House Majority Whip James Clyburn wants a thorough investigation of the storming of the Capitol. The terrorists knew where his unmarked office was. How did they know? Why did they bypass the office with his name on it, and go right for his working office, which is unmarked?
In an interview with SiriusXM Radio’s Joe Madison, the South Carolina Democrat said Friday that he had never seen such a failure of law enforcement leadership before and suggested “something else is going on here.”
“My office, if you don’t know where it is, you aren’t going to find it by accident,” he said. “The one place where my name is on the door, that office is right on Statuary Hall. They didn’t touch that door. But they went into that other place where I do most of my work. They showed up there, harassing my staff.”
“How did they know to go there? Why didn’t they go where my name was?” he asked. “Then, where you won’t find my name, but they found where I was supposed to be.”
“Something else is going on here.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
NPR:
The Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Michael Sherwin, says “hundreds” of people may ultimately face charges related to the storming of the Capitol on Wednesday, which interrupted a session of Congress and left five people dead.
Sherwin spoke with NPR’s Martin Kaste in an exclusive interview Saturday evening about the multi-agency investigation, the challenges officials face and what they’ll be looking for.
Sherwin says he doesn’t want to “Monday morning quarterback” the U.S. Capitol Police, but the fact that they allowed hundreds of potential suspects to leave the scene has made his job more difficult. Now he says staffers are putting in “24-hour shifts” to identify suspects, searching for evidence online and saving it before it can be deleted.
3 More Charged In Capitol Break-In, Including Men Identified In Viral Images
He says there’s likely to be a wide array of criminal charges, ranging from destruction of federal property to murder. He also expects to find evidence of coordination between at least some of the rioters.
At the same time, Sherwin is careful about what to call the violence at the Capitol. He says it’s not his place to make political judgments.
“I don’t want this tyranny of labels saying this was sedition or it was a coup,” Sherwin says. “But what I will say is, it was criminal.”
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Why did the officer take selfies with intruders. Was he the person who allowed them access and now was one of their champions? The simple collapse of the police line and sidestepping of the horde was silent complicity and dereliction of their duties. The USCP has a great deal of soul searching and house cleaning to do.
I have absolutely no doubt that the response would have been different had this group been people of color.
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This whole episode could have been much worse. Federal investigators found pipe bombs, other incendiary devices, and guns among the rioters. They also found a truck full of guns outside the Capitol. Some of intruders were former law enforcement and military. One man carried zip ties which makes begs the question about motives. Did some of the people intend to kidnap members of Congress? Some rioters were chanting,”Hang Mike Pence.” There was a makeshift gallows set up outside the Capitol. A van carrying explosives was found outside the headquarters of the RNC. We need a thorough investigation into the attack, and we need to take these domestic terrorists very seriously. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/trump-rioters-wanted-more-violence-worse/617614/?utm_content=edit-promo&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_term=2021-01-09T14%3A11%3A50&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook
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On inauguration day many extremist warnings have been posted. No excuses.
I still say, “Why were law enforcement people not better informed when there was plenty of notice on far R sites?” Doesn’t anyone monitor this stuff?
………………………………………………………….
Extremists intensify calls for violence ahead of Inauguration Day
By Rob Kuznia, Curt Devine, Scott Bronstein and Bob Ortega, CNN
Updated 9:28 PM ET, Fri January 8, 2021
(CNN)”Trump or war. Today. That simple.”
“If you don’t know how to shoot: You need to learn. NOW.”
“we will storm the government buildings, kill cops, kill security guards, kill federal employees and agents, and demand a recount.”
In the weeks, days and hours ahead of Wednesday’s siege on the Capitol by President Donald Trump’s zealous supporters, the warning signs were clear: online posts from hate groups and right-wing provocateurs agitating for civil war, the deaths of top lawmakers and attacks on law enforcement.
And now, as the dust settles and the country struggles to make sense of the violence that left five dead — including an officer with the US Capitol Police — experts warn that the calls for violence have only intensified ahead of Inauguration Day, when President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as commander in chief.
