Yesterday, the January 6th select committee had their final public hearing, this time to formalize the findings of their investigation into Donald Trump’s incitement of the January 2021 insurrection and terrorist attack on the Capitol. The hearing was noteworthy and historical without actually surprising anyone – even people who have only paid attention to a fraction of the hearings know that Donald Trump incited the insurrection. More than that, we know that Trump did nothing as his terrorists breached the Capitol and began hunting for VP Pence, senators and members of the House. The select committee has now referred their recommendations to the Department of Justice – they want Trump criminally charged.
The Jan. 6 select committee on Monday voted to formally accuse Donald Trump of four crimes, including assisting an insurrection, in his bid to subvert the transfer of presidential power to Joe Biden.
The panel contended that its evidence proved Trump provided “aid and comfort” to a mob that was ransacking the Capitol in service of his attempts to reverse his loss in 2020. It also said Trump could be charged with obstructing Congress’ Jan. 6 joint session, conspiracy to make false statements to the National Archives and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The panel has long contended Trump broke the law. But its new report — which the committee voted to release but has yet to become public — is expected to add vivid new details of that effort, particularly about the cast of enablers who facilitated Trump’s gambit, from Republican members of Congress to a team of lawyers pushing fringe legal theories to shadowy operatives awash in conspiracies. The panel also released the 160-page executive summary of its report, capturing the contours of its case against Trump.
The recommended referral for insurrection mentions U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling in February, which said Trump’s language plausibly incited violence on Jan. 6 and cited the Senate’s 57 votes in last year’s impeachment trial to convict Trump on “incitement of insurrection.”
Charging decisions rest entirely with DOJ prosecutors, not Congress, but panel members have increasingly stressed the impact their transmission to the department could have on public opinion — viewing it as part of building a historical record around the attack. Special Counsel Jack Smith is currently conducting a wide-ranging investigation of Trump’s scheme to cling to power, and the select panel has also moved in parallel with DOJ’s effort to prosecute hundreds of Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol.
“Panel members have increasingly stressed the impact their transmission to the department could have on public opinion…” It’s true, and it’s true that the Garland DOJ is gonna do whatever they’re gonna do independent of the pressures the select committee places on them. For what it’s worth, Merrick Garland doesn’t seem like the kind of man who will be swayed by political pressure either way, but there were indications that the select committee found more evidence than the DOJ had, and that the committee and Justice were sharing a lot of information. I wish Justice would just charge Trump and I’ve been disappointed with how long it’s taking to criminally charge Trump specifically for the insurrection. But I acknowledge that Garland has a plan. I hope.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
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- United States President Donald J. Trump speaks via teleconference to representatives of each branch of the Armed Forces, including the Space Force, from the Diplomatic Room of the White House on Thanksgiving Day in Washington, DC on November 26, 2020. In answering questions from the media he called the election “a massive fraud.”,Image: 571580741, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: usage worldwide, Model Release: no, Credit line: Erin Schaff / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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- United States President Donald J. Trump arrives to speak during an Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House on December 8, 2020 in Washington, DC.,Image: 574595003, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: usage worldwide, Model Release: no, Credit line: Oliver Contreras / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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- United States President Donald J. Trump walks down the colonnade of the the White House in Washington, DC after returning from his Florida vacation early, Thursday, December 31, 2020.,Image: 579990115, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: usage worldwide, Model Release: no, Credit line: Ken Cedeno – Pool via CNP / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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- National Guard troops sleep in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, as the House of Representatives vote on H. Res. 24, Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, Wednesday, January 13, 2021.,Image: 583085427, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: usage worldwide, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rod Lamkey – CNP / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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- U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump board Air Force One during a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Trump departs Washington with Americans more politically divided and more likely to be out of work than when he arrived, while awaiting trial for his second impeachment – an ignominious end to one of the most turbulent presidencies in American history.,Image: 584869381, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: usage worldwide, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stefani Reynolds – Pool via CNP / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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- Washington, DC – US President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks to supporters gathered to protest Congress’ upcoming certification of Joe Biden as the next president on the Ellipse in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2021. Various groups of Trump supporters are gathering to protest as Congress prepares to meet and certify the results of the 2020 US Presidential election. Pictured: Trump BACKGRID USA 6 JANUARY 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – US President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks to supporters gathered to protest Congress’ upcoming certification of Joe Biden as the next president on the Ellipse in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2021. Various groups of Trump supporters are gathering to protest as Congress prepares to meet and certify the results of the 2020 US Presidential election. Pictured: Trump BACKGRID USA 6 JANUARY 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – US President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks to supporters gathered to protest Congress’ upcoming certification of Joe Biden as the next president on the Ellipse in Washington, DC, USA, 06 January 2021. Various groups of Trump supporters are gathering to protest as Congress prepares to meet and certify the results of the 2020 US Presidential election. Pictured: Trump BACKGRID USA 6 JANUARY 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Wow never thought I’d see this happen.
Slowly, slowly….
Now can we unwind his Supreme Court picks ?
From your lips…
I don’t know about ousting his SC picks but it could open the gate to go after Clarence Thomas as his wife was VERY involved in what happened on Jan 6th.
