Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Rick Plant]

Special Grand Jury Convenes To Investigate Whether Trump Broke Law

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[Rick Plant]

Donald Trump's Jan. 6 Actions Qualify as 'Treason': Glenn Kirschner



Former U.S. Army prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said he believes what former President Donald Trump did on January 6, 2021, "qualifies as treason."

Hundreds of Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol a little over 15 months ago in an apparent effort to disrupt the formal certification of President Joe Biden's Electoral College victory in a joint-session of Congress. Their attack came directly after Trump told them at a nearby Washington, D.C. rally to walk to the Capitol and "fight like hell" to save their country, following months of lying about the 2020 election results.

Kirschner, who now works as a legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC News, gave an overview and assessment of recent remarks by Representative Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat serving on the commission investigating the January 6 assault, outlining the next steps for the House select committee. Raskin described Trump's actions as "a coup organized by the president against the vice president and against the Congress in order to overturn the 2020 presidential election," in an interview with Reuters, Climate One and The Guardian.

Emphasizing that Raskin worked as a constitutional law professor at American University prior to his election to Congress, Kirschner described the Democratic lawmaker as a "trustworthy politician" and a "dedicated public servant" in a video uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday. He pointed out that the congressman states, "Donald Trump launched a coup."

"We know he did," the legal expert continued. "I would even go so far as to say that what Donald Trump did qualifies as treason." Kirschner then laid out how treason is defined by federal law.

8 U.S. Code § 2381 states: "Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States."

Kirschner contended that "we know" Trump "inspired," "encouraged" and "incited" his supporters to attack the Capitol. "We know he launched the attack by telling his angry mob that he had whipped up" to march to the Capitol and to "fight like hell." The legal expert said, based on reporting, that "we know" members of Trump's administration and family members urged him to "call off the attack and condemn the violence," but he did not.

"Why? Because he wanted to violently stop the transfer of presidential power," Kirschner said. "Now, friends, that sure sounds like someone who is levying war against the United States."

Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson for comment. The former president has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with January 6. He continues to claim that the 2020 election was "rigged" or "stolen," arguing that the election results should have been overturned by his former vice president, Mike Pence.

Trump has repeatedly slammed the House select committee investigating the events of January 6 and the related effort to prevent the certification of Biden's win. The former president argues that the probe is politically motivated and intended to prevent him from seeking another White House term in the future, if he chooses to do so. He has rejected the committee's two Republican members — Representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — saying he no longer views them as part of the GOP.

Amid the attack on the Capitol, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California reportedly spoke with Trump by phone to urge him to call off his supporters. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Washington Republican, said that Trump responded to McCarthy by saying, "Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are."

Beutler joined Kinzinger, Cheney and seven other GOP representatives, along with Democrats, a week after the violence in voting to impeach Trump for inciting his supporters to carry out the attack. Trump has condemned the 10 House Republicans who backed his impeachment, endorsing primary challengers to most of them. Four of those GOP lawmakers have decided not to seek reelection.

Despite Trump's and many of his allies' claims, no evidence has emerged corroborating allegations that the last presidential election was fraudulent. Dozens of election challenge lawsuits filed by the former president and his supporters failed in state and federal courts. Even Trump-appointed judges dismissed the allegations. Audits and recounts across the country, including in states where the election was overseen by pro-Trump Republicans, have consistently reaffirmed Biden's win.

Former Attorney General William Barr, who was widely viewed as one of Trump's most loyal Cabinet members, has said repeatedly that there is "no evidence" to support claims of widespread voter fraud being behind Trump's loss. Barr wrote in his memoir published in March that he told the former president directly to his face that the claims were "bulls**t."

Raskin said in his interview this week that Pence "saved" the U.S. from Trump's "coup attempt" on January 6. He said investigators would lay out their findings in public hearings in May.

"We're going to tell the whole story of everything that happened. There was a violent insurrection and an attempted coup and we were saved by Mike Pence's refusal to go along with that plan," the congressman explained.

