Trump loyalists in Congress to challenge Electoral College results in Jan. 6 joint session (Update: Insurrectionists storm Congress)(And now what?) (2 Viewers)

[superchuck500]

I guess it's time to start a thread for this. We know that at least 140 members of Congress have pledged to join the objection. Under federal law, if at least one member of each house (HOR and Senate) objects, each house will adjourn the joint session for their own session (limited at two hours) to take up the objection. If both houses pass a resolution objecting to the EC result, further action can take place. If both houses do not (i.e. if one or neither passes a resolution), the objection is powerless and the college result is certified.

Clearly this is political theater as we know such a resolution will not pass the House, and there's good reason to think it wouldn't pass the Senate either (with or without the two senators from Georgia). The January 6 joint session is traditionally a ceremonial one. This one will not be.

Many traditional pillars of Republican support have condemned the plan as futile and damaging. Certainly the Trump loyalists don't care - and many are likely doing it for fundraising purposes or to carry weight with the fraction of their constituencies that think this is a good idea.

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32717.pdf

 

[brandon]

Is this the new date for the indoctrinated?

Meet the new date, same as the old date.

 

[SamAndreas]

Is this the new date for the indoctrinated?

One of those replies below that tweet is by Marc Elias. Marc Elias is the fellow who sets my opinion about election/voting legal matters so I don't have to.

If someone asks, "what do you think about that voting law congress is working on?," I go see what Marc says, and then I say that.

 

[MT15]

Cynical would be the most pertinent description of old Mitch.

 

[SamAndreas]

Cynical would be the most pertinent description of old Mitch.

"Cynical" as a descriptor for Mitch would compete with that other descriptor for Mitch,"snapping turtle," maybe they can be combined.

 

[zztop]

Anyone else have a hunch that ol' Trump will make a statement (or something similar) on the 6th? To try to keep the big lie going and his base energized?

 

[Port City JJ]

Anyone else have a hunch that ol' Trump will make a statement (or something similar) on the 6th? To try to keep the big lie going and his base energized?

I keep hearing different dates from people that still believe the election was stolen about something big happening. That would certainly fuel them to keep the conspiracy fires burning. I would not be surprised if you are right!

 

[SamAndreas]

Anyone else have a hunch that ol' Trump will make a statement (or something similar) on the 6th? To try to keep the big lie going and his base energized?

More than a hunch it's been all over the news, Trump is planning to have a big honking press conference on the anniversary of the 6th of January.

Enshrined in history it will be his day from now on. News folks everywhere were up in arms bemoaning that he has the gall to show himself on the anniversary of his day. It seems indecent.

Like in England with Guy Fawkes Day, also called Bonfire Night, every November 5th a British day to commemorating the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. It's Guy Fawkes' day because he failed to blow up England's Houses of Parliament on Nov 5th.

Trump and Fawkes have a lot in common including each having their own day of infamy for trying to pull the same stunt.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Just a normal tourist visit with hugs and kisses
====================
WASHINGTON (AP) — The fighting — so primitive and ferocious that one Capitol Police officer described it as “medieval” and another as a “trip to hell” — left more than 100 law enforcement personnel injured, some beaten with their own weapons.

Video cameras captured the violence live, with rioters clubbing officers with flag polls and fire extinguishers, even squeezing one between doors as he begged for his life.

Yet nearly a year after the Jan. 6 siege only about 4 in 10 Republicans recall the attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump as very violent or extremely violent, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 3 in 10 Republicans say the attack was not violent, and about another 3 in 10 say it was somewhat violent.


Their views were a distinct minority as overall about two-thirds of Americans described the day as very or extremely violent, including about 9 in 10 Democrats…….

Despite brutal video, only GOP minority say 1/6 very violent

A new poll shows that a year after the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, only about 4 in 10 Republicans recall the attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump as very violent or extremely violent.

apnews.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

…..Much has happened since, both domestically and in foreign affairs. Now, as then, the biggest factor in most Americans’ day-to-day lives is the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

And the leadership of the Republican Party dearly wants us to forget that the Jan. 6 insurrection ever took place.

But the nation cannot just “move on” from such an attack on our constitutional order. Not since 1814, when British soldiers marched into Washington, had the Capitol been overrun and pillaged. Not even during the Civil War was the orderly transfer of presidential power disrupted.

Never had a defeated presidential candidate — much less a defeated incumbent who had sworn to defend the Constitution — refused to accept the result of an election.


We need to know everything that is knowable about these events. And those who inspired, organized and committed the insurrection need to be brought to justice.


President Biden and Vice President Harris intend to deliver remarks Thursday to mark the anniversary of the failed putsch. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has planned a series of events, beginning with prayer and a moment of silence in the House chamber, where so many of her colleagues sheltered in terror on Jan. 6 as a crush of thugs and zealots tried to smash their way inside.

And because Democrats are in charge of the White House and Congress, most Republicans will do their best to pretend that the commemoration is more about politics than nationhood.

