Tag: Trump attempt to steal a second term

Exclusive: Emails reveal secret ‘war games’ meeting and other Pro-Trump shenanigans by Republican Attorneys General

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The nation’s Republican attorneys general were far more involved than previously known in using their offices — and state employees — for undisclosed partisan purposes over a period of several months in 2020 and this year.

A trove of emails uncovered by a public-records search in Missouri shows that the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) staged secret events attended not only by AG’s but by their staffs. It also uncovered a stunning array of political activities connected directly (at least in some cases) to official email accounts of the top state law-enforcement officials.

RAGA has already been ensnared in scandal with the revelation of a January 5 robocall urging people to attend the Capitol rally that resulted in the violent insurrection the next day. That call by the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF) — a RAGA subsidiary — prompted the January 11 resignation of Adam Piper, RAGA’s executive director. Continue reading.

Oath Keeper Claims She Met with Secret Service Before Capitol Riot

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A leader of the far-right “Oath Keepers” group charged in the deadly U.S. Capitol riots said she was in Washington on Jan. 6 to provide security for legislators and meet with Secret Service agents, according to a court filing.

Jessica Watkins, 38, is one of nine associates of the anti-government group charged with conspiring to storm the Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election victory.

Prosecutors said Watkins entered the Capitol building illegally. According to a defense petition filed on Saturday: “Ms. Watkins did not engage in any violence or force at the Capitol grounds or in the Capitol.” Continue reading.

Texas lawyer fired for Capitol assault dumped by pro-Trump groups trying to prove election fraud: report

A Texas attorney who was quickly fired as counsel for an insurance companyafter he posted a video of himself taking part in the Jan. 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that forced lawmakers to flee for their lives is once again out of a job after new clients alleging election fraud fired him too.

Two days after the Capitol riot, attorney Paul Davis was let go by Goosehead Insurance after proudly posting video of himself at the protest that turned into a riot, saying, “The fact that they will not let us inspect any of the ballots or the machines should tell you something. We’re all trying to get into the Capitol to stop this and this is what’s happening, they’re tear-gassing us.”

Since that time, he signed on with lawyer Kellye SoRelle in a lawsuit, described by Above the Law as, “seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.” Continue reading.

Ex-FBI official explains why he thinks Capitol Police are staying silent on the riot: ‘I fear this story is ugly’

On MSNBC Wednesday, former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi offered a theory as to why the Capitol Police have not spoken out about their experience of the pro-Trump riot in January.

“We heard the House impeachment managers tell the most detailed version of their story that day, but we still have not heard from Capitol Police,” said anchor Nicolle Wallace.

“There’s an overriding historical reason why people don’t tell their story. Our institutions choose not to tell their story,” said Figliuzzi. “It’s because even they don’t like their story. I’m concerned that we’re not hearing from these agencies because the truth is too painful even for them, and I think it’s going to be the independent commission that finally gets to the bottom of this, if we can even assemble an effective commission.” Continue reading.

L. Brent Bozell IV, descendant of prominent conservative family, charged in Capitol breach

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The son of a prominent conservative activist who denounced the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol but has claimed that Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election has been charged with participating in the riot.

Leo Brent Bozell IV, the son of L. Brent Bozell III, was charged with trespassing and obstruction of an official proceeding in the assault that left five dead, injured more than 100 police officers and delayed the electoral-vote confirmation of President Biden’s victory.

Charging papers made public Tuesday allege that the younger Bozell, 41, appeared on video on the Senate chamber floor during the event wearing a Hershey Christian Academy hooded sweatshirt. Online tipsters identified him as “Zeek” or “Zeeker Bozell” and traced his work as a girls’ basketball coach in Hershey, Pa., the FBI said. Continue reading.

NAACP sues Trump for inciting Capitol riot

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The NAACP filed a lawsuit Tuesday against former President Trump and far-right extremist groups in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots that killed five people and injured dozens of officers. 

Why it matters: The federal lawsuit filed on behalf of House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) shows that Trump continues to face legal problems stemming from the riot, even after he was acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial Saturday.

Details: The lawsuit — filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by the NAACP and civil rights law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll — accuses Trump, his attorney Rudy Giuliani, the Proud Boys, and the Oath Keepers of conspiring to incite a riot at the Capitol with the goal of preventing Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election. Continue reading.

Sen. Ron Johnson plays down Capitol riots: ‘This didn’t seem like an armed insurrection to me’

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As a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol last month, rioters battered police with a multitude of weapons: metal flagpoles, baseball bats, wrenches and clubs. Many soaked police in caustic bear spray. One officer died in the Jan. 6 melee along with four civilians.

But Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Monday argued that it’s wrong to describe the group as “armed” and accused Democrats of “selectively” editing videos to exaggerate the threat posed by a mob that came within feet of Vice President Mike Pence and other elected officials.

“This didn’t seem like an armed insurrection to me,” Johnson said on WISN. “When you hear the word ‘armed,’ don’t you think of firearms? Here’s the questions I would have liked to ask: How many firearms were confiscated? How many shots were fired?” Continue reading.

Dozens charged in Capitol riots spewed extremist rhetoric

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — In a text message, a radicalized Trump supporter suggested getting a boat to ferry “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River into the waiting arms of their members in time for Jan. 6, court papers say.

It wasn’t just idle talk, authorities say. Investigators found invoices for more than $750 worth of live ammunition and for a firearm designed to look like a cellphone at the Virginia home of Thomas Caldwell, who’s charged with conspiring with members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group in one of the most sinister plots in the U.S. Capitol siege.

Right-wing extremists, blessed by Donald Trump, were unleashed last month, and their menacing presence has reignited the debate over domestic extremism and how law enforcement should be handling these groups. Continue reading.

Poll: 58 percent of Americans believe Trump should have been convicted

Respondents viewed the senators’ votes as acts of partisanship

Nearly 60 percent of Americans believe former President Donald Trump should have been convicted in his second impeachment trial, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Monday.

While 58 percent of Americans overall believe the former president should have been convicted, the poll split largely along party lines. Eighty-eight percent of Democrats believe Trump should have been convicted, while 64 percent of independents and just 14 percent of Republicans agree.

The poll was conducted from Feb. 13 to 14 and sampled 547 adults through an online survey. Continue reading.

‘Completely unhinged’: Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan try to blame Nancy Pelosi for the Capitol attack

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Four Republican members of Congress, including Ohio’s Jim Jordan and California’s Devin Nunes, on Presidents’ Day sent Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi a three-page letter effectively blaming her for the deadly January 6 insurrection, urging her to end “this political charade.”

The sum of their letter, that the speaker – and not then-President Donald Trump – is responsible for the events of January 6 flies in the face of a mountain of facts, including those presented during last week’s impeachment trial. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly agreed with at least seven other Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 2 independents, that Trump was responsible for the deadly riot.

Jordan and Nunes have been among Trump’s most ardent supporters. Trump awarded both Congressmen the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Pelosi on Monday announced she is forming a 9/11 style congressional commission to “investigate and report on the facts and causes” of the January 6 insurrection. Continue reading.