January 6 Hearings Live

[lpetrich]

Look at whose side he was on.

Maggie Haberman on Twitter: "NEW: Trump initially rebuffed and resisted requests to mobilize the National Guard, according to a person with knowledge of the vents. It required intervention from White House officials to get it done, according to the person with knowledge of the events." / Twitter

Kaitlan Collins on Twitter: "Confirmed this. Trump is normally eager to deploy the National Guard when violence breaks out, but had to be convinced to do so today as a mob of his supporters breached the Capitol. Pence, who was in contact with the Pentagon, played a role in it ultimately happening." / Twitter


The New Progressive Left Shows How to Deal With Sedition - The American Prospect
Congresswoman Cori Bush on Twitter: "I believe the Republican members of Congress who have incited this domestic terror attack through their attempts to overturn the election must face consequences. They have broken their sacred Oath of Office.

I will be introducing a resolution calling for their expulsion. https://t.co/JMTlQ4IfnR" / Twitter

It quickly got a lot of "Squad" supporters: AOC, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Mondaire Jones, Jamaal Bowman, Marie Newman, and Kai Kahele. Ilhan Omar announced that she's be preparing articles of impeachment for the President.

Longer-serving Democrats, even progressive ones, did not go quite as far.

• Rep. Joaquin Castro: "Senators @TedCruz and @HawleyMO should immediately resign."
• Sen. Mazie Hirono: "To Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and everyone who’s joined them in their stunt to try and overthrow a free and fair election: it’s past time for you to stand down too."
• Rep. Ted Lieu called on VP Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment to depose Trump.

Hours into the ordeal, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and new Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer only issued a joint statement calling on Donald Trump to call on his supporters to knock it off. Sen. Dick Durbin, newly appointed head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called it “a fitting end to one of the worst presidencies in the history of the United States.” Among Democratic leadership, only Katherine Clark, the fourth-ranking House Democrat, even said Trump “must be removed,” despite making no commitment to taking the action herself.

 

[lpetrich]

Hold the GOP Accountable for the Coup Attempt -- seems like a fundraising effort.

Citing 'Open Sedition,' Rep. Ilhan Omar Vows Trump Impeachment Resolution | Common Dreams News

David Cicilline on Twitter: "NEW: I am sending a letter with @RepTedLieu and our colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee, calling on Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump from office after today’s events. (link to letter pix)" / Twitter

Wednesday's trouble began when thousands of Trump supporters gathered on the National Mall to hear the president deliver an inflammatory, lie-laden address claiming the presidential election was "stolen."

"We will never give up," Trump vowed. "We will never concede. It will never happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore."

Rally-goers then heeded the president's exhortation to march on the Capitol—where lawmakers from both chambers were convening to count the Electoral College votes and certify President-elect Joe Biden's presidential election victory—and "give our Republicans... the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country." Over 150 Republican lawmakers were in the process of contesting the legitimate election results when the chaos erupted.

"You'll never take back our country with weakness," Trump said to robust applause. "You have to show strength, and you have to be strong."

Anonymous on Twitter: "President Trump has told a crowd of thousands of Trump loyalists at the White House that he will lead them in a march on the Capitol today. The Electoral College certification is today.

"You'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength," (video link)" / Twitter

 

[barbos]

Watching live circus. Looks like most objectors don't claim fraud, just that PA election officials violated PA constitution by extending some deadlines, signatures and such minor crap. How much of that is even true? I mean was it legal to extend deadlines etc?

 

[Arctish]

Watching live circus. Looks like most objectors don't claim fraud, just that PA election officials violated PA constitution by extending some deadlines, signatures and such minor crap. How much of that is even true? I mean was it legal to extend deadlines etc?

Deadlines weren't extended.

Republicans objected to Pennsylvania's mail-in ballot laws over a year after they went into effect, and only after it became apparent a lot of Democrats were using the new system to cast their ballots. The Republicans wanted the court to throw out those votes: Supreme Court Rejects Republican Challenge to Pennsylvania Vote

The request that the Supreme Court intercede had faced substantial legal hurdles since it was filed long after the enactment of a 2019 statute that allowed mailed ballots and was based on questions of state, rather than federal, law.

In late November, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled against the plaintiffs, led by Representative Mike Kelly, a Republican, on the first ground, saying they could have challenged the 2019 law allowing vote by mail for any reason more than a year ago.

“At the time this action was filed on Nov. 21, 2020, millions of Pennsylvania voters had already expressed their will in both the June 2020 primary election and the November 2020 general election,” the court said. “Petitioners failed to act with due diligence in presenting the instant claim. Equally clear is the substantial prejudice arising from petitioners’ failure to institute promptly a facial challenge to the mail-in voting statutory scheme, as such inaction would result in the disenfranchisement of millions of Pennsylvania voters.”

The plaintiffs had asked the state court to nullify mailed ballots after the fact or to direct the state legislature to pick Pennsylvania’s electors.

