;)
The Commentariat -- January 9, 2021
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "President Trump urged Georgia's lead elections investigator to 'find the fraud' in a lengthy December phone call, saying the official would be a 'national hero,' according to an individual familiar with the call.... Trump placed the call to the investigations chief for the Georgia secretary of state's office shortly before Christmas -- while the individual was leading an inquiry into allegations of ballot fraud in Cobb County.... In late December, [Trump's chief-of-staff Mark] Meadows traveled to Cobb County to see for himself how the ballot-signature audit was proceeding.... Meadows was not allowed in the room where the audit was occurring..., but he was able to peer through the window of the door. Trump called the chief investigator the following day."
Anna Schecter of NBC News: "In the wake of Wednesday's riot at the Capitol, Trump supporters with extremist views feel emboldened and are vowing to return to Washington for the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, using online platforms to rally each other. 'Many of Us will return on January 19, 2021, carrying Our weapons, in support of Our nation's resolve, towhich [sic] the world will never forget!!! We will come in numbers that no standing army or police agency can match,' wrote a popular Parler user who frequently posts about QAnon, and is being tracked by the Anti-Defamation League.... 'Round 2 on January 20th. This time no mercy. I don't even care about keeping Trump in power. I care about war,' an anonymous person posted on the platform TheDonald.win, which is filled with comments posted by people who lauded those who rioted Wednesday as 'heroes.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: In answer to a reporter's question yesterday, Biden said he was not concerned about safety at his inauguration because (a) security will be managed by an entirely different entity: the Secret Service (as opposed to the Capitol Police), and (b) the event is classified a "special security event" which Trump's January 6 insurrection was not.
David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement: "Barely hours after Twitter permanently banned President Donald Trump's @realDonaldTrump account, Trump accessed a U.S. government account, posted tweets attacking the social media company, and threatened to create a start-up competitor platform. 'As I have been saying for a long time, Twitter has gone further and further in banning free speech, and tonight, Twitter employees have coordinated with the Democrats and Radical Left in removing my account from their platform, to silence me,' Trump tweeted from the @POTUS account, which some might say is an unlawful use of government resources and assets.... 'We will not be SILENCED!' Trump threatened." Twitter immediately deleted the tweets.
Rebecca Traister of New York interviews Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal: "We could hear the insurrectionists coming in. Then we saw the Speaker and the leadership being taken off the floor; there was a brief suspension of proceedings, but by then we were seeing all the social-media posts of what was happening outside.... Before we knew it, everyone on the floor below us had been removed, and ... we were still there. And it didn't look like anyone was coming to get us.... I don't know how long it was, maybe an hour and a half, until we were finally ushered out and taken down the stairs to a secure location.... I'm quarantining now because I am convinced that where we ended up, in the secured room -- where there were over 100 people and many were Republicans not wearing masks -- was a superspreader event.... The lack of security at the Capitol is not an accident. It is very clear to me that there were breaches of our law-enforcement agencies. The fact that there were no barriers, that they were essentially allowed in." --s MB: emphasis added. Firewalled (New York).
Catie Edmondson of the New York Times reports Little Lord FloutTheLaw Josh Hawley's response to becoming the Most Unpopular Senator (R-Kansas). "His fellow Republicans in the Senate lined up to blame Mr. Hawley for the riot. The editorial boards of major newspapers in Missouri accused him of having 'blood on his hands' and called on him to resign. His publisher canceled his book deal and his erstwhile mentor [-- former GOP Sen. John Danforth --] called his efforts to get Mr. Hawley elected to the Senate 'the biggest mistake I've ever made.'" My favorite part of Hawley's response: "The publisher Simon & Schuster said it was canceling publication of his book 'The Tyranny of Big Tech,' citing 'his role in what became a dangerous threat." Mr. Hawley responded with an angry statement that called his former publisher a 'woke mob' and described their decision as 'a direct assault on the First Amendment.'" Hawley has a law degree from Yale & was secretary of the state of Kansas. He knows damned well that a private publishing company cannot "assault the First Amendment."
"Don't Tread on Me". Travis Gettys of RawStory: "A woman who was reportedly trampled to death [link fixed] during a riot inside the U.S. Capitol was reportedly obsessed with the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to her friends and family. A photo shows that she carried a Gadsden 'don't tread on me' flag at a protest before the violent siege.... Rosanne Boyland, 34, was among four of ... Donald Trump's supporters who died Wednesday inside the Capitol" --s ~~~
~~~ Marie: Hmm. Ever since Wednesday night, news reports have cited three of the deaths that occurred during the Capitol insurrection as the results of "medical emergencies." I would not describe "trampled to death" as a "medical emergency" situation. Rather, I'd call it a homicide. BTW, I was going to get after safari for mocking the circumstances of the woman's death with that "Don't Tread on Me" headline -- till I read the second sentence he excerpted. Her death, it seems was both tragically & comically ironic.
