I was glued to the television yesterday, watching the impeachment trial in the Senate.
It’s supposed to be a done deal: the Republicans are so frightened by Trump and his base that only a handful will vote to convict. It seems he will not be held accountable for inciting a violent mob to invade the U.S. Capitol.
The impeachment managers methodically described how Trump had prepared his base long before the election to believe that it would be rigged, unless he won. After the election, he said louder and louder that the election had been stolen, that it was rigged, that he had won in a landslide. He whipped his followers up to a frenzy of rage. After he lost the Electoral College, he stepped up his efforts to reverse the results, putting pressure on state legislators.
Finally, he bullied Vice President Mike Pence, trying to compel him to refuse to certify the votes on January 6. But Pence knew the Constitution did not give him that power, and he refused to do what Trump wanted.
Trump had one last ploy. He called his base to come to D.C. to “stop the steal.” He held a rally and urged his followers to March to the Capitol and “fight like Hell” to stop the Electoral count.
We all know what happened next. An enraged mob overran the Capitol Police, and went hunting for their enemies, especially Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi. They set up a scaffold with a noose to hang Pence. They chanted “hang Mike Pence,” and “get Nancy,” “where’s Nancy.” They ransacked her office while her staff hid.
What we saw was how close the mob came to meeting their goals. The mob breached the building and surged in while both Houses of Congress were in session. The speakers showed with graphic detail how close the mob came to breaking into the Congress and confronting their targets. At one point, the mob was very close to Pence and his family. At one point, Senator Romney was walking towards the incoming mob, but was turned away by an alert Capitol Policeman, Eugene Goodman. Officer Goodman then led the mob away from the Senate while it was still in session.
Our democracy hung in the balance. The mob came within minutes of breaking into both chambers. They could have assassinated Pence, Pelosi, and others. Some had baseball bats, some had stun guns, some were equipped with flex cuffs, ready to take hostages. The mob brutally attacked Capitol Police officers, beating them with bats, clubs, even the poles attached to American flags. The terrorists were in a hot fury.
For many members of Congress, this might have been the first time they saw a complete video of what was happening while they were in seclusion.
It is astonishing that any Senator watched the proceedings and concluded that Trump was not responsible and that the events of the day were no big deal.
January 6 was one of the worst days in our history. It will live in infamy.
❝The Greatest Betrayal of the Presidential Oath of Office in American History❞
GOP 👃 GOP
Ooooh that smell
Can’t you smell that smell
Ooooh that smell
The smell of Trump surrounds you
It is astonishing that some Senators were physically present for the thorough and grim presentations but reading magazines and being conspicuous in not looking at the images and ignoring the impeachment managers. I wished for cameras that could focus on these Senators and far more press coverage of their display of contempt for the proceedings.
Josh Hawley, the press reported, made a show of not paying attention. He propped his legs of the chair or railing in front of him and made a point of reading something instead of watching the videos that showed the mortal danger to our democracy. Let him blather about law and order. He doesn’t care about defending out Constitution, nor does he care about law abd order.
I don’t know much about how Josh Hawley was raised, but he seems to have a bad case of “Affluenza”. He is a grown man acting like an impetuous child.
acting like a petulant child.
I would replace the “fflu” with “sshol.”
It’s incredibly disgusting how Senators could watch the videos and see those chilling diagrams and still not vote to convict. History will remember them, but not positively.
And how scary is it that they will essentially enshrine the “January Exception?” Our democracy is in trouble, and it makes me weep.
I seriously doubt that either of my two Senators will vote to convict Trump in the trial.
Here is a letter that I sent to both of them: Senator Todd Young [R-I ] and Senator Mike Braun [R-IN]. Both are ardent Trump lovers. The majority of voters in Indiana, a gerrymandered red state, voted for Trump.
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Topic: How can you live with yourself by wanting to acquit Trump in the impeachment trial? History will NOT look favorably upon you. You’ve seen the Twitters and the speeches and the fired up crowds.
Dear Senator Mike Braun, history will NOT look favorably upon you. TRUMP WAS NOT AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER BUT ENCOURAGED HIS SUPPORTERS TO COMMIT VIOLENCE.