Trump is also expected to speak Thursday, and he will surely repeat his lies and gibberish about the election somehow being “stolen” from him and his supporters. He and the GOP — his GOP, make no mistake — have been trying to make the insurrection into a partisan issue. Don’t let them…..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/03/jan-6-capitol-insurrection-reckoning-trump/

 

[SamAndreas]

Just a normal tourist visit with hugs and kisses
====================
WASHINGTON (AP) — The fighting — so primitive and ferocious that one Capitol Police officer described it as “medieval” and another as a “trip to hell” — left more than 100 law enforcement personnel injured, some beaten with their own weapons.

Video cameras captured the violence live, with rioters clubbing officers with flag polls and fire extinguishers, even squeezing one between doors as he begged for his life.

Yet nearly a year after the Jan. 6 siege only about 4 in 10 Republicans recall the attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump as very violent or extremely violent, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 3 in 10 Republicans say the attack was not violent, and about another 3 in 10 say it was somewhat violent.


Their views were a distinct minority as overall about two-thirds of Americans described the day as very or extremely violent, including about 9 in 10 Democrats…….

Despite brutal video, only GOP minority say 1/6 very violent

A new poll shows that a year after the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, only about 4 in 10 Republicans recall the attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump as very violent or extremely violent.

apnews.com

Yeah, well what is there to say but "Happy Bonfire Night," come day after tomorrow.

 

[MT15]

This guy brings up an angle to the R politicians who know better but are pandering to the deluded people about election stealing and so forth. From what I can tell, it was recorded last year before Jan. 6, maybe someone who knows more than I can confirm.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Garland giving a speech tomorrow
==============
Attorney General Merrick Garland will give a speech Wednesday about the investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection and the prosecution of those responsible.

Garland will reportedly reaffirm his “unwavering commitment to defend Americans and American democracy from violence and threats of violence ... [and] the department’s solemn duty to uphold the Constitution, follow the facts and the law and pursue equal justice under law without fear or favor.”


This should make Americans very nervous. Garland, after a year of congressional information-gathering and reporting from news outlets and books, certainly knows the issue is not merely the violence that occurred on Jan. 6.

The perception of the insurrection as a single, violent day grossly limits the scope of the crime and the appropriate prosecution.


Garland must also investigate the nonviolent coup attempt that began before the election in a campaign to discredit election operations and mail-in voting and resulted in scores of frivolous lawsuits.

This then led to President Donald Trump’s threats and intimidation of state and federal officials and his arm-twisting of the vice president to disregard the electoral votes.

Republicans in Congress also sought to disenfranchise voters by raising baseless objections to electoral votes, with an eye toward halting the tabulation of ballots.

All of that happened before a single U.S. Capitol window was broken or a barrier knocked down. That’s the crime against democracy Garland should be investigating……

Put differently, there is growing fear across an entire spectrum of pro-democracy activists and ordinary Americans that Garland does not appreciate the solemn obligation to investigate and, where possible, prosecute all aspects of the effort to overthrow the election.

So far he’s only been prosecuting the MAGA pawns on the ground who broke into the Capitol…..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/04/merrick-garland-speech-coup/

 

[samiam5211]

Peter Navarro always made me feel sick when I saw him on TV, but lately I’ve found his adduction issues endearing.

 

[Optimus Prime]

These poll results aren’t surprising but it’s still stunning every time I see them
=======================

NEW YORK (AP) — Beneath a pale winter light and the glare of television cameras, it seemed hard not to see the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot for what it was. The violent storming of the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters bent on upending the election of Joe Biden was as clear as day: democracy under siege, live-streamed in real time.

Yet a year later, when it comes to a where-were-you moment in U.S. history, there is far from national consensus.

A Quinnipiac poll found that 93% of Democrats considered it an attack on the government, but only 29% of Republicans agreed.

In a recent CBS-YouGov poll, 85% of Democrats called the riot an “insurrection” while only 21% of GOP voters did. Republicans (56%) were more likely to explain the rioters as “defending freedom.”

A poll by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 4 in 10 Republicans recall the attack — in which five people died — as violent, while 9 in 10 Democrats do.

Such a disparity in memory may be inevitable in our hyper-polarized politics, but it’s striking given the stark clarity of Jan. 6 at the time and in its immediate aftermath. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said then that “the president bears responsibility” for the attacks. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., then the majority leader, said: “They tried to disrupt our democracy. They failed.”

But since that day, separate versions — one factual, one fanciful — have taken hold. The Capitol riot — the violent culmination of a bid to delegitimize the 2020 election and block its certification — has morphed into a partisan “Rashomon,” the classic Japanese film about a slaying told from varying and conflicting points of view. Indeed, the act of remembering can be a highly mercurial thing — particularly when deep-seated political views are involved.

“We keep using terms like post-factual, but it almost feels like there’s this national psychosis or amnesia about what happened a year ago,” says Charles Sykes, the former conservative Wisconsin radio host and founder of the website The Bulwark. “It’s not just that we’re two nations. It’s as if we live on two different reality planets when it comes to the memory of Jan. 6.”


