1/6 Insurrection Investigation

[Rick Plant]

House probe will hold public hearings in 2022 detailing Jan. 6 Capitol riot and Trump White House response ‘in vivid color,’ Liz Cheney says

The House panel investigating the Capitol riot aims to hold lengthy public hearings next year detailing “in vivid color” the events of Jan. 6, including in former President Donald Trump’s White House.

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney said the select committee aims to conduct “multiple weeks of public hearings” sometime in 2022, a year of crucial midterm elections.

Less than a day earlier, the panel voted to advance contempt proceedings for ex-Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark over his alleged defiance of a subpoena.

The House panel investigating the deadly invasion of the U.S. Capitol aims to hold lengthy public hearings next year detailing “in vivid color” the events of Jan. 6, both at the Capitol and in former President Donald Trump’s White House, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said Thursday.

Cheney, the vice chair of the select committee and one of its two Republican members, said the panel aims to conduct “multiple weeks of public hearings” sometime in 2022, a year of crucial midterm elections where the GOP hopes to retake majority control of at least one chamber of Congress.

Those hearings will lay out “exactly what happened every minute of the day on Jan. 6 here at the Capitol and at the White House and what led to that violent attack,” Cheney said in a House Rules Committee hearing.

Cheney revealed the plans less than a day after the select committee voted to advance contempt proceedings for former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark over his alleged defiance of a subpoena for documents and testimony.

The investigators on Wednesday evening unanimously voted for a report recommending that the House hold Clark in contempt. Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said Thursday morning that his panel would not yet rule on that report, because Clark was being given another chance to appear before the investigators on Saturday.

Clark is the second Trump associate to be accused of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with the committee’s subpoenas. The first, former White House senior advisor Steve Bannon, was held in contempt by the House and subsequently indicted on two criminal counts by a federal grand jury. He has pleaded not guilty.

Cheney’s consistent denouncements of Trump over the Capitol riot, and her participation in the Jan. 6 committee itself, have made her a target of criticism from the former president and from many of her Republican colleagues.

Cheney was stripped of her leadership role after she refused to stop criticizing Trump for spreading the false conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was rigged against him.

Hundreds of Trump’s supporters, many of whom claimed they wanted to reverse President Joe Biden’s victory in the election, stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and forced Congress into hiding.

Trump has never conceded to Biden, and continues to spread baseless conspiracy theories about election fraud even as he hints he may run for president again in 2024. Trump was impeached in the House for inciting the attempted insurrection, but he was acquitted in the Senate where 60 votes are required for conviction.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/02/jan-6-probe-will-detail-capitol-riot-and-trump-white-house-response-in-public-hearings.html


Cheney warns of consequences for Trump in dealings with Jan. 6 committee

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the vice chairwoman of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, suggested Wednesday that former President Trump could be held responsible for any falsehoods exchanged with the panel.

“President Trump continues to make the same false claims about a stolen election with which he has misled millions of Americans. These are the same claims he knows provoked violence in the past. He has recently suggested that he wants to debate members of this committee,” Cheney said.

“This committee's investigation into the violent assault on our Capitol on Jan. 6 is not a game. When this committee convenes hearings, witnesses will be called to testify under oath. Any communications Mr. Trump has with this committee will be under oath. And if he persists in lying, then he will be accountable under the laws of this great nation and subject to criminal penalties for every false word he speaks.”

Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) previously said “no one is off limits” when asked if the committee may eventually subpoena Trump.

Cheney’s comments came at a business meeting where the panel forwarded its second referral for criminal contempt to the full House, in this case for Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who was central to Trump’s efforts to pressure the department to act on his baseless claims of voter fraud.

If Trump, like Clark, failed to appear before the committee following a subpoena, a contempt report would detail all the exchanges between him and his attorneys and committee staff. If he appeared, he could face charges if he lied to congressional investigators. It’s the same charge his confidant Roger Stone, now also subpoenaed by the committee, faced before being pardoned by Trump.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/583933-cheney-warns-of-consequences-for-trump-in-dealings-with-jan-6

[Rick Plant]

These MAGA lowlifes think of themselves as "Patriots". There is nothing "patriotic" about these right wing domestic terrorists.   

Recently arrested Capitol rioter texted with Proud Boys leader -- a signal of broader coordination



Federal court documents allege that one of two men recently arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol communicated in advance with a Proud Boys leader, pointing to a wider organizational footprint in the execution of the effort to overwhelm the Capitol and prevent transfer of the presidency from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.