All I want for Christmas is for Ginni and Clarence to get what they so richly deserve.
Yesssssss
Oh, please yes!
Even he is found guilt he will not be arrested. I wish some people to come out of this fantasy land they live. America will not prosecute ex president. It will become banana republic.
So true. Nothing will happen to him. I dont think he will ever go to jail..
However, I thought Brittany wouldn’t get released from Russia so hopefully im wrong about trump too.
I disagree. His prosecution and incarceration is the only thing that will save our republic. Anything less will demonstrate that the President IS above the law, can overturn elections, incite insurrections, and rule without consequences. And THEN it will turn into a “banana republic,” as you put it.
I’m with you.
^^ Exactly!!
I agree Queenie. I wish I am proven wrong. Unchartered territory makes for anything to be possible. But I don’t see him serving time. Before this committee started I said I would be happy if the result is no Trump family member or anyone associated with Trump would ever run for politics in the US – even an HOA board. That will be what we may have to settle with and it’s not too bad.
Queenie: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Here in Australia he would have been out on his arse a long time ago. I don’t know very much about the American judicial or political systems, but prosecuting him seems like such a huge thing, I wonder if those in power have the appetite and their conviction to proceed with the Committee’s recommendations, find to their conclusion. It is unprecedented, is that right? trump is like herpes.
No matter how much charge they against him no sane want to jailed former and current presidental candidate. This is just a show. Both the party works for oligarchs billionaire. Even they arrested him and jailed him , republican will do the same thing. Then it will become cycle of repeats. Democrats know this very well that Republicans will do the same.
By this time Democrats learn the lesson from clinton debacles. When dems refused to impeach clinton when there was clearly evidence of his affair. By not impeaching him , many Republicans openly said that they will not impeach next Republican president when you ask them. They stuck by their word. If this want people wants truly?? Already this country is falling apart this will be cherry on top for civil war.
Hm. Where do you live, Queenie? What country, I mean.
Because this kind of cynical both-sides no hope stuff is something I’ve seen before, and it’s turned out not to be genuine.
Genuine or not: You’re wrong. And you’re parroting the kind of cynical myth that gets people to disengage entirely from politics, which only leads to everything getting worse.
Hey Emily C, asking Queenie “where do you live, what country”is the equivalent of where are you from. Stop engaging in racist white supremacist colonizer talk.
Agree completely, @Emily_C. Not long ago, people would have said members of Congress would never recommend criminal prosecution for a former President, since that’s never happened before. Yet here we are. The doom & gloom “both sides are equally bad” doesn’t serve the interests of justice or democracy.
Emily C- I agree with u and I agree with your question. And your question was in NO way reminiscent of Hussey. It is a valid question when your discussing politics with someone, because where you live and/or where you are from absolutely influences the way you view politics. If I’m discussing politics with someone who is a big believer in capitalism, and that person tells me they are from Cuba, that helps me understand their perspective.
And last I checked, Emily did NOT refuse to accept anyones answer of where they are from.
@Myeh
when the answer can easily be Australia, Ireland, Argentina, or France, how is racist, white supremacist, or colonizer?
Because @Tessa: if someone is from one of the countries you’ve listed, believe it or not, they can still be a POC. And if they are a POC from one of those countries that you like to think of as “white” then asking where they are from is exactly as Myeh described it.
You might want to look up the definition of a “banana republic,” but if you mean a place where there are no consequences for rich, old, white men and they just keep doing the same evil shit, that started here long before the paper were signed in 1776.
I wonder if the staff at Hoard-a-Lago wipe the splattered ketchup off the wall as he throws it, or if they wait until the end of the day and just pressure wash it?
I will drop dead of shock if anything of significance happens to his ass
I hate feeling so cynical, but how many crimes has this man/his family gotten away with and NOTHING was done? A lot. I’m not going to hold my breath for this either.
It just keeps piling up but I believe something will happen. I wish the Justice Department had acted faster though.
Last night MSN had a graphic representation of all the legal woes that he is facing. I am surprised he has not had a stroke, I get anxious if I get a speeding ticket – I cannot imagine going through what he is going and yet he released trading cards and is still trying to run for office.
Lastly Mitch McConnell is a weasel and he was called out by a Harvard law professor as such due to his remark that America knows who is to blame for J6. It’s almost like Mitch is scared to say Trump’s name – like it’s Beetlejuice or something.
My theory is Trump has intelligence on everyone from Putin. It is astonishing how many were willing to sell their souls to him.
That is really the only theory that makes sense because nothing else can explain how scared they are of this individual. I mean Mitch is pretty high up and has a great deal of power. So the only theory is intel on them via Putin. Which makes sense.
I have suspected that since his campaign in 2016 after seeing Lindsay Graham do an about face overnight.
Can you imagine how the cult of Trump would riot in the streets if he actually went to jail?
Look how those criminals acted on Jan. 6. and they were happy and proud to do it, ffs.
Charge him, fine him, if at all possible jail him.
But, IRL, at minimum Bar Trump from politics for life! Shut his BS down once and for all.
Trump and all his crooked family, and his many many criminal supporters should have all been perp walked and jailed years ago.
Seraphina makes a great point!
How cold blooded is Trump that he does not appear worried? At his age, weight, lives on junk food, etc., he seems to be stupidly fine.
My anxiety would be at 200% all the time.
Edited to add: Go away Orange Idiot!
Trump is worried, he’s spinning out every day on Truth Social. DOJ is already 900 convictions into this mess, including a conviction for seditious conspiracy. He’s raising money because he knows good lawyers won’t put out for free. Grand juries have been hearing from aides this month like Stephen Miller and Pat Cippollone.
I don’t think sociopaths feel anxiety.
Sociopaths absolutely experience anxiety. Even some psychopaths experience anxiety. I bet Trump is brimming with anxiety 24/7 and it gives me comfort to know that. That not a day goes by right now where he isn’t freaked the fuck out
@beaniebean; this is true and just what I was going to post. People without a conscience feel no guilt or remorse and certainly are not kept up at night with worry. They also will never admit they are wrong and will never accept responsibility for their actions.
Julia K- you are simply incorrect. Most psychopaths don’t feel remorse or anxiety, but sociopaths absolutely feel anxiety. Not for others, but for themselves.
I’m not placing blind faith in Garland or the DoJ. That aside, it’s taken this long because we’ve never had this happen before in the history of the US. And the attempted coup was attempted by a sitting president! Secondly, despite many of the players seeming like dumb-dumbs, this actually had a lot of complex, moving parts that needed to be investigated and understood.
The closest the US has seen to this was the Watergate scandal and that was mere breaking and entering compared to an insurrection. If you look at the timeline the investigations and hearings, etc for Watergate, it took more than a year as well. So the investigation into the insurrection taking this long was to be expected.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it had taken longer or will take longer because of all the digital information that had to be shifted through.
I have low expectations, but I’d like to see everyone involved in that prosecuted – from ol’ Dumpy down to the members of Congress and anyone else who participated.
I just want him not to be able to hold office. Love to see him in jail even house arrest, but would be satisfied with no more trump in office.
Agree with people saying he will never see jail time. I don’t believe he will ever face any real consequences. He’ll die fat and miserable surrounded by cheeseburgers in the lap of luxury, likely somewhere far away from the US. All the people who enabled him will also mostly go free and lead lives us plebs can only dream of. Justice is an illusion. I’ll believe in it again when I see it.
Today is my day to be Miss Merry Sunshine: I find this to be great news. Will he truly be prosecuted, go to jail, etc? Who knows, most likely not. What I do know is that this is a glimmer of hope in a country that has felt incrediby corrupt and unjust lately. This is a loud message that he can’t bully, manipulate and use his Republican powers to bypass the law—which honestly, I felt for several years he had some kind of ridiculous pass that terrified me. Granted, I do think the Republicans are recognizing the need to get “rid” of him politically to push another candidate for prez and thus this was allowed to happen. But even still, he was the scariest of the scary to me…
TLDR this is good news…it is a step in the right direction for humanity.
I’m sitting next to you, Susan. This is good news! Prosecuting a former president is unprecedented, yes, but everything about his term in office was unprecedented! And he’s a treasonous coward who tried to overthrow the government!
He’s losing influence. Due to multiple (!) lawsuits and this latest gem courtesy the House, Trump is feeling the heat of his criminal past. I truly hope he feels threatened enough, because if he feels he’s going down he is absolutely going to take as many people as he can with him, and that would be a beautiful thing.
I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again: Unless he dies first, Trump will go to prison. Not all of the bad faith actors in his orbit will suffer the consequences they should, but some will. People forget that the number of defendants charged at Nuremberg was down to how much space they had in the dock, not how many people were culpable.
Trump escaped accountability for most of his life because it wasn’t in anyone’s interests to hold him to account. Now, the crimes are massive, well documented & (perhaps most importantly) big enough for several attorneys to make their names prosecuting. Blood is in the water.
No house arrest of plea deal? I’m thinking of the millions it’s going to cost to incarcerate him in a private suite to keep him safe from other prisoners.
Valid concern, but DOJ is running this like a mob prosecution, so they’ll cut deals before reaching the very top, at which point they’ll have built their best case & there will be no deals (not that I think Trump would take one).
For many reasons, the best way to look at how they’d handle putting him in prison (including managing security issues) would be to look at how they imprisoned mafia bosses.
Even if he isn’t sentenced to jail, the consequences of doing nothing are far greater than the consequences of doing *something*
THANK HEAVENS! Now that this verdict is in the hands of The DOJ, I personally hope that he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent due to all of the atrocities he has bestowed on the USA. As Rep. Raskin pointed out during yesterday’s final hearing: “Ours is not a system of justice where foot soldiers go to jail and the masterminds and ringleaders get a free pass!”. I agree with this gentleman wholeheartedly!
Please be right. Please put Trump in jail. Perp walk him, in handcuffs, into Court.
Please. We the decent people need a big win, badly. And soon!
It would be a gift to see Trump behind bars. Even in a Country Club type of prison.
If they put Al Capone and John Gotti in Federal Prison, they should be able to lock Trump up.