Committee Thread

[DigglerontheHoof 21094]

It's because Dems are scared of their own fucking shadow.  Over a year after the insurrection and not one fucking person of stature has been arrested.  But, now, the Hunter Biden "investigation" is, apparently, picking up steam in the DOJ.

Seriously, dems are fucking ridiculously lame and cowardly.  I'll never be a Democrat b/c of they're just a bunch of wusses. 

[TwiceHorn 31348]

Just now, DigglerontheHoof said:

It's because Dems are scared of their own fucking shadow.  Over a year after the insurrection and not one fucking person of stature has been arrested.  But, now, the Hunter Biden "investigation" is, apparently, picking up steam in the DOJ.

Seriously, dems are fucking ridiculously lame and cowardly.  I'll never be a Democrat b/c of they're just a bunch of wusses. 

A Hunter Biden indictment will drop about the same time as a Donald Trump indictment.  #bothsides

[DigglerontheHoof 21094]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

A Hunter Biden indictment will drop about the same time as a Donald Trump indictment.  #bothsides

I couldn't care less about Hunter Biden.  Throw him in fucking jail, if he's guilty.  My point is a Dem Attorney General is, seemingly, putting as much effort into the current POTUS's son as he is in an attempt to overthrow our democracy.

#bothsidesindeed

[TwiceHorn 31348]

3 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

I couldn't care less about Hunter Biden.  Throw him in fucking jail, if he's guilty.  My point is a Dem Attorney General is, seemingly, putting as much effort into the current POTUS's son as he is in an attempt to overthrow our democracy.

#bothsidesindeed

Again, it's not the AG's call, precisely.  And, we haven't the foggiest clue what's going down at Main Justice.

It's not as though investigation or prosecution of Hunter Biden is mutually exclusive with investigation and prosecution of Trump.

One thing we do know, and it is something that Merrick Garland has a hand in, DOJ is asking for budget for 131 more lawyers to deal with 1/6.  That's a whole good-sized law firm.

People poor-mouthing Garland don't really know what they're talking about and are projecting their pessimism.  

Just like people talking up how this and that are all slam dunk prosecutions of Trump and why not done don't really know what they're talking about.

[WhatTheBuck 28726]

8 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

I couldn't care less about Hunter Biden.  Throw him in fucking jail, if he's guilty.

Guilty of what?

[DigglerontheHoof 21094]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Again, it's not the AG's call, precisely.  And, we haven't the foggiest clue what's going down at Main Justice.

It's not as though investigation or prosecution of Hunter Biden is mutually exclusive with investigation and prosecution of Trump.

One thing we do know, and it is something that Merrick Garland has a hand in, DOJ is asking for budget for 131 more lawyers to deal with 1/6.  That's a whole good-sized law firm.

People poor-mouthing Garland don't really know what they're talking about and are projecting their pessimism.  

Just like people talking up how this and that are all slam dunk prosecutions of Trump and why not done don't really know what they're talking about.

I'm, admittedly, ignorant of DOJ machinations but, fuck, the lack of movement in the insurrection shit will lead to it happening again...and I doubt it will fail a second time. 

 

5 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Guilty of what?

I have no idea, I'm just pissed off that the HB shit seems to be getting as much attention at the DOJ as the insurrection but TwiceHorn says that's not true, so whatever. 

[TwiceHorn 31348]

21 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

I'm, admittedly, ignorant of DOJ machinations but, fuck, the lack of movement in the insurrection shit will lead to it happening again...and I doubt it will fail a second time. 

 

I have no idea, I'm just pissed off that the HB shit seems to be getting as much attention at the DOJ as the insurrection but TwiceHorn says that's not true, so whatever. 

I didn't say it wasn't true.  We really have no idea. We know there's an investigation of Hunter Biden and we know there's a massive investigation of 1/6, which no doubt includes Trump's complicity.

I don't even know how you would gauge or evaluate the relative attention the cases are receiving.

But we can't expect the DOJ to grind to an absolute halt until Trump is indicted and assume that if he is not, while other cases proceed, it's not receiving adequate attention or that Garland is abdicating his duty or a chickenshit, or whatever.

And, other than little leaks here and there, what "movement" do you expect?  The feds don't generally go on the news and update the public on the progress of investigations and prosecutions.

Edited March 30, 2022 by TwiceHorn

[WhatTheBuck 28726]

6 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

The feds don't generally go on the news and update the public on the progress of investigations and prosecutions.

Someone forgot to tell that to James Comey. 

[jimmyjazz 45620]

We already had one investigation turn up evidence that was being sought yet no conclusion was reached (Mueller).  If DOJ is being deliberate and thorough, and we simply can't see the wheels turn, that's fine by me.

[DigglerontheHoof 21094]

6 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I didn't say it wasn't true.  We really have no idea. We know there's an investigation of Hunter Biden and we know there's a massive investigation of 1/6, which no doubt includes Trump's complicity.

I don't even know how you would gauge or evaluate the relative attention the cases are receiving.

But we can't expect the DOJ to grind to an absolute halt until Trump is indicted and assume that if he is not, while other cases proceed, it's not receiving adequate attention or that Garland is abdicating his duty or a chickenshit, or whatever.

And, other than little leaks here and there, what "movement" do you expect?  The feds don't generally go on the news and update the public on the progress of investigations and prosecutions.

IDK what kind of movement I expected.  I'm frustrated that our democracy has been and is under attack by mainstream Republican politicians who are completely controlled by a pathetic wannabe dictator and there seems to be zero sense of urgency by democrats to stop it.

I've said I don't have much sympathy for Russians who'll suffer b/c of Putin's war.  I'll have just as little sympathy for us, when we are completely controlled by an orange moron. 

 

 

[Chad Fuck 17590]

Yeah, I'm no Committee Co-Chair, but can't you just hold up the phone records with the gap in one hand and then the records of the others known to be a phone call with Trump with the time-stamps in the other hand and just make a puzzled face.  I would think that would be a slamdunk headline.  Even stupid people understand time-stamps.

Ah well, nevertheless.

[Chad Fuck 17590]

Someone forgot to tell that to James Comey. 

Fuck that guy.

[WhatTheBuck 28726]

18 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

We already had one investigation turn up evidence that was being sought yet no conclusion was reached (Mueller).  If DOJ is being deliberate and thorough, and we simply can't see the wheels turn, that's fine by me.

We also had the FBI not investigating Trump’s business because they assumed Mueller was, and Mueller not investigating Trump’s business because he assumed the FBI was. 

[TwiceHorn 31348]

1 hour ago, WhatTheBuck said:

We also had the FBI not investigating Trump’s business because they assumed Mueller was, and Mueller not investigating Trump’s business because he assumed the FBI was. 

Is this documented somewhere?  A general investigation of Trump's business affairs wasn't authorized by the Special Counsel appointment, but it could have happened.  I think it unlikely under Mueller because I think he was highly sensitive about "mission creep" based on the Starr investigation.

I don't have a ton of respect for the FBI, but it's hard to conceive that pros would assume that Mueller was investigating Trumps general business interests.  

[Brisketexan 104778]

2 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Guilty of what?

I presume that Hunter is mostly guilty of having a huge dong and laying the wood to numerous Republicans' wives.......which the Republicans actually like because cucks, and every accusation is a confession.

So, the GQP is understandably torn on this issue.