Ronald Loehrke, 30, was arrested today in Cummings, Ga. and charged with obstruction of law enforcement, unlawful entry on restricted buildings and grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to the government. James Haffner, 53, was arrested in South Dakota on Wednesday, on the same complaint. He faced the same charges, along with an additional charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.

The two men marched with the Proud Boys and were part of the mob that overwhelmed US Capitol police officers during the initial breach at the northwest pedestrian path. The government alleges that shortly after the crowd broke through the police line, Loehrke helped another rioter over the barricade and then waved protesters towards the Capitol. As thousands of rioters surged over a toppled fence, a statement of offenses in the case alleges that Loehrke and Haffner made their way to a line of officers equipped with riot gear at the west plaza outside the Capitol.

According to the document, Loehrke chastised the other rioters for allowing themselves to be “stopped by twenty-five officers.”

“Don’t back down, patriots!” Loehrke reportedly shouted while Haffner stood nearby. “The whole f***ing world is watching. Stand the f**k up today!”

The statement of offense indicates that Loehrke and Haffner then made their way to the east side of the Capitol, potentially indicating a broader coordinated strategy to breach the building from multiple sides. Several members of the Proud Boys, who are charged with conspiracy, ascended the scaffolding stairs.

Another Proud Boy, Dominic Pezzola, who has been indicted along with two others in a separate conspiracy case, used a stolen police shield to break out a window, allowing the first wave of rioters to enter the building.

The statement of offense in support of the charges against Loehrke and Haffner includes text messages exchanged in late December 2020 between Loehrke and Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean that hint at a coordinated plan for Jan. 6 extending beyond the Proud Boys.

A Seattle-area leader of the Proud Boys, Nordean was propelled to fame within the organization when he delivered a knockout punch to a left-wing counter-protester during a 2018 protest in Portland, Ore. On Jan. 6, 2021, Nordean led the Proud Boys march, along with Joe Biggs. Nordean, Biggs and two other Proud Boys leaders are charged together in a separate conspiracy case.

The government alleges that Nordean texted Loehrke, whose number was saved in his cell phone as “Ron (Lisa’s friend),” on Dec. 27, 2020, asking if Loerke was coming to Washington, DC. Loehrke, who also lived in Seattle at the time, responded affirmatively. The government alleges that Nordean then texted Loehrke to tell him that he wanted him “on the front line” with him, and Loehrke responded that he planned to bring three “bad mother f***ers” with him.

Two photos included in the statement of offense show Loehrke at the Washington Monument, where the Proud Boys mustered before marching to the Capitol. Biggs is pictured in both photos and Lohrke can be seen shaking hands with a third unidentified individual.

After diverging from the larger Proud Boys group and heading towards the east side of the Capitol, the statement of offense alleges that Loehrke and Haffner dismantled three sets of barricades. After dragging aside the third set, the government alleges that Loehrke encouraged the other rioters by saying words to the effect of, “Let’s go! Get in there!”

The government alleges that the two men ascended the east stairs and as they stood a few rows back from the mob attempting to break through the Columbus Doors, Haffner sprayed an aerosol substance at the Capitol police officers. Soon after, the rioters breached the doors, and Haffner and Loehrke followed them in.

Inside the Capitol, the government alleges that Loehrke engaged in a confrontation with a Capitol police officer, citing a Getty Images photograph, and made it inside of Sen. Jeff Merkley’s office.

https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-riot-arrests-2655919505/

[Rick Plant]

Prosecutors say Capitol rioter who traveled to DC with guns 'sought to remove Pelosi'



Prosecutors say a Capitol rioter who brought a gun to D.C. on Jan. 6 was targeting both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, CNN reports.

Guy Reffitt, who is a member of the Texas Three Percenter militia, "specifically targeted at least two lawmakers -- the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and then-Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell -- whom he sought to physically remove or displace from the Capitol building," according to a filing from prosecutors.

Court documents say Reffitt drove to D.C. with an AR-15 and a handgun in his car. When he entered Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, he was wearing body armor, carrying his handgun, and had plastic handcuffs.

Reffitt made headlines in October when his son spoke publicly about how his dad threatened family members with death if they turned him in to the FBI.

https://www.rawstory.com/guy-reffitt-2655918472/

[Rick Plant]

LA man allegedly ran chat forum to advocate violence, collected weapons for Capitol riot

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- A Los Angeles man accused of joining the Jan. 6 Capitol breach in Washington, D.C., was arrested on charges of conspiracy and other crimes, according to the Department of Justice.

