January 6 Select Committee

[noblepa]

Funny how the Republicans are now providing the legal playing field for the Democrats to unseat a potential future Republican potus

I can just hear Mitch McConnel and Ted Cruz, in January, 2025, when Kamala Harris refuses to certify the election of a Republican candidate: "The Vice President has no authority to do more than open the envelopes and announce the results".

I am no Constitutional scholar, but the 12th Amendment says, in part "-- the President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted; -- The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; ".

There is no proviso for the Senate, as a whole, or for the Vice President, to reject the count. They don't get to accept or reject the count. It simply says that the person who receives the most electoral votes SHALL be President. It does not add "subject to the advice and consent of the Senate".

But Ted and Mitch, that's not what you said back in 2021.

[RTH10260]

Capitol attack panel obtains PowerPoint that set out plan for Trump to stage coup
Presentation turned over by Mark Meadows made several recommendations for Trump to pursue to retain presidency

Hugo Lowell in Washington
Sat 11 Dec 2021 02.01 GMT

Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows turned over to the House select committee investigating the 6 January Capitol attack a PowerPoint recommending Donald Trump to declare a national security emergency in order to return himself to the presidency.

The select committee is certain there was at least some coordination between the Trump White House and the organizers of the 6 January rally.

The fact that Meadows was in possession of a PowerPoint the day before the Capitol attack that detailed ways to stage a coup suggests he was at least aware of efforts by Trump and his allies to stop Joe Biden’s certification from taking place on 6 January.

The PowerPoint, titled “Election Fraud, Foreign Interference & Options for 6 Jan”, made several recommendations for Trump to pursue in order to retain the presidency for a second term on the basis of lies and debunked conspiracies about widespread election fraud.

Meadows turned over a version of the PowerPoint presentation that he received in an email and spanned 38 pages, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The Guardian reviewed a second, 36-page version of the PowerPoint marked for dissemination with 5 January metadata, which had some differences with what the select committee received. But the title of the PowerPoint and its recommendations remained the same, the source said.

Senators and members of Congress should first be briefed about foreign interference, the PowerPoint said, at which point Trump could declare a national emergency, declare all electronic voting invalid, and ask Congress to agree on a constitutionally acceptable remedy.




https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... tol-attack

[Chilidog]

That power point is insane.

It's so badly done it has to be real.

[AndyinPA]

I'm getting tired of calling it an insurrection. It was a failed coup, AKA practice.

[Luke]

Larry Sabato is absolutely right.

Larry Sabato @LarrySabato
I’m old-fashioned but treason seems like a serious crime. I’m not a lawyer but the PowerPoint seems like real evidence that a treasonous coup was planned.
11:15 AM · Dec 10, 2021·Twitter for iPhone
8,829 Retweets 318 Quote Tweets 55.7K Likes

OrlyLicious @Orly_licious 1m
Replying to @LarrySabato
Larry, thank you for saying what needed to be said. It's true. The un-American plotters responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. #January6thCommittee can refer criminally. They must. Here's a link to this treasonous coup document: https://web.archive.org/web/2021071613

Larry Sabato @LarrySabato
Thanks to those who've sent me Mark Meadows' 38-page PowerPoint on vote fraud DATED JAN. 5 (day before the attempted coup d'etat). To save you time, I'd summarize it this way: COMPLETE HORSESHIT.
https://web.archive.org/web/20210716135 ... -fraud.pdf
12:06 PM · Dec 9, 2021·Twitter Web App

[Luke]

This CNN segment is worth watching. Bob Costa retweeted it, if you haven't read his and Bob Woodward's book, it's an excellent primer.

Robert Costa Retweeted

The Lead CNN @TheLeadCNN Dec 9
GOP Rep. Cheney: January 6 committee has interviewed nearly 300 witnesses @jamiegangel reports on the specifics the panel is uncovering

Important thread by Bob:

Robert Costa @costareports 5h
(thread) Based on our reporting, Eastman begins drafting his memo in late Dec. and Trump WH has it by the new year. WH then gives it to Sen. Lee and others on Jan. 2, as we document in "Peril."