[TexasEd 8066]

28 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I presume that Hunter is mostly guilty of having a huge dong and laying the wood to numerous Republicans' wives.......which the Republicans actually like because cucks, and every accusation is a confession.

So, the GQP is understandably torn on this issue.

[Biff Tannen 45545]

2 hours ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

IDK what kind of movement I expected.  I'm frustrated that our democracy has been and is under attack by mainstream Republican politicians who are completely controlled by a pathetic wannabe dictator and there seems to be zero sense of urgency by democrats to stop it.

I've said I don't have much sympathy for Russians who'll suffer b/c of Putin's war.  I'll have just as little sympathy for us, when we are completely controlled by an orange moron. 

 

 

I hear you on this, but got tired of Twice explaining that shit isn't this simple, so I stopped complaining about it.  He is probably right, but that doesn't make it less frustrating.  Just realize that you have pretty much zero influence on how this shit will eventually go down, so come out to the Ledge and enjoy a drink.

[DDD Dad 14272]

14 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

I hear you on this, but got tired of Twice explaining that shit isn't this simple, so I stopped complaining about it.  He is probably right, but that doesn't make it less frustrating.  Just realize that you have pretty much zero influence on how this shit will eventually go down, so come out to the Ledge and enjoy a drink.

[WhatTheBuck 28726]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Is this documented somewhere?  A general investigation of Trump's business affairs wasn't authorized by the Special Counsel appointment, but it could have happened.  I think it unlikely under Mueller because I think he was highly sensitive about "mission creep" based on the Starr investigation.

I don't have a ton of respect for the FBI, but it's hard to conceive that pros would assume that Mueller was investigating Trumps general business interests.  

I thought that was common knowledge. That news is several years old and if I had a link then it was on an older device that I don’t have anymore. A cursory search finds articles assuming Mueller was examining Trump’s tax returns but we know now that never happened. Reading through old articles about Mueller’s botched investigation just makes me angry. I’m not sure if I have the wherewithal to spend the time looking up documentation. Maybe it was on the tv news, maybe it was in a book, but I’d assume the former because I really thought that was common knowledge. We might have to go back to the old board to find corroboration. I believe it was discussed.

Does anyone else remember that report? I don’t think I’m confabulating here. 

[Fudge Nuggets 19164]

3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

We already had one investigation turn up evidence that was being sought yet no conclusion was reached (Mueller).  If DOJ is being deliberate and thorough, and we simply can't see the wheels turn, that's fine by me.

Fuck that. Traitors need to hang and hang now. 

[GW Hayduke 1952]

26 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

I thought that was common knowledge. That news is several years old and if I had a link then it was on an older device that I don’t have anymore. A cursory search finds articles assuming Mueller was examining Trump’s tax returns but we know now that never happened. Reading through old articles about Mueller’s botched investigation just makes me angry. I’m not sure if I have the wherewithal to spend the time looking up documentation. Maybe it was on the tv news, maybe it was in a book, but I’d assume the former because I really thought that was common knowledge. We might have to go back to the old board to find corroboration. I believe it was discussed.

Does anyone else remember that report? I don’t think I’m confabulating here. 

The special counsel investigation was focused on Russian interference into the 2016 election, links between trump associates and Russian officials, and obstruction of justice by Trump and associates.  It wasn’t supposed to be a full investigation into Trump’s businesses (except where possibly they might touch with the above three points). Page 11 of the mueller report fully describes the focus as well as the initial letter kicking it off and signed by Rosenstein. 

[DDD Dad 14272]

And there's this little nugget.  Seems a bit tin-foily to me.  But, who knows?

 

[TexasEd 8066]

DOJ subpoenas to testify in front of a grand jury are coming out.

If I'm not mistaken, unlike the 1/6 committee,  these can be enforced directly. No avoiding these subpoenas or the FBI comes and picks you up, correct?  

Will there be a batch of mysterious deaths that correlates to the witness list?

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by TexasEd

[TwiceHorn 31348]

3 minutes ago, TexasEd said:

DOJ subpoenas to testify in front of a grand jury are coming out.

 

 

 

[NameAlreadyInUse 5106]

Which officials? Asking for the poors on the wrong side of the paywall.

[TexasEd 8066]

8 minutes ago, NameAlreadyInUse said:

Which officials? Asking for the poors on the wrong side of the paywall.

I can't read it directly either but it looks like they are looking at the planners and financers.  Hopefully someone here has a subscription or it gets picked up somewhere I can access.

 

Edit: Ginni Thomas helped with funding.

Edited March 30, 2022 by TexasEd

[Gil Bang 25903]

7 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

I presume that Hunter is mostly guilty of having a huge dong and laying the wood to numerous Republicans' wives.......which the Republicans actually like because cucks, and every accusation is a confession.

So, the GQP is understandably torn on this issue.

Coup Cuck Clan

[DDD Dad 14272]

10 minutes ago, TexasEd said:

DOJ subpoenas to testify in front of a grand jury are coming out.

If I'm not mistaken, unlike the 1/6 committee,  these can be enforced directly. No avoiding these subpoenas or the FBI comes and picks you up, correct?  

Will there be a batch of mysterious deaths that correlates to the witness list?

 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11810]

Nothing is happening, and nothing is going to happen.  The ruling class and the GQP are above the law.  This is how we ultimately become like the Russia we all so fervently hate.  

[jimmyjazz 45620]

14 minutes ago, NameAlreadyInUse said:

Which officials? Asking for the poors on the wrong side of the paywall.

Spoiler

The criminal investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has expanded to examine the preparations for the rally that preceded the riot, as the Justice Department aims to determine the full extent of any conspiracy to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory, according to people familiar with the matter.

In the past two months, a federal grand jury in Washington has issued subpoena requests to some officials in former president Donald Trump’s orbit who assisted in planning, funding and executing the Jan. 6 rally, said the people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The development shows the degree to which the Justice Department investigation — which already involves more defendants than any other criminal prosecution in the nation’s history — has moved further beyond the storming of the Capitol to examine events preceding the attack.

Advertisement
The events of Jan. 6, 2021, are a legally fraught puzzle for federal investigators. Prosecutors and FBI agents must distinguish between constitutionally protected First Amendment activity, such as speech and assembly, and the alleged conspiracy to obstruct Congress or other potential crimes connected to fundraising and organizing leading up to Jan. 6.

The task is also complicated by the proximity of those two very different types of activities — speech and violence — that occurred within hours of each other and less than a mile apart.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington declined to comment.

All the ways Trump tried to overturn the election — and how it could happen again

On the morning of Jan. 6, thousands of people from all over the country gathered at the Ellipse, near the White House, to rally behind the false premise that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election. The outgoing president began speaking to the crowd around noon and called on attendees to march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. By 12:30, hundreds of people began to gather near Congress. At approximately 1 p.m., the barricaded security perimeter of the Capitol complex was breached, and people flooded toward the building.

Advertisement
The mob stormed forward, with rioters striking officers, smashing windows, and pushing their way into legislative offices. Lawmakers fled to safety, delaying the official count of Biden’s electoral victory for hours until order could be restored. More than 100 police officers were injured, many of them seriously.

Prosecutors have charged more than 770 people with crimes, and the FBI is seeking information to identify hundreds of additional suspects, including a person who planted pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican party headquarters the night before.

