1/6 Insurrection Investigation

[Rick Plant]

Good! Should have gotten a longer sentence.

Proud Boys supporter who vowed Dem senator would be 'swinging with the fish' gets 3 years in prison



On Friday, BuzzFeed News reported that a Proud Boys supporter who issued violent threats against elected officials including Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) has been sentenced to 33 months in prison.

"Eduard Florea used the social media app Parler to issue the threats against elected officials, trying to gather others to join him before the Jan. 6 insurrection, when a mob of supporters of then-president Donald Trump stormed the Capitol," reported Salvador Hernandez.

The report cited a social media post dated January 5th in which Florea said "'Warnock is going to have a hard time casting votes for communist policies when he's swinging with the f***ing fish... It's time to unleash some violence."

Florea ultimately did not travel to the Capitol himself on January 6, but pleaded guilty in August to transmitting threats. He was also convicted of illegally possessing ammunition, having been banned from doing so after a 2013 felony conviction.

"At a court hearing following his arrest, a prosecutor said Florea had told the FBI he'd applied to join the white nationalist group Proud Boys, the New York Times reported," Hernandez wrote. "He posted online using an account with the handle LoneWolfWar to issue the threatening messages."

The Proud Boys, a self-described "Western Chauvinist" group known for their violent street brawls, have been heavily implicated in the Capitol attack, with members involved at the incident. They have been subpoenaed for information by the House committee investigating the attack, along with the far-right paramilitary group the Oath Keepers.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/proud-boy-threats-sentencing-florea


Jan. 6 investigators eye role of 'foreign adversaries' in Capitol insurrection

A House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection may soon hire new staff members to examine the possible role of foreign adversaries in former president Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The committee, which already has about 40 staff members, is also considering whether to hire additional investigators to help analyze "the vast amount of information that Mr. Trump’s supporters posted on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Parler and YouTube in the weeks before and after the attack," the New York Times reported Friday.

"These digital footprints could help congressional investigators connect players and events, or bring to light details that witnesses might not know or remember," the NYT reported.

In addition to further scrutinizing the social media information, the committee reportedly wants "to understand whether foreign governments were able to exploit and deepen social divisions created by Mr. Trump’s refusal to concede his election loss."

"Foreign adversaries have long tried to damage America’s national security interests by exacerbating social unrest and polarization," the newspaper reported. "The committee has also discussed examining whether foreign adversaries had any other connections to the assault on Congress, according to a person briefed on that part of the inquiry."

Read the full story:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/17/us/politics/january-6-committee-capitol-riot.html


Trump's coup accomplices have been exposed -- and they're sitting in Congress



Around this time one year ago, Donald Trump was leaning heavily on the Justice Department (DOJ) to help him overturn the presidential election. According to notes taken by top DOJ official Richard Donoghue, after attorney general Bill Barr had abruptly skedaddled out of town before the proverbial manure hit the fan, the president called up the newly installed acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen and told him "just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen."

That Nixonian "request" was denied by Rosen, since it would have been a bald-faced lie but as we later learned, the White House was also plotting with an obscure DOJ lawyer named Jeffrey Clark to put the heat on Rosen to squeeze state election officials in states Trump claimed without evidence had been stolen from him. Rosen was told that Trump planned for Clark to replace him if he didn't comply but Rosen resisted and Trump backed off after his own White House counsel convinced him that there would be mass resignations at the DOJ if he followed through. Other than one congressman from Pennsylvania, a Republican by the name of Scott Perry who had reportedly called up Donoghue to threaten him into doing Clark's bidding, until now we didn't know exactly who the "R. Congressmen" were. Now The New York Times reports that Trump's accomplices were none other than the members of the House's far-right Freedom Caucus.

The Times names Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona, Louis Gohmert of Texas, Mo Brooks of Alabama and Pennsylvania's Perry, who is described by the Times as the coordinator of the plans to replace the attorney general with the compliant Clark. They all worked closely with one of the original founders of the Freedom Caucus, Mark Meadows, the former North Carolina congressman who served as Trump's chief of staff.