 

[Angry Floof]

Watching live circus. Looks like most objectors don't claim fraud, just that PA election officials violated PA constitution by extending some deadlines, signatures and such minor crap. How much of that is even true? I mean was it legal to extend deadlines etc?

Act 77 was passed last October, I think, and it was 100% supported by PA Republicans.

https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroo...ion-reform-bill-including-new-mail-in-voting/

 

[lpetrich]

Mondaire Jones on Twitter: "I’ll just say it. If today’s domestic terrorists were Black, they would have never been allowed to storm the Capitol." / Twitter

Cori Bush on Twitter: "My team and I are safe. I am in disbelief. I can’t believe domestic terrorists are roaming around inside the Capitol.

I’m remembering being brutalized and treated like a domestic terrorist just for protesting to keep my people alive.

St. Louis: you’re in my heart right now." / Twitter

Medea Benjamin on Twitter: "I protest in Washington DC ALL THE TIME. If we did what the Trumpsters are doing now, we’d be gassed, sprayed, pelleted with rubber bullets, beat up and arrested.

Why are these folks not getting the same treatment?" / Twitter

For over an hour the Trump die-hards had the run of the place. They rampaged and rummaged their way through Congress, stopping to pause for photos of looted plunder, from pens to podiums. One woman's crusade to "take back the country" came to a fatal finish when she was shot through the neck and mortally wounded during the invasion.

In Pictures: Pro-Trump Mob Storms US Capitol Building | Common Dreams News
Rep. Omar Announces Articles of Impeachment Following Coup Attempt | Representative Ilhan Omar - she released this statement:

“Today, I watched as armed terrorists stormed the United States Capitol, including the House and Senate chambers, in an effort to stop the certification of our Presidential election. Members of Congress, our families, staff and law enforcement’s lives were all put at risk. We should not mince words about what this was: a coup attempt, in the world’s leading democracy no less.

“Thankfully, I am now safe in a secure location, but am heartbroken about what we are enduring at our nation’s capital.

“This is not a one-off incident. It is the result of years of collaboration on the part of the Republican Party, who have aided and abetted Trump’s criminal attempts to destroy our republic, and the cause of democracy around the world.

“All leaders should denounce this coup. And the President should be impeached and removed from office for his open sedition.”

 

[barbos]

Watching live circus. Looks like most objectors don't claim fraud, just that PA election officials violated PA constitution by extending some deadlines, signatures and such minor crap. How much of that is even true? I mean was it legal to extend deadlines etc?

Act 77 was passed last October, I think, and it was 100% supported by PA Republicans.

https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroo...ion-reform-bill-including-new-mail-in-voting/

yes, I heard sane people there mentioning it. Don't want to read it myself, does it allow all that minor stuff election officials did?

 

[barbos]

And boy, that Louisiana representative was scary.

 

[Angry Floof]

Watching live circus. Looks like most objectors don't claim fraud, just that PA election officials violated PA constitution by extending some deadlines, signatures and such minor crap. How much of that is even true? I mean was it legal to extend deadlines etc?

Act 77 was passed last October, I think, and it was 100% supported by PA Republicans.

https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroo...ion-reform-bill-including-new-mail-in-voting/

yes, I heard sane people there mentioning it. Don't want to read it myself, does it allow all that minor stuff election officials did?

The law creates a new option to vote by mail up to 50 days before an election and be placed on a list to permanently receive a ballot application by mail. It also provides more time to register to vote and authorizes a $90 million bond to help counties fund the purchase of new voting systems with a paper trail that strengthens the security of our elections.

“This bill makes voting more convenient and more secure for millions of Pennsylvanians and continues my commitment to modernizing our elections,” said Governor Wolf. “This is the biggest change to our elections in generations and will strengthen our democracy by removing barriers to the voting booth and encouraging more people to vote. I applaud all of the legislators and stakeholders for their work with my administration and their spirit of compromise.”

Also, correction to my post. It was October 2019, not last October. They didn't mind the "unconstitutional" law until Trump lost there.

 

[Angry Floof]

And boy, that Louisiana representative was scary.

Not really.

 

[barbos]

And boy, that Louisiana representative was scary.

Not really.

Do you know which one I am talking about?

 

[bigfield]

Mondaire Jones on Twitter: "I’ll just say it. If today’s domestic terrorists were Black, they would have never been allowed to storm the Capitol." / Twitter

Cori Bush on Twitter: "My team and I are safe. I am in disbelief. I can’t believe domestic terrorists are roaming around inside the Capitol.

I’m remembering being brutalized and treated like a domestic terrorist just for protesting to keep my people alive.

St. Louis: you’re in my heart right now." / Twitter

Medea Benjamin on Twitter: "I protest in Washington DC ALL THE TIME. If we did what the Trumpsters are doing now, we’d be gassed, sprayed, pelleted with rubber bullets, beat up and arrested.

Why are these folks not getting the same treatment?" / Twitter

For over an hour the Trump die-hards had the run of the place. They rampaged and rummaged their way through Congress, stopping to pause for photos of looted plunder, from pens to podiums. One woman's crusade to "take back the country" came to a fatal finish when she was shot through the neck and mortally wounded during the invasion.