Proud Boys’ Enrique Tarrio arrested in widening Jan. 6 probe

Grand jury subpoenas are a legal mechanism used by prosecutors to gather information for a criminal investigation, and a subpoena in and of itself doesn’t mean any particular recipient is under investigation or likely to face charges. But the subpoena demands issued in recent weeks do indicate that the aperture of the investigation has widened, after Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged in a speech this Jan. 5, the day before the first anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, to follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Advertisement
The people familiar with the subpoena demands declined to identify the individuals who had received them or provide additional details.

Garland, who has faced pressure at times from Democrats and others to more aggressively investigate those close to Trump and the events that preceded the attack on Congress, said in his Jan. 5 speech that complex investigations like this one take time and are built from the bottom up.

“We follow the physical evidence. We follow the digital evidence. We follow the money,” Garland said. “But most important, we follow the facts — not an agenda or an assumption. The facts tell us where to go next.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Jan. 5 said investigators would prosecute people involved in the Jan. 6 riot "at any level." (Video: Reuters, Photo: Reuters)
The Justice Dept. called Jan. 6 a ‘seditious conspiracy.’ Now will it investigate Trump?

Prosecutors have long shown an interest in how those accused of violently breaching the Capitol paid for their travel to Washington and their lodging, and have frequently asked witnesses to explain who covered the cost of their buses and other modes of transportation. Many Jan. 6 defendants appear to have self-organized and paid their own way, or raised money online to pay for travel in groups as large as a 60-vehicle caravan, according to court papers.

Advertisement
But in the run-up to Jan. 6, pro-Trump groups behind the protests supported and promoted caravans, including March for Trump, which was largely organized by Women for America First, a group chaired by former Tea Party Express leader Amy Kremer; and Stop the Steal, organized by Ali Alexander. Both groups have denied wrongdoing.

In the early days of the Jan. 6 investigation, a few prosecutors in the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office wanted to use subpoenas and search warrants to gather evidence about rally organizers or speakers. But the FBI, Justice Department officials and Michael R. Sherwin — who was appointed the acting D.C. U.S. attorney during the Trump administration and continued to lead the probe after stepping down from that post — resisted the idea, people familiar with the matter have said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Authorities were concerned that taking such a step would be trampling on demonstrators’ First Amendment rights.

Instead, the Justice Department decided to first investigate those who were caught on video committing crimes and see whether investigators could connect those individuals to higher-level targets.

Advertisement
In an October arrest affidavit for a Virginia man and his daughter, the FBI said the father was provided a packing list by a protest organizer via a person “who coordinated convoys, communication plans, maps and packing lists” for Jan. 6 participants. The list included a telescoping metal police baton, body armor and helmets, the affidavit said, with the organizer explaining on social media that participants “were not looking for a fight but needed to be ready for one.”

Press Enter to skip to end of carousel
Read more on Jan. 6

The Attack: Before, During and After
The Attack: Before, During and After
Jan. 6 White House logs given to House show 7-hour gap in Trump calls 
Jan. 6 White House logs given to House show 7-hour gap in Trump calls
Virginia Thomas urged White House chief to pursue unrelenting efforts to overturn the 2020 election, texts show
Virginia Thomas urged White House chief to pursue unrelenting efforts to ov...
How Ashli Babbitt went from Capitol rioter to Trump-embraced ‘martyr’
How Ashli Babbitt went from Capitol rioter to Trump-embraced ‘martyr’
41 minutes of fear: A video timeline from inside the Capitol siege
41 minutes of fear: A video timeline from inside the Capitol siege
How one of America’s ugliest days unraveled inside and outside the Capitol
How one of America’s ugliest days unraveled inside and outside the Capitol
A sprawling investigation: What we know so far about the Capitol riot suspects
A sprawling investigation: What we know so far about the Capitol riot suspe...
Analysis
End of carousel
The Justice Department’s interest in the details of planning the rally dovetails with previous subpoenas issued to some rally organizers by a House committee that is separately investigating Jan. 6. But the grand jury’s work involving the Justice Department subpoena requests is a criminal investigation, far different from lawmakers pressing for public accountability.

From the start, the Jan. 6 investigation has focused heavily on the actions of two extremist groups, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. Proud Boys leaders charged with playing a key role in the attack appeared to have organized their own travel, renting a house in Washington and raising money online to pay for body armor, according to government court filings.

Advertisement
The Proud Boys’ leader at the time, Enrique Tarrio, was not in Washington on Jan. 6 but was arrested earlier this month on charges he conspired with other members of the group to attack Congress that day. Prosecutors said that arrest resulted from newly discovered evidence detailing his role. Tarrio has denied wrongdoing.

Authorities have said in court filings that around the time of Tarrio’s arrest, several additional search warrants were executed and additional information and devices were gathered. Prosecutors have indicated they may add charges or charge several additional defendants by May 20.

The federal conspiracy charges against Proud Boys members stemming from Jan. 6 are separate from the charges filed against Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and 10 other Oath Keepers or associates who were accused in January of seditious conspiracy, a historically rare charge that carries a maximum 20-year prison term. That indictment alleges that Rhodes plotted in late 2020 and early 2021 to prevent Biden from becoming president, guiding a months-long effort to unleash political violence that prosecutors say culminated in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

“Rhodes and certain co-conspirators … planned to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power by January 20, 2021, which included multiple ways to deploy force,” his indictment says.

Rhodes, 56, remains in jail awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

 

[henrygandorf 29183]

30 minutes ago, TexasEd said:

DOJ subpoenas to testify in front of a grand jury are coming out.

If I'm not mistaken, unlike the 1/6 committee,  these can be enforced directly. No avoiding these subpoenas or the FBI comes and picks you up, correct?  

Will there be a batch of mysterious deaths that correlates to the witness list?

 

thread. 

 

[WhatTheBuck 28726]

37 minutes ago, NameAlreadyInUse said:

Which officials? Asking for the poors on the wrong side of the paywall.

The incognito tab is your friend. Plain text, ads edited, link included:

Spoiler

Justice Dept. expands Jan. 6 probe to look at rally prep, financing

Subpoena requests seek information about the planning for gathering outside White House that preceded Capitol riot

By Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey, Jacqueline Alemany and Spencer S. Hsu 
Today at 5:54 p.m. EDT

The criminal investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has expanded to examine the preparations for the rally that preceded the riot, as the Justice Department aims to determine the full extent of any conspiracy to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory, according to people familiar with the matter.

In the past two months, a federal grand jury in Washington has issued subpoena requests to some officials in former president Donald Trump’s orbit who assisted in planning, funding and executing the Jan. 6 rally, said the people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The development shows the degree to which the Justice Department investigation — which already involves more defendants than any other criminal prosecution in the nation’s history — has moved further beyond the storming of the Capitol to examine events preceding the attack.

The events of Jan. 6, 2021, are a legally fraught puzzle for federal investigators. Prosecutors and FBI agents must distinguish between constitutionally protected First Amendment activity, such as speech and assembly, and the alleged conspiracy to obstruct Congress or other potential crimes connected to fundraising and organizing leading up to Jan. 6.

The task is also complicated by the proximity of those two very different types of activities — speech and violence — that occurred within hours of each other and less than a mile apart.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington declined to comment.

On the morning of Jan. 6, thousands of people from all over the country gathered at the Ellipse, near the White House, to rally behind the false premise that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election. The outgoing president began speaking to the crowd around noon and called on attendees to march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. By 12:30, hundreds of people began to gather near Congress. At approximately 1 p.m., the barricaded security perimeter of the Capitol complex was breached, and people flooded toward the building.

