Capitol Riot Investigation Thread

[Carpet_pissr]

Now, if they found some evidence in e-mails or something that Brooks had the specific intent of inciting a riot or the like, that would change things. But the video's not enough.

Like wearing body armor whilst giving that fiery speech?

[Smoove_B]

Like wearing body armor whilst giving that fiery speech?

First rule of public speaking is to know your audience!

Speaking of which, proof they they can wear masks, they're just refusing to do so for the optics. Or maybe they only respond to being ordered around by people with guns. Not sure.

Gaetz, Greene, Gohmert and Gosar showed up today at the prison where insurrectionists are incarcerated, demanding to be let in to inspect the facility. They were ordered to leave or be arrested for trespassing, which they did.

[Holman]

Now, if they found some evidence in e-mails or something that Brooks had the specific intent of inciting a riot or the like, that would change things. But the video's not enough.

Like wearing body armor whilst giving that fiery speech?

Dude, that crowd was like 90% Antifa. Anything could have happened!

[malchior]

Awesome

[malchior]

Yup. Maine you fuct up.

[LawBeefaroni]

Awesome

And yet:

The DC Personal Protection Reciprocity Act

I am also an original cosponsor of H.R. 4348, the DC Personal Protection Reciprocity Act, introduced by my Arizona colleague David Schweikert. This legislation ensures that law-abiding citizens have the right to protect and defend themselves in our nation’s capital by allowing individuals with a lawful concealed carry permit to lawfully carry registered firearms in the District of Columbia.

I mean you can't have it both ways. Ashli was shot in textbook lawful defense of person and property.

Next time the GOP bitches about creating martyrs...

[malchior]

Sad as hell.

[Paingod]

Yup. Maine you fuct up.

I tried not to. I really did. There wasn't even anything really wrong with her opposition. Mainers are just hard to shift. I thought Collins had killed her re-election chances at least two or three times leading up to it. I was floored when she kept on truckin'.

[Smoove_B]

It kinda feels like maybe more people should be talking about this:

On the night of Dec. 12, 2020, the day of the first Stop the Steal rally in Washington and three weeks ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, several guests of then-Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., received an exclusive after-hours tour of the Capitol building from the far-right firebrand.

There are several unanswered questions about this visit, which appears to have violated normal Capitol protocol in various ways. It's not clear who authorized it, since Boebert was not yet a member of Congress and had no official standing in D.C. It's perhaps even stranger that it occurred on a Saturday night, when the Capitol complex is closed. Later, in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack, Boebert repeatedly denied rumors that she had offered "reconnaissance tours" to would-be rioters shortly before that event. But her ambiguous comments appeared to avoid any specific discussion of this unexplained December tour.

Details:

According to materials reviewed by Salon, the Dec. 12 tour led by Boebert involved various parts of the Capitol complex, including the staircase in the Senate's empty Brumidi Corridors, Senate room S-127 and the Senate briefing room, as well as the then-vacant Capitol Rotunda.

A maskless Capitol Police officer accompanied Boebert's mother and teenage son to the observation deck at the top of the Capitol Dome for a photo taken by a fourth person, presumably Boebert herself. This is the culmination of any Capitol tour, only available to visitors hosted by a member of Congress, and involves an arduous climb up roughly 300 steep and winding stairs to reach the high perch overlooking the city.

[malchior]

Mo. Mo. Mo. 'Cooperating'? I think you meant 'Conspiring'

Rep. Mo Brooks asked a federal judge to declare that he was immune from a civil lawsuit filed by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) alleging that the Alabama Republican was among several high-profile political figures responsible for inciting supporters of Donald Trump to riot and overrun the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Floating a theory of immunity in a 44-page filing on Tuesday, Brooks claimed he was simply “cooperating” with the “White House,” a decision affecting his ability to perform his congressional duties.

Swalwell’s complaint, filed in March, contends that Brooks—along with Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Rudy Giuliani—”convinced the mob that something was occurring that— if actually true—might indeed justify violence to some, and then sent that mob to the Capitol with violence-laced calls for immediate action.”

In an unusual series of reply filings, Brooks—who is representing himself in the matter—claimed his incendiary speech during Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse fell within the scope of his duty as a member of Congress. However, the lawmaker also noted that he has been “faithful to his wife” of 45 years, has never received a speeding ticket or smoked tobacco, and that none of his four children have been divorced.

Turning to the substance of his request, Brooks urged a federal judge to find he qualifies for Westfall Act immunity, which would require the allegations against him to relate to an official duty.

The Department of Justice recently urged the judge to reject that request, finding the allegations against Brooks did not fit that bill.

