Trump loyalists in Congress to challenge Electoral College results in Jan. 6 joint session (Update: Insurrectionists storm Congress)(And now what?) (1 Viewer)

[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

 

[Optimus Prime]

so if any of these released Proud Boys/Oath Keepers does anything bad in the future we're not going to let Trump forget that he let them out right?

 

[Optimus Prime]

so if any of these released Proud Boys/Oath Keepers does anything bad in the future we're not going to let Trump forget that he let them out right?

Even though President Donald Trump had vowed to deliver pardons to those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the Capitol, his sweeping clemency for roughly 1,500 people was stunning.

The recipients of Trump’s incredible generosity included Enrique Tarrio, a onetime leader of the Proud Boys who was convicted of sedition and serving a 22-year sentence; Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, who was serving an 18-year sentence for his involvement; and about 600 people who had been charged with assaulting or resisting law enforcement officers, including more than 170 who were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or seriously injuring an officer. Plenty of people were convicted of nonviolent offenses, but the notion that Jan. 6 was peaceful or a “day of love,” as Trump called it, is an abject lie.

If history is any guide, this is not likely to be the last time that you hear about these people.

Trump promised to “free” the Jan. 6 defendants on his first day back in office, and he has now followed through on that promise. But this will not be a one-day story, and Trump — and the Republican Party — may come to regret the political costs of this decision.

For starters, Trump’s blanket pardon is unpopular, and it could help to frame early perceptions of his return to the White House. After the election, multiple polls reported that somewhere around two-thirds of Americans opposed Trump’s promise to pardon the Jan. 6 defendants, including about two-thirds of independents.

It is not hard to understand why: Despite the best efforts of Trump and many of his political allies, most Americans have not forgotten about what happened that day, and most Americans have rejected the fantasyland version of events that Trump has sought to portray.

That is why Trump’s approval rating collapsed after Jan. 6, even though it has since recovered. That is why surveys showed most Americans wanted Trump to stand trial in Washington in the Justice Department’s prosecution alleging that he tried to steal the 2020 election in the run-up to the Jan. 6 riot.

That is why most Americans repeatedly told pollsters that they thought Trump was guilty of criminal conduct. And that is why about half of the country said that Trump should have gone to prison if he had been convicted in the election subversion case...........

That is just the short-term fallout. The potential for political backlash will linger for months and years to come. That’s because the Jan. 6 defendants are not just going to evaporate into society.

Trump has once again sent a disturbing message to his supporters: If you engage in political violence on my behalf, I will protect you. Tarrio, Rhodes and their associates should feel emboldened, and there is no telling what they will do with Trump now firmly behind them.

Even setting aside the prospect of further political violence, you can safely expect a fair amount of recidivism among those who were convicted — particularly the defendants convicted of violent conduct. That means that we may see and read stories in the years to come involving Jan. 6 defendants pardoned by Trump who went on to commit more — and potentially more serious — crimes.

This is not idle speculation. Several people who received pardons or commutations in the final days of Trump’s first term went on to be charged with committing more crimes............

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/22/trump-jan-6-pardons-regrets-00199743

 

[Booker]

It’s ridiculous and shameful that the Supreme Court was able to just hand wave away article 14.3, as this is exactly what it was created to prevent from happening.

 

[Bayouboy]

I'm a little surprised he granted pardons to everyone. It's simply not good business and looks terrible. But, it's not like he cares about any of that. I do think most Americans, some in the MAGA community, can't support pardoning folks that violently attacked police. At this point, I don't care. I'm kind of numb to it all.

 

[MT15]

I'm a little surprised he granted pardons to everyone. It's simply not good business and looks terrible. But, it's not like he cares about any of that. I do think most Americans, some in the MAGA community, can't support pardoning folks that violently attacked police. At this point, I don't care. I'm kind of numb to it all.

I think not only is MAGA 100% behind this move, the GOP as a whole won’t say jack about it either. And neither will our resident “moderates”. It just sickens me.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

I'm a little surprised he granted pardons to everyone. It's simply not good business and looks terrible. But, it's not like he cares about any of that. I do think most Americans, some in the MAGA community, can't support pardoning folks that violently attacked police. At this point, I don't care. I'm kind of numb to it all.

I'm surprised that anyone is surprised. Dude said he was going to do this.

I think not only is MAGA 100% behind this move, the GOP as a whole won’t say jack about it either. And neither will our resident “moderates”. It just sickens me.