I am contacting you concerning your support for a president who lied over 30,000 times while in office. He has continuously worked to destroy our democracy, our environment, our traditional allies, the reputation of the U.S. abroad, treaties the U.S. has signed, and our government.
You are watching the facts Democrats are putting out in this impeachment trial. You have seen the Twitters and the speeches and the fired up crowds of Proud Boys and others who were diligently following the demands of their leader. You’ve seen upsetting footage and visible accounts of the Jan. 6th Capitol riot.
Where is your sense of right and wrong? How can you live with yourself if you vote to absolve Trump?
Democratic impeachment managers are successfully arguing that Trump was NOT a bystander in the events but actively encouraged his supporters to commit violence. The mob came very close to VP Pence and I saw the hanging rope outside that showed what they wanted to do.
How can you live with yourself by wanting to acquit? History will show that you approved of this horror show and will NOT look favorably upon you.
Next time the Republicans blather on about “conservative values,” Democrats should just laugh. Most of the Republicans in Congress do not have the courage to take a stand. They are the party of Trump. I heard some members of the party are considering a split from the Republican Party. That would be a windfall for democracy.
Nor can Republicans call themselves the party of individual responsibility since most of them are cowering before a bully.
I wonder how many are on Putin’s pockets?
I don’t understand why Republicans are afraid of Trump? Unless he has dirt (with facts) on them, he no longer holds office and has no power. He has” a base” that seems to be waning, but he has no say in government. He has been replaced and the new administration is just EO’ing most of the garbage enacted over the last 4 years. What are they afraid of?
I don’t understand it either. Is it the money? Afraid of being cast out by the party? Afraid of what they may face in their upcoming election? Graham has 6 years ahead of him. Why would he be afraid of anything? Same with McConnell.
One thing those republicans are not saying – ‘thoughts and prayers’
I agree: McConnell and Graham just won re-election. This is probably their last term in the Senate (one hopes). Why are they worried about being “primaries” six years from now? Why not do the right thing and uphold their oath of office to defend and protect the Constitution?
Graham is a closeted gay man who votes against LGBTQ rights….so he doesn’t want to be “outed”. Graham could easily come out and still make it in life….so I don’t get it? McConnell is super wealthy from politics and from his marriage to Elaine Chao (her family is uber wealthy!) and he is old enough to retire and enjoy life…..I don’t get it? Trump has been neutered to a certain degree and he doesn’t have control anymore. I want to know what he has on all these politicians that make them wet their big boy/girl diapers? Maybe that USB port that Trump has in his possession (that the QAnon folks talk about) has a bunch of dirt on the Republicans and nothing on the cabal of baby eating, devil worshipping Democrats?
I really would like to know why the Repugs won’t convict.
My suggestion: someone needs to write a short, concise book titled Profiles in Cowardice with stories on each senator who votes for acquittal. Each chapter should have detailed documentation of how each supported and responded to the Idiot prior to their votes. The chapters on Rubio, Cruz, and Graham should start with the 2016 election, what he said about them, how they responded, and then became his most pliable sycophants. It should also have descriptions of how they acted, for example, during the Muslim ban, incarceration of children and splitting up families, and the Lafayette Square debacle. And of course, what they said and did in the first impeachment trial.
It was the voices of the police officers that shook me the most. They were filled with fear and desperation, even terror, and pain. Even if senators refused to look, they could not escape the sounds of those voices.
Even if there is no conviction, we now have filled in more of a timeline. The details will be preserved in the Congressional Record. And minds are changing, for those who watched: a friend told me that her elderly mother called her last night and wanted help in changing her voter registration from Republican to Democrat.
This impeachment trial was so important and I’m extremely glad the Democrats didn’t let themselves be bullied by the Republicans and their media enablers.
Even now, those media enablers are allowing the Republicans to get away with their “violent attacks on police are okay as long as those attacks are in service to a Republican president remaining in power after he lost an election.”
Even now the media allows Republican politician to make the absurd claim that the Democrats didn’t prove that the rioters would not have acted out violently and attacked and killed police even if Trump had acted like a normal president and conceded the election.