The mob stormed forward, with rioters striking officers, smashing windows, and pushing their way into legislative offices. Lawmakers fled to safety, delaying the official count of Biden’s electoral victory for hours until order could be restored. More than 100 police officers were injured, many of them seriously.

Prosecutors have charged more than 770 people with crimes, and the FBI is seeking information to identify hundreds of additional suspects, including a person who planted pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican party headquarters the night before.

Grand jury subpoenas are a legal mechanism used by prosecutors to gather information for a criminal investigation, and a subpoena in and of itself doesn’t mean any particular recipient is under investigation or likely to face charges. But the subpoena demands issued in recent weeks do indicate that the aperture of the investigation has widened, after Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged in a speech this Jan. 5, the day before the first anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, to follow the evidence wherever it leads.

The people familiar with the subpoena demands declined to identify the individuals who had received them or provide additional details.

Garland, who has faced pressure at times from Democrats and others to more aggressively investigate those close to Trump and the events that preceded the attack on Congress, said in his Jan. 5 speech that complex investigations like this one take time and are built from the bottom up.

“We follow the physical evidence. We follow the digital evidence. We follow the money,” Garland said. “But most important, we follow the facts — not an agenda or an assumption. The facts tell us where to go next.”

Prosecutors have long shown an interest in how those accused of violently breaching the Capitol paid for their travel to Washington and their lodging, and have frequently asked witnesses to explain who covered the cost of their buses and other modes of transportation. Many Jan. 6 defendants appear to have self-organized and paid their own way, or raised money online to pay for travel in groups as large as a 60-vehicle caravan, according to court papers.

But in the run-up to Jan. 6, pro-Trump groups behind the protests supported and promoted caravans, including March for Trump, which was largely organized by Women for America First, a group chaired by former Tea Party Express leader Amy Kremer; and Stop the Steal, organized by Ali Alexander. Both groups have denied wrongdoing.

In the early days of the Jan. 6 investigation, a few prosecutors in the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office wanted to use subpoenas and search warrants to gather evidence about rally organizers or speakers. But the FBI, Justice Department officials and Michael R. Sherwin — who was appointed the acting D.C. U.S. attorney during the Trump administration and continued to lead the probe after stepping down from that post — resisted the idea, people familiar with the matter have said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Authorities were concerned that taking such a step would be trampling on demonstrators’ First Amendment rights.

Instead, the Justice Department decided to first investigate those who were caught on video committing crimes and see whether investigators could connect those individuals to higher-level targets.

In an October arrest affidavit for a Virginia man and his daughter, the FBI said the father was provided a packing list by a protest organizer via a person “who coordinated convoys, communication plans, maps and packing lists” for Jan. 6 participants. The list included a telescoping metal police baton, body armor and helmets, the affidavit said, with the organizer explaining on social media that participants “were not looking for a fight but needed to be ready for one.”

The Justice Department’s interest in the details of planning the rally dovetails with previous subpoenas issued to some rally organizers by a House committee that is separately investigating Jan. 6. But the grand jury’s work involving the Justice Department subpoena requests is a criminal investigation, far different from lawmakers pressing for public accountability.

From the start, the Jan. 6 investigation has focused heavily on the actions of two extremist groups, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. Proud Boys leaders charged with playing a key role in the attack appeared to have organized their own travel, renting a house in Washington and raising money online to pay for body armor, according to government court filings.

The Proud Boys’ leader at the time, Enrique Tarrio, was not in Washington on Jan. 6 but was arrested earlier this month on charges he conspired with other members of the group to attack Congress that day. Prosecutors said that arrest resulted from newly discovered evidence detailing his role. Tarrio has denied wrongdoing.

Authorities have said in court filings that around the time of Tarrio’s arrest, several additional search warrants were executed and additional information and devices were gathered. Prosecutors have indicated they may add charges or charge several additional defendants by May 20.

The federal conspiracy charges against Proud Boys members stemming from Jan. 6 are separate from the charges filed against Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and 10 other Oath Keepers or associates who were accused in January of seditious conspiracy, a historically rare charge that carries a maximum 20-year prison term. That indictment alleges that Rhodes plotted in late 2020 and early 2021 to prevent Biden from becoming president, guiding a months-long effort to unleash political violence that prosecutors say culminated in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

“Rhodes and certain co-conspirators … planned to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power by January 20, 2021, which included multiple ways to deploy force,” his indictment says.

Rhodes, 56, remains in jail awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/03/30/jan-6-fbi-subpoena-justice/

 

[TexasEd 8066]

14 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

thread. 

 

This is the part that gets me,  Ginni Thomas was involved in the previous guy getting the job (directly or indirectly) and he did not want to investigate/prosecute beyond those inside the Capitol

 

 

 

[Brisketexan 104778]

30 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Nothing is happening, and nothing is going to happen.  The ruling class and the GQP are above the law.  This is how we ultimately become like the Russia we all so fervently hate.  

This.  Everything else is blah blah blah wishcasting.  We have created a system where the political class is so far above the law that they can also inflict suicide on the Republic, and there's nothing we can do to stop them.

We're getting what we deserve, and getting it hard.  In more ways than any of you would like, we are a shitload like Russia.

[TexasEd 8066]

Aww fuck off, buzzkills, let us have fun for one day and then reality will hit us tomorrow.

Muledick

[Brisketexan 104778]

Aww fuck off, buzzkills, let us have fun for one day and then reality will hit us tomorrow.
Muledick

Muledick indeed.
Muledick forever.


Muledick.

[Willfully Horn 7942]

11 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Again, it's not the AG's call, precisely.  And, we haven't the foggiest clue what's going down at Main Justice.

Stonekettle’s latest essay speaks to this. The point of no return is coming, sooner than we might think. This isn’t merely a legal matter. It’s a political matter. It’s about perception, not statutes. The legal system is failing. I’ll apologize, happily, if I am wrong.

https://www.stonekettle.com/2022/03/no-one-is-coming-to-save-us.html?m=1
 

Also, acting appointments occur while Congress is in recess, que no?

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

there's nothing we can do to stop them.

First, vote. Errybody fucking vote. I take a bit of comfort that, this time, the number of folks aware of the threat is exponentially more than in elections past. A tidal wave of US citizens voting against this shit is absolutely capable of stopping them.

[TwiceHorn 31348]

40 minutes ago, Willfully Horn said:

Stonekettle’s latest essay speaks to this. The point of no return is coming, sooner than we might think. This isn’t merely a legal matter. It’s a political matter. It’s about perception, not statutes. The legal system is failing. I’ll apologize, happily, if I am wrong.

https://www.stonekettle.com/2022/03/no-one-is-coming-to-save-us.html?m=1
 

Also, acting appointments occur while Congress is in recess, que no?

First, vote. Errybody fucking vote. I take a bit of comfort that, this time, the number of folks aware of the threat is exponentially more than in elections past. A tidal wave of US citizens voting against this shit is absolutely capable of stopping them.

He lost all credibility with this statement:

And so far, the Attorney General has shown absolutely no interest in doing so. 

What in the name of God makes all you people think Merrick Garland is going to violate every DOJ policy and practice and say what you want to hear?  We will not know shit until indictments drop, except via leaks like the above.