“We are seeing … chatter from these white supremacists, from these far-right extremists — they feel emboldened in this moment,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks and counters hate. “We fully expect that this violence could actually get worse before it gets better.”…
“Trump WILL be sworn in for a second term on January 20th!!,” said a commenter on thedonald.win, a pro-Trump online forum, on Thursday, the day after the siege. “We must not let the communists win. Even if we have to burn DC to the ground. Tomorrow we take back DC and take back our country!!”
Security concerns ahead of Biden’s inauguration
John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab — a group at the University of Toronto that monitors cybersecurity — said he is “terribly concerned” about the inauguration.
“While the broader public was aghast at what happened (Wednesday) at the Capitol, in certain corners of the sort of right wing conversation, what happened … is viewed as a success,” he told CNN.
In the days and weeks before the attack on the Capitol, signs that the protest could spiral into violence were in abundance…
Advance Democracy, Inc., a nonpartisan governance watchdog, highlighted red flags on social media. In the six days leading up to the event, for instance, there were 1,480 posts from QAnon-related accounts that referenced the event and contained terms of violence. On Parler, the report said, multiple posts referenced war, including statements like “the war begins today.”
Ali Alexander, a political activist who has organized pro-Trump rallies, including one of the demonstrations that converged on the Capitol lawn Wednesday, accused the left of “trying to push us to war.” In late December, Alexander told followers on Periscope that he and three GOP congressman — Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs of Arizona and Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama — were planning something big.
“It was to build momentum and pressure and then on the day change hearts and minds of Congress peoples who weren’t yet decided or who saw everyone outside and said, ‘I can’t be on the other side of that mob,'” Ali said, though he did not call for violence.
CNN reached out to the offices of all three congressman, but only Biggs responded, with a statement from a spokesperson denying that he worked in any way with Alexander or any protestors.
“Congressman Biggs is not aware of hearing of or meeting Mr. Alexander at any point — let alone working with him to organize some part of a planned protest,” the spokesperson said. “He did not have any contact with protestors or rioters, nor did he ever encourage or foster the rally or protests. He was focused on his research and arguments to work within the confines of the law and established precedent to restore integrity to our elections, and to ensure that all Americans — regardless of party affiliation — can again have complete trust in our elections systems.”
Watchdogs issued warnings ahead of Capitol siege
Several organizations that monitor extremism online issued warnings beforehand.
On January 4, the ADL published a lengthy blog post detailing threats of violence pertaining to the upcoming rally.
“In response to a user who wondered what happens if Congress ignores ‘evidence’ that President Trump won the election, a user wrote, ‘Storm the capitol,'” the ADL’s blog post says.
The post went on to say while it wasn’t aware of any credible threats violence planned for January 6, “if the past is any indication, the combination of an extremist presence at the rallies and the heated nature of the rhetoric suggests that violence is a possibility.”
Also on January 4, a risk analysis by the security firm G4S stated that “current rhetoric suggests that there will be attendees who have violent intent, including armed militia groups” between January 6 and Inauguration Day.
The analysis cited numerous posts in recent weeks advocating violence on the right-wing site thedonald.win, including one from late December that said, “We will have to achieve an actual tactical victory like storming and occupying Congress, to have the intended effect.”
Another said, “Patriots who STILL, AT THIS POINT IN TIME, are too cowardly to condone violence, are part of the problem.”
Security experts said they were puzzled by the flat-footed response of law enforcement.
“The surprising part of it is why it was so much less aggressively policed,” said Jonathan Wood, director of global risk analysis for London-based Control Risks. “Many security analysts were surprised by the lack of security, and by the lack of a robust security response.”
Law enforcement caught by surprise
Federal and local law enforcement officials insist they had no idea the siege would happen.
“There was no intelligence that suggested there would be a breach of the US Capitol,” said DC Police Chief Robert Contee at a press conference Thursday.
Steven A. Sund, who is resigning as chief of the US Capitol Police amid criticism over the apparent lack of preparedness to deal with the violent mob, said in a statement that the department had a robust plan to address “anticipated First Amendment activities.”…
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There is also some on-line chatter about some type of militia protest or action in Washington, D.C. on January 17th. These groups are organized and dangerous.