The GOP is THE radical extremist party and there is no room for the "moderates", they have bent the knee.

 

[Optimus Prime]

When the idea of pardons for Jan. 6 defendants first circulated, the pushback from Republican senators was pretty swift. And even the few who entertained the idea drew a line at pardoning the violent ones.

“I think there is a stark difference between acts of violence and peaceful protest,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said, calling acts of violence “qualitatively different” and “unacceptable from any political perspective.”

“To seek a pardon of these people would be wrong,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) told Fox News. “I think it would destroy President Trump, and I hope we don’t go down that road.”

Graham even said that such a move “reinforces violence.”

But now that President Donald Trump has gone there and granted clemency to every Jan. 6 defendant — including those who assaulted police — the response from Republicans has been strikingly muted. And some are even giving Trump a nod of approval, a remarkable episode that shows how Trump gradually lures his party to vouch for the previously unthinkable.

Few GOP lawmakers ventured voluntary statements on the matter after Trump on Monday night issued clemency. When they were asked about it Tuesday, a handful of critics emerged.

Among the most outspoken was former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), who told Semafor: “No one should excuse violence. And particularly violence against police officers.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (Louisiana) offered similar comments, telling reporters, “People who assault police officers, if they do the crime, they should do the time.”

“I’m disappointed to see that, and I do fear the message that is sent to these great men and women that stood by us,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) said, referring to the Capitol Police officers who were assaulted.

Sen. Thom Tillis (North Carolina) added: “Anybody who is convicted of assault on a police officer, I can’t get there, at all. I think it was a bad idea.”

Plenty of other Republicans didn’t seem to want to engage or offered muted responses.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (South Dakota) said he was not “looking backwards” and claimed the blanket pardons were actually done on a case-by-case basis. Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) indicated she was unfamiliar with the pardons but would disagree with them if they were for violent offenders. Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) emphasized that it was Trump’s prerogative.

But perhaps most remarkably, some even approved:

• Sen. Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) told Fox News that he didn’t want to pardon violent offenders but that the Justice Department’s handling of the cases made him fully supportive.
• Sen. Tommy Tuberville (Alabama) said that he was “100 percent” for all of the pardons and that the defendants had served enough time. When pressed on those who assaulted police, Tuberville said that was “not acceptable” but that he “didn’t see” the video.
• Sen. Jim Banks (Indiana) added that it was a “disgrace how all of these people were treated” and said that because Trump had previewed his plans and won the election, his action was justified.

The GOP’s stunning response to Trump pardoning those who assaulted police​

 

[Optimus Prime]

...........Prosectors described Dempsey as "political violence personified," and he was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the riot.

In an August 2024 sentencing memorandum, prosecutors wrote that he was one of the most violent protesters.

"Unlike other rioters who slowly pushed their way through the crowd towards the Capitol, Dempsey climbed atop his fellow rioters, using them like human scaffolding, thrusting himself to the front," they wrote.

They continued that he "began a prolonged attack, fighting with his hands, feet, flag poles, crutches, pepper spray, broken pieces of furniture, and anything else he could get his hands on, as weapons against the police" and "attacked a fellow rioter who was trying to disarm him."

Dempsey allegedly "unleashed a torrent of pepper spray directly at Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Detective Phuson Nguyen," burning his lungs, throat, eyes and face, according to court documents.

Prosecutors also wrote that he "struck MPD Sergeant Mastony's head with such ferocity using a metal crutch that it cracked the protective shield of his gas mask, causing Sergeant Mastony to collapse in a daze, his ears ringing."

"Though Dempsey has pled guilty only for his assaults on Detective Nguyen and Sergeant Mastony, his violent assault on other officers defending the Capitol was relentless: swinging polelike weapons more than 20 times, spraying chemical agents at least three times, hurling objects at officers at least ten times, stomping on the heads of police officers as he perched above them five times, attempting to steal a riot shield and baton, and incessantly hurling threats and insults at police while rallying other rioters to join his onslaught," the document reads...........

Man who stomped on officers' heads among Jan. 6 prisoners pardoned by Trump

President Trump is facing scrutiny for pardons for those who violently protested the 2020 election at the Capitol.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

There will be plenty more lectures coming

 

[Optimus Prime]

Enrique Tarrio, the now-former leader of the extremist Proud Boys gang who was just granted clemency by President Donald Trump, celebrated his release from prison on Tuesday by calling into conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’show and calling for retribution……

“These are the hostages,” Trump said in issuing the pardons. “These people have been destroyed. What they’ve done to these people is outrageous. There’s rarely been anything like in the history of our country.”