What I mean by it's not Garland's call, precisely, is that he is leaving the details of the investigation and prosecution to the people who will do it, meaning the FBI and US Attorneys with jurisdiction.  He will probably have the final say on whether Trump is indicted or not, based on all the considerations.  I don't think he's particularly encouraging or discouraging any prosecution, he's probably telling his subordinates to follow the facts and see where they lead and what charges can be made with what strength.

And, unlike grabasstic Congress (with the limited exception of the 1/5 Committee, which seems to be doing yeoman's work), if Garland shoots at the king, he ain't gonna miss. We should all be glad that Garland and his people aren't going to attempt some Trumpian hip shot that misses the mark badly.

I agree that people need to vote, and keep voting and do whatever they can to bank the fires of Trumpism.

Edited March 31, 2022 by TwiceHorn

[Brisketexan 104778]

First, vote. Errybody fucking vote. I take a bit of comfort that, this time, the number of folks aware of the threat is exponentially more than in elections past. A tidal wave of US citizens voting against this shit is absolutely capable of stopping them.

Have you, uh, SEEN America and its people? Counting on the American voter to save the day is a pipedream.

The MAGAs are super motivated still. Because batshittery is inspirational.

[Biff Tannen 45545]

16 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Have you, uh, SEEN America and its people? Counting on the American voter to save the day is a pipedream.

The MAGAs are super motivated still. Because batshittery is inspirational.

Well, and because if the Rs take the house, every vote in America may not stop their treachery. 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11810]

33 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Have you, uh, SEEN America and its people? Counting on the American voter to save the day is a pipedream.

The MAGAs are super motivated still. Because batshittery is inspirational.

The one positive is, I keep telling my wife we need to fuck like rabbits and procreate as fast as we can.  Then she remembers my vasectomy and slaps me.  It was worth a shot.  

[WhatTheBuck 28726]

31 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

The one positive is, I keep telling my wife we need to fuck like rabbits and procreate as fast as we can.  Then she remembers my vasectomy and slaps me.  It was worth a shot.  

Should I stop wearing a condom?  😛

[Willfully Horn 7942]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

He lost all credibility with this statement:

One sentence squanders credibility completely? I disagree.

Everything is on the line. Tempers are frayed. I’d bet that the NY prosecutors who resigned are more sympathetic to SK’s statement than you.

 

I believe SK was making a political point, and, while I do understand where you are coming from,  you also do not miss when you do not pull the trigger. The time is approaching when a shot must be fired, and absolute certainty is not found this side of the veil.

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Have you, uh, SEEN America and its people? Counting on the American voter to save the day is a pipedream.

The MAGAs are super motivated still. Because batshittery is inspirational.

Yes. Well, nevertheless. I also am super motivated. I suspect you are as well.

[TwiceHorn 31348]

47 minutes ago, Willfully Horn said:

One sentence squanders credibility completely? I disagree.

Everything is on the line. Tempers are frayed. I’d bet that the NY prosecutors who resigned are more sympathetic to SK’s statement than you.

 

I believe SK was making a political point, and, while I do understand where you are coming from,  you also do not miss when you do not pull the trigger. The time is approaching when a shot must be fired, and absolute certainty is not found this side of the veil.

Yes. Well, nevertheless. I also am super motivated. I suspect you are as well.

Yes, I think that quotation denotes an irrationality and lack of perspective that sinks the whole thing.  

[Willfully Horn 7942]

43 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Yes, I think that quotation denotes an irrationality and lack of perspective that sinks the whole thing.  

Because I disagree, I’ll spoiler the parts of the essay that do not rely on the sentence with which you take issue. I invite readers to judge whether the following is irrational or lacking in perspective.

Spoiler

A few days ago, Fox Business News Stuart Varney asked Donald Trump what he would do differently from Biden when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What would you do differently, Mr. Trump?

What indeed? 

Trump, a man who declares himself a military genius and who allegedly knows more than actual military generals, replied: 

“Well, uh, what I would do, is I would, we would, uh, we have tremendous military capability and, uh, what we can do without planes, to be honest with you, uh, without 44-year-old jets, what we can do is enormous, and we should be doing it, and we should be helping them to survive and they’re doing an amazing job.”

 

There you go, the vision of a military genius. 

It's like listening to some football player who's been hit in the head one too many times: Uh, well, I just wanna, uh, you know, get out there and, uh, you know, do the thing that we do, uh, you know, stuff with that is enormous stuff that we're doing every day, um, you know, with the thing, you know, that we do because that's how you do it and they're doing an amazing job! 

Even Varney couldn't believe the gibberish coming out of Trump's sagging ridiculous Big Mac hole. 

So he asked again, what would you do in Ukraine that Biden's not doing right now? 

I mean, you have give Varney credit for hanging in there like a Russian general about to become yet another hilarious statistic in Western news media, but honestly I don't know how after all this time he couldn't see what was coming.

 

“I listen to him [Putin] constantly using the n-word [the what?] that’s the n-word, uh, and he’s constantly using it [wut? wut?] the nuclear word [OH] and we never talk of, uh, we say, ‘Oh, he’s a nuclear power,’ but we’re a greater nuclear power, we have the greatest submarines in the world, most powerful machines ever built, most powerful, and they got built under me[The only nuclear subs we're building are the Virginia Class which were ALL ordered and budgeted prior to 2014, Trump had literally nothing to do with it, but he's on a roll] most powerful machines ever built, and nobody knows where they are and you should say, ‘Look, if you mention that word one more time, we’re going to send them over, uh, and, uh, we’ll be coasting back and forth up and down your coast.’”

 

Get all that?

Trump's big plan is that since nobody knows where the submarines are (which is pretty much the whole point of submarines) we'll just go ahead and TELL THE ENEMY WHERE THEY ARE. 

We'll just tell the enemy where our secret weapons are. 

Genius.

While at the same time also, apparently, threatening nuclear war and basically daring Russia to do something about it. 

That's what Trump would do. 

I can't tell you how damn glad I am that he's notthe guy doing it anymore.

Well, at least for the moment, but we'll come back to that. 

Because he's a fucking lunatic. 

He's nuts. Crazy. Barking mad.

This is Trump, literally saying in one breath that if he was in charge, he'd threaten nuclear war, global annihilation, and then minutes later openly begging political favors from the same guy he's threatening. 

He's insane. 

His gray spongy brain is a ragged tangle of cobwebs full of dead bugs and bad smells. 

If we are not as yet actually at war with Russia then it's the very next thing to it -- as Trump himself must believe, otherwise why would you threaten nuclear war?

And yet, here's Trump demanding Vladimir Putin produce some sort of compromising material on Joe Biden's son to somehow damage Biden himself solely in order to profit Trump. 

This isn't the first time Trump has done this. 

It's not even the second time. 

 

And at this point, if that isn't treason, it's the next thing to it. 

 

Yesterday, Congressman Matt Gaetz declared in apparent seriousness that if Republicans take back the House later this year, he intends to nominate Trump as Speaker of the House. There's nothing in the Constitution that would prevent this, and as ridiculous as it sounds I wouldn't put it past Republicans to do it solely in order to make liberals scream in rage -- because that's become the mean small ideology of the GOP in its entirety. 

Also, yesterday, we discovered there's a seven hour gap in White House phone logs, in Trump's records specifically, during the height of the January 6th Insurrection. 