Edward Badalian, 27, of Los Angeles, was charged in an indictment with conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, tampering with documents or proceedings, and other offenses, prosecutors said. The indictment was unsealed Monday in the District of Columbia.

Badalian was arrested Nov. 17 in Los Angeles and was arraigned Nov. 23 in the District of Columbia.

Badalian is charged along with Daniel Rodriguez, 39, of Fontana. Rodriguez was indicted in March on charges including the assault of Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone. He was subsequently charged with conspiracy along with Badalian. Rodriguez has been in custody since his arrest on March 31, according to prosecutors.

According to the indictment, Badalian, Rodriguez and others created a Telegram group chat in fall 2020 called the Patriots 45 MAGA Gang and used it to advocate violence against groups and individuals that either supported the 2020 presidential election results, supported what the group perceived as liberal, or communist ideologies, or held positions of authority in government,'' according to the Department of Justice said.

Prosecutors contend the defendants conspired to stall the congressional certification of the presidential election results, and they collected weapons and tactical gear and stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

In the 10 months since Jan. 6, more than 675 individuals have been arrested for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including 210 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

https://abc7.com/jan-6-capitol-riot-insurrection-edward-badalian-officer-michael-fanone/11286586/

[Rick Plant]

'Absolute liars': Mike Flynn's brother implicated in Army coverup of Jan. 6 failures in scathing memo



A former National Guard official issued a scathing 36-page memo accusing Michael Flynn's brother and another U.S. Army general of lying to Congress about the military response to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Col. Earl Matthews, who served in the National Security Council and Pentagon during Donald Trump's administration, ripped the Defense Department's inspector general for what he calls an erroneous report that protects a top Army official who delayed sending the National Guard to the U.S. Capitol, reported Politico.

“Every leader in the D.C. Guard wanted to respond and knew they could respond to the riot at the seat of government,” Matthews' memo reads. "[Instead, D.C. guard officials sat] stunned watching in the Armory" as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.

Matthews sent the memo to the House select committee earlier this month, and provided detailed recollections of the response to the riot by Gen. Charles Flynn, who served as deputy chief of staff for operations on Jan. 6, and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, the director of Army staff -- who he called “absolute and unmitigated liars” for their own accounts of that day in congressional testimony.

The memo accuses both Flynn and Piatt of lying about their response to requests for the D.C. Guard to be quickly sent to help police at the Capitol, and claims the Pentagon inspector general issued a report last month that was “replete with factual inaccuracies,” and he said the Army was trying to rewrite history with a document that's “worthy of the best Stalinist or North Korea propagandist.”

Matthews, who now serves in the Army reserves, has publicly called for the inspector general to retract the Jan. 6 report, which he described as "inaccurate" and "sloppy work."

“Our Army has never failed us and did not do so on January 6, 2021,” Matthews told Politico. “However, occasionally some of our Army leaders have failed us and they did so on January 6th. Then they lied about it and tried to cover it up. They tried to smear a good man and to erase history.”

https://www.rawstory.com/charles-flynn-jan-6/

[Rick Plant]

'We all know they're lying!' Morning Joe busts Pentagon 'coverup' of Trump links to Jan. 6 riot

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough reacted to the latest bombshell revelations about the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Col. Earl Matthews, a D.C. National Guard official at the time, issued a scathing 36-page memo accusing Gen. Charles Flynn, who served as deputy chief of staff for operations on Jan. 6, and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, the director of Army staff, of lying to Congress about their response to the U.S. Capitol riot -- and the "Morning Joe" host said investigators must unravel the coordination between Donald Trump's White House and the Pentagon on that day.

"It's more important to know what happened between the White House and the Pentagon," Scarborough said. "Why was there such delay? Why didn't the National Guard get moving? We all know Donald Trump, the commander in chief, was loving what he was seeing. We all know he gutted the Pentagon and he had fired a lot of the top people there. There were not a lot of independent thinkers at the Pentagon at that time."

The late Colin Powell appeared on the program shortly after the insurrection and told the hosts that he was baffled by inaction as the riot unfolded, but Scarborough said even civilian observers could see the response was woefully inadequate.