Nations remember the way people do: imperfectly. Neuroscientist Lisa Genova, author of “Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting,” describes how even the most searing memories are edited each time they’re revisited. An original memory is replaced with a 2.0 version, a 3.0 version and beyond……

Recalling Jan. 6: A national day of infamy, half remembered

Beneath the glare of television cameras, it seemed hard not to see the Jan. 6 Capitol riot for what it was.

apnews.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

First time hearing about these photos
=============================



ABC News’ Jonathan Karl had quite the revelations during an appearance on Monday night’s “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert. Promoting his new book “Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show,” Karl said he learned there was an official White House photographer with Vice President Mike Pence during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

“I got ahold of the photographer,” Karl said. “I actually saw all of the photographs. … (Pence) was in a loading dock in an underground parking garage beneath the Capitol complex. No place to sit. No desk, no chairs, no nothing. He was in this concrete parking garage. … This is the vice president of the United States and he’s, like, holed up in a basement.”

Karl said he asked Pence if he could publish those photographs — one of which was Pence looking at Donald Trump’s tweet that said Pence didn’t “have the courage” to stop the certification of the election. But Pence refused to give Karl permission.

“I have a suspicion that the January 6th committee is going to want to see those photos,” Karl said……

Jonathan Karl’s startling revelations about Jan. 6 - Poynter

‘I came to realize that we were far closer to losing it all than I even realized at the time — and I was freaked out, like we all were, at the time.’

www.poynter.org

 

[Optimus Prime]

From two Capitol police officers
=============

The calendar says it happened a year ago. But it feels like yesterday. Because for the two of us — U.S. Capitol Police officers who, together with many other officers, defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, from a violent mob of insurrectionists — the wounds from that horrific day persist.


One of us sustained considerable physical injuries, requiring multiple surgeries and prolonged rehabilitation treatment.

The other was victimized by pepper spray and tear gas and remains sickened by the vile, racist slurs hurled at him by those who invaded the sanctity of the Capitol building.

Both of us continue to experience post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression.


Even more painful, though, is the shocking effort by former president Donald Trump and his acolytes — including some of the members of Congress whom we protected from violence that day — to whitewash what happened.

The attack on the Capitol is likely the most documented event in history, memorialized in myriad, indisputable, real-time videos — many taken by the insurrectionists themselves during the attack and posted on the Internet.

It is deeply offensive, and a betrayal of all the law enforcement officers who answered the call of duty that day, to suggest that the mob that stormed the Capitol consisted merely of tourists or patriots, or that the attackers were simply keen on “hugging and kissing” us.

It wasn’t pacifists peacefully expressing their First Amendment right to protest who assaulted Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick — who died the next day — or who nearly killed D.C. police officer Michael Fanone.

We grieve for an America somehow divided over what really transpired on Jan. 6, and we are deeply concerned about the threat of future political violence that continues to hover over our democracy.

What we want — indeed, what we demand for ourselves and our fellow officers — is accountability for the events of Jan. 6. We are grateful to the Justice Department for undertaking scores of criminal prosecutions of the insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol and inflicted injuries on numerous law enforcement officers.

And while it is disturbing to see so many rioters receiving light sentences, we are heartened that some judges are going beyond prosecutors’ sentencing recommendations…….

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/04/harry-dunn-aquilino-gonell-capitol-police-jan-6/

 

[MT15]

First time hearing about these photos
=============================



ABC News’ Jonathan Karl had quite the revelations during an appearance on Monday night’s “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert. Promoting his new book “Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show,” Karl said he learned there was an official White House photographer with Vice President Mike Pence during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

“I got ahold of the photographer,” Karl said. “I actually saw all of the photographs. … (Pence) was in a loading dock in an underground parking garage beneath the Capitol complex. No place to sit. No desk, no chairs, no nothing. He was in this concrete parking garage. … This is the vice president of the United States and he’s, like, holed up in a basement.”

Karl said he asked Pence if he could publish those photographs — one of which was Pence looking at Donald Trump’s tweet that said Pence didn’t “have the courage” to stop the certification of the election. But Pence refused to give Karl permission.

“I have a suspicion that the January 6th committee is going to want to see those photos,” Karl said……

Jonathan Karl’s startling revelations about Jan. 6 - Poynter

‘I came to realize that we were far closer to losing it all than I even realized at the time — and I was freaked out, like we all were, at the time.’

www.poynter.org

Whew! A lot of stuff is coming out. Even more intriguing is the suggestion I saw on tv that the National Archive may have the video messages from Trump that weren’t used on Jan 6.

Peter Navarro disclosing that they gave a football name to the plot to overturn the election: Green Bay Sweep, and saying Pence failed to do his duty to Trump (and here I thought he had a duty to the US, the constitution, and the rule of law).

Navarro just disclosing the whole scheme, claiming it followed the Constitution and therefore was legal, while ignoring the fact that it relied on lies and deception about any election fraud. He treated the whole thing as if it was enough to just claim fraud with no proof and throw out an election. A complete ethical and moral bankruptcy. Just like Trump.

 

[bdb13]

We'd be hanging some madrefrockers in olden times, yo.