1/6 Insurrection Investigation

[Rick Plant]

Here are the witnesses appearing before the second Jan. 6 committee on Monday

The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on Congress revealed Sunday evening the full list of witnesses that will appear on Monday morning at 10 a.m. EST.

Former Donald Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien was one of those known to be testifying under oath, but the committee has also disclosed that former Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt will also give testimony. Stirewalt was fired by Fox after calling Arizona for Joe Biden on Election Night. The longtime numbers guy drew fire from the former president for the call, and kicked off a years-long feud between Trump and the network.

The others to appear before the committee include election lawyer Benjamin Ginsberg, BJay Pak -- the former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia-- and Al Schmidt, the former City Commissioner of Philadelphia.

Ginsberg has represented the Republican Party and GOP candidates as a lawyer. He's also one of the veteran Republican legal experts willing to come forward and call Trump out as a liar. In 2016, Trump's campaign hired Ginsberg's law firm Jones Day, but by 2020 his frustration with the former president took a turn.

Months before the election, Ginsberg retired from the law firm and penned an op-ed in the Washington Post taking aim at Trump's urging that his followers in North Carolina vote twice in the election. This call to his supporters came after Trump had been claiming that the 2020 election would be "rigged" and "fraudulent."

Byung “BJay” Pak previously served in the Justice Department but he mysteriously quit before the Jan. 6 attack. According to his account, Trump was furious that there wasn't an investigation into the 2020 election. A 2021 report cited Pak saying that he thought Trump was going to fire him anyway in a major shakeup at the Justice Department. The evidence has suggested that Trump was attempting to change the leadership at the DOJ so that he could get government support to either change the election results or begin an investigation that would stall the inauguration of Joe Biden.

Former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt was a common Trump target in 2020.

Schmidt appeared on CNN weeks after the election and amid Trump's claim of fraud saying, "I think people should be mindful that there are bad actors who are lying to them." His reference was to Donald Trump.

According to Trump, Schmidt was "being used big time by the Fake News Media to explain how honest things were with respect to the Election in Philadelphia. He refuses to look at the mountain of corruption & dishonesty. We win!"

Trump has also alleged Schmidt, who now works for a good governance group, was “a disaster on the massive election fraud and irregularities which took place in Philadelphia, one of the most corrupt election places in the United States."

https://www.rawstory.com/january-6-witnesses/

[Rick Plant]

Experts debate evidence the Jan. 6 committee will reveal in next hearing: 'Even the gravest crime looks provable'



Day two of the public hearings begin Monday morning for the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on Congress and the attempts to overthrow the election.

The committee has confirmed the witnesses for the hearing, which reveals that their focus will likely be on President Donald Trump's false allegations that the 2020 election was fraudulent. According to the witness list, they are all Republicans, and all but one of them publicly claimed that the election wasn't fake or fraudulent.

Glenn Kirschner @glennkirschner2
Given this lineup of witnesses, tomorrow’s J6 hearing promises to bring lots of revelations about Trump’s crimes. Things are moving in the right direction, IMO.

Legal experts and political pundits gave their predictions and how they expect in the hearing on Monday. Others, however, debated what the committee has already shown and how it reflects on the Justice Department.

Some legal analysts claimed that the committee has already proven that Trump broke the law and asked why the Justice Department isn't jumping in right away. Others applied their experience to say that the DOJ should be working on its own investigation and not relying on Congress.

It has been mere weeks since the Justice Department asked the House Select Committee for the transcripts of their interviews. This could be because the DOJ is using the information to supplement their own probe, or it could be to fact-check witnesses they're questioning outside of the congressional investigation.

Political activists generally continued their call for prosecutions at the top. This weekend a group of militia members was arrested alleging they were about to carry out a terrorist plot at an LGBTQ+ pride march. The increase in domestic terrorism didn't begin with Jan. 6, 2021, but it's an attack that folks compare to those that have followed.

See some of the commentary below:

Steven Beschloss @StevenBeschloss
I get there are people—good people—who worry that prosecuting Trump will lead to civil unrest and violence. But not prosecuting him will hasten the demise of democracy. Prosecute the guilty.