According to the argument that the media treats as credible, these Trump supporters are so naturally violent that they would have attacked the Capitol and killed police and tried to kill Mike Pence even if Trump had not kept telling them the election was stolen from them and they needed to act right now to stop it.
I’m disgusted with the Republican politicians but even more disgusted by a still cowardly media who give the most corrupt and dishonest lies credibility and enable those disgusting Republican politicians to claim that violence by Republicans is fine as long as it is in service to having their losing candidate illegally installed into power. While the reporters interviewing them simply nod obsequiously instead forcing them to clarify exactly what kind of violence they are now on record as condoning.
To all the Senators who will not convict this criminal.
Fool me once……shame on you!
Fool me twice……shame on me!
The Senators that will not convict Trump are cowards and/or corrupt and they will be doing all they can to fool as many voters as possible the next time they run for re-election.
No one fooled them. They know what they are doing and don’t care.
Farrow is a contributing writer to The New Yorker. Facebook is the common thread that caused people he has interviewed to find and believe misinformation.
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Ronan Farrow: Who Were the Rioters on Jan. 6th? | Amanpour and Company
Feb 10, 2021
In the Trump impeachment trial, a key element of the prosecution’s case is a dramatic video taken at the Capitol during the insurrection. Who were the actual faces in the crowd? Ronan Farrow has profiled three different rioters to learn more about their backgrounds. All three have been arrested and now face criminal charges. One made threats on Farrow’s life. Michel Martin speaks with the reporter about his investigation. Originally aired on February 10, 2021.
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
But Ronan Farrow claims that Rachel Powell was not associated with any groups, but then in passing says “she drove down with friends”. Say what?? Who were the “friends”? On CNN, it was reported that “Prosecutors submitted photos to the court, which were obtained by CNN affiliate WTAE, that showed what agents found at the home. The photos show what prosecutors say they found inside the “go bags,” including throwing knives and survival gear like tape, lighters and tarps.
Investigators also say they found what appear to be used shooting targets with messages written on them: “Guns don’t kill people. I do.”; “Better shot than my ex.”; “Prayer is a good way to meet the lord but trespassing is faster!”
This is not just a mother who had no associations. I like Farrow, but sometimes he seems to stop reporting when facts fit his preferred narrative instead of reporting all the facts and showing the curiosity a journalist should have about his subject.
Maybe he goes in more detail in the New Yorker story, but he seems to want to offer Rachel Powell as a random, unassociated person without closely examining who her associates have been lately.
LisaM: you are absolutely right about graham. l.g. is the J. Edgar Hoover of our time–a petty, dangerous coward. Perhaps he’s afraid that it45 won’t play golf w/him anymore?
& GregB–yes, write that book. There is a great book that’s been out there–& is updated (yearly, I think) w/new non-people: Cheaters & Liars.
Finally, what I found the most hair-raising (certainly, not the worst–the policeman with his head being crushed in the door, the bodycams recording the pummeling, pushing, beating & too much more) in the videos was that creepy, disembodied voice in the Capitol halls, “Naaaancy…where arrrrre you? Oh, Naaaancy…” Like some Stephen King movie, sadly, tragically real.
“ I agree: McConnell and Graham just won re-election. This is probably their last term in the Senate (one hopes). Why are they worried about being “primaries” six years from now? Why not do the right thing and uphold their oath of office to defend and protect the Constitution?”
Maybe they know that they’ve been complicit in this scheme? All to some extent or other. If Trump’s held accountable; they could be next.
They SHOULD be next. They’ve all aided and abetted this dictator wanna-be for years. January 6th was the grand conclusion. But it didn’t work. So they’re doubling down for self-preservations’ sake.
Hopefully Trump does some jail time in New York or Georgia. That’ll keep him out of politics.
There’s a new breed in Congress, now. And they are representing those who elected them into office. That’s frightening. Makes me so happy to hear “FORMER president Trump” and MISTER Trump”…but this war is far from over. All they had to do was to hit the replay to make that crystal clear.