Laura Strickler & Lisa Cavazuti of NBC: "An arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a national group representing the top law enforcement officers in their states, sent out robocalls encouraging people to march to the U.S. Capitol the day before the building was stormed by a pro-Trump mob. 'At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,' said the voice on the recording, which was obtained by NBC News." --s
Emily Jane Fox of Vanity Fair: "Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, have spent the past five years performing a mincing dance around reality, spinning their own parallel universe instead.... The weight of Wednesday's insurrection ... stopped that dance cold.... Wednesday's depravity and the couple's role in it officially made them radioactive.... Having any association with them suddenly became the more difficult option. 'People used to fear Trump's wrath,' another former friend of Ivanka's told me. 'Now they fear his affiliation. The stink of his family is nearly impossible to get off. How do you associate yourself with the worst, most toxic people in U.S. history?'" --s Firewalled. ~~~
~~~ Molly Jong-Fast writes a column in the Daily Beast titled, "The One Good Thing the MAGA Mobs Smashed? The Trump Kids" Futures." It's a members-only feature, so if you happen to be a "member," you can read more than the first two grafs.
David Folkenflik of NPR: "Fresh crises and fresh challenges confront the Trump-appointed CEO of the parent of Voice of America, even with less than two weeks left of the Trump presidency. To start, the Attorney General of the District of Columbia this week accused U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack of illegally funneling more than $4 million to his private documentary company through a not-for-profit that he also controls. Then, five recent chiefs of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - appointed under Democratic and Republican administrations - jointly warned President-elect Joe Biden that Pack poses 'a long-term threat to the credibility and professionalism of the five networks' he oversees. And now Pack is now being accused of trying to propagandize the Voice of America by a group of whistleblowers.... [MB: worst sentence ever published on NPR site] [Pack] has sought to outlast his time in office by burrowing himself and conservative allies into boards[.]" --s
Oregon. Sarah Polus of The Hill: "A video surfaced Friday night of Republican Oregon Rep. Mike Nearman pushing a door open as he exited the state Capitol, allowing protesters to enter the building as a legislative session was underway.... A stream of protesters are then seen entering the building before State Police force them out, resulting in a scuffle.... At the time of the breach, a coronavirus special session was underway inside the Capitol. Those who entered the building illegally, some carrying rifles, had been protesting the state's COVID-19 restrictions outside at the time[.]" --s
~~~~~~~~~~
Annie Linskey of the Washington Post: "President-elect Joe Biden, who campaigned on a promise to reach out to Republicans and unite the country, found himself Friday leading a party angrily bent on impeaching President Trump, forcing the resignation of GOP senators and making Republicans pay for their baseless challenge to the election results. Biden, speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Del., essentially offered a divided response, calling some Republicans 'shameful' and praising others for their 'enormous integrity.' He said his goal of bipartisanship is, if anything, more achievable after Wednesday's assault on the Capitol, citing Republicans like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who he said has talked to him in disgust about the rioters.... He sidestepped questions about a growing drive by House Democrats to impeach Trump, but he strongly suggested that Congress's time would be better spent tackling his agenda. 'What the Congress decides to do is for them to decide," Biden said. 'But they're going to have to be ready to hit the ground running.'" A Hill story is here.
The Last Days of the Mad Kaiser
Nicholas Fandos, et al., of New York Times: "Democrats laid the groundwork on Friday for impeaching President Trump a second time, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California threatened to bring him up on formal charges if he did not resign 'immediately' over his role in inciting a violent mob attack on the Capitol this week. The threat was part of an all-out effort by furious Democrats, backed by a handful of Republicans, to pressure Mr. Trump to leave office in disgrace after the hourslong siege by his supporters on Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Although he has only 12 days left in the White House, they argued he was a direct danger to the nation. Ms. Pelosi and other top Democratic leaders continued to press Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to wrest power from Mr. Trump, though Mr. Pence was said to be against it. The speaker urged Republican lawmakers to pressure the president to resign immediately. And she took the unusual step of calling Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss how to limit Mr. Trump's access to the nation's nuclear codes and then publicized it.... Behind closed doors, [Mr. Trump] made clear that he would not resign and expressed regret about releasing a video on Thursday committing to a peaceful transition of power and condemning the violence at the Capitol that he had egged on a day before." ~~~
~~~ Heather Caygle, et al., of Politico: "Pelosi has yet to make a final decision on how precisely Democrats will proceed, including whether to pursue a constitutional process that could remove Trump without impeachment. In a statement Friday evening, Pelosi again pressured Trump to resign his office but said Democrats would 'preserve every option' if he did not. 'I have instructed the Rules Committee to be prepared to move forward with Congressman Jamie Raskin's 25th Amendment legislation and a motion for impeachment,' Pelosi said. Top Democrats say privately there is broad consensus for impeachment next week in a caucus that remains deeply shaken, and House Democrats plan to introduce a formal resolution during Monday's pro forma session, though President-elect Joe Biden is less than enthusiastic about that specific option.... 'It's hard to exaggerate the culpability of this unhinged person,' Pelosi told Democrats on a private caucus call on Friday. 'We cannot empower him.'" ~~~
~~~ CNN: "House Democrats have circulated a draft of a new impeachment resolution against ... Donald Trump with one article of impeachment, 'incitement of insurrection.'" Contains reproduction of the draft resolution.