But by Jan. 3, after Pence meets w/ Sen. Parliam., it's clear he's not coming along.

Here's an unroll of this important thread:

Important thread by @costareports about the attempted #PowerPointCoup by Trump & his un-American co-conspirators. Attn: @January6thCommittee @BennieGThompson @RepLizCheney #Peril #Pence #Eastman #MarkMeadows #Bannon #JennaEllis #January6thInsurrection https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1469 ... 40577.html

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Robert Costa

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6h, 10 tweets, 3 min read
(thread) Based on our reporting, Eastman begins drafting his memo in late Dec. and Trump WH has it by the new year. WH then gives it to Sen. Lee and others on Jan. 2, as we document in "Peril."

But by Jan. 3, after Pence meets w/ Sen. Parliam., it's clear he's not coming along.
On Jan. 4, Pence is in Georgia for a rally, but once he flies back, Trump calls him to the Oval. See "Peril" pgs. 224-227. "I'm getting guidance that says I can't," Pence tells Trump and Eastman, who is there. "Listen. Listen to John," Trump replies.
As Eastman and Trump pressure Pence and Pence's aides/lawyers, the rest of the Trump WH is in full-steam ahead mode that same day. See "Peril" chapter 41. "Graham was at the WH on January 4, where he received some memos supporting Trump's claims." We put those memos in the book.
Chief of staff Mark Meadows is working with Trump this whole time, and we show him meeting with Graham and Giuliani on how to push Trump's efforts along. See his Jan. 2 meeting with both of them on p. 212-214 of "Peril." But there were still lingering Qs re: his role/knowledge.
Now, months after "Peril" was published, we are learning more about both Meadows and that key day, January *4th.*

Think of it as the set-up day for the eve of the insurrection, Jan. 5, when Bannon and Giuliani work from the Willard and Trump pressures Pence, 1 on 1, in Oval.
Read this: "The powerpoint was presented on 4 January to a number of Republican senators and members of Congress, the source said."

Meadows was in possession of a PowerPoint that echoed Eastman memo. (The origin story of the PP is a key reporting target.)

Capitol attack panel obtains PowerPoint that set out plan for Trump to stage coup
Presentation turned over by Mark Meadows made several recommendations for Trump to pursue to return himself to presidency
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... tol-attack
We now know that in the critical Jan. 4-5 period, where the pressure on Pence is Level 10/10, you have not only the principals leaning on the VP, but numerous docs circulating to make the case.
-Eastman memos
-PowerPoints
-And Jenna Ellis memos (see below)

Memos from Trump campaign lawyer outline her theories for how Pence could reject Electoral College votes
In the weeks leading up to January 6, one of Donald Trump's campaign lawyers wrote memos outlining how she believed then-Vice President Mike Pence could reject electoral college votes and overturn the…
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/10/politics ... index.html
But despite all of these docs and PowerPts, the most revealing thing of this period isn't a document. It's what he says to Pence on Jan. 5.

At the end of the day, Trump isn't looking to these docs to make his case. He looks to the gathering mob in the streets. (Ch. 43, "Peril")
"If these people say you had the power, wouldn't you want to?" Trump asked.

"I wouldn't want any one person to have that authority," Pence said.

"But wouldn't it almost be cool to have that power?" Trump asked.

"No," Pence said.

/end

Another important data point on Jan. 4th: "Robert 'Bobby' Peede Jr. and [Max] Miller met with Trump in his private dining room off of the Oval Office on January 4 to discuss the January 6 rally."

January 6 committee subpoenas Trump-backed congressional candidate
The House select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the US Capitol issued six additional subpoenas Friday, including one to former aide to former President Donald Trump and current Ohio con…
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/10/politics ... index.html

[tek]

"But wouldn't it almost be cool to have that power?" Trump asked.

spoken like someone who has never experienced any consequences.

[Gregg]

They need to depose Pence.

Depose with extreme prejudice.

[RTH10260]

They need to depose Pence.

Depose with extreme prejudice.