The Times reports on a previously unknown meeting that took place shortly after the election which included Jordan, Perry and Meadows along with White House adviser Stephen Miller, Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Jordan claims it was purely a media strategy meeting. But when it comes to The Big Lie, that amounts to a strategy to overturn the election. Everything flowed from that. These Freedom Caucus members were all over TV spreading falsehoods about voter fraud. They pressured Republican officials and ran around chasing rumors of foreign interference. And after Barr announced that the DOJ had found no evidence of fraud, they smeared the FBI and the DOJ in the press. That's when they turned their full attention to overturning the election, focusing on January 6th.

Gohmert sued vice president Mike Pence to force him to nullify the election. (The case was thrown out of court.) Perry forwarded a letter from some Pennsylvania state legislators to Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader in the House, asking them to delay the certification which they had no authority to do.

And they met personally with the president to make plans to "stop the sedition."

And now we know from the Times' reporting that the PowerPoint coup plot was forwarded to Meadows by none other than Jim Jordan --- who Trump awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom after the insurrection. (That would be the same Jim Jordan who Kevin McCarthy had the chutzpah to attempt to install on the Jan. 6th Committee.)

The "R. Congressmen" were up to their necks in coup plots. But that's not surprising. If anyone had told me five years ago that we'd have an attempted coup in America I would have assumed that the Freedom Caucus would be involved. They've been practicing for years on their own party.

When the Freedom Caucus was formed in 2015, Mark Meadows was one of its founding members. So was Mick Mulvaney, another former Trump chief of staff, and current Florida Governor Ron Desantis among others, like Jordan. They presented themselves as dedicated to fiscal conservatism and re-establishing congressional prerogatives but from the start it was clear that their prime directive was to make the GOP leadership miserable and drive Democrats to drink.

Meadows went even beyond the caucus at times, unintentionally showing the way forward. He challenged then House Speaker John Boehner's leadership by deploying an obscure procedure that hadn't been used since 1910. It failed, but it riled up the right-wing media and the base in a way that only Trump has since mastered. With their in-your-face extremism they managed to create so much chaos in the GOP caucus that House Speaker John Boehner was eventually forced out.

They refused to vote for his assumed successor, Kevin McCarthy of California, helping to doom his candidacy and instead they got Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan, an up and coming conservative superstar who had run for Vice President on the ticket with Mitt Romney in 2012. Ryan was considered one of their own at the time, although he wasn't a formal member of the Freedom Caucus. But that didn't really work out all that well either. They made Ryan's life hell too and he ended up quitting politics altogether in 2018.

The truth is that the Freedom Caucus has been running the House Republican caucus in a reign of terror for over half a decade now and if they manage to take the majority in 2022, Kevin McCarthy is likely to have a big fight on his hands. He's never been one of them and despite his desperate attempts to ingratiate himself with Trump, the Freedom Caucus is going to want to put a homeboy in charge for real. That person is almost surely going to be Jim Jordan, the man who helped Mark Meadows plot the attempted coup.

These people have been fighting a guerilla war against their own party for years and were the perfect choice to be Trump's personal henchmen. In many ways they paved the way for his mafioso style of governance. And you can bet that as Trump goes around the country wreaking revenge on all those who betrayed him over the next few years, the Freedom Caucus will be right there with him. When it comes to stabbing fellow Republicans in the back, they are professionals.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-s-coup-accomplices-have-been-exposed-and-they-re-sitting-in-congress/

[Rick Plant]

'Stop the Steal' organizer fingered the GOP lawmakers he communicated with to House riot committee



According to a report from Politico, Ali Alexander -- one of the principles behind the "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol -- has handed over names of Republican Party lawmakers he was in communication with prior to the events on Jan 6th.

The report notes Alexander revealed the names in the lawsuit he filed attempting to block the House committee from accessing his phone records.