Kyle Cheney, et al., of Politico: "House Democrats are moving quickly toward impeaching ... Donald Trump as early next week, a reflection of the seething outrage that remains over his incitement of deadly riots inside the U.S. Capitol. Timing remains in flux and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to make a decision on exactly how to proceed including whether to pursue a constitutional process that could remove Trump without impeachment. Top Democrats are still in talks with all their members and will hold a caucus-wide call at noon. But they are expected to decide today on their next steps, according to several lawmakers and aides." The Washington Post's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Lisa Mascaro, et al., of the AP: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she has spoken to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about preventing ... Donald Trump from initiating military actions or a nuclear strike. Pelosi said in a statement to colleagues that she spoke with Gen. Mark Milley 'to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike.' She said, the situation of 'this unhinged President could not be more dangerous.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post: "... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is circulating a memo to Republican senators that outlines how a potential Senate trial would work for President Trump -- proceedings that would all but certainly occur after he leaves the White House. In the memo, obtained by The Washington Post, McConnell's office notes that the Senate will not reconvene for substantive business until Jan. 19, which means the earliest possible date that impeachment trial proceedings can begin in the Senate is the day before ... Joe Biden is inaugurated.... In effect, [procedural rules] make the matter of an impeachment trial an issue that will need to be taken up by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the incoming majority leader, in the first days of the Biden presidency -- a move that would almost certainly distract from the president-elect's immediate agenda...."
"On Jan. 19, the Senate would receive a message from the House that it has appointed impeachment managers, and that the Senate would be ready to receive it. On Jan. 19 or 20, the House impeachment managers would exhibit the articles. On Jan. 20 or 21, the Senate would proceed to consideration of the impeachment articles at 1 p.m., and officially begin the trial. McConnell';s memo noted that the 'Senate trial would therefore begin after President Trump's term has expired -- either one hour after its expiration on January 20, or twenty-five hours after its expiration on January 21." The Hill has a summary story here.
Murkowski: "I Want Him Out." James Brooks of the Anchorage Daily News: "U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday that Donald Trump should resign the presidency immediately and that if the Republican Party cannot separate itself from Trump, she isn't certain she has a future with the party. 'I want him to resign. I want him out. He has caused enough damage,' Murkowski, R-Alaska, said during an interview from her small Capitol office, step away from the Senate chambers that were invaded by pro-Trump rioters on Wednesday. 'I think he should leave. He said he's not going to show up. He's not going to appear at the inauguration. He hasn't been focused on what is going on with COVID. He's either been golfing or he's been inside the Oval Office fuming and throwing every single person who has been loyal and faithful to him under the bus, starting with the vice president. He doesn't want to stay there. He only wants to stay there for the title. He only wants to stay there for his ego. He needs to get out. He needs to do the good thing, but I don't think he's capable of doing a good thing,' she said. Murkowski said that while 'there may have been many, many, many, many good Americans who came to Washington, D.C., because they felt strongly in support of this president,' Trump incited them to storm the Capitol after a speech near the Washington Monument. Even before Election Day, the president refused to say whether he would accept the election results, Murkowski said, and then tried to overturn the results." ~~~
~~~ Michael Warren & Jamie Gangel of CNN: "A growing number of Republicans want ... Donald Trump to leave office before January 20, with some top lawmakers telling CNN they are considering supporting his impeachment. Two Republican members of Congress who are former Trump allies told CNN they would support impeachment against the President over his role in Wednesday's deadly attack on the US Capitol if the articles are reasonable.... One of the GOP lawmakers said the proceedings could be done quickly. 'We experienced the attack,' the member said. 'We don't need long hearings on what happened.'... Multiple Republican lawmakers on the Hill have told CNN they are done with Trump and hope he will leave office before the end of his term, either by his resignation, his removal via the 25th Amendment or by conviction in an impeachment trial."
** Death Knell for a Tyrant: Twitter Bans Trump. Forever. Cristiano Lima of Politico: "Twitter permanently suspended ... Donald Trump's account Friday, saying he had repeatedly violated its policies on glorification of violence. 'After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them -- specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter -- we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,' Twitter said in a statement Friday afternoon.... After his account was reactivated Thursday [following a temporary suspension], Trump tweeted out two messages saying his supporters 'will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form,' and announcing he would not attending President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Twitter cited those messages as motivating their decision to deactivate his account. 'These two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks,' the company said in its statement. It added the tweets violated its policy on glorification of violence." The Washington Post's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Gabby Orr, et al., of Politico: "The president is 'ballistic,' a senior administration official said after Twitter permanently took down his account, citing the possibility that it would be used in the final 12 days of Trump's presidency to incite violence. The official said Trump was 'scrambling to figure out what his options are.'... Trump entered office boasting of how he was the 'Hemingway of 140 characters' and crediting Twitter in particular for powering his political ascent. More than 56,000 tweets later, he leaves it amid a futile game of Whac-A-Mole with the tech moguls he despises, exiled to the outer provinces of the internet. If this is how Trump's presidency closes out, it will be a remarkable endnote." ~~~
~~~ Ben Collins & Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "Twitter on Friday removed the accounts of Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell and other high-profile supporters of ... Donald Trump who promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory. The permanent bans are among the highest profile that the company has instituted as part of its efforts to crack down on misinformation and calls for violence.... 'The accounts have been suspended in line with our policy on Coordinated Harmful Activity,' a Twitter spokesperson told NBC News." ~~~
~~~ Brian Fung of CNN: "Parler, the alternative social media platform popular with conservatives, has been banned from the Google Play Store, Google told CNN Business Friday evening. Google said its app store has long required that apps displaying user generated content have moderation policies in place to prevent the spread of violent rhetoric. 'We're aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the US,' a Google spokesperson said.... The decision marks a major blow to ... Donald Trump's supporters, many of whom have found a home on the Parler platform. But it does not completely deny them access to the app. Because Android allows for third-party app stores, Parler can still be hosted on app stores not operated by Google." ~~~
~~~ Ryan Mac & John Paczkowski of BuzzFeed News: "Apple has given Parler, the social network favored by conservatives and extremists, an ultimatum to implement a full moderation plan of its platform within the next 24 hours or face expulsion from the App store. In an email sent this morning and obtained by BuzzFeed News, Apple wrote to Parler's executives that there had been complaints that the service had been used to plan and coordinate the storming of the US Capitol by ... Donald Trump's supporters on Wednesday."
Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "A lawmaker from West Virginia [-- Derrick Evans --] and a man who broke into Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office and posed at her desk were among those arrested on charges related to the siege at the Capitol, federal law enforcement officials announced on Friday as they promised an exhaustive investigation into the violence. The authorities also found 11 Molotov cocktails and a semiautomatic rifle in the truck of a 70-year-old man from Alabama who was also arrested, according to prosecutors. He also had two handguns. Hundreds of prosecutors and F.B.I. agents have been assigned to work the investigation and were pursuing dozens of cases, Ken Kohl, a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, said in a briefing with reporters."
Online Detectives Out Terrorists. Jaclyn Peiser of the Washington Post: "While police and the FBI work to identify and arrest members of the mob, online detectives are also crowdsourcing information and doxing them -- exposing the rioters to criminal prosecution, but also more immediate action from their bosses. Since most of the rioters stormed the Capitol maskless, online detectives had a unique opportunity to easily identify them. And many made it even easier -- they live-streamed their participation and later bragged about their escapades."
Kyle Cheney, et al., of Politico: "A growing number of House Democrats say they're concerned that tactical decisions by some Capitol Police officers worsened Wednesday's riots and have raised the possibility that the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol might have had outside help.... On a 3.5-hour caucus call..., House Democrats on Friday demand[ed] an investigation not only into the decisions by the Capitol Police leadership but by some rank-and-file officers caught on camera. But the lawmakers also raised general concerns that the rioters had some sort of outside help not necessarily attributable to the Capitol's police corps. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) told his colleagues he thought the riots were 'an inside job,' according to two lawmakers on the call. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) mentioned that looters had found their way to his unmarked, third floor office and stole his iPad. He questioned how they could locate that office but not his clearly marked ceremonial office in Statuary Hall. Later, another Democrat on the call, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) specifically raised the question of possible collusion among some Capitol Police officers, according to several people listening. In that vein, House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) told a radio station that Democrats didn't know yet if the failures by Capitol Police were the result of 'poor planning or whether it was because there was certain kinds of infiltration.'"
Jordan Liles of Snopes: "In the wake of the deadly and unprecedented riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, several photographs showed pro-Trump members of the insurrectionist mob in the Senate chamber ... with what appeared to be zip-tie handcuffs, also called zip cuffs, plastic handcuffs, or flex cuffs.... Jim Bourg, a Reuters news pictures editor who was at the Capitol that day, tweeted that he heard at least three rioters say they 'hoped to find Vice President Mike Pence and execute him by hanging him from a Capitol Hill tree as a traitor.'... Donald Trump had negatively tweeted about Pence just prior to the riots, saying he lacked the 'courage' to overturn the election" Includes photos. MB: Bourg appeared on CNN late Friday and said that one of his colleagues saw rioters break into a box in the Capitol & take the zip-ties from the box, so he is not sure if insurrectionists brought any of the cuffs into the building.
Kelsie Smith & Travis Caldwell of CNN: "A horrifying video from Wednesday's Capitol riots showed an officer crushed between waves of a pro-Trump mob and officers defending the building. During the confrontation, captured on video by investigative outlet Status Coup, one officer was pinned between a door and the masses of people. At least one individual attempted to rip away the officer's mask while he was wedged, as he screamed in agony. The video panned over to the rioters, who chanted, 'Heave, ho! Heave, ho!' while pushing further into the entryway." Includes video, and yes, it's horrifying. The perps are Trump's "American patriots." YouTube also has the Status Coup video here.
Maura Judkis & Ellen McCarthy of the Washington Post: "A lot of things were broken to pieces, or pilfered, or defaced. Windows and door frames. The placard above House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's door. Camera equipment owned by the Associated Press. A photo of the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis.... The office of the Senate parliamentarian was ransacked. A bust of President Zachary Taylor was smeared with what appeared to be blood. Missing: Laptops from the offices of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Pelosi and others. Mail. Paperwork. Records that the Department of Justice.... Seven pieces of historically significant art were covered in 'corrosive gas agent residue,' according to a spokesperson for the Committee on House Administration.... 'On the West Front, the teams identified graffiti on the building near the Inaugural Stands and two broken Olmsted light fixtures,' said a spokeswoman for the Architect of the Capitol in an email. 'Statues, murals, historic benches and original shutters all suffered varying degrees of damage -- primarily from pepper spray accretions and residue from tear gas and fire extinguishers -- that will require cleaning and conservation.'" ~~~
~~~ Brad Reed of the Raw Story: "Congressional staffers were reportedly horrified to discover that supporters of ... Donald Trump defecated on the floors of the Capitol building and then tracked their feces around with them into offices. Sources within Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) office tell the New York Daily News that Trump fans who ransacked the Capitol on Wednesday 'smeared their extremist excrement around the building' and left behind brown 'footprints' that were later discovered by disgusted staffers."
