Tag: Capitol Riots

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Congress Domestic Terrorism GOP GOP Whining

Matt Gaetz Threatens Nancy Pelosi For Investigating His Role In The Capitol Insurrection

Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz is terrified, and he’s not even good at hiding his fear.

Sensing that the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection is about to have his and other members of the GOP’s phone records as part of their investigation, Gaetz decided he’d publicly threaten Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

During an interview on Real America’s Voice, Gaetz said he plans to seize Pelosi’s phone records if the GOP happens to retake control of Congress after the 2022 midterm elections:

“The reason Nancy Pelosi is doing this is because they want to cast this cloud of criminality. Nancy Pelosi better be careful what she wishes for because if the new tradition when one party gains power in the House of Representatives is that you investigate the personal records and the personal lives of the people who are out of power, well then 2022 and 2023 are going to be very difficult years for the Democrats.

“Maybe we ought to look at Nancy Pelosi’s phone records with her husband, who benefited millions of dollars off of stock trades and technology bills that were moving through the legislative process.”

If Gaetz and others in the GOP did nothing wrong on Jan. 6, why are they afraid of letting all the information come out so the American people can see it and judge their actions for themselves?

Gaetz ended his rant by declaring:

“This is unprecedented, this is Marxist and I look forward to standing up against it.”

Um, no. It’s not unprecedented and it’s also not Marxist. Gaetz is clearly using words he doesn’t even know the meaning of.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is also making idle threats against any telecommunications provider who agrees to hand over phone records to the Select Committee, firing off a statement on Tuesday:

“If these companies comply with the Democrat order to turn over private information, they are in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States. If companies still choose to violate federal law, a Republican majority will not forget and will stand with Americans to hold them fully accountable under the law.”

 

Of course, McCarthy is wrong. It is NOT a violation of any federal law to comply with a request from a congressional committee. It never has been. McCarthy is just blowing smoke.

Matt and his Republican co-conspirators are worried. And considering what they played a part in — an attempted coup — they damn well should be.

 

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Congress Domestic Terrorism Elections

Former FBI Official: Jim Jordan Has Backed Himself Into A Corner With The Jan. 6 Select Committee

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is one of the most disgusting people to ever serve in Congress, and it now looks like he’s caught in a no-win situation that could leave both him and his idol, former President Donald Trump, facing criminal charges, according to a former top FBI official.

Frank Figliuzzi is the former assistant director for counterintelligence at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and he says things are about to get much worse for Jordan.

Appearing on “Deadline: White House,” Figliuzzi was asked about the fact that Jordan cannot recall how many times he spoke with Trump on the day of the Capitol insurrection. Figliuzzi replied:

“I think we now know why Nancy Pelosi had to reject Jim Jordan. He is a fact witness and he’s going to get a very complicated future ahead of him. Here is why: First, he claims that he can’t remember how many times on Jan. 6th he called the president or what time of day, that’s easily remedied by simply checking your phone log and checking that date. If he can’t do it, the phone company will be more than happy to supply the select committee with that. That’s going to happen eventually. Next, he’s in a trick bag because if he concedes, as has been reported, that he actually called the president and said, ‘stand this crowd down, they’re inside, it is getting violent, you’ve got to stop them,’ that implies, of course, that he believed Trump controlled the crowd and had the ability to stop or start the crowd.”

That, Figliuzzi noted, is a nightmare for Trump, and it also implicates Jordan as part of a larger conspiracy that could result in federal criminal charges:

“It hurts him because if he thinks the people were violent he goes back home to Ohio and his voter base says, wait a minute, those were patriots, those weren’t violent people. So, he can’t win there either. This gets extremely complicated.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtZpBHz_kpA&feature=emb_logo

If we’re lucky, both Jordan and Trump will be destroyed for whatever roles they played in the Jan. 6 riots. And both of them deserve to be charged, tried, and found guilty of sedition and inciting an insurrection. Let the chips fall where they may.

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Domestic Terrorism Donald Trump Elections

Legal Expert: Trump’s Claim Of Executive Privilege Regarding Capitol Riots Could ‘Easily Backfire’ On Him

Even though he’s been out of office for over seven months now, former President Donald Trump continues to claim that “executive privilege” provides blanket protection for him from any and all investigations being conducted regarding his actions while still president, most notably his actions on January 6, 2020, when he may have helped touch off the insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol.

But attorney Teri Kanefield warns in an article she wrote for JustSecurity that any lawsuit Trump might file to claim executive privilege could well “backfire” on him in a way that would leave him even more vulnerable to criminal prosecution.

To begin with Kanefield notes, executive privilege belongs to the sitting president and administration:

“While the law surrounding executive privilege is unclear and hotly contested, it’s generally accepted that the privilege is held by the sitting president — and the Biden Administration has already said it will not assert executive privilege when it comes to at least a subset of matters under the committee’s purview. It’s unlikely, therefore, that such a lawsuit would survive a motion to dismiss — particularly because courts may also simply avoid inserting themselves into executive privilege disputes.”

But perhaps the biggest threat from an executive privilege claim lies in what’s know as the “crime-fraud” exception, which could open up a Pandora’s box of trouble for Trump:

“Such a lawsuit would raise the issue of whether the crime-fraud exception applies to the claim of executive privilege, in the way that exception applies to the attorney-client privilege. This, in turn, could prompt the court to find that the documents sought by the select committee contain evidence of criminal wrongdoing or other illegal conduct on the part of Trump and his associates.

“This possibility is particularly treacherous for Trump because of the prospect of the Department of Justice and White House Counsel weighing in against him on this question of law and fact.”

