DeadSplinter
The Flat Line

…say the words [DOT 20/12/22]

it's the most wonderful time...

20/12/22 SplinterRIP 35

…so

The committee’s referral of Trump to the justice department on multiple potential charges could not be described as a surprise after a year and half of work that spanned 10 public hearings, more than a thousand interviews, millions of documents and some recent leaks to the media.
[…]
It also gave a summing up of points so pithy that they could be written on the back of a digital trading card: Trump knew he lost; Trump pressured state officials to overturn the election; Trump pressured vice-president Pence to overturn the election (once again chants of “Hang Mike Pence!” filled the room); Trump summoned the mob; 187 minutes. Dereliction of duty.

The film ended with Trump’s pathetic statement to a camera on 7 January: “I don’t want to say the election’s over.”
[…]
The committee, which will dissolve on 3 January with the new Republican-controlled House, voted to approve its final report, expected later this week. Thompson brought down the gavel and people in the public gallery broke into polite but heartfelt applause. After a year and a half wading through obstruction, hype and scepticism, the chairman and his team delivered the goods.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/19/trump-evidence-documents-house-hearings-capitol-attack

…it’s that time again

Since the events of that day, though, there’s been another question that’s lingered around the day: How much direct responsibility does Trump bear for the violence that unfolded? Some, pointing to Trump’s having put in place the necessary components for the mob, might simply declare that the question has been settled. Others, insisting on distinguishing between Trump’s incitement and the reaction of those outside the Capitol, have argued that the riot was an unfortunate progression of what he advocated.

With the release of a summary report from the House select committee investigating the riot — a document released two years to the day after the “will be wild” tweet — there are enough pieces in place to largely resolve the circumstantial nature of Trump’s culpability for the day’s violence. One can now make a case that Trump knew specifically that there was a risk of violence, that he pushed people to the Capitol despite that risk and that he stood aside once the violence began.
The case for Trump’s direct culpability for Jan. 6 violence [WaPo]

…personally…I haven’t read the whole thing…even if by whole thing I’m only talking about an “executive summary” that provides “introductory material”

https://january6th.house.gov/report-executive-summary

…&…based on my progress so far…possibly upwards of 4hrs of reading…& upwards of 700 foortnotes & citations…for the short version

On Monday, the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol by Mr. Trump’s supporters will hold what is almost certainly its final public meeting before it is disbanded when Republicans take over the majority in the new year.
[…]
On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee will meet privately to discuss what to do with the six years of Mr. Trump’s tax returns that it finally obtained after nearly four years of legal efforts by Mr. Trump to block their release.
[…]
And on Wednesday, the Jan. 6 committee is expected to release its report on the attack, along with some transcripts of interviews with witnesses.
[…]
Mr. Trump is also facing a civil suit filed by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who has alleged a widespread practice of fraud over a decade by the former president, his children and his company. Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former fixer and lawyer, helped spur that investigation with testimony before a House committee in 2019 in which he discussed how Mr. Trump, who has always fought anyone asserting he’s worth less than he claims to be, valued his properties.
[…]
Through myriad congressional and Justice Department investigations, including ones related to whether his 2016 campaign conspired with Russian officials to sway the election that year, Mr. Trump has repeatedly attacked the investigations, calling them a “witch hunt.” For decades he has insisted that he is a victim whenever he faces scrutiny. Mr. Trump had the same response when his company was convicted of 17 charges of tax fraud and other financial improprieties roughly two weeks ago.
Trump Faces a Week of Headaches on Jan. 6 and His Taxes [NYT]

…in there towards the end the committee make mention of “efforts to avoid testifying, evidence of obstruction, and assessments of witness credibility“…a lot of which…despite the part where they say they chose not to rely on any adverse inference from the many, many times people took the 5th…sounds very much like it speaks to a certain consciousness of guilt one might be forgiven for finding looks a lot like that mens rea thing…unless begging for or dangling pardons seems like innocent behavior…& there’s a bit of congressional music to be faced for a few recalcitrant members

For these reasons, the Select Committee refers Leader McCarthy and Representatives Jordan, Perry, and Biggs for sanction by the House Ethics Committee for failure to comply with subpoenas. The Committee also believes that each of these individuals, along with other Members who attended the December 21st planning meeting with President Trump at the White House,[682] should be questioned in a public forum about their advance knowledge of and role in President Trump’s plan to prevent the peaceful transition of power.