Trump and other allies urged Pence, who oversaw the joint-session of Congress, to reject the electors from several key swing states on January 6. However, Pence and most constitutional scholars assessed that such an action would be counter to the U.S. Constitution. Trump attacked Pence for not having "the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution" in a January 6, 2021, Twitter post.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trumps-jan-6-actions-qualify-treason-glenn-kirschner-1699800

[Rick Plant]

GOP lawmakers plotted with White House to prevent Joe Biden from taking office: Mark Meadows aide



According to a report from Politico, a late court filing on Friday showed that a former aide to ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has pointed the finger at multiple GOP lawmakers who were strategizing with Donald Trump's administration on ways to keep Joe Biden from assuming the presidency.

Friday the House select committee investigating the Jan 6th insurrection made a filing that included a deposition from Cassidy Hutchinson that included names of lawmakers who were "frequently present in meetings" regarding overturning the election as well as discussions about how to "replace the leadership of the Justice Department with figures who would sow doubts about the legitimacy of the election."

Politico's Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu reported, "Lawmakers who attended meetings, in person or by phone, included Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and numerous members of the House Freedom Caucus."

According to the report, "The new evidence underscores the expansive cast of elected Republicans who had ultimately enlisted themselves in Trump’s last-ditch effort to cling to power. Members traded theories about ways to push then-Vice President Mike Pence to single-handedly stop Biden’s election, they parried with the White House Counsel’s Office on the boundaries of the law regarding presidential electors, and they met directly with Pence’s staff to encourage him to take direct action on Jan. 6, when Congress convened to count electoral votes."

According to Hutchinson, "They felt that he had the authority to — pardon me if my phrasing isn’t correct on this, but — send votes back to the States or the electors back to the States."

"Some of the GOP lawmakers were present in December meetings, Hutchinson recalled, when members of the White House Counsel’s Office raised significant legal doubts about a plan for pro-Trump activists to submit 'alternate' electors in states won by Joe Biden," Politico's Cheney and Wu reported, adding, "Others attended a Dec. 21 meeting where Rudy Giuliani, then the president’s personal lawyer, and some associates advocated a plan for Pence to unilaterally refuse to count Biden’s electors and instead send the election back to various GOP-controlled state legislatures to replace Biden’s electors with Trump’s."

You can read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/22/gop-lawmakers-deeply-involved-in-trump-plans-to-overturn-election-new-evidence-suggests-00027340

[Rick Plant]

These people are absolutely nuts and this is Donnie's hardcore base who all believe he is "the chosen one".

'God speaks to us': Trump rallygoer explains that Princess Diana is still alive



In a video posted to Twitter, a fan of Donald Trump -- as evidenced by her hot pink "Women for Trump" hat -- told a reporter for Right Side Broadcasting that both Princess Diana and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis are both still alive.

The unidentified woman, attending an Ohio rally where the former president will reportedly boost the candidacy of "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, was questioned about her t-shirt and then went into an elaborate explanation about why Jackie O and Princess Di still walk among us.

Pointing at the pictures screened on her shirt, which also appeared to include Melania Trump, she stated, "Living, living and we know living, ruling the world and you don't take down evil by being quiet, by being silent, right?"

"People need to understand who they are. Do they look like them today? No," she added.

Pressed on evidence that they are still alive, she continued, "Well, you know God speaks to us, right? There's ways that we can figure these things out. So people start learning, ABC, 1-2-3, which Michael Jackson talked about how many years ago, right?"

Watch video below:

"Woman at Trump rally explains why she believes Princess Diana and Jackie O are still alive.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1517907237288689669

[Rick Plant]

NY AG Letitia James asks court to slap Trump with contempt due to 'intransigence and subterfuge'



A hearing has been set for Monday morning to decide if Donald Trump should be held in contempt for not complying with a court order allowing New York investigators access to three mobile devices and multiple document storage sites containing information sought by the state.

