2020 Election: Predictions, Results and Reactions

[Voronwë the Faithful]

"Pure insanity."

"Patently absurd."

Richard Donahue is a master of understatement.

Eta: Regarding "this Italy thing" (e.g., Italian satellites switching votes).

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This is just incredible stuff.

[N.E. Brigand]

From today's testimony, regarding Representative Matt Gaetz (Republican of Florida):

"'The pardon that he was discussing, requesting, was as broad as you could describe, from... the beginning of time up until today, for any and all things,' [Trump White House advisor Eric] Herschmann told the committee."

Mann, I wonder what was on Gaetz's mind.

[N.E. Brigand]

I was in meetings all day and unable to follow the news of today's hearings. Just starting to catch up now. This commentary on today's news interested me:



That's quite the Tolkienian twist: "Oft evil will shall evil mar!"

[N.E. Brigand]

There's nothing substantive in this short clip, but wow, Trump certainly was very conscious of his image, wasn't he?

[N.E. Brigand]

January 6 committee planning to delay hearing schedule into July after Thursday's meeting

This news could be taken a few different ways. One possible interpretation is that the committee is obtaining significant new information, whether with regard to the emails between Ginni Thomas and John Eastman or (more likely) the footage that they obtained from documentarian Alex Holder, which committee chairman Bennie Thompson characterized as "important."

Another way to look at it as a further sign that the committee is in disarray. Particularly when combined with this news.

Top investigator leaving January 6 committee early

Most likely, it is some combination of the two. Despite my normal inclination to pessimism and cynicism, I'm actually somewhat inclined to the former view, however. I could easily see there being some smoking gun material in that Holder footage.

There is a third possibility.

Today's hearing, whose focus was Jeff Clark, was originally scheduled for last week but was then postponed for unclear reasons.

As you noted, today we learned that a search warrant was served at Clark's home yesterday.

It seems quite possible that the Dept. of Justice asked the Jan. 6th Committee to postpone this hearing by a week.

Might they similarly have asked the Committee to postpone other hearings until July?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

That's possible, though it would imply a degree of cooperation between the committee and the DoJ that seems contrary to what we have seen.

[elengil]

That's possible, though it would imply a degree of cooperation between the committee and the DoJ that seems contrary to what we have seen.

I accept that a great deal exists behind the public eye and media coverage that we are not privy to, things which may well be exceptionally contrary to what is seen otherwise.

I may not have any idea what that is that is happening, but I accept that it does happen.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I accept that as well.

[N.E. Brigand]

Another possibility is that the Committee, anticipating that today's decision overturning Roe was forthcoming in June, and knowing that it would dominate the public conversation, didn't want their findings to be lost in the furor.

[N.E. Brigand]

The Department of Justice has asked Danish documentarians to give them video shot as they recorded Roger Stone on January 6th, and apparently the FBI "expressed a particular interest" in what they "recorded in the Willard hotel" that day.

However, that doesn't mean there's an investigation into Roger Stone, because Stone was frequently in the company of the Oath Keepers, whose leadership has been indicted for seditious conspiracy, so this request could merely pertain to that case.

[N.E. Brigand]

NBC News reports that Congressman Mo Brooks says he spoke with President Donald Trump more than once, and that Trump "said: put it in writing. So I put it in writing."

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The Department of Justice has asked Danish documentarians to give them video shot as they recorded Roger Stone on January 6th, and apparently the FBI "expressed a particular interest" in what they "recorded in the Willard hotel" that day.

However, that doesn't mean there's an investigation into Roger Stone, because Stone was frequently in the company of the Oath Keepers, whose leadership has been indicted for seditious conspiracy, so this request could merely pertain to that case.

It's not completely outside the realm of possibility that it could lead to Stone being added to that case.

NBC News reports that Congressman Mo Brooks says he spoke with President Donald Trump more than once, and that Trump "said: put it in writing. So I put it in writing."

Put what in writing?

ETA: are you referring to the pardon request?

[N.E. Brigand]

NBC News reports that Congressman Mo Brooks says he spoke with President Donald Trump more than once, and that Trump "said: put it in writing. So I put it in writing."

Put what in writing?

ETA: are you referring to the pardon request?

D'oh! Yes, I skipped some important words. Brooks says he spoke with Trump more than once about pardon requests.

[N.E. Brigand]

The Proud Boys apparently made a video they could use later to claim the January 6th attack wasn't pre-planned. At least, that's how I read this Times artice:

Proud Boys Ignored Orders Given at Pre-Jan. 6 Meeting

"'We’re never going to be the ones to cross the police barrier or cross something in order to get to somebody,' Mr. Tarrio said."

Attorneys for some of the Proud Boys claim this Dec. 30, 2020 video is exculpatory; I think it actually shows consciousness of guilt.

[N.E. Brigand]

The Jan. 6th Committee has just announced there will be a public hearing tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. concerning "recently obtained evidence."

Previously, the committee had said the next (and presumably last) hearings would be in July.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Wow! That seems like it has to be pretty significant, but we'll see what it's all about.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The most likely speculation that I have seen is that the committee is annoyed at the publicity events that Alex Holder is doing for his new documentary about Trump and wants to get out in front of him. If that is the case, I doubt it will be all that breathtaking. Probably more like things such as Ivanka Trump telling Holder the opposite of what she told the committee, which really is pretty meaningless.

[N.E. Brigand]

On the very day that the Select Committee is holding its hearing focusing on Trump's attempts to use the Justice Department to help overturn the election, and in particular his plan to elevate Jeffrey Clark to the role of Acting Attorney General in order to achieve that goal, comes the news that "federal investigators" (which I assume should read FBI agents) search Clark's home earlier today. That strikes me as potentially a BFD.

Feds search home of Jeffrey Clark, former DOJ official who pushed Trump's false election fraud claims

Beleaguered Trump attorney John Eastman filed a motion tonight requesting the return of his iPhone. He says the FBI, pursuant to a warrant (he says as part of a Dept. of Justice Inspector General investigation) seized his phone on the evening of June 22 as he left a restaurant in New Mexico.

It may be a coincidence, but Jeffrey Clark's home was searched the next morning.

[N.E. Brigand]

The most likely speculation that I have seen is that the committee is annoyed at the publicity events that Alex Holder is doing for his new documentary about Trump and wants to get out in front of him. If that is the case, I doubt it will be all that breathtaking. Probably more like things such as Ivanka Trump telling Holder the opposite of what she told the committee, which really is pretty meaningless.

Speaking of Holder, the Independent reports something he said today about Eric Trump:

"When I asked [Eric Trump] about the potential danger of sort of rhetoric and the sort of the belligerence, he felt that it was … fair game [and] that it was the right thing to do … because the election was stolen."

Even if you really believe that the election was stolen (and I don't for a moment think the Trumps actually thought that), you're still not allowed to use violent means to overturn it!