The report notes that, in the late Friday court filing, Alexander admits he had "a few phone conversations" with Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and engaged in a "text exchange with Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL)."

Politico reports that Alexander also implicated Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) saying he was in contact in person “and never by phone, to the best of his recollection,” according to his lawyers.

According to Politico's Kyle Cheney, "Alexander’s testimony underscores the degree to which the select committee continues to probe the roles of their Republican colleagues in efforts to promote former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud — and their potential support for fringe figures who helped gather people in Washington on Jan. 6, the day Congress was required to certify the 2020 election results."

He adds, "The panel hasn’t formally requested testimony from any of the GOP lawmakers yet but has continued to ask witnesses about Gosar, Biggs, Brooks and Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), who helped push a strategy to use the Department of Justice to promote the fraud claims."

The report also adds that Alexander was in contact with Trump campaign official Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is also the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., on the morning of the insurrection, but that it was just a courtesy call where she thanked him for organizing the rally.

Read More Here:

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/18/stop-the-steal-founder-jan-6-committee-gop-lawmakers-525345

[Rick Plant]

Kinzinger: It's 'possible' some GOP colleagues are responsible for Jan. 6 attack
He said the committee isn't ruling out issuing subpoenas to members of Congress

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said Sunday "it’s possible" some of his GOP colleagues in Congress are responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol but added he's not ready to "go to that point" yet, because he wants to "let the facts dictate it."

The Illinois Republican also revealed that the committee investigating the insurrection is not ruling out issuing subpoenas for sitting members of Congress.

"Nobody -- member of Congress, former president, nobody -- in America is above the law," Kinzinger told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl.

Kinzinger, who announced in October he will not seek reelection to Congress, was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump following the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and is one of two Republicans serving on the committee. He said the committee would subpoena Trump if they determine it’s necessary.

"Nobody should be above the law, but we also recognize we can get the information without him at this point, and, obviously, when you subpoena the former president, that comes with a whole kind of, you know, circus environment," Kinzinger said. "But if we need him, we'll do it."

Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on Tuesday night joined Democrats in the House in voting to hold Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, in contempt of Congress. Meadows defied a subpoena to appear for a deposition before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Prior to the vote, members of the committee unveiled text messages sent to Meadows during the attack on the Capitol, reading aloud texts from Republican lawmakers, Fox News personalities and the former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., that implored Meadows to get Trump to denounce the rioters. Rep Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was one of the GOP lawmakers whose texts to Meadows were revealed, his office confirmed.

The new messages were part of the approximately 9,000 documents Meadows turned over to the committee, before he reversed course and decided to not cooperate with the investigation. The House previously voted to hold Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena by the Jan. 6 committee.

Kinzinger said he’s "not sure" whether Meadows knew how damaging the text messages would be, but emphasized he had no choice given the committee's legal authority.

"I will tell you, yes, there are more texts out there we haven’t released," he added.

During debate on the House floor before the vote, Cheney emphasized the importance of Meadows' testimony. "Mr. Meadows' testimony will bear on another key question before this committee. Did Donald Trump through action or inaction corruptly seek to obstruct or impede Congress' official proceedings to count electoral votes?" Cheney said.

Karl pressed Kinzinger on the possibility of the Justice Department filing criminal charges based on what the committee finds, given that it is a crime to obstruct the official proceedings of Congress.

"Are you sending a message that the Justice Department should be prosecuting not just those that broke into the building on Jan. 6, but should be prosecuting Donald Trump himself or at least investigating that possibility?" Karl asked.

"I think investigating that possibility, for sure," Kinzinger responded. "Our committee is getting more information than law enforcement agencies and DOJ, because we’ve had the power and the ability to get that done."

"Whatever information we get will be public record, and the DOJ should take a look, particularly if there's criminal charges to be filed, because again, the big thing is as bad as it was on Jan. 6, there's really nothing in place to stop another one from happening again," he added. "If somebody broke the law, it is so essential that we send the message that you are not untouchable as president -- you're not untouchable as a former president."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday in an interview with Spectrum News he looks forward to seeing what the Jan. 6 committee finds in its probe, effectively endorsing the work of the commission after he had opposed its creation. "I think that what they're seeking to find out is something that public needs to know," McConnell said.