In Pictures: Pro-Trump Mob Storms US Capitol Building | Common Dreams News
Rep. Omar Announces Articles of Impeachment Following Coup Attempt | Representative Ilhan Omar - she released this statement:

“Today, I watched as armed terrorists stormed the United States Capitol, including the House and Senate chambers, in an effort to stop the certification of our Presidential election. Members of Congress, our families, staff and law enforcement’s lives were all put at risk. We should not mince words about what this was: a coup attempt, in the world’s leading democracy no less.

“Thankfully, I am now safe in a secure location, but am heartbroken about what we are enduring at our nation’s capital.

“This is not a one-off incident. It is the result of years of collaboration on the part of the Republican Party, who have aided and abetted Trump’s criminal attempts to destroy our republic, and the cause of democracy around the world.

“All leaders should denounce this coup. And the President should be impeached and removed from office for his open sedition.”

Because the police are sympathetic to, and sometimes members of, the "thin blue line" and "blue lives matter" right wing authoritarian set.

 

[Swammerdami]

The video at this Twitter link seems to show Capitol police deliberately retreating to allow the Deplorables pass a barricade. What's with that?

It is a shame that Capitol police weren't better prepared. Did Trump deny an earlier request for National Guard reinforcements?

Police have turned out in force, spraying tear-gas indiscriminately against peaceful BLM protestors, and respond like this when the Deplorables want to desecrate the Capitol? Heads should roll!

 

[Swammerdami]

I see that some TFT'ers are conflating peaceful BLM protests with the despicable sedition we saw yesterday. Criminal behavior at BLM protests is confined to a tiny minority, and much of it was committed by Proud Boys and other subhumans who'd infiltrated the protests to make BLM look bad. But yesterday, every terrorist with a 100+ IQ knew, or should have known, they'd been incited to commit crimes.

Are these TFT'ers sincerely confused? Or are they just nasty things with tiny lives that get their kicks by annoying "libtards"? Either way, I'm happier now that their posts do not appear for me, unless others quote them. (Why do other TFT'ers do that?)

 

[Swammerdami]

[TWEET][FONT="]https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1347023890959228933?s=20[/FONT][/TWEET]

Have these people never met Trump?

The willingness of Republicans and other deplorables to embrace this monster will puzzle historians for decades to come. Hypocrisy, hatred and greed were obviously major factors, but a frightening level of stupidity also seems to have played a big role. Of course stupidity was the guiding principle of most Trump voters, but what about the high-ranked politicians and officials who enabled him?

 

[Swammerdami]

Later Wednesday, [Trump] tweeted that "these are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly tweeted for so long."

I've reddened a word that appears to be a Freudian slip for "treated."

My question is: Was this slip made by the Moron-in-Chief? Or was it introduced by NPR transcribers?

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

The coup is over. Biden has now been officially declared the winner of the electoral college vote. Trumpo the clown has admitted defeat via an aide's tweet account and announced he will vacate the White House for Biden come January 20. In two weeks, Biden is president and it is a done deal.

And then the mob members who vandalized the capitol buildings will be hunted down and arrested, one by one. And we will have to start taking names of the GOP morons in Congress who played a big role in this failed coup and make sure they are not forgotten for all of this in 2022 during re-election time.

 

[Artemus]

Trumpo the clown has admitted defeat via an aide's tweet account and announced he will vacate the White House for Biden come January 20. In two weeks.

Any bets on how long it will be before he goes back to proclaiming that the election was stolen from him? I'll put my money on a late-night twitter meltdown this weekend.

 

[Angry Floof]

The coup is over. Biden has now been officially declared the winner of the electoral college vote. Trumpo the clown has admitted defeat via an aide's tweet account and announced he will vacate the White House for Biden come January 20. In two weeks, Biden is president and it is a done deal.

And then the mob members who vandalized the capitol buildings will be hunted down and arrested, one by one. And we will have to start taking names of the GOP morons in Congress who played a big role in this failed coup and make sure they are not forgotten for all of this in 2022 during re-election time.

They'll continue to be a threat for a while to come. Trump is still spouting the "stolen election" bullshit. Plus, law enforcement across the country is deeply infested with right wing extremism.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

The video at this Twitter link seems to show Capitol police deliberately retreating to allow the Deplorables pass a barricade. What's with that?

I don't know, but I think we should note some things. There's a guy or maybe more than one guy behind the police, one with the phone and the other is waving the people his way. There's also people already past the barrier, but adjacent to this guy along another path who apparently already got past barriers. It is kind of silly that people are behind a barrier if they can just walk around the side with the other people. I think this needs to be investigated so we can understand the context. One thing I heard is that the police had given up to retreat inside. Then once inside was breached, some gave up ground again to move directly closer to the elected officials to protect them. I don't know if that is actually true because of some videos I saw online has police hanging out with the rioters and so this should be investigated thoroughly.