…though

To be clear, this referral is only for failure to comply with lawfully issued subpoenas.

…so…while there surely would appear to be a whole lot of there, there…we’re a ways from getting there…&…well…a lot of that feels like going over the same ground until the whole thing gets churned up into something of a quagmire…so it’s no surprise that the pre-emptive false equivalences are out in force…& I imagine will be very successful…with their chosen audience…of people who will buy stuff like “The Fake charges made by the highly partisan Unselect Committee of January 6th have already been submitted, prosecuted, and tried in the form of Impeachment Hoax # 2. I WON convincingly. Double Jeopardy anyone!“

…although…speaking of the devil in the detail

In Their Own Words: The 43 Republicans’ Explanations of Their Votes Not to Convict Trump in Impeachment Trial

…& hoaxes

…there’s also the small matter of the part he’d have people believe goes like this “The people understand that the Democratic Bureau of Investigation, the DBI, are out to keep me from running for president because they know I’ll win and that this whole business of prosecuting me is just like impeachment was — a partisan attempt to sideline me and the Republican Party.”…because…well

…that quote really is from good ol’ section 3 of that 14th amendment…& short of a 2/3 majority of congress over-riding it…that…while not necessarily being the FBI’s hill to climb…would indeed put him (& sundry other exponents of the modern GOP’s politics-of-spectacle grift-tastic sham, to boot) out of the running…which is potentially only part of what might be the upside…even if it isn’t what it might have been…for predictable reasons

The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, sponsored by Collins and Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), would amend the Electoral Count Act of 1887 and reaffirm that the vice president has only a ministerial role at the joint session of Congress where electoral college votes are counted. The measure would also raise the threshold necessary for members of Congress to object to a state’s electors.
[…]
The Senate and House bills differ chiefly in how much they would change the threshold necessary for members of both chambers to object to a state’s results. Currently, only one member each from the House and Senate are required to object to a state’s electors. The House bill would raise that threshold to at least one-third of the members of both the House and Senate, while the Senate version would raise that threshold to at least one-fifth of the members of both the House and Senate.
[…]
Unlike the Senate bill, the House bill — which passed in a 229-203 vote — saw little support from GOP lawmakers. Only nine Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure, and none of those nine will be members of Congress next year — either because they lost their primaries or chose to retire. Several of the Republicans who opposed the bill, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), criticized it as unconstitutional.
Electoral Count Act, crafted as response to Jan 6th, will be in omnibus bill [WaPo]

…but…it was already a lot to wade through

January 6 Clearinghouse

…even with help

Citizens Guide to January 6th Hearings: Comprehensive Account of the Evidentiary Record

…so…there are any number of these

7 big things to look for in the Jan. 6 report [WaPo]

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/beyond-trump-key-things-to-watch-for-in-jan-6-committee-report

7 things we’ve learned from the Jan. 6 committee report so far [WaPo]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/19/key-conclusions-house-committee-trump-criminal-referrals-jan-6

…& this sort of thing

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/19/the-january-6-committee-just-gave-a-final-blow-to-trumps-very-bad-year

How Will History Remember Jan. 6? [NYT]

…sometimes, though…it matters that you say the words

It showed Stone brashly reciting the Proud Boys’ so-called “fraternity creed.” Recording oneself reciting the creed is the first of four initiation steps for joining the violent, right-wing extremist group.

“Hi, I’m Roger Stone,” he says in the brief black and white clip. “I’m a Western chauvinist, and I refuse to apologize for the creation of the modern world.”
[…]
“That happened on May 5, 2017, at a ‘Cinco de Milo’ event at some random mansion in Florida,” [Samantha] Kutner [who studies violent extremism at the Khalifa Ihler Institute] told Insider of the Stone initiation clip.
[…]
The “fraternity creed” was written in 2016 by Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes. It is 14 words long.

Kutner and other experts call that number a conscious homage to a darker and more widespread white supremacist and neo-Nazi slogan.

Known as “14 Words” — and coined by David Lane, a member of the domestic terrorist group The Order — it states, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.”

“It’s definitely something he did consciously when he wrote it,” Kutner said of McInnes’ word count.
[…]
“The number 14 is not a coincidence,” agreed Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism and another adviser to the House Select Committee.