"That's not exactly what Kevin McCarthy, the leader over there in the House, is saying," Karl pointed out, alluding to the fact that the two GOP leaders in the House and Senate have juxtaposing views toward the investigation.

"Right," Kinzinger replied, laughing. "Look, I mean -- I got to tell you, so, you know, say what you want about Mitch McConnell. He obviously holds his cards very close. I think that was a very powerful statement and I appreciate it."

Kinzinger, who along with Cheney has faced harsh backlash for sitting on the committee, criticized McCarthy for not doing something similar.

"Kevin McCarthy, on the other hand, has not said a word about anything, except for that Donald Trump is probably the greatest president to ever exist," Kinzinger said. "Kevin McCarthy himself I think made Donald Trump relevant again when two weeks after Jan. 6 or so, he went back down to Mar-a-Lago and brought him back to political life by putting his arm around him and taking that picture and basically sending the signal to the rest of the Republicans that were pretty quiet at this moment, that we got to get back on the Trump train."

"He bears responsibility for that," he added. "I don't think history books are going to be kind to him."

Watch video in link below:
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kinzinger-gop-colleagues-responsible-jan-attack/story?id=81834432

[Rick Plant]

Judge ends Capitol rioter's hopes of getting out of jail early after watching violence-inciting video



Ryan Nichols, a Marine Corps veteran facing felony charges in connection with the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, has spent 11 months in pre-trial lockup at the DC Central Detention Facility.

By filing a motion for modification of bail to allow conditional release pending trial, Nichols forced the government to lay out evidence of his dangerousness to the American public, which reveals extensive advance coordination with other rioters and Nichols’ leadership role.

Explaining his decision from the bench on Monday evening, Judge Thomas F. Hogan said that Nichols’ calls for civil war, coordination with other rioters, violent conduct at the Capitol on Jan. 6, subsequent calls for future violence, and leadership role all weigh in favor of his continued detention.

Nichols and his codefendant, Alex Harkrider, have volunteered for hurricane rescue and disaster relief efforts, and Nichols’ lawyer argued before the court on Monday that Nichols’ preparations to travel from Texas to Washington DC in January 2021 were consistent with what they would do for a search-and-rescue mission.

Joseph McBride, Nichols’ lawyer, explained Nichols’ decision to bring steel-toe boots, GoPro camera, crowbar and chest plate as reasonable measures to protect himself from Black Lives Matter and Antifa as he attended the Save America Rally as a peaceful protester.

Judge Hogan indicated he was unimpressed with McBride’s characterization of his client.

“This was not a rescue mission,” Hogan said.

The judge dismissed McBride’s explanation that Nichols carried weapons and protective gear based on his experience volunteering for relief efforts in “high-crime areas,” saying, “There has been no Antifa identified as attacking individuals protesting the election.”

The government presented transcripts of Nichols’ GoPro video on Jan. 5 to show as evidence that his preparation efforts were geared towards law enforcement and lawmakers, not counter-protesters.

The videos reportedly show Nichols in a large crowd on Jan. 5 saying, “Cops don’t know what’s going on. Too many of us, not enough of them,” and later yelling, “Those people in [the] f***ing Capitol building are our enemy,” according to a motion filed by the government.

The video captures one of the men saying, “There’s gonna be a f***ing war tomorrow,” and then, “You can’t stop what’s coming tomorrow,” according to the motion.

“The night before when he walked the streets and told the police to watch out and be prepared for war, he was not talking about Antifa,” Hogan observed.

Nichols’ tirade on Facebook Live while marching from the Ellipse to the Capitol on Jan. 6 even more explicitly outlines his intentions.

Trump’s surrogates had promoted the legally unfounded idea that Vice President Mike Pence could intervene to prevent the certification of the electoral vote, stoking his supporters' hopes and then fueling their rage when Pence declined to go along with the plan.