“Instigating such an attack plainly could not be within the scope of federal employment,” the Justice Department wrote late last month.

Brooks begged to differ with the DOJ’s legal and factual interpretation of the day’s events.

“It is absolutely a part of the job and duties of the U.S. Congressman from Alabama’s 5th Congressional District that the Congressman cooperate with the White House whenever possible and appropriate to protect and promote the direct and indirect jobs tied to federal activities in Alabama’s 5th Congressional District,” Brooks wrote. “Cooperating, or not cooperating, with the White House affects a Congressman’s effectiveness. Certainly rejecting the request of the White House to give a speech at the Ellipse could hurt a Congressman’s effectiveness. This is particularly true given the importance of the White House to space, defense and other jobs in a Congressman’s district.”

The congressman and Trump acolyte also contended that the rally was not campaign activity for him or the former president, claiming he only agreed to speak at the event the day before it took place. (Malch note: Wut? Mo Brooks is not a smart man)

...

Brooks was widely criticized for delivering one of the more inflammatory speeches to Trump supporters in the lead up to siege on the U.S. Capitol, telling the crowd that “Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.”

“Now, our ancestors sacrificed their blood, their sweat, their tears, their fortunes, and sometimes their lives, to give us, their descendants, an America that is the greatest nation in world history,” Brooks proclaimed on Jan. 6. “So I have a question for you: Are you willing to do the same? My answer is yes. Louder! Are you willing to do what it takes to fight for America? Louder! Will you fight for America?”

[Smoove_B]

“For the first time in the development of this whole story — it's clear there was an actual, cognizable plan to overturn the election," @chrislhayes
says. "An actual strategy to get Donald Trump declared the winner.”

[Carpet_pissr]

“The lawmaker also noted that he has been “faithful to his wife” of 45 years, has never received a speeding ticket or smoked tobacco, and that none of his four children have been divorced.“

Well done! Want a cookie? That totally makes up for your treasonous speech, you piece of garbage.

[Blackhawk]

"He is retired window cleaner and pacifist, without doing war crimes!"

[Carpet_pissr]

LOL

“Your honor, let the record show that I have never filleted a human being with a fishing knife”

[malchior]

Apparently the Senate judiciary committee got 7 hours of testimony from Jeffrey Rosen who was the Acting AG that Trump tried to bully into interceding with several states. Durbin didn't get into specifics today in the CNN clip below but indicated it was generally along the media accounts that have been reported so far. In that Trump applied a lot of pressure and was trying to replace him to get to a 'yes' on overturning the election.

At some point in this interview I just started staring at the ceiling in just disbelief at the level of bullshit involved. Around the 6 minute mark he is asked if they'll subpoena Bill Barr or Jeffrey Clark (the man who wrote the 5 letters about election fraud that Rosen refused to sign off on). To that, Durbin said we need bipartisan votes to subpoena on this committee and seemed to indicate it won't happen. Fucking hell. Broken Senate bullshit again.

I can't help but point out that McCarthy was bitching about the Select Committee saying the Senate already was working on this stuff and hence the Select Committee was unnecessary.

[YellowKing]

I can't help but point out that McCarthy was bitching about the Select Committee saying the Senate already was working on this stuff and hence the Select Committee was unnecessary.

Standard GOP playbook. If you can't defend your undefendable actions, attack the process investigating them as "unnecessary". I get so tired of how predictable they are.

[malchior]

I was also reminded that Lindsey Graham was also party to a phone call with Georgia trying to pressure the Secretary of State. Yet he is sitting on the judiciary committee. Pure farce.

[LawBeefaroni]

I was also reminded that Lindsey Graham was also party to a phone call with Georgia trying to pressure the Secretary of State. Yet he is sitting on the judiciary committee. Pure farce.

If he isn't held accountable, at which point do we start to resist this broken system?

[coopasonic]

Can you still serve as a senator from prison?

[hepcat]

He's not really serving as a senator from Washington, so why not?

[Smoove_B]

School in VA advertises donation from group that stormed the capitol.

Trevor Southerland, the parent of a student in Hanover County was shocked to see that a local school shared a photo on social media with the leader of a group that participated in the January 6 insurrection in Washington D.C.

The Hanover Patriots say they are a “unifying organization whose mission is to preserve the safety, security and way of life for citizens and businesses within Hanover County, VA.” They continue to say that they are able to ”accomplish this through partnership between community and law enforcement.”

...

