In my previous blog post, I covered how 46 Republican members of Congress openly pledged their support for the coup by announcing their intention to vote to dispute the electoral votes one last time on January 6th. Some Republicans believed upwards of 100 or even 140 Republicans would end up supporting it once it actually came to a vote.
On the day before the coup vote, 13 Republican Senators publicly endorsed it, 21 publicly opposed it, and 18 had not taken a clear position. The number of Representatives endorsing the coup vote grew to around 81 by January 5th. (See a formatted list of them here.)
On the morning of January 6th, Trump held a rally, encouraging Pence to personally overthrow the election and certify Trump as president. In addition, Trump said he would personally lead his supporters to the Capitol building, where the coup vote would take place.
At 1:00 PM eastern time, Congress began the proceedings for the vote. By 2:20 PM, rioters broke into the Capitol building and Congress abruptly stopped their proceedings and later evacuated the building.
This blog post will continue to be updated as this situation unfolds and more information becomes available.
Table of Contents:
• Brief explanation of the coup vote
• Congressional proceedings before the insurrection
• Trump's rally - putting pressure on Pence
• Trump's rally - inciting the insurrection
• Timeline of the insurrection
• A few photos/videos of the insurrection
• Some Republicans had been encouraging civil war if the coup is not successful
• Ted Cruz and the definition of sedition
• The cost of a failed impeachment
*****
Brief explanation of the coup vote.
Basically, Congress planned to vote on whether or not to accept the electoral votes in each state. Republicans were planning to object to a number of "swing states". In order to actually throw out the votes, a majority of both houses of Congress are necessary. Democrats control the House and a significant number of Republican Senators have expressed their displeasure over this vote, so this coup vote is purely symbolic and has no chance of actually changing the outcome of the election. This demonstrates just how anti-American these Republicans are--they are willing to go forever into the historical record as committing treason by supporting this doomed coup.
"Congress doesn't certify the Electoral College votes. It only counts slates of presidential electors submitted and certified by each state and the District of Columbia.https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/what-to-expect-when-gop-members-of-congress-object-to-the-counting-of-electoral-college-votes-on-january-6/ar-BB1cuJYZ
Still, under the Electoral Count Act of 1887, members of Congress can object to the counting of a state's slates of electors that were "lawfully certified" by a state's governor if those votes were not "regularly given."
[...]
At least one member of the House and one member of the Senate must raise an objection to a state's electors, at which point both chambers of Congress, the House and Senate, go separately to debate the objection for no more than two hours before taking a vote.
[...]
Both chambers of Congress must vote by a simple majority to reject a state's slate of electors. Democrats still control a majority in the US House, making any objection to Biden electors virtually dead on arrival."
***
Congressional proceedings before the insurrection.
At the beginning of the joint session on the debate on Arizona electoral votes:
Senator Mitch McConnell voiced his displeasure with his party's decision to carry the coup vote forward, but, in a bizarre act of gaslighting, his speech attempted to portray the Republican party as the high-brow party who are above overthrowing our government while accusing Democrats of spending 30+ years and 4 years of the Trump presidency doing what Republicans are now doing. This came just a minute after McConnell said he didn't want Americans to live in two separate realities and two separate "tribes". I guess the red tribe won't be coming back to reality any time soon.
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Republicans' actions an "insurrection" and "attempted coup". (He was referring to the vote, since this is before the insurrection broke out). Now that Democrat party leadership has acknowledged this is indeed a coup, we must apply maximum pressure for them to bring those individuals involved to justice. If Schumer and others do not, that will mean the Democrat party aided and abetted the Republican coup attempt, by shielding them from the consequences and helping them to cover it up.
Senator Amy Klobuchar praised the "coup-fighters" in both parties.
***
Trump's rally - putting pressure on Pence.
Trump's so-called "Save America Rally" began at 11:00 AM eastern time on January 6th. One of the major points was his continued demands that Pence personally overthrow the election results.
At the rally, Trump once again said, “We will never concede. You don’t concede when there’s theft. This year, they rigged an election. They rigged it like they’ve never rigged an election before,” and pressured Pence, "I hope Mike is gonna do the right thing. I hope so. Because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election."
https://nypost.com/2021/01/06/trump-addresses-supporters-at-dc-rally-ahead-of-vote-certification/
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1346866195866247168
On January 4th, Trump asked Pence to be the one to re-certify him as president. Although Pence didn't directly agree to Trump's demands, Pence has said multiple times he supports the coup vote.
"President Donald Trump told supporters at a rally on Monday that he hoped Mike Pence "comes through" to help overturn the 2020 election results this week, when the vice president is scheduled to preside over a joint session of Congress to formally announce the winner.https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-hopes-pence-comes-through-overturn-election-results-no-power-2021-1
Trump has expressed a belief that Pence has the power to influence the outcome of Wednesday's ceremony, during which the vice president is supposed to witness each state's Electoral College result being read out and then announce the president-elect, who in this case is Joe Biden.
Pence's role in that process is largely ceremonial.
The New York Times likened Pence's role to that of a presenter at the Academy Awards. He will read out the winner but has no power to influence who that winner is.
[...]
"Of course, if he doesn't come through, I won't like him quite as much," Trump said, adding that Pence was "going to have a lot to say about it."
[...]
Pence assured the crowd that he shared "the concerns of millions of Americans about voting irregularities" and that "we'll have our day in Congress" on Wednesday and "we'll hear the evidence.""
January 4:
"During a rally Monday ahead of tomorrow's Georgia Senate runoff elections, Vice President Mike Pence said that he understands that many people are skeptical about the election results will "have their day in Congress" on Wednesday when the results are set to be finalized."https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/01/04/pence_on_election_doubts_we_will_have_our_day_in_congress_well_hear_the_evidence.html
January 3:
""Vice President Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election," Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff, said in a statement, The Washington Post reported.https://www.businessinsider.com/pence-welcomes-gop-lawmakers-bid-to-challenge-bidens-win-2021-1
"The vice president welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people on January 6th.""
Although Pence is of course supporting the coup through his words, he is reported to have told Trump he is unable to change the election result the day prior to the vote. I guess Trump really was delusional enough to believe Pence could have done something to personally carry out the coup.
January 5:
"Pence Said to Have Told Trump He Lacks Power to Change Election Result.
A day before he presides over a joint session of Congress to ratify Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory, the vice president tried to lower the president’s expectations while seeking ways to mollify him."
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/us/politics/pence-trump-election-results.html
January 6th, around 8:00 PM. After helping to incite it, Pence pretends to condemn the insurrection:
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1346988269699878915
***
Trump's rally - inciting the insurrection.
Previously, Trump on numerous occasions encouraged his supporters to engage in massive riots on January 6th. Another major point of Trump's rally was that he was going to lead his supporters to the Capitol after his speech ended.
"And after this, we're gonna walk down--and I'll be there with you--we're gonna walk down to the Capitol and we're gonna cheer on our brave Senators and Congress men and women, and we're probably not gonna be cheering so much for some of them. Because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated."https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1346870329851981827
At the rally, Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani seemed to not-so-subtly suggest a civil war as the solution to the election dispute:
"Giuliani calls for 'trial by combat' at D.C. rally
[...]
Yes, that's exactly what the former New York City mayor and top lawyer for President Trump suggested Wednesday at a rally in Washington, D.C. As some Republicans in Congress prepared to object to the Electoral College votes that proved President-elect Joe Biden's win, Giuliani suggested they duke out their election dispute another way: "trial by combat."
[...]
Giuliani repeated false claims about voting machines in key states that Biden won, insisting he see the machines that turned out "fraudulent" ballots (they didn't). After all, Giuliani said he and Trump are both willing to "stake [our] reputation[s]" on finding fraud — "if we're wrong, we will be made fools of," he added. "So let's have trial by combat," Giuliani suggested."
https://theweek.com/speedreads/959138/giuliani-calls-trial-by-combat-dc-rally
By around 12:30 PM, Trump supporters marched from the White House rally towards the Capitol, ready to begin their "trial by combat."
Being a coward, Trump didn't follow through on his promise to lead them. But his supporters were emboldened to riot in order to carry out their last chance at the coup. They surrounded the Capitol, clashed with police and got pepper sprayed. Before long, they managed to break into the Capitol building.
"As chaos ripped through Washington, D.C., on Wednesday afternoon, President Trump quietly slipped into his motorcade to be whisked back to the White House, despite having told his supporters that he was going to walk with them to the Capitol Building.https://theweek.com/speedreads/959172/trump-claims-hell-lead-march-capitol-only-slip-back-white-house-motorcade
Trump had used his pulpit at his rally to continue to falsely claim that he had won the presidential election, going as far as to threaten his own vice president, Mike Pence, who had publicly broken with him by refusing to block President-elect Joe Biden's win.
Protesters, meanwhile, stormed the U.S. Capitol Building, overwhelming federal police. From behind bulletproof glass, Trump called for the rest of his assembled supporters to walk toward the Capitol to join the protests, claiming he would lead them in the march, which is being characterized by CNN as a "coup attempt.""
"Trump supporters breach U.S. Capitol building in 'desperate coup attempt'
[...]
CNN has characterized the protests, and the storming of the Capitol Building, as a "desperate coup attempt.""
https://twitter.com/rezahakbari/status/1346838834160558081
***
Timeline of the insurrection.
10:00 AM eastern time - Trump's rally begins.
10:07 AM - Eric Trump speaks and makes insurrection-inciting remarks such as "we need to march on the Capitol today."
10:15 AM - Donald Trump Jr. speaks and makes insurrection-inciting remarks. Referring to the politicians, he says, "You have an opportunity today: You can be a hero or you can be a zero. And the choice is yours, but we are all watching. If you're gonna be the zero and not the hero, we're coming for you and we're going to have a good time doing it."
10:45 AM - Rudy Giuliani speaks and makes insurrection-inciting remarks such as "let's have trial by combat."
12:16 PM - Trump speaks and makes insurrection-inciting remarks such as, "And after this, we're gonna walk down--and I'll be there with you--we're gonna walk down to the Capitol and we're gonna cheer on our brave Senators and Congress men and women, and we're probably not gonna be cheering so much for some of them. Because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated."
https://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/1348293638648782851
around 12:30 PM - Trump supporters leave the rally at the White House and head toward the Capitol building.
1:00 PM - Congress begins the proceedings for the coup vote.
Reporter Marcus DiPaola posted a video of police opening the barriers and letting rioters move toward the Capitol. The precise timestamp is not clear but it seems during the hour of late 1:00 PM or early 2:00 PM eastern time. This video would have been close to the time they got to the Capitol steps. Police simply opened the barriers and fell back with minimal resistance to the rioters.
https://www.tiktok.com/@marcus.dipaola/video/6914723446496840965
2:11 PM - Aides told Senator Charles E. Grassley to take over for Pence in the Senate proceedings as the situation became more volatile. Security ushered Pence out of the Senate.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-capitol-siege/2021/01/09/e3ad3274-5283-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html
2:14 PM - Pelosi was ushered out of the House by her security.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-capitol-siege/2021/01/09/e3ad3274-5283-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html
2:14 PM - Huffington Post reporter Igor Bobic says that insurrectionists breached the Capitol and were outside the Senate chamber. The door to the Senate chamber was completely unsecured.
https://twitter.com/igorbobic/status/1348122699843981312
2:15 PM - A Washington Post reporter inside the Senate chamber recorded in their notes that the Senate was just now sealed.
2:16 PM - Igor Bobic tweets a photo of what happened minutes ago, showing rioters have breached the Capitol and are outside the Senate chamber.
https://twitter.com/igorbobic/status/1346898433689399297
USCP Officer Eugene Goodman managed to lead the insurrectionists away from the open Senate door. Why the hell was he the only officer in that critical stairwell leading to the Senate? MSNBC news anchor Chris Hayes makes the observation, "A few minutes earlier and we could have had a mob beating senators to death. Please understand how close this came."
[Look at the timestamps, Pence was 3-4 minutes away from being hanged like the insurrectionists chanted.]
https://twitter.com/kristin__wilson/status/1348297840779546627
https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1348124090167648257
Bobic's video of Officer Goodman and the terrorists below:
https://twitter.com/igorbobic/status/1346911809274478594
2:18 PM - Republican Representative Lauren Boebert, a QAnon follower, informed the insurrectionists of Pelosi's whereabouts by tweeting that she had been removed from the House chamber. Boebert has committed treason by giving aid and comfort to domestic terrorists. https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1346898958900199429
https://www.rawstory.com/lauren-boebert-twitter/
In the early morning hours of January 6th, Boebert tweeted "This is 1776". That evening she voted to carry out the coup, of course.
around 2:20 PM - PBS NewsHour livestream shows both the House and Senate abruptly going into recess, due to the rioters reaching the Capitol building doors and attempting to break down the doors and windows.
2:24 PM - PBS NewsHour livestream reported rioters broke in through a side door and an individual who broke in went to open the main doors.
2:27 PM - PBS NewsHour livestream shows a video of rioters walking into Statuary Hall inside the Capitol building.
2:52 PM - Police begin to restore order inside. PBS NewsHour journalist Lisa Desjardins and Congress members are evacuated from the Capitol building. Congress members have gas masks on.
~2:55 PM - Politicians ask DC National Guard to deploy, but Department of Defense has not approved it. Trump's Department of Defense is allowing insurrectionists to ravage DC...
https://twitter.com/byaaroncdavis/status/1346908166030766080
https://twitter.com/byaaroncdavis/status/1346909551535288320
by 3:19 PM - It was reported someone was shot. At 6:12 PM she was reported to be dead.
https://twitter.com/Yamiche/status/1346914298682101763
It is now confirmed that the terrorist who was killed is Trump supporter and QAnon follower Ashli Babbitt. Insurrectionists were attempting to break into the barricaded House chamber. She was shot by an officer as she was about to climb through a broken window of a door leading to a hallway immediately beside the chamber.
A video of this can be seen below. Insanely, officers standing on the other side of the doors simply moved aside to allow Babbitt and others to begin breaking them down. If these were BLM protestors, police would not have simply moved aside.
https://twitter.com/BillPascrell/status/1347653772940632065
**
around 3:25 PM - Elijah Schaffer (@ElijahSchaffer on Twitter), a reporter for The Blaze, casually went into Nancy Pelosi's office and posted a photo of a computer with open emails. He said the computer screen displayed "a federal alert warning members of the current revolution." He soon deleted the tweet.
https://old.reddit.com/r/Libertarian/comments/krwvg1/elijah_schaffer_inside_nancy_pelosis_office_with/
At 4:06 PM Schaffer tweeted that he was "not personally involved in the events today in DC", despite a screenshot of his earlier tweet saying he himself was inside Pelosi's office.
https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer/status/1346926152787644418
On January 7th, Schaffer reuploaded his photo of a computer in Nancy Pelosi's office (with potentially sensitive information censored) and also a video of rioters walking around the office. He writes, "It seems that staff left in such a hurry that they forgot to lock the doors because there were no signs of forced entry". "Not only that, but one of the staffer’s computers in her office was left unlocked, leading to concerns of security compromise. I did not see anyone accessing these computers directly but I took this image because it shows how quickly people fled."
https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer/status/1347267926060134406
Schaffer calls the people who occupied Pelosi's office "alleged Trump supporters" and his original tweet of the computer said "I am inside Nancy Pelosi's office with the thousands of revolutionaries who have stormed the building." Even with a press pass, calling the insurrectionists "revolutionaries" and casually posting a picture of a potentially sensitive computer makes it difficult to claim to be an impartial documentarian who was "not personally involved in the events today in DC."
A user on Twitter responded by noting that just a few weeks ago Schaffer posted tweets supporting civil war and "revolution"... Below are links confirming the tweets are real.
https://twitter.com/angelsBT1993/status/1346966829088997377
On December 11, 2020, Schaffer supported Chairman of the Texas Republicans Allen West's call for pro-Trump states to secede.
https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer/status/1337568352500412416
On December 11, 2020, Schaffer said, "We never lose. Revolution. Civil war. 2020. It’s all the same. We will succeed. If not, secede."
https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer/status/1337572802329796609
Lock him up. Having a press pass doesn't give someone absolute immunity to give aid and comfort to domestic enemies of the United States. Schaffer is now on Twitter saying Biden "makes Donald Trump look like a saint" and is pushing antifa and BLM stories to distract from, you know, the pro-Trump insurrection he supported and participated in.
**
4:00 PM - It is reported the National Guard was finally deployed.
4:08 PM - Biden gives a speech. He says the actions "border on sedition" (2:26 in the video below), and tells Trump to tell his supporters to call off the "siege" and calls this an "insurrection" (relevant section starts at 3:06). If Biden does not punish Trump and all the Republicans who helped bring this insurrection to fruition, then Biden will be aiding in its coverup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_rtnCFbU68
Before the rioters broke into the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Schumer said Republicans were engaging in an insurrection and coup. Now that rioters have actually broken into the Capitol and caused Congress members to be evacuated, it cannot be denied this is an insurrection. If every single politician who constantly encouraged this insurrection, sedition, and coup are not brought to justice alongside the rioters, justice will not be done. The coup won't be over until all the traitors are punished.
4:17 PM - Trump answers Biden's request. Trump says the election was stolen but there needs to be "peace" so the rioters need to go home.
https://mobile.twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1346928882595885058
This is not how you end a coup. It is obvious Trump doesn't care about actually ending the insurrection.
4:38 PM - Representative Ilhan Omar announces she is writing Articles of Impeachment to remove Trump. If we don't remove him immediately we still have 14 more days of this.
https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1346934098384793606
4:50 PM - DC police chief gives a statement. DC has a 6PM curfew.
5:03 PM - Rioters outside the Capitol begin to attack media reporters covering the riot, destroying their equipment.
https://twitter.com/WilliamTurton/status/1346940440935870472
5:04 PM - "Capitol historian tells CNN that today is the first time the Capitol has been breached since the War of 1812"
https://twitter.com/johnkruzel/status/1346940646083371009
5:04 PM - Representative Paul Gosar begins pushing conspiracy theories, tweeting "This has all the hallmarks of Antifa provocation." Previously, Gosar had his speech objecting to Arizona's electoral votes interrupted by the terrorists at 2:14 PM, and he has the nerve to try to gaslight us into believing his Trumpist mob wasn't a Trumpist mob.
https://twitter.com/DrPaulGosar/status/1346940816514813953
A claim he repeated a few hours later:
https://twitter.com/DrPaulGosar/status/1346986357214896129
by 5:18 PM - A video shows a riot officer casually holding an insurrectionist's hand as they are escorted out of the Capitol. Would police have done the same if it was a left-wing rioter?
https://twitter.com/gifdsports/status/1346944195601248259
5:34 PM - Huffington Post reporter Matt Fuller tweets, "Sergeant at Arms says the Capitol building is secure."
https://twitter.com/MEPFuller/status/1346948406179057665
5:42 PM - PBS NewsHour livestream states that police have largely secured the Capitol building.
around 6:00 PM eastern time - Rioters break into the Governor's mansion in Olympia, Washington.
https://twitter.com/KIRO7Seattle/status/1346955280530219008
around 6:23 PM - Trump praises the insurrectionists on Twitter: "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!" Twitter soon deleted this and another tweet, and temporarily locked Trump's account.
https://old.reddit.com/r/trumptweets/comments/krziiz/president_trump_these_are_the_things_and_events/
https://www.vox.com/recode/22217705/facebook-twitter-youtube-parler-insurrection-trump-capitol
around 6:30 PM - Pelosi announces Democrats intend to finish certifying Biden's victory by the end of the day.
https://www.axios.com/pelosi-congress-ratifying-biden-win-3b5f29e5-b01f-455e-9153-d406b18bf2dc.html
around 8:00 PM - After helping to incite the insurrection, Pence pretends to condemn the violence as Congress resumes.
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1346988269699878915
8:11 PM - Mitch McConnell is reported to have called the events today a "failed insurrection."
https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/1346987840626778113
9:08 PM - Representative Matt Gaetz begins pushing conspiracy theories about Antifa, tweeting a fake news news article claiming they "infiltrated protestors who stormed the Capitol".
https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1347002155887190016
A spokesperson for the facial recognition company in the article said the story was "outright false, misleading, and defamatory.”
https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/7/22218601/matt-gaetz-antifa-capitol-hill-riot-xrvision-facial-recognition-washington-times-story-false
around 10:40 PM - Someone on Twitter uploaded a video of Matt Gaetz during the coup vote. He promotes the same conspiracy article about Antifa. A minute prior, Gaetz argues Trump's riot was more peaceful than BLM and others, and blames Democrats for old efforts to reject certifications of electoral votes.
https://twitter.com/realLizUSA/status/1347025322630406144
See 9:22:56 where he mentions Antifa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzWS7gJX5Z8
Mo Brooks, the leader of the coup vote in the House, went on to promote the Antifa conspiracy in the morning of January 7th.
https://twitter.com/RepMoBrooks/status/1347171347043115008
2:29 AM, January 7th - After debating to throw out Pennsylvania's electoral votes, the House begins voting on it.
3:39 AM - Congress finishes counting all the electoral votes and Pence acknowledges Biden's victory, but not before 147 Republicans went forever into the record as voting for the coup.
***
A few photos/videos of the insurrection.
"Journalists in the House have reported an armed standoff with guns drawn after protesters tried to bang down the door.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/06/georgia-senate-vote-winner-republican-democrat-joe-biden/
One journalist tweeted that protesters are on the third floor of the Senate, walking door-to-door, shouting “Where the f*** are they?”, referring to Members of Congress.
Another, Olivia Beavers from Politico, tweeted: "We are hiding behind chairs and tables on House gallery. Some are crying."
Charles Ramsey, former DC police chief , says on CNN: “This is as close to a coup attempt that this country has ever seen. That’s what you’re looking at, folks.”"
Photo of police with their guns drawn, barricaded inside the building:
https://twitter.com/HelenKennedy/status/1346911179617095687
Insurrectionists on a scaffold climb to the 2nd floor of the Senate:
https://twitter.com/igorbobic/status/1346908735059456005
Insurrectionists break and climb through a window:
https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1346920797026267137
Insurrectionists attempt to break down a door:
https://twitter.com/jim_newell/status/1346899789347233796
***
Before the riots, some Republican politicians had been encouraging civil war if the coup is not successful.
Trump was not the only one encouraging coup-supporters to riot and incite violence.
On January 4th, Representative Chip Roy of Texas declared he would kick off a "hot" civil war if Republicans lost the Georgia Senate runoff elections.
"Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) scaremongered Monday about the possibility of Republicans losing control of the U.S. Senate, claiming the United States would endure a “full-scale hot conflict” as a result.https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5ff419ccc5b6ec8ae0b57c09
In an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show, Roy warned what he believed will happen if Democrats flip the Senate by winning Tuesday’s runoff elections in Georgia.
“What happens tomorrow in Georgia, if we have a Democratically controlled Senate, I mean, we’re now basically at full-scale hot conflict in this country, whereas right now we’re in a cold civil war,” Roy told Carlson."
Around January 2nd, Representative Louie Gohmert very explicitly encouraged far-right violence:
"But if bottom line is, the court is saying, 'We're not going to touch this. You have no remedy' -- basically, in effect, the ruling would be that you gotta go the streets and be as violent as Antifa and BLM."https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1345377936300453891
On January 1st, pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood, who is a close associate with Trump's inner circle (including Sidney Powell and General Flynn), said Pence will be executed if he does not carry out the coup.
"If Pence is arrested, @SecPompeo will save the election. Pence will be in jail awaiting trial for treason. He will face execution by firing squad. He is a coward & will sing like a bird & confess ALL."
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1345067881319587840?s=20
Wood also said said Chief Justice Roberts and Mitch McConnell will face the same fate for "treason"--i.e. not helping Trump carry out his coup.
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1345065245497323523
How long until Wood has his law license revoked and is thrown in jail along with his friends for treason?
Following Wood's lead, insurrectionists chanted "Hang Mike Pence" during the insurrection on January 6th:
"President Trump Just Used Social Media To Attempt A Coup.https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/president-trump-facebook-twitter-coup
While violent supporters stormed the Capitol, Donald Trump cheered them on using the last tool he has: the internet.
[...]
And as the chaos ensued, Twitter and Facebook allowed the president to cheer it on.
[...]
“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,” Trump tweeted and posted on Facebook just before 2:30 p.m. in Washington, DC, as his supporters descended on the Capitol building where members of Congress were certifying the election. “USA demands the truth!”
[...]
The insurrection isn’t just being televised. It’s being orchestrated, promoted, and broadcast on the platforms of companies with a collective value in the trillions of dollars.
And the platforms have let Trump persist. At 2:38 p.m. in DC, Trump issued a new message, in which he did not tell his supporters to stand down.
[...]
“Donald Trump has directly incited a terror attack on Capitol Hill,” one Facebook employee wrote on the company’s internal message board. “We need to take down his account right now.""
***
Ted Cruz and the definition of sedition.
January 3: Senator Ted Cruz is openly endorsing sedition and a coup, yet is gaslighting us by saying "calm down"... It is not "hyperbole" to say the Constitution says the punishment for treason is death.
"Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Sunday called for critics of his challenge to the results of the presidential election to “tone down the rhetoric.”https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/532415-cruz-says-people-accusing-him-of-sedition-need-to-calm-down
“I think everyone needs to calm down,” Cruz, who on Saturday led a group of 11 GOP senators who said they would challenge the results of the presidential election in several states, said on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“I think we need to tone down the rhetoric. This is already a volatile situation. It's like a tinderbox and throwing lit matches into it," Cruz said.
Cruz criticized “hyperbole” and “angry language” in response to his statement Saturday, accusing Democrats of “urging that I should be arrested and tried for sedition and treason.”
“That’s not helpful ... at a time when we’re pitted against each other. Just relax, and let’s do our jobs,” he said. “We have a responsibility to follow the law.”"
If Cruz and every other member of Congress who has publicly advocated for the coup and incited this insurrection is not imprisoned for 20 years, then it will be evidence that the Republican self-coup remains in effect since they are above the law.
"18 U.S. Code § 2384 - Seditious conspiracyhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2384
If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both."
The coup does not have to be successful for the crime to exist.
"Conspiracyhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/conspiracy
An agreement between two or more people to commit an illegal act, along with an intent to achieve the agreement's goal. Most U.S. jurisdictions also require an overt act toward furthering the agreement."
I'm not a lawyer, but I'm sure if you open up the lawbooks, there are plenty of other actual, real laws Cruz and others are breaking here. This is not hyperbole. Or maybe it is hyperbole, since laws only matter if they are enforced.
January 6:
"Ted Cruz’s electoral vote speech will live in infamy.https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/06/ted-cruzs-electoral-vote-speech-will-live-infamy/
On Wednesday, the time came for Cruz to make his case for why the transfer of power mandated by the Constitution should not occur.
“Mr. President,” he began, referring to the president of the Senate, “we gather together at a moment of great division, at a moment of great passion.”
“We have seen and no doubt will continue to see a great deal of moralizing from both sides of the aisle,” he continued. “But I would urge to both sides, perhaps a bit less certitude and a bit more recognition that we are gathered at a time when democracy is in crisis.”
How? Not because the president of the United States was lying to the public to seize power. No. Because the president’s supporters believed him.
“Recent polling shows that 39 percent of Americans believe the election that just occurred, quote, was rigged,” Cruz said. “You may not agree with that assessment. But it is nonetheless a reality for nearly half the country.”
After noting that this wasn’t limited to Republicans, he continued.
“Even if you do not share that conviction, it is the responsibility, I believe, of this office to acknowledge that it is a profound threat to this country and to the legitimacy of any administrations that will come in the future,” he said.
[...]
All of this, from start to finish, is dishonest opportunism. Trump — and through omission, Cruz — misled the public in service of their own power. It’s no more complicated than that. Trump and Cruz made obviously untrue claims to an aggravated electorate, knowing that the claims were inaccurate, so that they could maintain power (in Trump’s case) or soon gain it (in Cruz’s). Even as temperatures rose and even as Trump encouraged massive protests at the Capitol in an effort to pressure legislators, Cruz did nothing more than nod along.
[...]
Within an hour of Cruz’s speech, a violent pro-Trump mob broke through a police line and forced their way into the Senate chamber itself. As of writing, the Capitol remains out of law enforcement’s control.
Cruz’s effort to walk the line failed. The viper devoured him. His speech Tuesday — a cynical effort to undermine democracy, some of the last words to echo in the chamber before he and his colleagues had to flee — will be one of his primary legacies."
January 6: Ted Cruz tells people to stop storming the Capitol after spending months inciting a coup and encouraging Republican voters to engage in sedition...
https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1346911179042484230
January 6: Senator Josh Hawley says "violence must end". Hawley was the first Senator to support the coup vote. The coup vote could only proceed if politicians in both the House and Senate raised objections to the electoral votes. Hawley's support triggered the coup vote to move forward.
https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1346938711435575297
Romney was willing to call this an insurrection and blame his fellow Republicans for inciting it. However, Romney only had the courage to vote to convict Trump for one of the two articles of impeachment and was more than willing to help Trump pack the Supreme Court. Does he really think his hands are clean?
"Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told a reporter "this is what the president has caused today, this insurrection" as protesters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday to protest the presidential election results.https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/532955-romney-trump-caused-this-insurrection
[...]
Multiple reporters shared on Twitter that Romney yelled, "This is what you’ve gotten, guys," to his fellow Congress members as they were evacuated.
Romney has recognized President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and has been critical of President Trump's claims of voter fraud. He’s also called the attempt from his GOP colleagues who said they would object to the Electoral College vote as an “egregious ploy.”
“The congressional power to reject electors is reserved for the most extreme and unusual circumstances. These are far from it,” he added."
***
The cost of a failed impeachment.
A few days ago, after a phone call was leaked of Trump demanding Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger "find 11,780 votes" in Georgia to overturn the presidential election, there was a renewed wave of calls to impeach Trump to finally end this madness.
Days later, members of Congress would be calling to impeach and remove Trump for something much more grave--inciting insurrectionists to storm the US Capitol. Every day we wait, the damage gets worse.
January 4:
"This Is the Cost of a Failed Impeachmenthttps://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/price-failed-trump-impeachment/617541/
When the Senate failed to remove Trump last year, it all but guaranteed his future attempts to overturn the election.
[...]
During impeachment, Trump’s critics, including me, warned repeatedly that if he were not impeached and removed, he’d feel empowered to commit the same offenses again. Trump’s current, shambling coup attempt is the price of the Senate’s failure to remove him.
[...]
GOP officeholders knew that Trump was innocent—they just hadn’t figured out why. The same thing is happening again now. Republicans know that the election was somehow tainted, even though two months of fevered searches and litigation have yet to uncover any evidence to back that up. Having spent the time since the election sowing public doubt by baselessly questioning the results, demagogues like Senator Ted Cruz insist that it is important to halt the process because the public has doubts. (Most voters, it’s worth noting, don’t have concerns.)
[...]
Trump is probably not going to “get away” with the coup attempt, insofar as it is highly unlikely that he can do anything to prevent Biden from becoming president on January 20. But he will get away with it insofar as he probably won’t face any criminal consequences for his attempted power grab. The corrosive effects on democracy of what Trump is doing right now will continue for years or decades. Future politicians will take the lesson to heart and use the same tactics to try to overturn elections. Meanwhile, the false claims that Trump and his Republican enablers have spread will do lasting damage to faith in elections, which could harm the United States.
All of this could have been prevented."
January 4:
"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she thinks Donald Trump should be impeached for his call to the Georgia secretary of state demanding he “find” votes to overturn his election loss."https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/aoc-trump-georgia-call-impeachment-b1781819.html
January 4:
"Once Again: It's Time to Impeach the President in the Lame Duck. He Will Never Stop This.https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a35117894/trump-tape-phone-call-georgia-secretary-of-state-impeach/
It was clear where this was going on November 19. After the martial-law talk and the Georgia Tapes, there is no doubt that Donald Trump will try to destroy the republic if he thinks it's in his personal interest.
It seems bad that all 10 (ten) of the former United States Secretaries of Defense who still reside on this earthly plane felt compelled to publish a letter over the weekend warning that "efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory."
[...]
In their letter, the ex-SecDefs warned that "civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic." That might be true, but they might also be in a position to benefit from the president's pardon campaign, in which he's offered up sweeping indulgences to those who've observed omertà when dealing with law enforcement. Why wouldn't he do the same for any in the new cast of characters at the Pentagon and beyond?
[...]
On November 19, 2020, we suggested the president may need to be impeached in the lame-duck period on the basis that he will never stop trying to steal the election and, even if he fails, that he will do untold damage to the country leading up to January 20.
[...]
This is one of America's two major political parties careening into full-on authoritarianism while, so far, the other one merely expresses concern."
January 6th:
"The president of the United States summoned his supporters to Washington, D.C., today, and then stood in front of the White House and lied to them, insisting that he had won the election and that extraordinary measures were necessary to vindicate his win. They took his message to heart, marching up the National Mall toward Capitol Hill. Breaking through barricades and police lines, Confederate battle flags dotting the crowd, the insurrectionists seized control of the United States Capitol, putting Congress to flight.https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/impeach-trump-again/617573/
[...]
Congress must now act, not just to remove Trump—but to ensure that no president ever risks behaving in this way again. Impeachment is the constitutional mechanism for holding a president accountable, a defiant emphasis upon the rule of law in the face of mob violence, a reassertion of the primacy of American institutions over the rule of passions.
Trump has authored his own indictment, and the evidence of his lips condemns him. If senators could not see it a year ago, when the violence he incited was visited upon the most vulnerable, perhaps they have seen it today, as the violence arrived at their doorstep.
The president must be impeached."
January 6th, after the insurrection, Representative Ilhan Omar announced shes is writing Articles of Impeachment to remove Trump.
https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1346934098384793606
January 6:
"Rep. Earl Blumenauer suggested the president should face a fresh impeachment during Trump’s last days in office.https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/01/rep-peter-defazio-at-the-capitol-were-looking-at-an-attempted-coup.html
Rep. Peter DeFazio held Trump personally responsible for the attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Earlier in the day, the president had spoken to the mob and exhorted them to march to the Capitol while repeating false claims of election fraud.
“This is their attempt to invalidate the election,” he told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “We’re looking at an attempted coup being egged on by a minority of the Republican Party and Donald Trump.”
[...]
“The plan was to try to install President Trump into a second term through the Congressional action rather than through the vote of the people,” [Senator Jeff] Merkley said. “That is a coup.”
Democratic Rep. Blumenauer called the people storming the Capitol “domestic terrorists” emboldened by the president.
[...]
U.S. Sen Ron Wyden said on Twitter that he and his staff are safe, then issued a statement condemning Wednesday’s mob violence and said elected officials share responsibility for the events..
“What’s happening today in our nation’s Capitol is a direct assault on democracy, a riot by insurrectionists that caps off four years of Donald Trump fanning the flames of fanaticism,” Wyden wrote."
Senator Bernie Sanders, January 6th:
"The man directly responsible for the chaos of today is Donald Trump, who has made it clear that he will do anything to remain in power – including insurrection and inciting violence. Trump will go down in history as the worst and most dangerous president in history."https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1346960922615685121
January 6:
"The U.S. president, echoed Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass) in a tweet, "is responsible for today's coup at the Capitol and the attack on our government and democracy. He is a direct threat to our country. He needs to be impeached, removed from office, and barred from ever holding office again.""https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/06/bernie-sanders-says-trump-directly-responsible-insurrection-effort
January 6:
"Impeach Trump Immediately.https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/impeach-trump-capitol-sedition/
The president incited his supporters to invade the Capitol and disrupt the certification of the 2020 election. That is too high a crime to ignore.
When the violent chaos that has been unleashed on the United States Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump is brought under control, the House should immediately impeach Trump for inciting sedition and the Senate should act just as quickly to remove the defeated president from office.
Trump has to be held to account, not merely because of what has happened but also because of what might happen in the final two weeks of his dangerous presidency. This is no longer an option for the Congress. This is a constitutional duty, as several members of the House recognized Wednesday afternoon.
[...]
The harm that this president has done cannot be forgiven or forgotten. And the threat that he will do additional harm cannot be neglected.
The Constitution of the United States is clear. It says, "The president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."
Inciting insurrection that borders on insurrection is treasonous. It is a high crime. And no honest observer can deny the truth of former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson statement to MSNBC that Donald Trump "lit the match.""
January 6:
"This Is a Coup.
A mob has stormed the U.S. Capitol, using violence to stop the lawful certification of the Electoral College vote.
Insurrectionists are attacking the seat of American government in an attempted coup, urged on by the president of the United States. Saying that feels melodramatic, ridiculous, and overwrought, but there’s no plainer way to describe what is currently unfolding.
Tens of thousands of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump gathered in Washington, D.C., where he encouraged them to attend a rally as Congress began to ceremonially certify the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden. After a speech by the president, protesters overran security at the Capitol building, which seemed unprepared for the onslaught. They knocked over barricades, pushed past cordons of officers, and broke windows. Some carried Confederate battle flags as they got much closer to the heart of the U.S. government than any Confederate troops ever did.
Photojournalists captured images of guards with guns drawn, trying to hold the mob off at the doors of the House chambers. Insurrectionists entered the House and Senate chambers, standing on the dais in both, and roamed through the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Law-enforcement officials reported that at least one woman was shot inside the Capitol.
[...]
This attempted coup is Trump’s fault. “This is what the president has caused today, this insurrection,” Mitt Romney told a reporter.
[...]
As the chaos spread, Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, “This is wrong and not who we are.” But this is exactly who the members of the Trump clique are. The president and his circle have mounted a four-year assault on the rule of law, and this is the logical end of both that tendency and the president’s specific words. Indeed, the president continued to fuel the fire throughout the afternoon."
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/attempted-coup/617570/
January 6:
"This Is a Coup. Why Were Experts So Reluctant to See It Coming?https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/06/coup-america-capitol-electoral-college-2020-election/
A political scientist explains why some experts have clung to “It can't happen here” for too long.
[...]
One article caught my eye: a Washington Post article by David Nakamura about whether the protests and petitions against the counting of Electoral College votes added up to a coup attempt. The piece quoted several liberal commentators and historians as saying that it obviously was, but the thesis was that what we were seeing as of Tuesday did “not yet meet the formal academic definition of an attempted coup.”
[...]
As I write this a few hours later, rioters incited by President Donald Trump have stormed the Capitol building. Both the House and the Senate have suspended their counting because of security threats. Reportedly, shots have been fired. A photograph of a rioter occupying the House speaker’s chair shows that the Capitol is, essentially, being occupied. C-SPAN is reporting that senior members of leadership of the legislative branch are being held in an “undisclosed location.” Reporters are refusing to divulge their locations on the grounds—entirely reasonable—that doing so could endanger their safety. The National Guard has been deployed.
It’s undeniable at this point. The United States is witnessing a coup attempt—a forceful effort to seize power against the legal framework. The president has caused the interruption of the process that would certify his removal from office. The mechanics of constitutional government have been suspended. Americans are in danger of losing constitutional government to a degree unmatched even during the Civil War, a period when secession itself did not postpone either the holding of elections or the transition of power between presidents.
The moment we face as Americans, in other words, compares more closely to the August 1991 coup that attempted to remove President Mikhail Gorbachev from the head of the Soviet Union or the 1993 armed standoff between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the Russian legislature.
Yet right up until this moment a chorus of voices was telling us not to worry."
January 6:
"This is a coup. Trump's been leading the country toward this for 5 years.https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-coup-trump-led-country-america-towards-this-5-years-2021-1
[...]
With his limited vocabulary and tortured syntax, Trump has long promised a coup if he lost. And he's always advocated for the legitimacy of political violence. His followers heard the message.
Trump encouraged his violence from his supporters ever since he launched his campaign for president in 2015. He's also said explicitly in 2016 that he would not accept election results that showed he lost.
[...]
This is treason, plain and simple."
January 6:
"Pence Should Invoke 25th Amendment to Remove Trump From Office Immediatelyhttps://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/01/if-trump-uses-martial-law-pence-should-use-25th-amendment.html
In what are supposed to be the final days of his presidency, Donald Trump has been discussing invoking martial law to overturn the results of the 2020 election and seizing supposedly fraudulent voting machines that — according to a wild conspiracy theory being pushed by people Trump invited to the Oval Office to discuss the matter — were used to rob him of a second term. This is merely the most extreme example, so far, of Trump’s post-election behavior, which grows more erratic and dangerous to our democracy by the day. His supporters have now even stormed the U.S. Capitol in protest while Congress voted to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.
There is a way to stop him, though."
January 6:
"Donald Trump Is Now a Terrorist Leaderhttps://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/01/donald-trump-is-now-a-terrorist-leader/
The attack on the Capitol is the culmination of Trumpism, and the GOP owns this.
[...]
This is what Donald Trump has unleashed upon the United States: an unprecedented act of domestic terrorism.
A violent mob incited by his false claims of a stolen election stormed the US Capitol, causing chaos, smashing windows, vandalizing offices, and forcing evacuations and lockdowns. Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the counting of electoral votes, had to be rushed out of the Senate chamber by Secret Service agents. The Senate floor was cleared, and one pro-Trump terrorist claimed the podium and shouted, “Trump won that election.” Reports emerged of explosions, tear gas, and gunshots. One person was shot and reported killed. An explosive device was apparently found. Senators and House members were told to shelter in place. Capitol police engaged in an armed standoff with Trump’s brownshirts. It was outright rebellion, an attempt at an actual political coup. An outraged Sen. Mitt Romney exclaimed to a reporter, “This is what the president has caused today, this insurrection.”
[...]
But Trump is not the sole author of this horrific assault on the US government and the citizenry. He has been enabled and supported for years by the Republican Party, Fox News, and other right-wing media, and the conservative movement, even as he fueled hatred and division and his corruptions were repeatedly exposed. They excused his aiding and abetting of a foreign adversary’s attack on the United States. They turned a blind eye to the brazen abuse of power that led to his impeachment. They cheered him, as he downplayed a pandemic, ignored public health guidance, and allowed tens of thousands of Americans to perish in preventable deaths.
[...]
Shortly before the violence broke out, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did deliver a speech explaining his decision to oppose Trump’s attempt to overturn the election, and he spoke emotionally about protecting American democracy and preventing it from entering “a death spiral.” This performance came far too late. Trump and his allies had been laying the groundwork for this coup for months."
**
**
All of this is why Trump should have been impeached on day 1 for violations of the emoluments clause. But he wasn't, and he instead went on to commit treason with his dealings with Russia. He should have been impeached on the very first day a non-treasonous majority took back control of the House of Representatives on January 3rd, 2019 (as Rashida Tlaib heroically argued). But he wasn't, and he and his party instead went on to stage a coup attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. Trump's coup attempt will almost certainly fail, because he does not have the backing of the courts or even lackeys like (former) Attorney General Bill Barr.
Because Trump and Republicans have faced zero repercussions for their constant criminal activities, 147 Republican Congress members committed sedition by voting to carry out the coup, despite the impossibility of its success. Because Republicans have continued to claim the election was fraudulent despite 0 evidence and have continued to support the coup in its dying hours, they have now incited an insurrection where Trump supporters ransacked the US Capitol.
This is what our nation has been reduced to. From a global leader admired by nearly all, to a pitifully corrupt shithole where one of the major political parties incited an insurrection to ransack our government while even sane Republicans look on helplessly.
If we had any justice in our nation, these individuals who are committing treason would be executed for their crimes. But they probably won't be. They likely won't even be removed from Congress. Therefore, they will continue to commit more crimes, since they are above any and all laws.
The very first thing that needs to happen in the Biden administration is a Crimes Commission to bring to justice every. single. last. person. involved in all the various crimes the Republican administration has committed over the past 5+ years. This is the only way our nation will ever begin healing and moving on to a more positive future. If the Crimes Commission is not carried out, we will drift further into corruption until our nation destroys itself.
Without a Crimes Commission, the insurrectionists and supporters of the insurrection that happened today are not going anywhere. Without a Crimes Commission, the Republicans who have committed sedition by inciting this insurrection are not going anywhere. Without a Crimes Commission, this will happen again and again and again until a Republican coup is one day successful.
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