Literally, at the exact moment Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol his official phone logs show no data. 

Yet, we know with absolute certainty Trump was on the phone during that period. 

We know this, because when you examine the phone logs of other Republicans during that same time, those records show calls from Trump. 

For example, Trump called Senator Mike Lee, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Vice President Mike Pence during that seven hour gap. This is not in dispute. He was on the phone, calling his own Vice President, calling members of Congress, and members of the media -- such as Sean Hannity. 

So, either Trump was using burner phones to avoid the Presidential Records Act in a premeditated violation of the law, or the official White House records have been deleted, altered, or forged again in violation of the law. 

There are no other options. 

Trump committed criminal acts. 

This not alleged. This not speculation. This is fact. Trump committed criminal acts. 

In fact, last Monday, Federal Judge David Carter in a case involving Trump crony and right wing lawyer John Eastman, formally stated: 

"Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021."

"The illegality of the plan was obvious. Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the Vice President to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election ... Every American -- and certainly the President of the United States -- knows that in a democracy, leaders are elected, not installed."

Eastman was in court, suing to prevent having to turn over records of communication between himself and Trump which the January 6th Committee believes may show that he and the former President planned to criminally disrupt certification of the election, knowing they were committing crime. I.e. Trump's actions on January 6th were premeditated sedition. 

Unfortunately, neither the January 6th Committee or Judge Carter have the power to bring criminal charges against Trump. 

Only the Department of Justice can do that. 
 

   …

 

Maybe Merrick Garland is a cunning and cagy general, scouting the enemy, gathering intelligence, moving his army into position, and perhaps one day he'll unleash a legal Blitzkrieg and those like me who are increasingly doubtful that Trump and his seditious cronies will ever be brought to justice,  yeah, well, maybe we'll have to hang our heads in shame and apologize. 

And if that day comes, if I watch them dragging Trump in chains to a traitor's just fate, well, then I'll certainly apologize for my lack of faith. 
 

  …

 

Because this isn't about justice. 

It's not about legalities. 

It's not even about what's right and wrong. 

It's about politics.

And politics are about perception. 

And there is no one -- no one -- who understands this better than Donald J. Trump. 

See those words up above. Trump's words. His big plan to defeat Russia. Gibberish. None of it makes any coherent sense. It's a brain full of spiders. Not one word of it makes any sense. It's disjointed mewling insanity.  

But Republicans don't care. 

Trump doesn't have to make sense. 

Trump knows this. Republicans know this. The mob doesn't give a shit what the words are or even if they make any sense. 

Look at the recent Trucker Convoy in Washington D.C. 

Big joke, right? You and I, we saw a joke, a ridiculous sad failure, a bunch of losers peeing on themselves and driving around in circles. They didn't even know what they were protesting. 

That's what we saw. 

But the other side? They saw defiance. Patriotism. Liberty. 

It doesn't matter if it made any sense, it's about what you see.

Because politics is about perception. 
 

  …

 

Right now, right this very minute, Russia's official state media is calling for Russia's "Partner Trump" to be installed (their words) as President of the United States. 

 

That's where we're at.

Right on the cusp. Right on the edge of losing it all. 

So, in case I'm being too subtle here, in case you've read this far and you haven't figured out where I'm going, it's this: 

This is your 2022, 2024 CLARION CALL TO SHOW THE HELL UP. 

No more bullshit. 

No excuses. 

No more "both sides."

I don't want to hear about how disappointed you are with Biden or Pelosi or democrats. I don't want to hear any whining about how you don't like the choices. Any of this childish nonsense about how you want better choices. 

Too damn bad. 

This isn't about what you like, it's about your duty as a citizen.  

This is it. You can't depend on anyone else to save you, to save your country, to save your kid's future. 

It's up to you. You have to show up. 

You show up. You browbeat your friends and family and strangers to show up. And you keep this lunatic and his lunatic party the hell out of office. 
 

  …

 

So I don't want to hear any infantile whining about how you wish it was different. No shit, we all do. But it's not and here we are. 

Time to adult, folks. 

You show up and you do your duty. 

You want a better nation, be a better citizen. 

 

The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks.
-- Samuel Adams

 

 

 

To be clear, I am not suggesting that Twice has squandered all legitimacy:

[Biff Tannen 45545]

1 hour ago, Willfully Horn said:

Because I disagree, I’ll spoiler the parts of the essay that do not rely on the sentence with which you take issue. I invite readers to judge whether the following is irrational or lacking in perspective.

  Reveal hidden contents

A few days ago, Fox Business News Stuart Varney asked Donald Trump what he would do differently from Biden when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What would you do differently, Mr. Trump?

What indeed? 

Trump, a man who declares himself a military genius and who allegedly knows more than actual military generals, replied: 

“Well, uh, what I would do, is I would, we would, uh, we have tremendous military capability and, uh, what we can do without planes, to be honest with you, uh, without 44-year-old jets, what we can do is enormous, and we should be doing it, and we should be helping them to survive and they’re doing an amazing job.”

 

There you go, the vision of a military genius. 

It's like listening to some football player who's been hit in the head one too many times: Uh, well, I just wanna, uh, you know, get out there and, uh, you know, do the thing that we do, uh, you know, stuff with that is enormous stuff that we're doing every day, um, you know, with the thing, you know, that we do because that's how you do it and they're doing an amazing job! 

Even Varney couldn't believe the gibberish coming out of Trump's sagging ridiculous Big Mac hole. 

So he asked again, what would you do in Ukraine that Biden's not doing right now? 

I mean, you have give Varney credit for hanging in there like a Russian general about to become yet another hilarious statistic in Western news media, but honestly I don't know how after all this time he couldn't see what was coming.

 

“I listen to him [Putin] constantly using the n-word [the what?] that’s the n-word, uh, and he’s constantly using it [wut? wut?] the nuclear word [OH] and we never talk of, uh, we say, ‘Oh, he’s a nuclear power,’ but we’re a greater nuclear power, we have the greatest submarines in the world, most powerful machines ever built, most powerful, and they got built under me[The only nuclear subs we're building are the Virginia Class which were ALL ordered and budgeted prior to 2014, Trump had literally nothing to do with it, but he's on a roll] most powerful machines ever built, and nobody knows where they are and you should say, ‘Look, if you mention that word one more time, we’re going to send them over, uh, and, uh, we’ll be coasting back and forth up and down your coast.’”

 

Get all that?

Trump's big plan is that since nobody knows where the submarines are (which is pretty much the whole point of submarines) we'll just go ahead and TELL THE ENEMY WHERE THEY ARE. 

We'll just tell the enemy where our secret weapons are. 

Genius.

While at the same time also, apparently, threatening nuclear war and basically daring Russia to do something about it. 

That's what Trump would do. 

I can't tell you how damn glad I am that he's notthe guy doing it anymore.

Well, at least for the moment, but we'll come back to that. 

Because he's a fucking lunatic. 

He's nuts. Crazy. Barking mad.

This is Trump, literally saying in one breath that if he was in charge, he'd threaten nuclear war, global annihilation, and then minutes later openly begging political favors from the same guy he's threatening. 

He's insane. 

His gray spongy brain is a ragged tangle of cobwebs full of dead bugs and bad smells. 

If we are not as yet actually at war with Russia then it's the very next thing to it -- as Trump himself must believe, otherwise why would you threaten nuclear war?