“I’m hearing reports that Pence caved,” Nichols told his followers on Facebook. “I’m telling you if Pence caved, we’re gonna drag m****r***ers through the streets. You f***ing politicians are going to get f***ing dragged through the streets. Because we’re not going to have our election or our country stolen. If we find out you politicians voted for it, we’re going to drag your f***ing ass through the streets. Because it’s the second f***ing revolution and we’re f***ing done.”

In the video the government played in court on Monday, others in the crowd can be heard chanting in response: “USA! USA! USA!”

On Jan. 6, Nichols and Harkrider made their way to the front of a mob and attempted to break through a line of Metropolitan police officers guarding the tunnel entrance to the Capitol at the Lower West Terrace. The government accuses the defendants of taking a canister of pepper spray from another rioter and dispersing two blasts of spray at the line of officers.

Later, Nichols and Harkrider climbed through a broken window into a conference room and barricaded the doors with desks and chairs, according to the government. Then the two men exited the conference room, and Nichols allegedly took a bullhorn from another rioter and waved his crowbar as he gave a speech.

“They are talking about using lethal force against you,” Nichols told the other rioters.

“Get in the building!” he told them. “Get in the building!”

“This is not a peaceful protest,” Nichols continued. “If you have a weapon, you need to get your weapon!”

The government clinched its argument that Nichols’ pre-trial release would pose a danger to the American public by playing a Facebook Live video the defendant recorded at 8:13 p.m. on Jan. 6, following the mayhem at the Capitol.

“Yes, we are calling for violence at this point!” he said, referring to himself in third person. “So, if you want to know where Ryan Nichols stands, Ryan Nichols stands for violence! Ryan Nichols is done allowing his country to be stolen and I understand that the first revolutionary war, folks, it was violent. We had to be violent to take our country back. Well, guess what? The second revolutionary war — right now, the American revolutionary war that’s going on right now — it started today."

“It’s going to be violent,” he continued. “And yes, if you are asking is Ryan Nichols going to bring violence? Yes, Ryan Nichols is going to bring violence.”

The government deflected McBride’s argument that his client was just someone who heeded President Trump’s call to protest purportedly election fraud and got caught up in the moment.

As early as Nov. 20, 2020, according to the government, Nichols told friends on Facebook: “War is the answer to terrorism. Hope that democracy wins, because war will be next. The narrative is already set for civil unrest. What happens next will not be good for this country.”

On Dec. 24, he reportedly wrote: “Any Democrat found guilty of treason should be executed. Any Republican found guilty of treason should be VIOLENTLY executed!”

And on Dec. 28: “Pence better do the right thing, or we’re going to MAKE you do the right thing.” Again, on the same day: “The time for games is OVER. Patriots will be in Washington DC on Jan 6th! If Pence doesn’t do the right thing, WE FIGHT.”

The government also cited texts exchanged between Nichols and Harkrider in the run-up to Jan. 6 that show Nichols was coordinating with other groups that were preparing for events at the Capitol on the day of the electoral certification. Among them is a Dec. 14, 2020 text from Nichols telling Harkrider that he was considering joining the Proud Boys. Two days earlier, the Proud Boys had roamed the streets of downtown Washington DC attempting to provoke fights with counter-protesters and local residents following a pro-Trump rally. Nichols’ lawyer told the court on Monday that regardless of his intentions, his client didn’t wind up joining the Proud Boys, while Assistant US Attorney Luke Matthew Jones noted that there likely wouldn’t have been time to process his application.

Nichols is at least the second Texas Jan. 6 defendant who is alleged to have communicated with the Proud Boys in advance of the assault on the Capitol. While multiple sets of defendants have been charged with conspiracy within particular groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, to date the government has not alleged a conspiracy among members of the various groups.