Speaking to Jones, a Proud Boys sympathizer who was a key figure in planning the January 6 rally, Tarrio heaped praise on Trump for freeing him and other Proud Boy members from jail. He also expressed no regrets about the Capitol riots, even though he previously apologized for his role in the events.

“I’d like to thank again President Donald J. Trump for helping us through these difficult times and releasing me, Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola. Right? And all the J6ers,” he declared….

“We went through hell, and I’m gonna tell you, it was worth it, because what we stood for and what those guys stood for was what we’ve been fighting for and what we saw yesterday on the inauguration stage,” Tarrio continued. “I can’t tell you it’s been easy, but I will tell you it’s been worth it.”…..

“I’m happy that the president’s focusing not on retribution and focusing on success, but I will tell you that I’m not gonna play by those rules,” he exclaimed. “The people who did this, they need to feel the heat. They need to be put behind bars, and they need to be prosecuted!”

Fuming over Joe Biden’s last-minute preemptive pardon of the member of the January 6 House select committee, Tarrio insisted that “they need to be imprisoned” for their participation in the congressional investigation.

“We need to find and put them behind bars for what they did. They need to pay for what they did,” he concluded, prompting Jones to nod in agreement.…….

Enrique Tarrio calls for retribution in chilling interview with Alex Jones

‘We need to find and put them behind bars for what they did. They need to pay for what they did,’ Enrique Tarrio exclaimed on Tuesday night, referencing those who investigated the January 6 Capitol attack.

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Optimus Prime]

Donald Trump’s mass pardon of 1,500 January 6 participants, including the leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, has reinvigorated a weakened U.S. militia movement and empowered white supremacists, experts have warned.

Dr. Heidi Beirich, the co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said Trump “brought back two organizations that have extremely long track records of violence” and likened the current moment to the reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s.

“By letting violent white supremacists and militia types who engaged in this activity out of prison he has emboldened those movements, made them more powerful, and given them the sanction of the highest office,” she told The Independent.

And Trump’s pardoning of those charged in the Capitol attack, including 169 people who’d pled guilty to assaulting police, helps create a loyal group of armed followers eager to do his bidding over the next four years.

“If Trump wanted to mobilize them, he could,” Beirich said. “They are now very much allied with Trump because he fulfilled his promise, and they think their vision of society is coming to be.”………

On social media and private Telegram channels, Proud Boys members are already plotting to support Trump’s agenda with armed militia action, according to new research from the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.

One chapter in Portland expressed hope that they would be “deputized as ICE under Trump’s second term” to help in Trump’s mass deportation plan.

In New York, one member claimed to have a “network set up” to send information about illegal immigrants to ICE, and in a Nevada group, Proud Boys shared an image encouraging followers to “report illegal aliens” to ICE along with a picture of a swastikarising like a sun over a landscape, captioned “A new day is about to dawn in America… it’s going to be glorious.”…….

“I would expect them to be quite emboldened and start rebuilding their ranks and use Trump’s sanctioning of January 6 as a way to recruit members,” Beirich said. “In other words, I think the Proud Boys are going to be back.”………

Trump revitalizing militia organizations has echoes of KKK’s resurgence in the 1920s

Trump has “brought back two organizations that have extremely long track records of violence” with his mass pardoning of January 6 rioters, say experts

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Dragon]

The black shirts has arrived....

 

[Bayouboy]

I am very outraged about the blanket pardons, yet numb to it all. It's like I just don't care anymore. How could the American people put this man back into the Oval Office? It's like a bad dream. A nightmare that will last 4 years.

 

[superchuck500]

 

[MT15]

Do they think it is gone? They should know better. Stupid.

 

[Bayouboy]

I'm curious how the American people as a whole feel about the blanket pardons. Does Trump have that much sway on the electorate to now discount assaulting police officers? Especially in route to our own Capitol to stop the certification of an American election. Surreal. Just surreal.

 

[superchuck500]

I'm curious how the American people as a whole feel about the blanket pardons. Does Trump have that much sway on the electorate to now discount assaulting police officers? Especially in route to our own Capitol to stop the certification of an American election. Surreal. Just surreal.

He doesn’t need sway on the electorate anymore.

 

[superchuck500]