And yet, here's Trump demanding Vladimir Putin produce some sort of compromising material on Joe Biden's son to somehow damage Biden himself solely in order to profit Trump. 

This isn't the first time Trump has done this. 

It's not even the second time. 

 

And at this point, if that isn't treason, it's the next thing to it. 

 

Yesterday, Congressman Matt Gaetz declared in apparent seriousness that if Republicans take back the House later this year, he intends to nominate Trump as Speaker of the House. There's nothing in the Constitution that would prevent this, and as ridiculous as it sounds I wouldn't put it past Republicans to do it solely in order to make liberals scream in rage -- because that's become the mean small ideology of the GOP in its entirety. 

Also, yesterday, we discovered there's a seven hour gap in White House phone logs, in Trump's records specifically, during the height of the January 6th Insurrection. 

Literally, at the exact moment Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol his official phone logs show no data. 

Yet, we know with absolute certainty Trump was on the phone during that period. 

We know this, because when you examine the phone logs of other Republicans during that same time, those records show calls from Trump. 

For example, Trump called Senator Mike Lee, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Vice President Mike Pence during that seven hour gap. This is not in dispute. He was on the phone, calling his own Vice President, calling members of Congress, and members of the media -- such as Sean Hannity. 

So, either Trump was using burner phones to avoid the Presidential Records Act in a premeditated violation of the law, or the official White House records have been deleted, altered, or forged again in violation of the law. 

There are no other options. 

Trump committed criminal acts. 

This not alleged. This not speculation. This is fact. Trump committed criminal acts. 

In fact, last Monday, Federal Judge David Carter in a case involving Trump crony and right wing lawyer John Eastman, formally stated: 

"Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021."

"The illegality of the plan was obvious. Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the Vice President to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election ... Every American -- and certainly the President of the United States -- knows that in a democracy, leaders are elected, not installed."

Eastman was in court, suing to prevent having to turn over records of communication between himself and Trump which the January 6th Committee believes may show that he and the former President planned to criminally disrupt certification of the election, knowing they were committing crime. I.e. Trump's actions on January 6th were premeditated sedition. 

Unfortunately, neither the January 6th Committee or Judge Carter have the power to bring criminal charges against Trump. 

Only the Department of Justice can do that. 
 

   …

 

Maybe Merrick Garland is a cunning and cagy general, scouting the enemy, gathering intelligence, moving his army into position, and perhaps one day he'll unleash a legal Blitzkrieg and those like me who are increasingly doubtful that Trump and his seditious cronies will ever be brought to justice,  yeah, well, maybe we'll have to hang our heads in shame and apologize. 

And if that day comes, if I watch them dragging Trump in chains to a traitor's just fate, well, then I'll certainly apologize for my lack of faith. 
 

  …

 

Because this isn't about justice. 

It's not about legalities. 

It's not even about what's right and wrong. 

It's about politics.

And politics are about perception. 

And there is no one -- no one -- who understands this better than Donald J. Trump. 

See those words up above. Trump's words. His big plan to defeat Russia. Gibberish. None of it makes any coherent sense. It's a brain full of spiders. Not one word of it makes any sense. It's disjointed mewling insanity.  

But Republicans don't care. 

Trump doesn't have to make sense. 

Trump knows this. Republicans know this. The mob doesn't give a shit what the words are or even if they make any sense. 

Look at the recent Trucker Convoy in Washington D.C. 

Big joke, right? You and I, we saw a joke, a ridiculous sad failure, a bunch of losers peeing on themselves and driving around in circles. They didn't even know what they were protesting. 

That's what we saw. 

But the other side? They saw defiance. Patriotism. Liberty. 

It doesn't matter if it made any sense, it's about what you see.

Because politics is about perception. 
 

  …

 

Right now, right this very minute, Russia's official state media is calling for Russia's "Partner Trump" to be installed (their words) as President of the United States. 

 

That's where we're at.

Right on the cusp. Right on the edge of losing it all. 

So, in case I'm being too subtle here, in case you've read this far and you haven't figured out where I'm going, it's this: 

This is your 2022, 2024 CLARION CALL TO SHOW THE HELL UP. 

No more bullshit. 

No excuses. 

No more "both sides."

I don't want to hear about how disappointed you are with Biden or Pelosi or democrats. I don't want to hear any whining about how you don't like the choices. Any of this childish nonsense about how you want better choices. 

Too damn bad. 

This isn't about what you like, it's about your duty as a citizen.  

This is it. You can't depend on anyone else to save you, to save your country, to save your kid's future. 

It's up to you. You have to show up. 

You show up. You browbeat your friends and family and strangers to show up. And you keep this lunatic and his lunatic party the hell out of office. 
 

  …

 

So I don't want to hear any infantile whining about how you wish it was different. No shit, we all do. But it's not and here we are. 

Time to adult, folks. 

You show up and you do your duty. 

You want a better nation, be a better citizen. 

 

The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks.
-- Samuel Adams

 

 

 

To be clear, I am not suggesting that Twice has squandered all legitimacy:

Wow that was…well said.

Edited March 31, 2022 by Biff Tannen
Derp

[TexasEd 8066]

12 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Have you, uh, SEEN America and its people? Counting on the American voter to save the day is a pipedream.

The MAGAs are super motivated still. Because batshittery is inspirational.

One of the TV shows I like to watch is Lone Star Law, about the Game Wardens.  I figured it would be a politics free show to watch with my F-I-L who is in cognitive decline (he might have stopped watching FN though).  Anyway we're watching it and the Wardens go out on the lake and there is a damn Maga floatilla 🙄 so I say, "I'll bet a couple of those boats sink".  

[TwiceHorn 31348]

9 hours ago, Willfully Horn said:

Because I disagree, I’ll spoiler the parts of the essay that do not rely on the sentence with which you take issue. I invite readers to judge whether the following is irrational or lacking in perspective.

  Hide contents

A few days ago, Fox Business News Stuart Varney asked Donald Trump what he would do differently from Biden when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What would you do differently, Mr. Trump?

What indeed? 

Trump, a man who declares himself a military genius and who allegedly knows more than actual military generals, replied: 

“Well, uh, what I would do, is I would, we would, uh, we have tremendous military capability and, uh, what we can do without planes, to be honest with you, uh, without 44-year-old jets, what we can do is enormous, and we should be doing it, and we should be helping them to survive and they’re doing an amazing job.”

 

There you go, the vision of a military genius. 

It's like listening to some football player who's been hit in the head one too many times: Uh, well, I just wanna, uh, you know, get out there and, uh, you know, do the thing that we do, uh, you know, stuff with that is enormous stuff that we're doing every day, um, you know, with the thing, you know, that we do because that's how you do it and they're doing an amazing job! 

Even Varney couldn't believe the gibberish coming out of Trump's sagging ridiculous Big Mac hole. 

So he asked again, what would you do in Ukraine that Biden's not doing right now? 

I mean, you have give Varney credit for hanging in there like a Russian general about to become yet another hilarious statistic in Western news media, but honestly I don't know how after all this time he couldn't see what was coming.