After seeing the photo on the OKMS Facebook and Instagram accounts, Southerland reached out to the Chair of the Hanover school board, John F. Axselle over email. “I am hoping that the Oak Knoll Middle School Facebook and Instagram pages have been hacked — if not, I am very disturbed to see that the Instagram page of Oak Knoll Middle School is promoting a white supremacist terrorist organization that supported treason and insurrection in the January 6th attacks on Washington D.C.,” Southerland wrote in an email. “Can someone please confirm for me if these pages have been hacked? If they haven’t been hacked, can I please ask what actions are being taken to ensure proper use of school property (in this case, the social media accounts) by whatever staff members have access, including restricting access, training and other measures?”

[LawBeefaroni]

School in VA advertises donation from group that stormed the capitol.

Trevor Southerland, the parent of a student in Hanover County was shocked to see that a local school shared a photo on social media with the leader of a group that participated in the January 6 insurrection in Washington D.C.

The Hanover Patriots say they are a “unifying organization whose mission is to preserve the safety, security and way of life for citizens and businesses within Hanover County, VA.” They continue to say that they are able to ”accomplish this through partnership between community and law enforcement.”

...

After seeing the photo on the OKMS Facebook and Instagram accounts, Southerland reached out to the Chair of the Hanover school board, John F. Axselle over email. “I am hoping that the Oak Knoll Middle School Facebook and Instagram pages have been hacked — if not, I am very disturbed to see that the Instagram page of Oak Knoll Middle School is promoting a white supremacist terrorist organization that supported treason and insurrection in the January 6th attacks on Washington D.C.,” Southerland wrote in an email. “Can someone please confirm for me if these pages have been hacked? If they haven’t been hacked, can I please ask what actions are being taken to ensure proper use of school property (in this case, the social media accounts) by whatever staff members have access, including restricting access, training and other measures?”

Axselle responded by expressing disappointment in the request from Southerland. “It saddens me greatly when what is meant as a moment of support for one of our hard-working and dedicated teachers is attempted to be turned into something ugly and negative for political reasons,” Axselle wrote in response. “We are not going to change anything from this announcement of a positive endorsement of this teacher’s effort.”

Axselle continued to lecture Southerland and blame him for causing a political divide. “This shameful attitude of hate has to stop if we are going to work together for the good of our children,” he wrote. “Think of what you are teaching your children. Hate these people because we disagree with each other and while you are at it call them names. History does repeat itself. It wasn’t right in the past and it isn’t right now.”

After first pushing back against the suggestion of deleting or changing the post, the captions on the post were eventually changed to remove “Hanover Patriots” from the caption, and now referring to Porter as a parent of students at the school.

[Smoove_B]

See? Totally better.

Also, I hope the FBI pays them a visit.

[Holman]

Jesus Fuck.

This is a call for violence. The next one will be even more explicit.

[LordMortis]

Murdered? From the reportedly 2A advocate? You are a private citizen now, so I can publicly say "fuck you, the world will be a better place when you are dead."

[malchior]

[malchior]

The right is going nuts because the FBI said they have found scant evidence of 1/6 coordination. That essentially means they think it was "spontaneous". I'll tread lightly here professionally and say I'm directly aware of communications from social media and dark web sites forwarded to the FBI about communications prior to 1/6 but not get into super specifics. The FBI seems to be acknowledging that but saying there wasn't some grand plan. This piece below is framed a little misleadingly and the right is going nuts now about fake news right now. Or how there was no insurrection. I've even seen more references to it being antifa again. In any case, we're fucked. No one is taking this seriously.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has found little evidence at this point to suggest that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was largely coordinated by supporters of former President Trump or right-wing groups, according to a Reuters report.

"Ninety to ninety-five percent of these are one-off cases," a former senior law enforcement official told Reuters. "Then you have five percent, maybe, of these militia groups that were more closely organized. But there was no grand scheme with Roger Stone and Alex Jones and all of these people to storm the Capitol and take hostages."

The wire service, which spoke with four current and former law enforcement officials, reported that investigators for the FBI noted hat those involved in the far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were intent on entering into the Capitol.


However, the officials who spoke with Reuters said that no coordinated plans appeared to be established regarding what they would do once they broke in.

The wire service also reported that the FBI has also found no evidence at this point proving that Trump or those close to him were involved in any coordination of the insurrection on the Capitol.

[TheMix]

I assume that means "no evidence that the entire attack was coordinated". Which wouldn't seem to rule out multiple groups working together and pre-planning. Did anyone ever suggest that everyone involved was part of a coordinated attack? I always got the impression that is was a much smaller subset of groups that came prepared and with intent; and a lot of people that were riled up at the rally and brought along for the ride.

