Mornin’ Politocadoes!
The January 6 Committee is set to release its final report on the Attack on the US Capitol today. The Report will explain in fuller detail the plan to subvert the peaceful transfer of power, the players, and ultimately provide the justification for the Committee referring Trump for charges to the Department of Justice.
We know some of what is already in the report, particularly those who have followed the live coverage of the January 6th hearings. But it is expected that more information will come to light. For example, there will be more details regarding weapons at the Ellipse, including the total amount of weapons confiscated. Also, more on Trump’s state of mind after learning that one of the rioters had been shot.
The committee released 34 transcripts on Wednesday night of various witness testimonies ahead of the release of the final report, among them disgraced former General Michael Flynn, InfoWars host Alex Jones, the Fucking Babadook Roger Stone, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, and Oath Keepers Leader Stewart Rhodes. Most of the testimonies are filled with invocations of the Fifth Amendment, alas, but it nevertheless shows the breadth and scope of the evidence gathered and the size of the final report.
Other stories have been percolating in anticipation of the report’s final release. There’s the Bill Stepien incident, where former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien was informally “self-demoted” when Rudy Giuliani was brought on to spread false election fraud claims. Stepien would frequently have his assistant lock his office door in an effort to keep Rudy out, while other campaign aides hid and conversed with Stepien. And all of that seems odd too, since apparently Rudy, in his deposition, said he didn’t “believe the machines stole the election.”
There’s expected to be more about Trump’s pressure campaign against his Vice President Mike Pence too. He called Pence a couple of times, saying losing the election would be a “career killer”. Pence apparently ignored the President’s phone call at least once, only getting through after shouting at aides to “get the Vice President on the phone.”
Trump also had a meeting with Michigan State GOP leaders, telling them to “have some backbone and do the right thing”on November 20th. The then-State House Speaker Lee Chatfield took that to mean they needed to help overturn the election by sending the false slate of electors to Washington.
Seems bad!
We can only hope something will come of this. Yet, even I’m reading some editorializing in ABC News articles that the criminal referrals are “symbolic” and the DOJ doesn’t have to act on them. I mean, they’d better. It sure seems like a plan to end the peaceful transfer of power should be quashed and an example should be made. But hey, what do I know.
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