 

“I listen to him [Putin] constantly using the n-word [the what?] that’s the n-word, uh, and he’s constantly using it [wut? wut?] the nuclear word [OH] and we never talk of, uh, we say, ‘Oh, he’s a nuclear power,’ but we’re a greater nuclear power, we have the greatest submarines in the world, most powerful machines ever built, most powerful, and they got built under me[The only nuclear subs we're building are the Virginia Class which were ALL ordered and budgeted prior to 2014, Trump had literally nothing to do with it, but he's on a roll] most powerful machines ever built, and nobody knows where they are and you should say, ‘Look, if you mention that word one more time, we’re going to send them over, uh, and, uh, we’ll be coasting back and forth up and down your coast.’”

 

Get all that?

Trump's big plan is that since nobody knows where the submarines are (which is pretty much the whole point of submarines) we'll just go ahead and TELL THE ENEMY WHERE THEY ARE. 

We'll just tell the enemy where our secret weapons are. 

Genius.

While at the same time also, apparently, threatening nuclear war and basically daring Russia to do something about it. 

That's what Trump would do. 

I can't tell you how damn glad I am that he's notthe guy doing it anymore.

Well, at least for the moment, but we'll come back to that. 

Because he's a fucking lunatic. 

He's nuts. Crazy. Barking mad.

This is Trump, literally saying in one breath that if he was in charge, he'd threaten nuclear war, global annihilation, and then minutes later openly begging political favors from the same guy he's threatening. 

He's insane. 

His gray spongy brain is a ragged tangle of cobwebs full of dead bugs and bad smells. 

If we are not as yet actually at war with Russia then it's the very next thing to it -- as Trump himself must believe, otherwise why would you threaten nuclear war?

And yet, here's Trump demanding Vladimir Putin produce some sort of compromising material on Joe Biden's son to somehow damage Biden himself solely in order to profit Trump. 

This isn't the first time Trump has done this. 

It's not even the second time. 

 

And at this point, if that isn't treason, it's the next thing to it. 

 

Yesterday, Congressman Matt Gaetz declared in apparent seriousness that if Republicans take back the House later this year, he intends to nominate Trump as Speaker of the House. There's nothing in the Constitution that would prevent this, and as ridiculous as it sounds I wouldn't put it past Republicans to do it solely in order to make liberals scream in rage -- because that's become the mean small ideology of the GOP in its entirety. 

Also, yesterday, we discovered there's a seven hour gap in White House phone logs, in Trump's records specifically, during the height of the January 6th Insurrection. 

Literally, at the exact moment Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol his official phone logs show no data. 

Yet, we know with absolute certainty Trump was on the phone during that period. 

We know this, because when you examine the phone logs of other Republicans during that same time, those records show calls from Trump. 

For example, Trump called Senator Mike Lee, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Vice President Mike Pence during that seven hour gap. This is not in dispute. He was on the phone, calling his own Vice President, calling members of Congress, and members of the media -- such as Sean Hannity. 

So, either Trump was using burner phones to avoid the Presidential Records Act in a premeditated violation of the law, or the official White House records have been deleted, altered, or forged again in violation of the law. 

There are no other options. 

Trump committed criminal acts. 

This not alleged. This not speculation. This is fact. Trump committed criminal acts. 

In fact, last Monday, Federal Judge David Carter in a case involving Trump crony and right wing lawyer John Eastman, formally stated: 

"Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021."

"The illegality of the plan was obvious. Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the Vice President to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election ... Every American -- and certainly the President of the United States -- knows that in a democracy, leaders are elected, not installed."

Eastman was in court, suing to prevent having to turn over records of communication between himself and Trump which the January 6th Committee believes may show that he and the former President planned to criminally disrupt certification of the election, knowing they were committing crime. I.e. Trump's actions on January 6th were premeditated sedition. 

Unfortunately, neither the January 6th Committee or Judge Carter have the power to bring criminal charges against Trump. 

Only the Department of Justice can do that. 
 

   …

 

Maybe Merrick Garland is a cunning and cagy general, scouting the enemy, gathering intelligence, moving his army into position, and perhaps one day he'll unleash a legal Blitzkrieg and those like me who are increasingly doubtful that Trump and his seditious cronies will ever be brought to justice,  yeah, well, maybe we'll have to hang our heads in shame and apologize. 

And if that day comes, if I watch them dragging Trump in chains to a traitor's just fate, well, then I'll certainly apologize for my lack of faith. 
 

  …

 

Because this isn't about justice. 

It's not about legalities. 

It's not even about what's right and wrong. 

It's about politics.

And politics are about perception. 

And there is no one -- no one -- who understands this better than Donald J. Trump. 

See those words up above. Trump's words. His big plan to defeat Russia. Gibberish. None of it makes any coherent sense. It's a brain full of spiders. Not one word of it makes any sense. It's disjointed mewling insanity.  

But Republicans don't care. 

Trump doesn't have to make sense. 

Trump knows this. Republicans know this. The mob doesn't give a shit what the words are or even if they make any sense. 

Look at the recent Trucker Convoy in Washington D.C. 

Big joke, right? You and I, we saw a joke, a ridiculous sad failure, a bunch of losers peeing on themselves and driving around in circles. They didn't even know what they were protesting. 

That's what we saw. 

But the other side? They saw defiance. Patriotism. Liberty. 

It doesn't matter if it made any sense, it's about what you see.

Because politics is about perception. 
 

  …

 

Right now, right this very minute, Russia's official state media is calling for Russia's "Partner Trump" to be installed (their words) as President of the United States. 

 

That's where we're at.

Right on the cusp. Right on the edge of losing it all. 

So, in case I'm being too subtle here, in case you've read this far and you haven't figured out where I'm going, it's this: 

This is your 2022, 2024 CLARION CALL TO SHOW THE HELL UP. 

No more bullshit. 

No excuses. 

No more "both sides."

I don't want to hear about how disappointed you are with Biden or Pelosi or democrats. I don't want to hear any whining about how you don't like the choices. Any of this childish nonsense about how you want better choices. 

Too damn bad. 

This isn't about what you like, it's about your duty as a citizen.  

This is it. You can't depend on anyone else to save you, to save your country, to save your kid's future. 

It's up to you. You have to show up. 

You show up. You browbeat your friends and family and strangers to show up. And you keep this lunatic and his lunatic party the hell out of office. 
 

  …

 

So I don't want to hear any infantile whining about how you wish it was different. No shit, we all do. But it's not and here we are. 

Time to adult, folks. 

You show up and you do your duty. 

You want a better nation, be a better citizen. 

 

The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks.
-- Samuel Adams

 

 

 

To be clear, I am not suggesting that Twice has squandered all legitimacy:

Well, those are some excellent factoids that remain credible and I like his analysis of them.

And I agree that it is a dire moment in the history of our country and we need to vote and do all we can, i.e. "show up."

I just think the bit about Garland is hysterical.  And that lends a tone of hysteria to the whole thing.

[WhatTheBuck 28726]

All the reporting I’ve heard said that Trump never talked to Pence on the phone while his minions were out to assassinate him. He did tweet an inciting comment about him, though, while the insurrection was in progress.

"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution”

That was at 2:24 pm. 

[Brisketexan 104778]

4 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

a tone of hysteria to the whole thing.

Perhaps you missed the part where an entire political party supported a violent overthrow of our government, that violent attempt happened, and that party has doubled down on whitewashing it etc. so they can try it again?  That part's kind of important.  It warrants hysteria.  We literally have a fifth column in our country, controlling the levers of power in several states, that wants to violently overthrow the US government.  What the fuck WOULD warrant the highest level of alarm?

Edited March 31, 2022 by Brisketexan