Lucas Denney, founder of the Patriot Boys militia, is alleged to have told codefendant Donald Hazard on Dec. 25, 2020: “I’ve been in contact with a few different chapters, and they’re helping us with safe hotels to get.”

According to the charging document in his case, Denney made multiple references in private messages in late December 2020 and early January 2021 to coordinating with other militia “commanders” in advance of the assault on the Capitol.

“A lot of the presidents and commanders of militias like myself are meeting on the 5th to organize and plan,” Denney said, according to a Dec. 31 Facebook message cited by the government.

Nichols similarly was communicating with others on Zello, an app used by militias and volunteer first responders.

According to the government, Nichols sent Harkrider screenshots of Zello alerts with the headings “J6 & J20,” “STOPTHESTEAL operation,” “chat to debrief discuss and decide the #SavetheStealJ20 Intel Brief posted above” and “stand up boots online and boots on the ground rallypoint.”

“Are you ready bro?” Nichols asked Harkrider on Dec. 27. “1775 is about to go down in this bitch.”

Then, he added, “We’ve got front seat tickets to the REAL revolution.”

Denney had a similar message to an unidentified contact on Facebook on Jan. 5, according to the government: “Things are going to be happening here. Trump is going to be speaking to everyone Wed before everyone marches to the capital. Rumour has it that he may march with us. I’ll tell you more when you get here on where to be and what time so you have the best seats.”

https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-riot-hearing-2656078431/

[Rick Plant]

Here's how some Republican officials could end up with wire fraud charges: law professor



The House Select Committee on Jan. 6 revealed Monday that they are considering wire fraud charges for Republican officials who tried to make money off of the "Big Lie," the false allegation that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

Law professor Jennifer Taub, who penned "Big Dirty Money," explained on Twitter that 18 US Code 1341 and 1343, which made mail fraud and wire fraud a crime, could be applied in the cases of Republicans who lied in their fundraising solicits to get cash.

"Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication or interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both," says the wire fraud part of the law.

Taub also cited the recent New York Times report saying that it seems the committee is looking at possible criminal charges for not only former President Donald Trump but also for Republicans who pushed the false story.

"Whether there was wire fraud by Republicans who raised millions of dollars off assertions that the election was stolen, despite knowing the claims were not true; and whether Mr. Trump and his allies obstructed Congress by trying to stop the certification of electoral votes," said the Times.

While many Republicans used the "big lie" to cash in, it was Trump and the GOP that made the most.

The report goes on to say, “The committee is also examining whether there is enough evidence to make a wire fraud referral over how Mr. Trump’s campaign and the Republican Party raised $255.4 million from donors as he and his allies fund-raised off the false claim that the election had been stolen."

https://www.rawstory.com/some-republicans-wire-fraud/

[Rick Plant]

Judge scolds MAGA rioter's lawyer for spreading bogus claims that January 6th was an FBI false flag operation



United States District Court Judge Thomas Hogan on Monday admonished an attorney representing accused MAGA rioter Ryan Nichols for spreading false information about the FBI being behind the unrest that occurred at the United States Capitol on January 6th.

As reported by Politico's Kyle Cheney, Judge Hogan warned attorney Joseph McBride against peddling false claims about January 6th being a "false flag" operation in his court.

"We’re getting a false narrative being produced that’s not appropriate to be relied upon," Hogan told McBride. "I’m not going to rely on anything about that in this case."

McBride earlier this year went on Tucker Carlson's show and falsely claimed that a man wearing red face paint spotted at the Capitol riots was clearly a government official who deliberately stoked violence to entrap Trump supporters.

"He is clearly a law enforcement officer," McBride claimed.

In reality, as Huffington Post reported, the man in question is actually a big fan of Tucker Carlson.

"He is mainly known to St. Louis Cardinals fans as 'Rally Runner,' HuffPost has learned, and he sprints around the outside of Busch Stadium during home games," the publication wrote earlier this month. "Based on the man’s Facebook posts, he appears to have a fairly difficult life and has a tenuous relationship with reality. And he’s a huge Tucker Carlson fan."