Davey Alba of the New York Times: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Friday that there was no evidence that supporters of the antifa movement -- a loose collective of antifascist activists -- had participated in the pro-Trump mob that breached the Capitol building on Wednesday.... Since Wednesday, far-right activists and allies of the president have made the claim, often while presenting easily disproved evidence, that the rioters were made up of antifa supporters, not backers of President Trump. Among those pushing the falsehood were Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, who said while objecting to the electoral votes for Mr. Biden that people in the mob were 'in fact members of the violent terrorist group antifa.' Ken Paxton (ARRR), the attorney general of Texas, also said antifa was involved. But even President Trump acknowledged that the people who supported him -- not liberal activists -- had invaded the Capitol. At one point on Wednesday he told the mob, 'we love you.'"
Ben Collins & Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "A digital flyer made public on Instagram and Facebook in December made little secret of the ambitions of some of the people planning to visit Washington on Jan. 6: 'Operation Occupy the Capitol.' That call to arms is just one of the many warning signs on extremist sites and mainstream social media platforms that extremism experts say were easy to spot but ultimately disregarded by law enforcement in the runup to Wednesday's riot at the Capitol, which led to the deaths of five people, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, 42, who was reportedly hit with a fire extinguisher during the melee.... 'Everyone who was a law enforcement officer or a reporter knew exactly what these hate groups were planning,' [Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl] Racine said. 'They were planning to descend on Washington, D.C., ground center was the Capitol, and they were planning to charge and, as Rudy Giuliani indicated, to do combat justice at the Capitol[.]'"
Jack Date, et al., of ABC News: "A U.S. Capitol Police officer has died following injuries suffered in the violent siege on the building Wednesday, according to a press release from the department.... The officer, Brian D. Sicknick, died at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. Sicknick responded to the riots and 'was injured while physically engaging with protesters,' USCP said in a statement. 'He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.'... The U.S. attorney's office in D.C. has opened a federal murder investigation into Sicknick's death, three law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News. The investigation is being conducted jointly between the FBI and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, with cooperation from U.S. Capitol Police. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered the flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff in Sicknick's honor." The New York Times' story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "... we won't know for some time what the attack on the Capitol means for this country. Either it marked the beginning of the end of Trumpism, or another stage in the unraveling of American liberal democracy.... Trump's authority is ebbing before our eyes. Having helped deliver the Senate to Democrats, he's no longer much use to Republicans like Mitch McConnell. With two weeks left in the president's term, social media has invoked its own version of the 25th Amendment.... Yet the forces Trump has unleashed can't simply be stuffed back in the bottle. Most of the Republican House caucus still voted to challenge the legitimacy of Joe Biden's election. And the MAGA movement's terrorist fringe may be emboldened by Wednesday's incursion into the heart of American government."
Jonathan Lemire & Zeke Miller of the AP: "... Donald Trump said Friday he won't attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, undercutting his message a day earlier that he would work to ensure a 'smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power' to his successor. Trump offered no clues for how he would spend his final hours in office, and will be the first incumbent president since Andrew Johnson to skip his successor's swearing-in. Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the U.S. Capitol together for the ceremony, as a symbol of the nation's peaceful transition.... Vice President Mike Pence was expected to attend the inauguration.... By [Friday] morning..., Trump was back to his usual division. Instead of offering condolences to the police officer who died from injuries sustained during the riot, Trump took to twitter to commend the 'great American Patriots' who'd voted for him. 'They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!' he tweeted." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Also, I heard on the teevee that real Presidents Obama, Bush & Clinton will attend Biden's inauguration. I just don't think Trump belongs to this club.
Will Sommers & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "Shortly after his White House video -- in which a scripted President Trump acknowledged that a transition to a 'new' administration was underway, but stopped short of even admitting that he indeed lost fairly to his 2020 Democratic opponent -- posted online, Trump started having second thoughts. Throughout the evening..., [he] quizzed close advisers and White House officials about whether or not he did the right thing and if the reception from the public, the media, and his supporters was 'good.'... He asked if his supporters felt let down.... Donald Trump's most loyal supporters feel angry and betrayed over the Thursday video in which the president tried to distance himself from [the] ... riot in Congress.... Many of Trump's hardcore supporters were distraught to see Trump call for prosecution of the rioters['] 'heinous' actions, just a day after he urged them to go to the Capitol in a speech outside the White House.... Many promoted the idea that Trump had been forced to make the video against his will, or that the video itself was a high-tech fabrication."