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Yes, Thank you carolmalaysia. This is one of the best reports from multiple sources all with red flags on specific social media. If you want to see some disgusting indicators of …”we don’t care.” got o the Republican National Committee website GOP . Unfortunately is already out of date because more of these malicious and seditious acts are being planned for the inauguration and for every state capital and major metro area. Listening to credible and experienced FBI officers and constitutional lawyers, every arrest is adding to the prospect that Trump will grant them a pardon.
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One of the least known facts about the Capitol building is that there are about 100 or so “hideaway” offices, mostly belonging to senior senators and a handful of House members. These are places where they can escape the public, have very private meetings, or just kick back and relax. I was in one only once when I worked in the Senate and I couldn’t have told you how to find it immediately after I left. They are located in a maze of drably painted white hallways with unmarked doors. Anyone who can find any of the specific hideaways needs someone in the know to bring them there. Clyburn is correct, the fix was in. This was quite literally a lynch mob. It’s been confirmed by video shown in other nations of the mob that have not been made public here. Had they been successful in their aims, the violence it would have spawned throughout the country would have been an actual civil war. We have a Doomsday clock that symbolizes how close we are to nuclear conflict. Had we had one for democracy, we now know that we were within a fraction of a second to midnight.
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For those of you who are familiar with stories about Sam Rayburn’s “Board of Education,” those gatherings were held in his hideaway office.
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Exactly right, Greg.
There were professional militia mixed into the mob, looking for hostages, maybe worse.
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When Proud Boy Leader, Tarrio was in DC for the protests in Dec, he had a “private tour” of the WH. No one knows who he spoke with or what was discussed. Of course this was an inside job and Tarrio was likely given information that he could use to induce the most fear……unmarked doors in dimly lit corridors.
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LisaM: Interesting. When I was in D.C., I applied to visit the WH. I was turned down. I have no idea of what I did to be a ‘risk’. Obama was president at that time.
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Carolmalaysia…..Tarrio has a criminal record and he still got into the WH. Meanwhile, a deadly protest was raging outside and served as a distraction for “the visit”. Tarrio was arrested on Monday, 1/5 for minor charges stemming from the December protest and was told to leave DC until his trial on those minor charges. The information he was given in December was already spread among “the militia”. Tarrio holds the key to a lot of this. QAnon Shaman….well, he’s just crazy and has already stated that Trump urged “the patriots” to come to DC, but Tarrio is smart, evil and charismatic.
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We have had this problem going on across the country for months. I am not sure that Trump created it or pushed it. I am concerned that it might be an outside entity that is seeking to topple the USA. The violence over the summer had several similarities. There have been several questions raised about an anarchist movement with those. Some pictures showed rioters from other riots at this one. What gives?
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Trump certainly brought the extremists into the mainstream. He recognized them. Praised them. Told them to “stand back and stand by.”
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The anarchists’ underbelly was exposed on Wednesday. These people were NOT the “regular” Trump ralliers, Tea Partiers, non-maskers, or even the steal-the-vote crowd. (A lot of those people ran like heck, got on their buses, and went home)
The hundreds who breached the Capitol are the serious once-underground pre-social media domestic terrorists. These are the Timothy McVeighs.
Wednesday was not about the election. Those anarchists know the election was not fraudulent. They don’t care about elections. Wednesday wasn’t a protest; it was a declaration.
Anarchists hate government and they hate authority. Period. The president hates government and the only authority and expertise that counts is his. That’s why they love him and believe him.
What’s sick is that he is too. He can’t see past the adulation to know this crossed a red-line and he needs to shut them down.
If Congress and the Cabinet are smart (hmm?) – they would Censure him, demand his resignation, and shut down his communication. Article 25 or Impeachment now makes him a martyr to the mobs.
If he pardons himself, he’s admitting guilt. Just cut him off and wait for the indictments from the States and history come down.
Deal with the mobsters’ crimes, deal with the pandemic, deal with getting something done.
Anything beyond that related to the president fuels their fire.
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And, from what I read this morning, Trump’s appointed loyalists in the DOD are already following directions from the Fascist, Liar in Chief, and are doing damage control by labeling what happened a “1st Amendment Protest”.
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