Oath Keepers crash and burn as judge smacks down their ploy to dismiss MAGA riot charges

In a lengthy ruling on Monday, District Judge Amit Mehta of the District of Columbia rejected a push by seven members of the far-right paramilitary group the Oath Keepers to dismiss criminal charges against them relating to their participation in the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and with an individual violation of the same statute.

"Defendants move to dismiss Counts One and Two, raising a host of arguments why those counts are fatally deficient. The court is persuaded by none of their contentions," wrote Mehta. "In short, the court concludes that Counts One and Two state offenses that are encompassed by the plain text of section 1512(c)(2), and that section 1512(c)(2) is neither void for vagueness nor vague as applied to these Defendants. The charged offenses also do not run afoul of the First Amendment."



The Oath Keepers are a group consisting mainly of current or retired military or law enforcement, and swear an "oath" to uphold an extreme far-right interpretation of the Constitution, as well as refusing to follow orders or laws that conflict with this interpretation. They have been involved in a number of high-profile standoffs with the government, including the 2014 Bundy Ranch incident, and their members helped carry out the January 6 attack on the Capitol, with one member talking of "blood in the streets."

Reports indicate that some members have since turned on each other in the effort to secure plea deals with federal prosecutors.


'I'm calling for violence -- I will be violent!' Prosecutors play damning video of MAGA rioter during court hearing



Federal prosecutors on Monday played damning video of accused MAGA rioter Ryan Nichols while arguing that he should not be released ahead of his trial.

As reported by NBC 4 Washington's Scott MacFarlane, prosecutors played a video that was filmed in the immediate aftermath of the January 6th Capitol riots in which Nichols made about as explicit call for violence as it is possible to make.

"I'm calling for violence -- I will be violent!" Nichols said after the riots. "I've been peaceful and my vote didn't count."

Nichols also bragged about his role in temporarily stopping Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.

"We shut down the vote today because those coward ass politicians ran into the tunnels," he said, according to MacFarlane. "I've seen the last of you treasonous bastard politicians... give me liberty or give me death... I'm prepared to f***ing die for this. I took an oath against all enemies foreign or domestic. But I plan to have others die first."

Earlier in the hearing, Judge Hogan warned Nichols's attorney, Joseph McBride, against peddling false claims about January 6th being a "false flag" operation in his court.

McBride earlier this year went on Tucker Carlson's show and falsely claimed that a man wearing red face paint spotted at the Capitol riots was clearly a government official who deliberately stoked violence to entrap Trump supporters.

"He is clearly a law enforcement officer," McBride claimed.


Pentagon cracks down on extremism in its ranks: report

Following the Jan. 6 attack on the United Sates Capitol, the United States Department of Defense is taking action to weed out extremists from the ranks.

"Warning that extremism in the ranks is increasing, Pentagon officials are issuing detailed new rules prohibiting service members from actively engaging in extremist activities. The new guidelines come nearly a year after some current and former service members participated in the riot at the U.S. Capitol, triggering a broad department review," the AP reported.

Citing "senior defense officials," the AP reported, " new policy lays out in detail the banned activities, which range from advocating terrorism or supporting the overthrow of the government to fundraising or rallying on behalf of an extremist group or 'liking' or reposting extremist views on social media."

There are questions about the slow Pentagon response on Jan. 6.

"The military has long been aware of small numbers of white supremacists and other extremists among the troops. But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other leaders launched a broader campaign to root out extremism in the force after it became clear that military veterans and some current service members were present at the Jan. 6 insurrection," the AP reported.

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

[Rick Plant]

Here is what House investigators are looking for in Trump inner circle communications to prove sedition



Here is what House investigators are looking for in Trump inner circle communications to prove sedition

Writing for Above the Law, veteran attorney Mark Herrman attempted to explain what investigators working for the House Capitol riot committee are probably looking for as evidence of sedition in emails and texts turned over to the committee.