“It is definitely a wink and a nod — and probably a lot more,” to the Lane slogan and the number 14, Beirich said, which she said is common in neo-Nazi and white supremacy iconography.
[…]
It was Beirich who alerted the committee to Stone’s initiation video, explaining to members the significance of the creed and its link to white supremacy in a detailed backgrounder report she sent to panel members, “The Role of the Proud Boys in the January 6th Capitol Attack and Beyond.”

…seems like that might show up around chapter 8 of the report…what with that being the part that “documents how the Proud Boys led the attack”…& it’s as clear as a full-back tattoo of richard nixon that roger is in the middle of the MAGA/militia venn diagram…so

Extremism watchdogs agree that given his ties to both Trumpworld and extremism, Stone has been, and will continue to be, a central focus of the hearings.
https://www.businessinsider.com/a-deep-dive-into-roger-stones-proud-boys-initiation-video-2022-7

…& you have to imagine a name that’s going to crop up a lot in some stretches of that forthcoming report…either way…it’s a fair bet that everybody’d like to get past the TL;DR of it all […sorry @butcherbakertoiletrymaker…I know how it looks…but I swear I tried to keep it short]…& even the cliff notes look plenty bad

What the Jan. 6 panel cited for each criminal referral against Trump [The Hill]

…& until or unless the DoJ makes with your actual indictments on criminal charges…it’s easy to question what the point of the exercise is anyway…&…going back to that apology I offered to butcher…by the sounds of it…that wouldn’t be to tell folks like yourselves a whole hell of a lot you don’t know…it’s more by way of

we understood that millions of Americans still lack the information necessary to understand and evaluate what President Trump has told them about the election.  For that reason, our hearings featured a number of members of President Trump’s inner circle refuting his fraud claims and testifying that the election was not in fact stolen.  In all, the Committee displayed the testimony of more than four dozen Republicans—by far the majority of witnesses in our hearings—including two of President Trump’s former Attorneys General, his former White House Counsel, numerous members of his White House staff, and the highest-ranking members of his 2020 election campaign, including his campaign manager and his campaign general counsel.  Even key individuals who worked closely with President Trump to try to overturn the 2020 election on January 6th ultimately admitted that they lacked actual evidence sufficient to change the election result, and they admitted that what they were attempting was unlawful.[18]

This Report supplies an immense volume of information and testimony assembled through the Select Committee’s investigation, including information obtained following litigation in Federal district and appellate courts, as well as in the U.S. Supreme Court.  Based upon this assembled evidence, the Committee has reached a series of specific findings,[19]

…there’s 17 of those…but if I block quote the whole list at this point I suspect butcher might hunt me down & “amend” my internet privileges in a very possibly irrevocable fashion of some sort…but while the DoJ has to lay this stuff out for a court of law…the committee…not unreasonably, I’d argue…would seem to be in the business of laying it all out for the court of public opinion

…& while some parts of that are not long on the reading

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/01/16/video-timeline-capitol-siege/

…they do seem pretty clear about who they’re courting

This Report begins with a factual overview framing each of these conclusions and summarizing what our investigation found.  That overview is in turn supported by eight chapters identifying the very specific evidence of each of the principal elements of President Trump’s multi-part plan to overturn the election, along with evidence regarding intelligence gathered before January 6th and security shortfalls that day.
[…]
Although the Committee’s hearings were viewed live by tens of millions of Americans and widely publicized in nearly every major news source,[22] the Committee also recognizes that other news outlets and commentators have actively discouraged viewers from watching, and that millions of other Americans have not yet seen the actual evidence addressed by this Report.  Accordingly, the Committee is also releasing video summaries of relevant evidence on each major topic investigated.

[…] To assist the public in understanding the nature and importance of this material, this Report also contains sections identifying how the Committee has evaluated the credibility of its witnesses and suggests that the Department of Justice further examine possible efforts to obstruct our investigation.  We also note that more than 30 witnesses invoked their Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, others invoked Executive Privilege or categorically refused to appear (including Steve Bannon, who has since been convicted of contempt of Congress).  

…so there’s plenty for people to make all sorts of noise about

House January 6 panel found Trump lawyers tried to influence witnesses [Guardian]

…while we wait for something to actually happen

How will prosecutors pursue the House panel’s charges? [Guardian]

…& maybe you’d rather read about something more interesting

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/dec/18/the-10-biggest-science-stories-of-2022-chosen-by-scientists

…but…never say never…after all, sometimes things come down on the side of the scales you weren’t expecting

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/dec/19/the-big-idea-why-we-need-to-make-the-world-a-darker-place

…or just warm the cockles with the prospect that some deserving souls may be in a pretty dark place already…& the light at the end of the tunnel very well might be the proverbial oncoming train?