Daniel Goldman @danielsgoldman
In my view, the criminal case is stronger against Trump for conspiring to impair the lawful function of govt — which focuses on the 7-part plan to overturn the election — than obstructing Congress or seditious conspiracy, both of which center on January 6. https://nytimes.com/2022/06/11/us/politics/jan-6-prosecute-trump.html

Laurence Tribe @tribelaw
I agree with @danielsgoldman that proving Trump conspired to overturn the election poses no serious problems for DOJ—while seditious conspiracy is less of a slam dunk. But even that gravest federal crime (short of treason)already looks provable to me. I’m confident DOJ is on it.

Harry Litman @harrylitman
Look for more damning evidence against Trump from his own people tomorrow inc his campaign manager and his US attorney in Georgia, who was fired for not endorsing the big lie. Imagining the killer cross-examination if Trump or a surrogate ever were to assert the kool aid defense.

Elizabeth de la Vega @Delavegalaw
We still need to talk more about Roger Stone wrt January 6. Stone talked with Trump at Mar A Lago on December 27, the day told Trump told Acting AG Jeffrey Rosen in a group phone call, "Just say the election was corrupt [and] leave the rest to me.”

Cheri Jacobus @CheriJacobus   
Roger Stone was pardoned and his sentence commuted by Trump in exchange for him using that freedom to plan and orchestrate the January 6 insurrection, pipe bombs, guns stashed away in Virginia until Trump called for martial law.  Trump knew. He was fine with Pence being hanged.

https://www.rawstory.com/january-6-committee-expectations/

[Rick Plant]

Jan 5, 2021

[Rick Plant]

Jan. 6 Committee to show proof GOP lawmakers sought Trump pardon for insurrection

The House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riots will reveal proof of one of the panel's most explosive claims about their Republican colleagues.

The first public hearing about the Jan. 6 insurrection revealed GOP lawmakers had sought pardons from Donald Trump for their efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but committee members said they would provide proof of those allegations during Monday's hearing, reported the Washington Post.

“We will show the evidence that we have that members of Congress were seeking pardons,” said Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-CA). “To me, I think that is some of the most compelling evidence of a consciousness of guilt. Why would members do that if they felt that their involvement in this plot to overturn the election was somehow appropriate?”

Multiple GOP lawmakers sought pardons from Trump during his final weeks in office, according to the committee, and panelists said they had proof.

"We're not going to make accusations or say things without proof or evidence backing it," said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).

https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-pardon-2657500003/

[Rick Plant]

WATCH LIVE TODAY AT 10AM EASTERN TIME: House select committee holds second hearing on Jan 6th insurrection

On Monday morning the House select committee investigating the Jan 6th insurrection will convene once more on national television where it is expected to provide more evidence that Donald Trump spread misinformation about the 2020 presidential election that led to the attack.

Tuesday's witnesses will reportedly include former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, fired Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt, and GOP elections attorney Ben Ginsberg.

According to Politico, "The select committee says it intends to show that many of the people who joined that mob had been inundated by those messages from Trump and his allies, which may have contributed to their radicalization."

The report also notes that Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) will take a more prominent role in making the presentation.

The third hearing -- of the six scheduled will take place on Wednesday morning 6/15, with the fourth on Thursday, also in the morning.

Watch Live Below:

[Rick Plant]

Jan. 6 panel hearing: In video, Bill Barr calls Trump's election claims 'detached from reality'
https://www.npr.org/live-updates/capitol-insurrection-hearing-2022-06-13

[Rick Plant]

Donald Trump knew he was lying about "election fraud". Lock him up!

Most damaging mens rea evidence so far.

Trump knew in advance and on Election Night of the "Red Mirage" - creating false impression he was winning.

Trump nonetheless used mirage to tell his supporters the election was being stolen.

Bill Stepien under oath
Bill Barr under oath

Aaron Rupar @atrupar
Barr and Stepien in their depositions both acknowledged that everyone understood the early election night returns would be positive for Trump but the situation would change as mail votes were tallied.

Watch Video:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1536368018443616256