According to a report from CBS, lawyers for the former president will be forced to explain why he missed a March 31 deadline to turn over subpoenaed material.

Graham Cates of CBS wrote that a late Friday filing from the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Trump of ignoring the court and urged the judge to "coerce" the former president to comply.

"The Court should put an end to Mr. Trump's intransigence and subterfuge," investigating attorneys wrote in the Friday evening filing.

Earlier in the week, Trump attorney Alina Habba claimed that "Trump's eponymous company may have the documents being sought, but Trump himself does not."

That brought a rebuke from James who stated "that Trump cannot 'pass off' responsibility for complying with the subpoena to his company."

Cates of CBS adds, "Investigators have identified, but not received subpoenaed data from, three mobile devices belonging to Trump, two of which are personal and one of which is a company-issued phone, according to the filing. They are also waiting for documents from specific Trump Organization locations, such as "the files located in cabinets outside Mr. Trump's office," 'the storage room by Mr. Trump's office,' 'the Executive Office storage closet' and 'the file cabinets located on the 25th and 26th floors.'"


New York Attorney General Letitia James says contempt order needed because of "Trump's intransigence"

New York Attorney General Letitia James urged a judge Friday to "coerce" former President Donald Trump into complying with a subpoena demanding searches of three of his mobile devices and multiple document storage sites.

Trump failed to meet a court-ordered March 31 deadline to turn over subpoenaed material, claiming he had none of the documents demanded by James' office as part of its investigation into his company's financial practices. A week later, James asked the judge overseeing her office's investigation to issue a contempt citation and fine Trump $10,000 per day until he complied with the subpoena.

"The Court should put an end to Mr. Trump's intransigence and subterfuge," attorneys working for James wrote in the Friday evening filing.

Trump attorney Alina Habba said in a filing Tuesday that Trump's eponymous company may have the documents being sought, but Trump himself does not.

The attorney general said Friday that Trump cannot "pass off" responsibility for complying with the subpoena to his company.

Investigators have identified, but not received subpoenaed data from, three mobile devices belonging to Trump, two of which are personal and one of which is a company-issued phone, according to the filing. They are also waiting for documents from specific Trump Organization locations, such as "the files located in cabinets outside Mr. Trump's office," "the storage room by Mr. Trump's office," "the Executive Office storage closet" and "the file cabinets located on the 25th and 26th floors."

Trump and two of his children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, were ordered on February 17 to appear for depositions in James' long-running civil fraud probe. They appealed the order to appear, but did not challenge a separate part of that ruling in which Trump was ordered to comply with a subpoena "seeking documents and information."

The judge ordered Trump to comply with the demand for documents and information by March 3, and later extended that deadline to March 31 — a date that was agreed to by both sides at the time, according to a court documents.

James' office claimed in a February press release that its wide-ranging investigation has collected evidence "showing that Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization used fraudulent and misleading financial statements to obtain economic benefit." The initial focus of the probe was on whether the Trump Organization inflated the valuations of assets while seeking loans and insurance coverage, and deflated their value to reduce tax liability. 

Trump and his company have repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing. An attorney for Trump did not immediately return a request for comment. In Tuesday's filing, Habba said the contempt request was "utterly bereft of merit."

A hearing on the contempt motion is scheduled for Monday.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-contempt-orderletitia-james-new-york-attorney-general/

[Rick Plant]

Trump is facing humiliation as his effort to dethrone Brian Kemp 'fizzles out in embarrassment'



Donald Trump's efforts to punish Gov. Brian Kemp for refusing to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia could set the former president up for humiliation as former Sen. David Perdue's campaign fails to gain traction, according to a new analysis.

"Now, as the May 24 primary draws near, this Republican battle royale has turned out to be as bitterly personal as expected. That much was clear at a debate between the two men on Sunday night, which ended up being a bare-knuckled brawl over the 2020 election. Perdue blamed Kemp for his and Trump’s losses—and Kemp called him 'weak' for trying to avoid accountability for his humiliating loss," Daily Beast congressional correspondent Sam Brodey wrote. "What wasn’t expected, however, is what Kemp carefully alluded to in Louisville: the possibility that Perdue’s much-hyped challenge fizzles out in embarrassment."

