Two sources, according to their story, revealed that Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) were all present on "dozens" of calls with organizers of the group. [Additionally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was mentioned prominently by the organizer.]
Katrina Pierson was also named by them a "liaison" between the White House and the rally organizers. Mark Meadows was cited as someone who also aided the group.
The former president also spoke to the group, saying that they were going to march to the U.S. Capitol and tell the members of Congress that they needed to hand [him] the election. He promised that he would lead them and walk with them, but that never happened.
Shouldn't expulsion from Congress be expected at the very least?
Juliette Kayyem offers concise advice:Mark Meadows, just three words: call your lawyer.
Update (December 14): A slew of text messages to and from Mark Meadows shows the White House was fully aware of the extent of the insurrection at the Capitol and chose to do nothing in violation of 18 U.S. Code § 1505:
Whoever corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication influences, obstructs, or impedes or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of the law ... shall be fined ... imprisoned ... or both.
Also, Jon Skolnik summarizes the growing mountain of documents related to the coup attempt.
So far, the evidence suggests that [Fuckface] and his allies coordinated a far-reaching campaign of lies – spanning multiple agencies and branches – to cast doubt over the results of President Biden's win.
Update (December 15): Heather Digby Parton calls it a bad week for von Clownstick.
[W]hen you look at the evidence it's clear that [Fuckface] spent weeks planning to [obstruct an official proceeding] and when his followers resorted to violence to accomplish it, he sat on his hands for hours and watched them do it.
I am not particularly optimistic that any of these cases will come to fruition. But [Dear Leader] and his henchmen are feeling the heat right now for what his long-time fixer Michael Cohen always calls "his dirty deeds" and maybe that's the best we can hope for.
Update (January 2, 2022): Representative Liz Cheney argues Dear Leader could be charged with dereliction of duty.
The [Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol] has firsthand testimony now that [Fuckface] was sitting in the dining room next to the Oval Office watching the attack on television as the assault on the Capitol occurred.
[He] could have at any moment walked [a] few steps into the briefing room, gone on live television and told his supporters who were assaulting the Capitol to stop, he could have told them to stand down, he could have told them to go home and he failed to do so.
Update (January 4, 2022): Barbara McQuade explains a range of possibilities:
There is a crime making it illegal to corruptly impede or obstruct an official proceeding, which includes proceedings before Congress. If [Fuckface] had the power to stop that riot from happening and to permit the vote to go forward, his failure to do that could be that effort to corruptly obstruct the official proceeding.
I think we could also look at conspiracy to defraud the United States — that just means trying to impede the normal functioning of government — all the way up to seditious conspiracy, which is a conspiracy to oppose by force the authority of the United States.
I think all of those potential crimes are in play.
Update (March 6, 2022): U.S. District Court Judge David Carter dismissed John Eastman's claim of attorney-client privilege for withholding emails that may implicate Dear Leader in crimes. Chair Bennie Thompson and Co-chair Liz Cheney had argued that the Select Committee "has a good-faith basis for concluding that the [former] President and members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States".
We believe evidence in our possession justifies review of these documents. The facts we've gathered strongly suggest that Dr. Eastman's emails may show that he helped [Fuckface von Clownstick] advance a corrupt scheme to obstruct the counting of electoral college ballots and a conspiracy to impede the transfer of power.
Did Manbaby really believe the election was fraudulent? According to testimony from Richard Donoghue, the former guy's reaction when confronted with the lack of evidence was to ask
If I do this, what do I have to lose?
Update (March 10, 2022): Amanda Marcotte says the conviction of Guy Reffitt on five felony charges is a good start.
[P]olling and focus group data show there's a massive mushy middle of Americans who don't approve of January 6, but also have been impacted by right-wing propaganda so they don't understand how coordinated, purposeful, and violent the insurrection actually was.
[I]f the DOJ wants these charges to stick, they would be wise to prosecute [Dear Leader]. Otherwise, he has a very good chance of installing himself as president and issuing the mass pardons he has already promised. If only to save their own work product, the DOJ needs to seriously consider charging [Fuckface] for some of his many, many crimes. A public record is nice. Actual consequences for trying to overthrow democracy are better.
Update (March 29, 2022): Judge Carter rules that Eastman must turn over documents to the Select Committee.
Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that [Fuckface von Clownstick] corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021.
Meanwhile, there are details about coordination between Senator Ted Cruz and John Eastman as well as the revelation of a 7 hour 37 minute gap in White House phone records for January 6.
Update (March 30, 2022): At least one phone call from the White House was made during that seven hour gap in the call log. That is a violation of the Presidential Records Act.
Update (April 11, 2022): Representative Liz Cheney says the Select Committee has enough evidence to refer Dear Leader for criminal charges.
I think what we have seen is a massive and well organized and well-planned effort that used multiple tools to try to overturn an election.
[Those involved in planning the events of Jan. 6] knew that they were going to attempt to use violence to stop the transfer of power.
That is the definition of an insurrection.
Chauncey DeVega, in an interview with Hugo Lowell, also summarizes the Committee's findings.
The attack on the Capitol by thousands of [von Clownstick's] followers on Jan. 6, 2021, was not a spontaneous or random event. We now know from Department of Justice filings and other evidence — and what may be the most documented crime scene in American history — that the attack was wholly predictable if not premeditated, and that the goal of [his] followers, which included various right-wing paramilitary groups, was to stop the certification of the election in Joe Biden's favor. In total, the Capitol assault was an integral part of the plot to keep [Fuckface] in power.
Lowell adds:
I believe that [von Clownstick] knew by mid-December. His operatives were putting together a plan, or several plans, to put him back in office. He knew by the start of January about the plan to violate the Electoral Count Act, which was unlawful, and to have Pence insert himself into the certification process to return him the presidency. In total, [the former guy] knew weeks before Jan. 6 the broad brushstrokes of what was going to happen. Closer to Jan. 6, I also believe that [Fuckface] knew of the violence or the potential disruption by force of the certification. I do believe that the committee has reached that conclusion.
[W]hat everyone has to remember is that [Dear Leader] lost the election. [He] wanted to return to office at any cost. If it meant the end of democracy, it meant the end of democracy. That's small change to [him]. He doesn't care.
Update (April 27, 2022): Heather Digby Parton summarizes the accummulating evidence.
We know that [Fuckface] went to great lengths in the days and weeks after the election to bully, coerce, strong arm and intimidate local and state officials in all the battleground states to illegally overturn the election results.
Throughout this period, various conspiracy nuts, hucksters, crackpots and grifters were running in and out of the White House with ludicrous schemes, pushing conspiracy theories.
GOP leadership knew exactly what [the former guy] did that day and there was a moment in time when they thought it was the end of him — and they were happy about it.
We know everything we need to know. There can be no more doubt in anyone's mind who is paying attention that a coup was plotted and very nearly successful. The only question is if enough people care that American democracy is on life support to keep the people who planned it (or stood by while it was happening) from regaining power in spite of it.
And Amanda Marcotte notes that the fascist cult knows they are lying.
It's telling how right-wingers will ping pong from one conspiracy theory to another, depending entirely on whether it's useful in the moment, and indifferent to whether or not it flatly contradicts the lie they were claiming to believe five minutes ago. ... Being wrong never bothers them, because they think concepts like "true" and "false" have no value at all.
[L]ike their leaders, the Republican base simply doesn't care what's true and, frankly, finds truth to be an annoying obstacle on their way to power. So they're happy to do their part to lay waste to the idea that truth has any value at all.
Truth simply doesn't matter to [Dear Leader] and his followers. All that matters is power, and they will say or do whatever it takes to get it.