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35 Comments

  1. As far as that Proud Boys fraternity creed goes

    “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.”

    I have a sneaking suspicion that Better Half has a better chance of fathering a white child, or any child at all, than any member of that lot.

    I also read a blind item, in the conservative media no less, that some very high-up spokesleader of the alt-right is commonly referred to as the “twink Goebbels.” And it’s not that guy Milo Yian—whatever his name is. My guess is it’s the guy with the Hispanic last name, I can’t remember his name but he’s kind of cute. I wonder how many self-loathing gay men are in these sorry groups? The SA was loaded with them until it was wiped out during the so-called Night of Long Knives. The leader, Ernst Röhm, was supposedly killed in the bed he was sharing with one of his male lieutenants.

    Well that was a strange start to my otherwise uneventful Tuesday…who knows what the day will bring.

    • Except, of course, Grandpa Ronnie got a pass from accountability.  Which, ultimately, I expect the same result for Trump.  There aren’t enough people with enough balls to actually convict him of anything other than minor civil shit.

      • …you might be right…I’m hoping not, at least where that last bit is concerned…but…you know…sometimes donnie is the least of it once people start obsessing over other people’s homework?

        • Backstabbing is in the GOP’s DNA. If there is an angle for advancement, or a need for self preservation, they will go after Trump in a second.

          It’s possible the GOP unites behind him after weighing their odds. I think as long as they calculate 51-49 odds, maybe as low as 40-60, they’ll stick together. But they may also decide that it’s better to purge fast then linger.

          And I very much expect the DC press will be two steps behind all of it. Maggie Haberman and her editors missed the looming Covid disaster and the 1/6 plot, and they won’t admit anything is in the works until after it happens.

          I’ll add that Trump is a lot less sharp than he was back in 2015. He’s an idiot in a lot of ways but he has always survived on a foundation of cockroach cunning. He’s losing his instincts, though.

  3. My inner Butcher is telling me that all this Jan. 6 investigation is sound and fury, signifying nothing, but then I think a bit more and I’m just not sure. This feels different to me, more portentous, and not as easily swept aside as other investigations.

    I think a big part of it is the laser beam focus the Democrats have throughout. Well, to be fair, Liz Cheney too. The Daughter of Satan has an axe to grind, and by God she’s going to get vengeance. That alone should terrify Trump, but he’s much too stupid to understand who he’s pissed off.

    But I digress. The other part is the complete and utter disarray of the House Republican clown car. These idiots are going to continue to fight over the Speaker of the House until the next election. Which doesn’t give them much bandwidth for running cover for Trump. McConnell has washed his hands of Trump, and couldn’t care less what happens to the orange imbecile. I don’t think there’s enough consensus among the right to attempt to derail an indictment and subsequent investigation.

    The midterms have wrecked any semblance of coherence in the GQP. And the fact that they don’t control the Senate effectively neuters them, except to concoct investigatory “drama” that will boost Fox News ratings (maybe — Hunter Biden fatigue has taken hold of the public, even the right-wing parts).

    Finally, Trump’s biggest ally and resource, Putin, has problems of his own. The Saudis pretty much have everything they want, and they don’t really need (or have the disinformation resources) to help Trump in any way. Yeah, golf, but that’s a niche sport that’s largely dying off in the US. It’s pocket change to those guys.

    Lot of rambling there, but my point is that I think Trump may have to finally face the music. I doubt there will be a conviction — he’ll run out the clock and die first, and there’s still the Supreme Taliban to reckon with. But I’m starting to think he’ll get indicted.

      • …there’s always the tax stuff…he’s not even a poor man’s al capone…but still…stranger things have happened

        …that 14th amendment barrier to office, though…I might take up praying?

      • Any trial will be in DC, and DC is the absolutely worst place in the country for Trump for a jury trial — IF — DOJ has a good case.

        Not because DC jurors are super liberal, although you can bet that’s the spin the press will put on it. The pundit class has always treated DC with the scorn that the British elite treated their colonial subjects. And there is almost zero chance a trial gets moved to Oklahoma or Arkansas.

        It’s because DC jurors actually follow evidence and the law far more than they worry about politics. Both Steve Bannon and Marion Barry were convicted in DC. It’s a city loaded with patent attorneys, museum guards, geological survey administrators, Census analysts, and DMV employees.