In other words, if Trump files suit, it could result in him being more likely to face criminal charges from the Justice Department, which is already looking at the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Additionally, it has already been determined that Trump was acting outside his official duties on Jan. 6 and was instead engaged in a campaign event:

“The Stop the Steal rally has already been classified by the Department of Justice as a campaign event, and as such, bears no responsibility to the president’s duties of office. Should the demanded materials contain evidence that Trump or members of his inner circle intended the rioters to disrupt the counting of electoral votes, Trump’s response to the riot also speaks to his intentions in sending his supporters to the Capitol.”

That would make Trump a co-conspirator in crimes committed on that fateful January day at the Capitol. And that means he could be criminally charged as such.

All of this leads Kanefield to conclude:

“Thus, should Trump bring a lawsuit seeking to ‘protect’ executive privilege, the lawsuit could quite easily backfire. Of course, the court may well rest on one of the other long-settled exceptions to executive privilege. But Trump’s lawsuit could also trigger a finding from a court, and perhaps force the Justice Department to take a position too, that the materials sought by the select committee contain evidence of criminal behavior.”

Trump has long been know for wanting to litigate everything, no matter the issue. But in this case, his fondness for using the courts could come back and bite him squarely on the ass. It could also send him to prison as a seditionist.

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Congress Donald Trump GOP

Gaetz, Jordan Were In Contact With Trump ‘More Than Once’ On Day Of Capitol Insurrection: Report

Though he claims not to recall exactly what time he spoke to former President Donald Trump on the day of the Capitol insurrection, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) communicated with Trump “more than once” on January 6 and that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was also on at least one of those calls, according to a report from Politico:

“MORE THAN ONE JAN. 6 TRUMP-JORDAN CALL — We know that DONALD TRUMP and Rep. JIM JORDAN spoke once on the day of the Capitol riot, but the Ohio Republican has said he doesn’t remember when their conversation took place. We have some new details that could help clear up that timeframe — including confirmation of at least one more phone conversation between Jordan and the then-president during the siege.”

After they had been evacuated from the House floor, some GOP lawmakers were in a room where they called and spoke with Trump:

“After a group of lawmakers were evacuated from the House chamber to a safe room on Jan. 6, Jordan was joined by Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) for a call during which they implored Trump to tell his supporters to stand down, per a source with knowledge of that call. The source declined to say how Trump responded to this request.

“Jordan, when asked about whether Gaetz participated, said he’d “have to think about it,” citing many conversations he had during the frenetic attack. He also said phone calls to Trump happened more than once on that deadly day.”

Asked about the new details, Jordan told Politico’s Olivia Beavers:

“Look, I definitely spoke to the president that day. I don’t recall — I know it was more than once, I just don’t recall the times.”

A spokesperson for Gaetz was less forthcoming, remarking:

“Congressman Gaetz speaks with President Trump regularly and doesn’t disclose the substance of those discussions with the media.”

The actual number and substance of those calls is of special interest to the House Select Committee investigating what took place on Jan. 6. The committee is expected to request the phone records of several members of Congress and may also subpoena social media postings made by some Republicans as the Capitol was under attack by thousands of pro-Trump protesters. That rioting resulted in the deaths of five people, including a member of the Capitol Police.

If it can be proven that Gaetz, Jordan, or other Republicans coordinated strategy with Trump on the day of the insurrection, it could result in criminal charges being filed against the conspirators.

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Crime Domestic Terrorism Uncategorized

Jan. 6 Rioter Calls Newsmax From Lockup To Whine That He Wants To Go Home

Christopher Worrell wants us to feel sorry for him even though he got himself arrested for being one of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6 and now can only think of going home instead of being locked up in pretrial detention.

Worrell is also a member of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist, neo-fascist gang of thugs that promotes and engages in political violence across the United States.

But according to Worrell, he’s ever so sorry for what he did and thinks the government should give him a break because he’s suffering from a disease and needs urgent medical attention.

During a phone interview with Newmax host Greg Kelly, Worrell whined for nearly ten minutes, telling Kelly:

“The regrets I have is, I mean, nobody I knew, talking to, during or after, had any idea that anything like that was going to occur on that day. None of us had any tendencies or anything other than the preach our First Amendment rights and protest our tyrannical government, it seems like, you know, they’re just worried about their own political agenda.”

Boo freaking hoo! You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, huh, Christopher? Then how do you explain the fact that you’re also charged with using pepper spray on a law enforcement officer? That’s not a protest; it’s assault and battery.

That’s not all Worrell had to say.

Once he had whined and sounded as if he was about to cry as he alleged that he’s not getting adequate medical treatment for his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he remarked:

“I have another court hearing coming up soon, and we’re hoping the courts are going to see, but, you know, they’re just, they’re mistreating me. They promised me treatment way back in April, and yet here I am, still 166 days later with no treatment, so that’s our plan and our hope that the courts have a little bit of compassion, let me go home to get some medical urgent medical treatment that I need.”

They’re mistreating him? Did he think being in jail would be a pleasant experience? If Chris Worrell was so damn concerned about his health, he should have stayed home on Jan. 6 instead of going to Washington looking for blood and oozing hate from every pore.

Why should we have a shred of sympathy for Worrell or any of the others awaiting their day in court? Are we supposed to buy their bullshit excuses and believe their crocodile tears now that they’re facing a long stint in prison?

There’s an old saying that was popular way back when on a show that ran in the 1970s. The show was called “Baretta” and it featured actor Robert Blake in the lead role. The theme song had this line in it:

“Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”

That’s my advice for the traitors who stormed the Capitol. You did the crime, and now you have to do the time. End of story.