[malchior]

I assume that means "no evidence that the entire attack was coordinated". Which wouldn't seem to rule out multiple groups working together and pre-planning. Did anyone ever suggest that everyone involved was part of a coordinated attack? I always got the impression that is was a much smaller subset of groups that came prepared and with intent; and a lot of people that were riled up at the rally and brought along for the ride.

Right - also the lack of evidence isn't surprising tbh. It would have been big if they found direct coordination with Trump-world people but I don't think anyone really expects to find it even if it existed. Stone was reportedly hanging out with Proud Boy leadership. We obviously didn't expect he'd text them "ATTACK NOW! HANG PENCE!".

Still if you watch the many videos there are clearly groups of people who were organized and moving as a unit. The 5% as described in the snippet above. I don't think it matters a whole lot if they picked up what was being put down in dangerous rhetoric or if there was 'direct coordination'. The end result was still something we should take seriously. But really feels like isn't.

[LawBeefaroni]

Jesus Fuck.

This is a call for violence. The next one will be even more explicit.

I love how he said if it were "the other side" there'd be riots. If it were the other side, he'd say it was a justified police shooting. Which it was, but he's calling it murder. Funny how that works.

She probably did love America and she was betrayed and misled by her CiC and his followers. She trespassed on federal property, threatened legislative staff, and ignored lawful commands and was shot because of it.

[TheMix]

Indeed. And whatever happened to the "follow the instructions of LEOs and you won't get shot" argument? Actually, never mind. Calling out the hypocrisy became pointless a long time ago.

[El Guapo]

I assume that means "no evidence that the entire attack was coordinated". Which wouldn't seem to rule out multiple groups working together and pre-planning. Did anyone ever suggest that everyone involved was part of a coordinated attack? I always got the impression that is was a much smaller subset of groups that came prepared and with intent; and a lot of people that were riled up at the rally and brought along for the ride.

Right - also the lack of evidence isn't surprising tbh. It would have been big if they found direct coordination with Trump-world people but I don't think anyone really expects to find it even if it existed. Stone was reportedly hanging out with Proud Boy leadership. We obviously didn't expect he'd text them "ATTACK NOW! HANG PENCE!".

Still if you watch the many videos there are clearly groups of people who were organized and moving as a unit. The 5% as described in the snippet above. I don't think it matters a whole lot if they picked up what was being put down in dangerous rhetoric or if there was 'direct coordination'. The end result was still something we should take seriously. But really feels like isn't.

This is also giving me flashblacks to leaks out of the NY FBI in fall 2016. I can't help but wonder if this is sourced to Trump-friendly FBI agents, though that's speculative.

[malchior]

I have the exact same fears. The FBI isn't exactly neutral politically. Do I think they are Trumpist? No. Do I think they lean conservative? Yes. Does that imply some of them have been pulled by the same forces? I can't help but think that's a yes.

That said, I don't think this is "outrageous" information. It doesn't really push an agenda any way but that it leaking out this way says something but it isn't clear what it is saying yet.

[El Guapo]

I have the exact same fears. The FBI isn't exactly neutral politically. Do I think they are Trumpist? No. Do I think they lean conservative? Yes. Does that imply some of them have been pulled by the same forces? I can't help but think that's a yes.

That said, I don't think this is "outrageous" information. It doesn't really push an agenda any way but that it leaking out this way says something but it isn't clear what it is saying yet.

Yeah I don't think that the FBI as a whole is institutionally Trumpist, but they lean conservative, and it's a large organization, so I don't think it's hard to put together enough Trumpists willing to leak to launch articles in the likes of The Hill and Politico.

[Smoove_B]

Still chugging along...

Super significant: Jan. 6 select committee is also demanding all communications relating to planning and other preparations for rallies leading up the Capitol attack — including on the day BEFORE.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I would have assumed the day before the attack would naturally be considered as part of the investigation into communications. Is there a reason this is surprising?

[Smoove_B]

I don't think it would be obvious. I think it helps to frame the idea that it was planned in advance and that numerous people in Congress knew what was coming.

[El Guapo]

I would have assumed the day before the attack would naturally be considered as part of the investigation into communications. Is there a reason this is surprising?

Yeah I would ask for way before that if I were looking at this. I'd be inclined to request something like a week before election day until the day after Biden's inauguration.

[malchior]

[Unagi]

I would have assumed the day before the attack would naturally be considered as part of the investigation into communications. Is there a reason this is surprising?

Yeah I would ask for way before that if I were looking at this. I'd be inclined to request something like a week before election day until the day after Biden's inauguration.

Totally... It's almost comical. Ohh... To be so bold as to look a grand total of one solid day before the attack...