Marianne Levine of Politico: "During a press conference in Delaware, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), told reporters that Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) 'should resign,' according to WBOC, one day after a group of Trump supporters staged a deadly insurrection in the U.S. Capitol.... Since the insurrection, Cruz and Hawley are facing a backlash from their colleagues, who are accusing them of inciting violence by casting doubt on the results of the 2020 election." (Also linked yesterday.)
Georgia Senate Race. Max Greenwood of the Hill: "Republican David Perdue conceded his loss in his Senate runoff election in Georgia on Friday, acknowledging Democrat Jon Ossoff as the winner."
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
The Washington Post's live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here: "The United States on Friday surpassed 300,000 daily coronavirus cases, the second alarming record this week. The number, which roughly equates to the population of St. Louis, Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, comes about two months after the country reported 100,000 coronavirus cases a day for the first time, and one day after more than 4,000 people died from the virus, also a record. The United States has reported 21.8 million infections and 367,458 deaths."
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar & Zeke Miller of the AP: "President-elect Joe Biden will release most available COVID-19 vaccine doses to speed delivery to more people, a reversal of the Trump administration policy, his office said Friday. 'The president-elect believes we must accelerate distribution of the vaccine while continuing to ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible,' spokesman T.J. Ducklo said in a statement. Biden 'supports releasing available doses immediately, and believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans' arms now.' Under the Trump administration's approach, the government has been holding back a supply of vaccines to guarantee that people can get a second shot, which provides maximum protection against COVID-19. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require a second shot about three weeks after the first vaccination. One-shot vaccines are still undergoing testing." (Also linked yesterday.)
The New York Times' live business updates for Friday are here: "The already sputtering economic rebound went into reverse in December, as employers laid off workers amid rising coronavirus cases and waning government aid. U.S. employers cut 140,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department said Friday. It was the first net decline in payrolls since last spring's mass layoffs, and though the December loss was nowhere near that scale, it represented a discouraging reversal for the once-promising recovery. The U.S. economy still has about 10 million fewer jobs than before the pandemic began. The December losses were heavily concentrated in leisure and hospitality businesses, which have been hit especially hard by the pandemic." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Lede
New York Times: "A passenger jet carrying more than 60 people crashed into the Java Sea on Saturday, minutes after taking off from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, Indonesian officials said, bringing renewed attention to a nation long cursed by aviation disasters. The fate of the plane, a Boeing 737-500, also carried the potential to ensnare the troubled American aviation giant in more bad publicity, even though the cause of the crash had yet to be determined."
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Reader Comments (23)
I’m guessing the fact that Twitter has tossed Fatty out on the street will invite the screechers on the right to howl about First Amendment rights. But no one is taking away his freedom of speech. He can do what every other President (real presidents, anyway) have always done. Hold a press conference, make your points (such as they are) then answer questions.
But this has never suited the little king who does not believe anyone has the right to ever question him. Among the many aspects of this job that he has never understood is that the president is an employee of the American people. We are not here to serve and kowtow to him. He answers to us. But this has never appealed to his belief in his own monarchical fantasies.
Good for Twitter.
I see where the Fatty staff members are worried about finding work after their treasonous boss goes kicking and screaming out of DC.
I guess I’d be concerned too.
Wonder how those hob interviews would go.
“Hmmm...says here that for the last few years you’ve been working for white suprematism, violent fantasy fulfillment, and helping to destroy the nation. Yeah...not much call around here for that sort of thing. Why don’t you try Authoritarian Placement Services. I’m sure some up and coming fascists will find something for you...”
Job, not hob...although depending on the business, they might feel like they’re on the hob.
I’m putting in a request that writers start referring to the pro-Trump mob as anti-American and/or anti-democratic. If you’re for the fat fascist, you are definitely not for America. Or democracy.
@Akhilleus: As I'm sure you know, the First Amendment guarantees only that the government cannot suppress free speech. Even that guarantee is limited: famously, you can't should "Fire!" in a crowded theater, nor can you -- a la Trump -- incite insurrection & violence. The Hatch Act bans "free political speech" for some federal employees.
But private entities -- social media, your employer, the newspaper -- can not only curb your speech but can do so with impunity. These entities generally don't have to be "fair" or impartial in the manner they shut you up. They could, for instance, let some favored people use obscenities & ban others from doing so without explaining what "policy" applied.
Marie,
Quite. None of which, however, will prevent the usual suspects from screeching bloody murder about how awful their Dear Leader is treated. I mean, all he did was cause a little riot. What’s the big deal? Meanwhile Pelosi and Biden and other commies get to say whatever they want. It’s the Deep State (sez the Derp State). Oh, the humanity!
This contemptible murderer should have had his Twitter license yanked back when he was lying about his “perfect” phone call or spreading disinformation that turned half the country into a mausoleum. But never underestimate the right’s capacity for claiming victimhood while at the same time demonstrating rank ignorance of how things work.
I have found video of josh hawley after he found out his book contract was cancelled:
https://youtu.be/l8ukak8P2vY
He may have grounds to argue about breach of contract, but to whinge about the 1st Amendment is right out.
@AK: The hide-behind: You bring up an interesting reason why Fatty fuels his fatuous foment on a twitter feed rather than in up close and personal confrontations. We saw how he reacted and treated reporters who refused to kiss his ring and in one of his last interviews with Lesley Stall he simply up and walked away.