BUT... But.... but.... the NDA he signed to to become part of the Republican ticket

[Gregg]

Agnew set a lot of precedents that are going to come in handy if they do. No immunity or privilege for YOU.

[Kendra]

tl;dr this late on a Sunday.

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/IJ/IJ00 ... 117-NA.pdf

Politico roundup:

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/1 ... ump-524133

Mark Meadows indicated in a Jan. 5 email that the National Guard was on standby to “protect pro Trump people,” according to documents obtained by the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, which the panel described in a public filing Sunday night.

The context for the message is unclear, but it comes amid intense scrutiny of the Guard’s slow response to violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and conflicting timelines about their efforts from the Pentagon and National Guard leadership.

[RTH10260]

Cause courts are all there to delay

Meadows suing Pelosi, Jan. 6 committee
BY HARPER NEIDIG - 12/08/21 05:09 PM EST

Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is suing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as he faces a likely contempt referral for refusing to cooperate with the panel.

In a civil complaint filed Wednesday afternoon, Meadows's lawyers said the select committee does not have the authority to issue the subpoenas directed at him or obtain his phone records from a third party and that President Biden's refusal to assert executive privilege opens constitutional questions that should be decided through legal action.

"As a result, Mr. Meadows, a witness, has been put in the untenable position of choosing between conflicting privilege claims that are of constitutional origin and dimension and having to either risk enforcement of the subpoena issued to him, not merely by the House of Representatives, but through actions by the Executive and Judicial Branches, or, alternatively, unilaterally abandoning the former president’s claims of privileges and immunities," the complaint reads. "Thus, Mr. Meadows turns to the courts to say what the law is."

The lawsuit says Meadows believed the committee would "act in good faith" until he learned over the weekend the lawmakers had subpoenaed Verizon for his personal phone records. The telecommunications company told Meadows in a letter dated Saturday that it would comply with the committee's subpoena by Dec. 15 unless a court ordered otherwise.

Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the chair and vice chair of the House select committee, released a statement Wednesday night saying the lawsuit won't hamper their work.

“Mr. Meadows’s flawed lawsuit won’t succeed at slowing down the Select Committee’s investigation or stopping us from getting the information we’re seeking," they said. "The Select Committee will meet next week to advance a report recommending that the House cite Mr. Meadows for contempt of Congress and refer him to the Department of Justice for prosecution.”

Pelosi's office did not immediately respond when asked for comment.

Meadows's attorney said on Tuesday that his client would not be appearing for an interview that was scheduled for Wednesday, reversing after a tentative agreement was announced last week for Trump's top White House aide to provide records and testimony to the panel.



https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5849 ... -committee

[Kendra]

Committee hearing just gaveled in. CNN reported aa while ago that we'll be hearing more than what was in the report released yesterday

[p0rtia]

[dan1100]

Every single one of them has mentioned "unnamed" members of Congress communicating with Meadows.

[p0rtia]

The text msgs to Meadows from Fox News hosts were incredible.

[Kendra]

Donald Trump Jr texted Mark Meadows to urge Meadows to get Pres. Trump to move with urgency and do something to stop the violence, according to Reps Cheney and Adam Schiff (D-CA) at this hearing

They're underscoring the significance of this

Unless my feeble brain is not working (always possible) I also heard Cheney drop Ingraham and Hannity names as having texted Meadows that day.

[Kendra]

Imagine what Meadows is hiding if he thought *this* was the least-incriminating stuff

[p0rtia]

Yep. And Brian Kilmeade.

[filly]

Boy Liz Cheney knows how to go for the jugular!

[Kendra]

Liz Cheney reads texts from Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Brian Kilmeade, and Donald Trump Jr. urging former President Trump to act while he sat around and did nothing for hours during the insurrection

Schiff: The day after a failed attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power through violence, an elected lawmaker tells the WH COS “I’m sorry nothing worked”

[p0rtia]

Which one was it????

[northland10]

Which one was it????

There's a pool I would not want to pick. The choices of who are so numerous that I would likely get it wrong.

[AndyinPA]

Got to be some nervous Congress Critters.

[p0rtia]

I've got Gosar in the pool.