Brodey noted there has not been a single poll showing Perdue leading Kemp, even though Trump held a rally with Perdue in March and also campaigned against Kemp at a rally in September.

"If Kemp successfully vanquishes Perdue, the win might have implications that extend far beyond this spring’s primary, which has become a litmus test for the future of the GOP," Brody explained. "For one, it shows that even the most devoted Republicans simply aren’t making decisions based on Trump’s endorsements or his fixation on the 2020 election—a potential boon to Republican leaders who have been urging candidates nationwide to focus on Democrats’ handling of the economy and COVID instead."

Trump has threatened his MAGA base will sit out the midterms if his candidate loses the primary, meaning a victory by Kemp could strategically position Democrat Stacey Abrams for victory.

Trump has worried of a "humiliating experience" if Kemp wins the primary.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-georgia-gop-revenge-plot-against-brian-kemp-is-backfiring

[Rick Plant]

Evangelicals and 'Christian righteousness' power Trump's delusions of election fraud: NYT



As Donald Trump continues to lie about the 2020 election he lost, his conspiracy theories are finding a home in some white, Evangelical churches, The New York Times reported Sunday.

"Evangelical churches have long been powerful vehicles for grass-roots activism and influence on the American right, mobilized around issues like abortion and gay marriage. Now, some of those churches have embraced a new cause: promoting Donald J. Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen," the newspaper reported. "They have opened their church doors to speakers promoting discredited theories about overturning President Joe Biden’s victory and lent a veneer of spiritual authority to activists who often wrap themselves in the language of Christian righteousness. For these church leaders, Trump’s narrative of the 2020 election has become a prominent strain in an apocalyptic vision of the left running amok."

Trump repeatedly pushed his "big lie" of election fraud at a Saturday rally with J.D. Vance in Ohio.

"Still, surveys show that the belief in a fraudulent election retains a firm hold on white evangelical churchgoers overall, Mr. Trump’s most loyal constituency in 2020. A poll released in November by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 60 percent of white evangelical respondents continued to believe that the election was stolen — a far higher share than other Christian groups of any race," the newspaper reported. "Shortly after the election was called for Mr. Biden, Paula White, a Florida televangelist who served as the White House faith adviser during Mr. Trump’s presidency, led a prayer service in which she and others called upon God to overturn the election."

One prominent evangelical pastor has ties to Jan. 6.

"Greg Locke, a preacher who leads the Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tenn., spoke alongside Alex Jones of Infowars at a 'Rally for Revival' demonstration in Washington the night before the Jan. 6 attack. Mr. Locke offered a prayer for the Proud Boys, the violent far-right group, and for Enrique Tarrio, the organization’s leader who has since been indicted on charges of conspiracy for his role in the Capitol insurrection," the newspaper reported. "Mr. Locke — whose congregation is relatively small, but who claims a social media audience in the millions — is one of more than a dozen pastors who have appeared onstage at the ReAwaken America Tour: a traveling roadshow that has featured far-right Republican politicians, anti-vaccine activists, election conspiracists and Trumpworld personalities, including Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a central figure in the effort to overturn the election in late 2020."

At a rally earlier this month in Michigan, the opening prayer was given by a preacher claiming, "Father in heaven, we firmly believe that Donald J. Trump is current and true president of the United States."

Right Wing Watch
@RightWingWatch

Thousands of Christian nationalists gathered at Oral Roberts University Thursday night for an special "Flashpoint" broadcast that featured multiple rants about how the 2020 election was supposedly stolen from Trump, such as this one from host Gene Bailey. https://bit.ly/3L49yp0

https://twitter.com/i/status/1517579190345912320

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/25/us/politics/evangelical-churches-trump-election.html