Reading this morning that feces were part of these murderous thug's operations made me sick! The message was clear. And all the damage that was done to artifacts, paintings, structure, etc.–-I hope the bill for all this is sent to DJT.
My friend from Maryland sent me this:
"Over the years I've attended scores of House and Senate committee meetings, hearings, briefings, presentations, luncheons, coffee and cocktail hours, etc....and many other such activities on The Hill.
I've often been asked: "Gee, how do you do that?"
My answer: "Walk through the door."
It has always been The People's House: free, open, and accessible to all. I now have to wonder -- will it ever be that way again."
I'd say it's that old sense of an ending but sometimes if we have the courage and the fortitude we may just commence on a new beginning. The problem–-and it has always been the problem–-is there are far too many willing to fan the flames of divisive division along with a great swath of ignorance and stupidity.
Ray Smock, former Historian of the House of Representatives, reminds us that–––
"Back in the 19th Century there was a wrought iron fence around the whole Capitol complex, such as it was back then. It was attractive and not at all for security purposes. It kept horses, cows and pigs from wandering onto the grounds. On Wednesday someone let the pigs in."
@Akhilleus: Hey, guess which screecher is already complaining about Twitter's squelching his First Amendment rights? Why, the Kaiser himself, who whined about Twitter's "banning free speech" on his @POTUS account last night. (See David Badash's story, linked under late morning updates.)
Marie,
Ding, ding, ding, ding....
And we have a winner! Or...should that be LOSER?!
@Akhilleus: Wait, wait, there's more! See also (just added it), Catie Edmondson's NYT report linked above on Josh Hawley's response to losing his book deal. Trump at least has the twin excuses of being (1) as ignorant as a mashed cowpie & (2) a helplessly reflexive liar. Hawley has no excuse.
If Trump is actually Permanetly Banned from social media we may have a chance to truly move on from him. After he is out of office his social media would be his main avenue into public debate. Without it he has to go to some off brand message boards and limited tv appearances, no more hour long stream of conscience phone calls. He won't have the unchecked and unfiltered megaphone or huge audience that Twitter and Facebook gave him. Hopefully out of sight out of mind.
From USA Today via Yahoo News:
"... Malcolm Nance, a retired Navy counter-terrorism intelligence officer of 35 years and New York Times bestselling author of multiple books on national security, said he had the same thought as Weil when the zip-ties and tactical gear appeared on social media in the aftermath of the first breach of the building in more than 200 years.
"My greatest fear is that they use this mass of people to push through to breach the building — then what we call a Capture and Kill team," Nance said. ... "
Shades of Benghazi -- mob riot stirred up in place "A", led to place "B". Assassination a/o kidnap team uses useful idiot rioters as battering ram and cover to capture/kill selective target individuals.
DiJiT's minions and Abu Whoever -- same stuff, different time and place, equally murderous, equally anti-American.
Good thing the Feds are hanging people again ... these folks seem to want some.
I can't say it better than Frank Rich: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-trashing-of-the-american-republic.html.
Following up on Patrick's comment, I think it's vital that whoever is in charge of sorting out the latest Trump attack on America take a deep dive into this one.
This does not appear to be just a random "Let's go get 'em" sort of riot. Much of this was carefully planned. A truck full of bombs and guns, pipe bombs outside government buildings, Republican congressmen opening secure doors to let the mob inside the building, the zip ties and talk of hanging...
This is very bad. This is the sort of thing that after the next REALLY bad event, people will look back at this and say "Gee, maybe we should have looked more closely at what's going on in the fetid bowels of TrumpWorld". We don't want another "Bin Laden to fly planes into buildings" warning to go unheeded.
And now, as some of them are saying, they don't need Trump anymore. The training wheels are off. They are in it for pure anarchy, hatred, and destruction. War, one of them called it. Murder. These people have been carefully nurtured for decades by the lies from the right, by the constant stream of hatred and misinformation from the Hannitys and Carlsons and Limbaughs. Now, however, those voices have become gateway drugs that have led to Qanon, Newsmax, OOAN, and who knows how many truly deranged underground operations.
Some of this was planned. As Patrick opines, this looks like a "Let's use the dummies to get in, then go to work" operation.
The fact that the only thing arrayed against the mob were a bunch of mall cops says a lot too. And the fact that sturdier support was delayed until hours after idiots were breaking down doors, defecating on floors, firing weapons, and dancing on what they hoped would be the body of the Republic, is an indication of support from powerful official channels.
This is not the end of such outbreaks. These people are planning another assault on Inauguration Day. They had help from Republican officials getting into the Capitol Building. They were incited by opportunistic fascist promoters like Hawley and Cruz, not to mention the head fascist, but they don't need any additional incitement. Not anymore. They are out of the chrysalis, writhing black beasts in full flight.
If we don't figure out how to stop this, we could be looking at a very different sort of pandemic.
I know there is a question about whether or not to refer to these insurrectionists as terrorists, but they are most definitely using terror tactics.
This is not over.
Marie,
So nice to see Little Lord Fascist Hawley getting his, but I'm wondering how Tailgunner Teddy is getting away with so much. Little Josh is getting battered, but Cruz is still out there spreading lies.
I wonder how many of the shit-stained terrorists will be convicted on the basis of their own DNA samples that they intentionally left behind.