        Trump might get a renegade juror who causes a mistrial on every count, but I don’t think that’s a scenario he can count on — his case would just go back for a second round. And DC is the kind of place where you can count on the most pushback from other jurors against that kind of BS.

        Trump could well win on procedural grounds, but unreasonably sympathetic jurors are his worst hope.

         

        • …&…unless there’s something I’m missing…which there very well may be…he can’t shop for another “judge” cannon…or appeal to the batshit crazy fifth circuit?

          • Cannon really didn’t have any grounds to intervene but she did anyway, and it’s certainly possible a kook judge in another district throws out an even more far fetched roadblock as a delaying tactic.

            My guess is that the hope would be for a GOP president in 2025 who would pardon Trump in the name of healing, or else a nightmare scenario of a breakdown in social order that makes trials impossible.

  6. I know, we almost made it through one of these without talking about this guy but this is exactly what I knew would happen…

    https://www.cnet.com/tech/tesla-buyers-are-bailing-because-of-elon-musk-the-worst-troll/

    This is nice but hard to believe it is the first time!

    https://www.npr.org/2022/12/19/1144125582/as-the-bidens-mark-hanukkah-the-white-house-gets-its-own-menorah-for-the-first-t

    and more good news!

    https://www.rawstory.com/alex-jones-bankruptcy-2658986002/

    and even more!

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jurors-harvey-weinstein-rape-sexual-assault-trial-reach-verdict-rcna59273

  8. New York Magazine had an amusing article about Hollywood “nepo babies.” Nepo babies are those who achieve early fame in Hollywood and, according to them, their success has nothing to do with their famous and powerful Hollywood parents and, some claim, their famous last name is actually a hindrance. I think this ridiculously long URL will get you around the paywall:

    https://www.vulture.com/article/what-is-a-nepotism-baby.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=One%20Great%20Story%20-%20December%2019%2C%202022&utm_term=Subscription%20List%20-%20One%20Great%20Story#comments

    It might land you in the comments so scroll up.

    • Of course nepotism plays a huge role. From the article: “Getting in the door is pretty much the entire game” – Fran Lebowitz. And no, changing your name fools no one. Show business is a super insular community and they know who you are.

      I knew a person whose last name was the same as a prominent family who owned a bank here, which eventually merged with Bank of America. This guy was absolutely no relation to the family that founded the bank, and never claimed to be, but also didn’t take pains to point that out to people. He just let them draw their own conclusions, unless they asked directly. And very few did. He rose to a very high position and I’d bet only a handful of people ever realized he wasn’t related to the founders. Perception is reality and nepotism is also reality. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t see all these show business dynasties.

      Sorry, I just hate it when people say “oh, poor me, I’m rich and famous and it’s so hard.” Yeah, bullshit.

      • The only disappointing piece in the article, and it’s a minor point, is that the writer mentions Tracee Ellis Ross approvingly, as in, “No one doubts her talent/She deserves her fame” etc. Tracee Ellis Ross’s birth name is Tracee Joy Silberstein. Tracee chose her stage name herself, and she didn’t go with the more obvious Tracee Silvers or something like that.

  9. I recently came across a funny piece of Congressional trivia concerning Harold R. Gross, a legendary Republican Congressman from Iowa, of whom I had never heard. This is from his wiki (emphasis mine):

    In the words of his successor, Charles Grassley, Gross earned “a legendary reputation as watchdog of the Treasury.”[2] He rarely missed a roll call vote and often remained in the House chamber between roll call votes, listening carefully to speeches and scrutinizing the details of pending bills, especially spending bills.[1] He denounced, among other things, the Marshall Plan,[7] the funeral of President John F. Kennedy (including the appropriation for fuel for the eternal flame),[2][7] the size of the White House security detail,[7] the Peace Corps,[7] the U.S. Space Program,[7] and foreign aid.[8]

    • Gross was an early master of GOP PR about attacking “wasteful” spending.

      The tipoff is where he’s from — Iowa. Gross was a huge proponent of massive government intervention in farm markets. Because, of course, that didn’t count as “wasteful” just the things that somehow didn’t matter to him.

      Naturally Reagan was a big fan, and naturally Reagan represented gigantic increases in federal spending and deficits, while getting endless free press coverage about being a deficit hawk. But sure, demonize public education spending.

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