Noting that the written word can be a powerful weapon when seeking criminal indictments, Herrman wrote that lawyers are likely seeking out anyone who "may have encouraged or assisted the January 6 mob in the attack on the Capitol" in the documents as a way to make their case.

Rhetorically asking, "In all those communications, what are the words that will send someone to jail?" Herrman explained, "So long as people can honestly say that they thought Trump won the election, then it’s probably not sedition to try to move votes from Biden to Trump," before adding, "But, if you knew that Trump lost and still tried to change the election results, that’s a whole different matter."

"You knew that Trump lost, but nevertheless tried to change the election results. That’s criminal," he elaborated. "So long as a witness insists that the witness thought Trump had won, then it’s tricky to establish intent. But a document that acknowledges that Trump lost and nonetheless tries to interfere with an election result? Pack a toothbrush."

The attorney doesn't expect anyone to have made a formal admission that they were trying to steal the election. However, he cautioned, "I’ve seen an awful lot of stupid emails in my time."

"If I had to bet, I’d place about even odds on the public one day seeing a document that starts more or less with the incriminating words, 'Although I know that Trump lost the election …," he wrote before asserting, "The person who wrote those words will (for good reason) regret those words for eternity."


The Words Of Sedition That May Be Hidden In Trump Emails
In all those communications, what are the words that will send someone to jail?

Apparently, those close to President Donald Trump exchanged many emails analyzing how to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Some of those communications may have encouraged or assisted the January 6 mob in the attack on the Capitol. Other memos, PowerPoint decks, emails, and text messages all considered ways the vice president, members of Congress, state election officials, and others could move votes from the Biden column to the Trump column and thus change the result of the 2020 election.

In all those communications, what are the words that will send someone to jail?

So long as people can honestly say that they thought Trump won the election, then it’s probably not sedition to try to move votes from Biden to Trump. If you thought Trump actually won, then moving votes from one person to another is arguably simply trying to right a wrong — trying to fix the mistaken public impression that Biden won the 2020 election.

But, if you knew that Trump lost and still tried to change the election results, that’s a whole different matter. Thus, these are the words that could cost someone jail time:

“Although I know that Trump lost ….”

If you know that Trump lost and, with that knowledge, you assisted a mob, or tried to convince a state election official to change results, or tried to convince a member of Congress to vote to overturn the election results, or otherwise sought to interfere with the election, then you’re in trouble.

Knowledge lifts the facade: You knew that Trump lost, but nevertheless tried to change the election results.

That’s criminal.

Proving intent is a hard thing. So long as a witness insists that the witness thought Trump had won, then it’s tricky to establish intent. But a document that acknowledges that Trump lost and nonetheless tries to interfere with an election result? Pack a toothbrush.

Does a document exist that says, “Although I know that Trump lost, [I propose taking the following steps to overturn the result of the election]”?

I have no idea.

The January 6 Committee may now know the answer to this question, or the January 6 Committee may know that, to date, that terribly incriminating document has not yet surfaced.

(The January 6 Committee may also have seen a text message that says, for instance, “I don’t care whether or not Trump lost; either way, we should do the following things to overturn the apparent result of the election: ….”  Would that message merit jail time? Don’t ask me; that’s why we have juries.)

But an awful lot of people seem to have sent an awful lot of memos, and PowerPoint decks, and emails, and text messages trying to overturn the election results.

I suspect you won’t see language disclosing evil intent in a formal memo or a PowerPoint deck. One tends to scrub formal presentations before sending them out, so one would be a fool to leave in a formal presentation incriminating words that could send the author to prison.

But emails, text messages, and other electronic communications are far less formal than memos and presentation decks.

I’ve seen an awful lot of stupid emails in my time.

If I had to bet, I’d place about even odds on the public one day seeing a document that starts more or less with the incriminating words, “Although I know that Trump lost the election ….”

The person who wrote those words will (for good reason) regret those words for eternity.

https://abovethelaw.com/2021/12/the-words-of-sedition-that-may-be-hidden-in-trump-emails/