2020 Election: Predictions, Results and Reactions

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Oddly, Judge Nichols is dismissing the jury for the day and postponing jury instructions, closing arguments and the beginning of deliberations till tomorrow.

Meanwhile the DHS Inspector General has instructed the Secret Service to stop investigating what happened to the missing text messages so as not to interfere with a potential criminal investigation.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/politics ... index.html

[N.E. Brigand]

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, a member of the January 6th Committee, said on MSNBC today that the U.S. Secret Service has retained outside counsel for its dealings with the committee.

Is that normal? For a government agency to engage non-government lawyers to represent it?*

I know I'm not the only one who sees the relationship between the President and Secret Service as starting to resemble that between the Roman Emperor and the Praetorian Guard.

*Edited to add: I'm seeing commentary that not only isn't it normal, it's not possible: individuals can lawyer up, but the agency can't.

- - - - - - - - - -
Former First Lady Melania Trump said on Fox News today that if only she had known about the violence at the Capitol as it was occurring, she would have spoken out to condemn it. As for that text exchange in which she told an aide that day that she didn't want to say anything?



Mrs. Trump says that Ms. Grisham didn't tell her how bad it was at the Capitol.

[N.E. Brigand]

Meanwhile the DHS Inspector General has instructed the Secret Service to stop investigating what happened to the missing text messages so as not to interfere with a potential criminal investigation.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/politics ... index.html

Here's a little more on that subject from NBC, which reports that the probe is indeed now considered to be a criminal investigation.

That said, the Dept. of Homeland Security's Inspector General knew five months ago that the Secret Service had "lost" texts from January 6th but didn't tell the Committee until this month.

[N.E. Brigand]

Sowing, reaping, etc.:



The audience in the room gasped when that video was shown in last night's hearing.

[Frelga]

contrasting himself to speed-talking conservative blogger Ben Shapiro, whom Ziegler described as "selling solar yarmulkes."

Ngl, I laughed.

[N.E. Brigand]

Have the hearings shown that Donald Trump violated 18 U.S. Code § 1512(c)(2), which reads as follows?

(c )Whoever corruptly—

(1) alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding; or

(2) otherwise obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so,

shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.

Marcy Wheeler says no, because Pat Cipollone hasn't testified about what Trump said to him leading up to and during the attack.

That said, the Committee did work pretty hard in their interview to get Cipollone close to admitting the truth. He was asked if anyone in the White House didn't want the riot stopped. He said he couldn't think of anyone on the staff who felt that way. He was asked: even the President? To that question Cipollone declined to respond, citing privilege.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
Other key parts of last night's hearing included:

(1) a national security official testifying that the Vice President's security detail feared for their lives that day;

(2) video of Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Chuck Schumer (D-New York) on the phone with Acting Sec. of Defense Christopher Miller insisting that the National Guard remove the attackers so Congress could continue the certification;

(3) Trump's deputy communications director Matthew Wolking texting that "Everything he [i.e., Trump] said about supporting law enforcement was a lie";

(4) video of President Trump on Jan. 7th recording a video message for the public and saying, during the taping:
--(a) "I don't want to say: 'This election is over.'"
--(b) "'And if you broke the law'--I can't say that."

[N.E. Brigand]

In that video message that President Trump recorded on Jan. 7, 2021, he said "I immediately deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders."

That was a lie. He had nothing to do with the deployment of any law enforcement or of the National Guard. And as regards the latter, they weren't deployed until three hours after the attack started, and he's not the one who ordered theme deployed.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The jury has convicted Bannon on both charges. They deliberated about 3 hours. Really, that was too long.

[N.E. Brigand]

The jury has convicted Bannon on both charges. They deliberated about 3 hours. Really, that was too long.

You beat me to it this time! I saw that the jury had reached a verdict, popped in to post it here as it happened, but then had to meet with a colleague for a few minutes, by which time, it was done. Bannon will be sentenced on Oct. 21. Apparently the punishment would be a fine of $100 to $1,000 plus a prison sentence of one to twelve months. (Edited to ask: is that for each count?) He will almost certainly appeal in the meantime.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I think it is for each count, but I doubt he will ultimately get sentenced for more than 30 days in jail. And yes I'm sure he will appeal, but I don't think he has a leg to stand on.

[Sunsilver]

(1) a national security official testifying that the Vice President's security detail feared for their lives that day;

I haven't been following the hearings directly, but listened to Colbert summarize the latest installment on his show. Pence's security detail were calling their families/loved ones and telling them 'goodbye'!

[N.E. Brigand]

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, a member of the January 6th Committee, said on MSNBC today that the U.S. Secret Service has retained outside counsel for its dealings with the committee.

Is that normal? For a government agency to engage non-government lawyers to represent it?*

I know I'm not the only one who sees the relationship between the President and Secret Service as starting to resemble that between the Roman Emperor and the Praetorian Guard.

*Edited to add: I'm seeing commentary that not only isn't it normal, it's not possible: individuals can lawyer up, but the agency can't.

Last night, Rep. Lofgren confirmed that she actually was referring to three specific agents: Tony Ornato, Robert Engel, and the unidentified driver of the SUV in which President Trump had some sort of tantrum on Jan. 6th when he was told he wouldn't be driven to the Capitol. In yesterday's hearing, we learned that following that encounter, the motorcade remained outside ready to transport Trump for another 45 minutes after that; it's not clear why.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I would certainly agree with Josh Marshall's commentary.

[N.E. Brigand]

Steve Bannon, who did not testify in his trial, said in a press conference following the announcement of the verdict that members of Congress were "gutless" for not testifying in his trial.

[RoseMorninStar]

The jury has convicted Bannon on both charges. They deliberated about 3 hours. Really, that was too long.

They had to select a fore-person and have lunch. Or so I've heard.

[River]

The jury has convicted Bannon on both charges. They deliberated about 3 hours. Really, that was too long.

They had to select a fore-person and have lunch. Or so I've heard.

I was wondering if there wasn't some mundane procedural stuff, plus chit-chat, ice-breakers, and making sure everyone understands what they're doing in that room together involved. If you've got twelve people I can see all that taking a while, particularly if they have to start by putting someone in charge and then that person having to actually take charge.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I was being tongue in cheek. That is a very swift verdict.

[RoseMorninStar]

Especially if lunch was involved.

[Sunsilver]

Steve Bannon, who did not testify in his trial, said in a press conference following the announcement of the verdict that members of Congress were "gutless" for not testifying in his trial.

[N.E. Brigand]

Steve Bannon, who did not testify in his trial, said in a press conference following the announcement of the verdict that members of Congress were "gutless" for not testifying in his trial.

Steve Bannon today had Alex Jones on his podcast and told Jones -- who for years pushed the claim that the Sandy Hook mass shooting that resulted in the death of 26 people (most of them young children) was a hoax -- that Jones is "one of the great thinkers" with an intellect to match that of America's founders.