They really should hold the inauguration ceremony in an undisclosed indoor place and broadcast it to a megatron screen at the usual capitol location. It seems foolhardy to carry on with tradition in light of continued threats of "war" by these fools.
I'd be interested in hearing one of these deluded leaders of "the revolution" describe what kind of social order and rule of law they intend to impose. What is their vision of the future in serving the people of what ever state would remain?
American culture lionizes "passionate" people, encouraging all to immerse themselves in...(fill in the blank), and maybe at the expense of cultivating a broader view of the world and humanity and critical thinking. This is what we get - enthusiastic idiocy. In my part of town there is a couple "passionate" guys that live in a NASCAR / Fast and Furious dream world. They have the super loud mufflers on their muscle cars and every where they go is a loud and violent race; every green light is a drag race until they stand on their brakes a few blocks down the road at the next red light. They are turning heads alight - because they are the most annoying people in my part of town. Same can be said of the Trumpers with their jacked-up trucks festooned with flags of every "patriotic" stripe. Passionate dullards who have nothing better to do than fall in line with everything they hear in their information bubble. This is the currently accepted 'freedom of expression' of the individual that American culture has prioritized as first in importance, and tolerates until it threatens the government that protects it. While I hope this sad chapter in our history will teach all the value and responsibility of citizenship as our first priority and individual "passionate" self expression as secondary, I have about as much hope in this occurring in my lifetime as I do of Mitch McConnell allowing articles of impeachment to be tried in the senate in a timely fashion.
Periscope: Gen. Sherman had those guys pegged 150 years ago. Letter to General Halleck, September, 1863:
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/sherman-on-the-state-of-southerners-and-future-reconstruction.103372/
" ... this generation of men will make a fearful mistake if they again commit its charge to a people liable to misuse their position, and assert, as was recently done, that, because they dwelt on the banks of this mighty stream *, they had a right to control its navigation ..."
...
"We accepted the issue, and now they begin to realize that war is a two-edged sword, and it may be that many of the inhabitants cry for peace. I know them well, and the very impulses of their nature; and to deal with the inhabitants of that part of the South which borders on the great river, we must recognize the classes into which they have divided themselves: "
...
"Fourth. The young bloods of the South: sons of planters, lawyers about towns, good billiard-players and sportsmen, men who never did work and never will. War suits them, and the rascals are brave, fine riders, bold to rashness, and dangerous subjects in every sense. They care not a sou for n*****s, land, or any thing. They hate Yankees per se, and don't bother their brains about the past, present, or future. As long as they have good horses, plenty of forage, and an open country, they are happy. This is a larger class than most men suppose, and they are the most dangerous set of men that this war has turned loose upon the world. They are splendid riders, first-rate shots, and utterly reckless. Stewart, John Morgan, Forrest, and Jackson, are the types and leaders of this class.
These men must all be killed or employed by us before we can hope for peace. They have no property or future, and therefore cannot be influenced by any thing, except personal considerations. I have two brigades of these fellows in my front, commanded by Cosby, of the old army, and Whitfield, of Texas. Stephen D. Lee is in command of the whole. I have frequent interviews with their officers, a good understanding with them, and am inclined to think, when the resources of their country are exhausted, we must employ them. They are the best cavalry in the world, but it will tax Mr. Chase's genius for finance to supply them with horses. At present horses cost them nothing; for they take where they find, and don't bother their brains as to who is to pay for them; the same may be said of the cornfields, which have, as they believe, been cultivated by a good-natured people for their special benefit. We propose to share with them the free use of these cornfields, planted by willing hands, that will never gather the crops."
Kill them or employ them. Those were different days, but as Sherman knew, combat is a M-F-er.
* The Mississippi, but apparent synecdoche for South's political concept of states' rights.
I woke up this morning thinking about the rabbit and the briar patch. And lo! I wasn't the only one. John Judis is another:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/democrats-impeachment-is-a-political-trap
Point taken, and well made Patrick. That kind of rabble will always be with us, maybe more so now that we have an all-volunteer army. I'm just thinking about the video clip of the young woman who got maced by capitol police when she invaded the building as a member of "the revolution" and was surprised that this could happen to her. These impressionable people were led to believe they are attacking the "deep state" as if it resided in the halls of congress. Their anger is misplaced, or misdirected. Why aren't they marching on the headquarters of the corporate leaders who sold their jobs to Chinese industrialists? Why aren't they camped out and demonstrating at the mansions of the private equity corporate raiders for buying out and closing their struggling companies? Why aren't they organizing boycott of Amazon who threatens to out-compete every brick and mortar business in the country...right, because that's where they are buying their paramilitary gear. It's so convenient.
The government facilitates, and regulates to limited extent, the environment of business and commerce, but they are not the ones 'pulling the trigger' on offshoring jobs. They are not the deep state - the donors are.
I just want to mention here that I am glad to see Marie Burns returning to the helm of RealityChex, which I have been following for some years, as well as her astute responses in the NY Times. Though I should add, I equally appreciated the fine work of her interim editor. And it is so informative and heartening to hear the voices of these two knowledgeable women editors, especially in these deeply troubled times. Safe home to both of you, Ms. Burns, and keep up the great journalism!
--MickNamVet