"I am no expert in what's going on at the Pentagon, obviously none of us are Colin Powell, but anybody that saw what happened that morning and now is hearing the Pentagon saying, 'Nothing to see here, move along, move along' -- we all know they're lying. We all know they're covering up. We need a tick-tock, a second-by-second accounting of where the Pentagon was, why they were dragging to their feet, why they let our Capitol, why Trump's leaders inside the Pentagon and why the commander in chief himself, why did they let our Capitol get ransacked and ravaged, torn to shreds excrement spread on the walls -- the people's house defiled."

"We understand Donald Trump enjoyed the show," he added. "I'm just curious what was happening inside the Pentagon."

https://www.rawstory.com/pentagon-jan-6/

[Rick Plant]

Marc Short's cooperation could be a game-changer for Capitol riot probe: former FBI deputy director



On CNN Monday, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe weighed in on the news that Marc Short, a longtime top aide of former Vice President Mike Pence, is cooperating with the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack.

"You can't overstate the value of having a prominent, connected Republican acknowledging the ought authority of the committee and doing the right thing," said McCabe, who was previously targeted for retaliation by the Trump administration. "To the extent that other witnesses are looking for some sort of a sign as to how to respond to subpoenas they may receive, the example of Marc Short might be very influential."

"Let's remember," McCabe added, "we're not putting on a case for trial. No one is being prosecuted here. The committee is trying to construct a narrative of what happened. They don't need every person who was in attendance at every interesting meeting. They just need one. With Marc Short, they now have a key witness who was in some key events. This might open up a lot of information."

Watch below:

[Rick Plant]

Capitol riot committee scores what could be a 'pivotal witness' who 'is not loyal to Trump': CNN legal analyst



Marc Short, the former chief of staff of former Vice President Mike Pence, is now reportedly cooperating with the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riots, and CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said that could be a major breakthrough in the probe.

Appearing on Erin Burnett's show Monday, Honig explained how Short could deliver damning new information about Trump's actions leading up to and during the January 6th riots.

"Marc Short could really be a pivotal witness," he said. "Here's what we know about him: He is completely loyal to Mike Pence. He is, importantly, not loyal necessarily to Donald Trump. He's spoken publicly critically about Donald Trump for his role on January 6th."

Honig then outlined some crucial pieces of information Short could give to the committee.

"First, that January 4th meeting... in the Oval Office," he said. "I mean, let's not lose sight of how important that is. Donald Trump and this lawyer, John Eastman are trying to pressure Mike Pence... And then, key moments on January 6th, he is with Mike Pence."

Honig finished up by predicting Short could make "a big difference" in the committee's findings.

Watch the video below:

Former Pence chief of staff cooperating with January 6 Committee as probe gains 'momentum'



On Monday's edition of CNN's "The Situation Room," correspondent Jamie Gangel broke down the significance of former Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short cooperating with the House January 6 Committee.

"We learned the committee subpoenaed Marc Short a few weeks ago, but unlike some other Trump officials, he is not fighting the subpoena," said Gangel. "Short's cooperation ... is a significant development because he is a firsthand witness to many critical events. He was with Mike Pence at the Capitol on January 6th. He was also in the Oval Office on January 4th when former President Trump tried to convince Pence not to certify the election results."

She then suggested that Short's cooperation could open the door to more Pence loyalists testifying at the committee.

"Our sources say that Short's assistance signals a greater openness among Pence's inner circle, with one source telling me the committee is getting, quote, 'significant cooperation with Team Pence,' and another source telling me that Short's help is an example of the momentum the investigation is having behind the scenes," continued Gangel. "I do think it's important for context to remember this: Short is considered one of Pence's most loyal aides. He has worked with him off and on for more than a decade. It is hard to imagine that Marc Short would cooperate with the committee without Pence's blessing."

"That's really an important point, Jamie," said anchor Wolf Blitzer. "Why is Short's cooperation as a result so, so significant?"

"We've heard a lot about Trump officials, allies of Trump claiming executive privilege or saying they'll take the fifth," said Gangel. "This marks a significant break for the committee, because Marc Short is a firsthand witness and he's willing to cooperate, according to our sources. He knows firsthand what was going on in the days leading up to January 6th. He knows what happened at the Capitol on January 6th. It's hard not to imagine that Marc Short, who was then chief of staff to Mike Pence, he's there in the Capitol, was not calling or texting someone like Mark Meadows ,who was chief of staff to Donald Trump, when the riot was going on."

"He is likely to be able to provide information about conversations, phone calls, texts that were going on in real time on January 6," added Gangel. "Just as one example, he may be able to tell the committee what the communication was when they were reaching out, trying to find out why did it take so long for Trump to come out and tell the rioters to stop."

Watch below: