USA Politics (redux)

[Herman]

The best course of action is prosecuting the hell out of everyone who entered the Capitol illegally.

Put that horned guy behind bars for five years and he'll never paint his face again.

Trump and Giuliani ('trial by combat') need to be prosecuted as accessories to manslaughter. Five dead.

Impeachment and the 25th aren't going to cut it.

Biden will have changed his mind about not-prosecuting his predecessor after Jan 6.

The way that Matt Gaetz is lying about Antifa stormed the Capitol just shows what despicable people these radical Republicans are.

[krummholz]

Impeachment and the 25th aren't going to cut it.

I don't think anyone is arguing that impeachment or the 25th should be the last word. The reason to force him out of office now is to prevent him from doing any more damage before his term ends. I doubt there is any chance he could be forced out in the next 12 days though. And impeachment would also disqualify him from ever running for President again (assuming he is convicted in the Senate), which is why retroactive impeachment is being discussed -- not sure whether a felony conviction would also serve that purpose, but I should expect so.

I agree though, everyone directly involved should be prosecuted - the insurrectionists of course, and Trump and Giuliani who helped to incite the insurrection. Trump, whether or not he is successfully impeached - they're entirely different processes.

[T. D.]

Wow.
From today's Wall St. Journal. A long-time Repug publication owned by the abhorrent Rupert Murdoch:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trumps-final-days-11610062773

Impeachment is justified and Cheeto Mussolini should resign to avoid same.

[Karl Henning]

Wow.
From today's Wall St. Journal. A long-time Repug publication owned by the abhorrent Rupert Murdoch:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trumps-final-days-11610062773

Impeachment is justified and Cheeto Mussolini should resign to avoid same.

At least, the acknowledgement that Impeachment is justified. Even though the Republicans in Congress will resist, all the same.

[T. D.]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-07/several-state-lawmakers-joined-observed-us-capitol-turmoil

State Del. Derrick Evans was among lawmakers from at least seven states who traveled to Washington, D.C., for demonstrations rooted in the baseless conspiracy theory that Democrat Joe Biden stole the presidential election. Wearing a helmet, Evans ultimately joined a screaming mob as it pushed its way into the Capitol building, and livestreamed himself joyfully strolling inside.

It's unclear if Evans was the only elected official to participate in what Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and many others called a "failed insurrection." It's also not known if any of them will be prosecuted.
...

Evans, a vocal conservative activist with more than 30,000 followers on Facebook, has not publicly posted on social media since issuing a statement Wednesday that he attended the events as an "independent member of the media to film history." He took his Twitter account private late Wednesday and didn't respond to emailed questions.

"At no point was Mr. Evans located in the crowd on the West side of the (Capitol) building, nor anywhere else on the Capitol grounds, where violence and destruction of property was, or had been, occurring," Bryan [his atty.] said.

In his now-deleted video, widely shared online, Evans is clamoring inside a jampacked Capitol building doorway, trying with others to push his way inside. He hollers along with other Trump loyalists and thanks a law enforcement officer for letting them in.

Strolling the grand Capitol Rotunda, where historic paintings depict the republic's founding, Evans implores others to not vandalize artwork and busts, some of which would indeed be vandalized.

"Our house!" Evans yells inside Capitol halls. "I don't know where we're going. I'm following the crowd."

Like several other political first-time winners in November's West Virginia elections, Evans swept aside a Democratic rival to win his seat representing Wayne County. High GOP turnout credited to Trump elevated down-ballot Republicans in the state and gave the party a statehouse supermajority.

The chairwoman of the state GOP, Melody Potter, declined to answer questions about Evans.

[Karl Henning]

Trump, who has falsely insisted that the reelection bid he lost was stolen from him through fraud, even ginned up the crowd of supporters with an in-person address near the White House, directing them to march on the Capitol "because you will never take back our country with weakness." Carrying Trump signs, Confederate flags, and even gallows to erect outside the building, the mob quickly overtook US Capitol Police, smashing its way into doors and windows in an attack that left four people dead and multiple law enforcement officers injured, sent lawmakers and staff scurrying to safety, and halted the certification process for hours.

The pro-Trump media world peddled the lies that fueled the Capitol mob. Fox News led the way.

[Karl Henning]

Trump, who has falsely insisted that the reelection bid he lost was stolen from him through fraud, even ginned up the crowd of supporters with an in-person address near the White House, directing them to march on the Capitol "because you will never take back our country with weakness." Carrying Trump signs, Confederate flags, and even gallows to erect outside the building, the mob quickly overtook US Capitol Police, smashing its way into doors and windows in an attack that left four people dead and multiple law enforcement officers injured, sent lawmakers and staff scurrying to safety, and halted the certification process for hours.

The pro-Trump media world peddled the lies that fueled the Capitol mob. Fox News led the way.

The failure to prevent the coup attempt at the Capitol was a prime example of the federal government's ongoing failure to take seriously the threat posed by far-right extremists and those egged on to join their cause by the president, who has eagerly embraced the same conspiracy theories and rhetoric that fuel them. Even the DHS's own threat assessment was delayed last fall, according to a whistle-blower complaint, in an effort to avoid clashing with the Trump administration's political narrative.

[T. D.]

From the "Is that a threat or a promise?" department.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/08/biden-inauguration-trump-will-not-attend-on-jan-20.html

Surprise. 

Who wants the execrable MF anyway? Cheeto's presence would irretrievably taint any respectable gathering.

It appears Pence won't attend, either:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-08/trump-says-he-won-t-attend-biden-s-inauguration-on-jan-20-kjogm7z7

Pence's office hasn't said whether he'll attend Biden's inauguration, though a spokesman for Pence appeared to deny a report in Politico on Thursday saying he planned to be there.

"You can't attend something you haven't received an invitation to," Pence spokesman Devin O'Malley said on Twitter.

A spokeswoman for Biden's inaugural committee told Gray Media Group Inc. that there is not customarily a formal invitation to outgoing presidents and vice presidents, and that the vice president's office had not informed the committee if Pence planned to attend.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

It's 21 days, assuming 45 objects to the declaration of inability, and the VP + Cabinet renew their objections immediately. Congress has 21 days to decide the issue - so they could just run out the clock.

But that's assuming that Pence would be able to relieve Trump of his office. Section 4 of the 25A is convoluted and confusing, and not entirely explicit on who is Acting President in the interim, the VP or the actual elected President. Trump would certainly refuse to hand over power, and the issue would likely end up before the SCOTUS. I think the ruling would probably go against Trump, but it's very possible that it would take longer than the time remaining in his term.

Thank you for the further information Krummholz.

PD

[Herman]

Wow.
From today's Wall St. Journal. A long-time Repug publication owned by the abhorrent Rupert Murdoch:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trumps-final-days-11610062773

Impeachment is justified and Cheeto Mussolini should resign to avoid same.

Resigning between Jan 10 and 19th would also create an opening for Pence to pardon Trump.

[T. D.]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/six-republican-lawmakers-among-rioters-225945766.html

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/meghan-mccain-slams-scum-earth-capitol-mob-calls-republicans-invoke-25th-amendment-204608298.html

...
"He is clearly a president who has turned into a mad king," she said. "I'm calling on all Republicans and conservatives who still have clout, we have to invoke the 25th Amendment. We cannot withstand this."
...
McCain expanded her criticism to include the president's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump, who in a now-deleted tweet addressed the mob as patriots. McCain was outraged, given that her father, the late senator and a frequent target of Trump, was a veteran.

"Ivanka Trump called these people patriots. I am a patriot. I come from a patriotic family. I come from a family of service," she said, adding, "You are hurting our country. You are becoming a national embarrassment, and we have to get [Trump] out immediately because this cannot stand."

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/08/pelosi-prevent-trump-from-launching-nuclear-strike.html

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that she had spoken to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley about available precautions that would block "an unstable president" — Donald Trump — from "ordering a nuclear strike," or even accessing nuclear launch codes and starting other military hostilities.

"The situation of this unhinged President could not be more dangerous, and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy," Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a letter to fellow Democratic lawmakers.

The Pentagon and the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.

[SimonNZ]

Twitter to wipe Trump's followers before Biden handover

"Twitter has confirmed that the official US presidential accounts will be wiped of their millions of followers before being transferred to the Biden administration.

Mr Biden's team "fought" the plan, but the social media giant said its decision was "unequivocal".

The move marks a reversal from the last transition.

Twitter agreed to Donald Trump's request in 2016 to inherit Barack Obama's millions of followers."[...]

[Brahmsian]

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have all suspended Trump's accounts.

Twitter has suspended his account permanently.

[drogulus]

     Trump will be impeached again for incitement to insurrection. This is good for a number of reasons, one being that Repubs who have revealed themselves as nihilist scumbags will be given the opportunity to prove once again that they care nothing for this country and the welfare of Americans, including the people who vote for them.

     I want every one of them on record. Sen. Collins, the lesson Trump learned was that he could get away with anything because you had his back along with every Repub Senator except Mitt Romney. How has that worked out?

     https://www.youtube.com/v/yBtcDQpENZw&ab_channel=GlobalNews

"Now, you may be asking how much damage can he really do in the next several months until the election? A lot. A lot of damage."

     

[T. D.]

Decent analysis if you can read it w/o paywall (I'm a subscriber):

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/01/08/why-donald-trump-will-serve-out-his-remaining-term-in-office

Conclusion:

The most likely outcome, then, is that Mr Trump remains in office until the end of his term, banned from Facebook but still in command of America's nuclear arsenal. This would also mean, of course, that he is free to run for the office again should he wish to do so. That might seem far-fetched now, but it is worth noting that just two months ago Mr Trump received the second-highest number of votes in American history. He is a formidable manipulator of the truth: some of his fans are already saying that the violence at the Capitol was carried out by far-left Antifa radicals dressed up as Trump supporters. Far easier to accept a nonsensical explanation like this, or to minimise Mr Trump's role in the whole affair, than to accept you voted for someone who invited a bunch of thugs into the US Capitol.

All of which leaves many Americans hoping for the best over the next 12 days, and unable to do much to prevent the worst.

[geralmar]

A little needed levity...



Nuclear controls are secure per House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

[SimonNZ]

I read someone else refer to the nonsense legal challenges as the Coup Klutz Klan.

[T. D.]

Wanna feel nauseated? Watch this shit:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/08/capitol-riots-video-shows-trump-family-before-rally.html

On a lighter side, this oughta be fun:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-08/sidney-powell-sued-by-dominion-voting-over-election-fraud-claims

Former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell was sued for defamation by the voting-machine company she repeatedly placed at the center of a vast and unfounded election conspiracy that she claimed switched votes to favor President-elect Joe Biden.

The complaint filed Friday by Dominion Voting Systems Inc. seeks $1.3 billion from Powell, who filed numerous unsuccessful court cases seeking to overturn the election results. She was dumped by the Trump campaign not long after a Nov. 19 press conference in which she claimed that agents from Iran and China infiltrated Dominion's voting machines to help Biden, and that the software had ties to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, who died in 2013.

"Powell's wild accusations are demonstrably false," the company, based in Toronto and Denver, said in the complaint. "Acting in concert with allies and media outlets that were determined to promote a false preconceived narrative about the 2020 election, Powell launched a viral disinformation campaign about Dominion that reached millions of people and caused enormous harm to Dominion."

The case could be the first of numerous suits against individuals and media outlets accused of trashing the company's reputation by repeating or broadcasting wild conspiracy theories to explain President Donald Trump's failed bid for a second term. Trump's lead election lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, Fox News and the White House itself were among those who received letters from Dominion's attorneys in December.

[SimonNZ]

seen elsewhere:

"It's only a coup if it's from the coup d'etat region of france, otherwise it's just sparkling white nationalism"


I also just heard Michael Cohen refer to Mar-a-Lago as "Magastan", which is witty, but I wanted to reply that Magastan is what they were attempting two days ago (or for the last two months - or for the last four years)

[Gurn Blanston]

Trump is trying to sneak back on Twitter.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/twitter-deletes-new-trump-tweets-from-official-account-after-banning-him/ar-BB1cAZF7?ocid=AMZN

It would be funny except it isn't.

The POTUS tweet was deleted within 1 minute, and that account is clearly being closely watched or else is now locked down too, until Joe takes it over on the 20^th.