Tag: Trump attempt to steal a second term

Just five GOP senators vote Trump impeachment trial is constitutional

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The Senate sent a strong signal Tuesday that there are not nearly enough votes to convict President Trump in an impeachment trial when only five GOP senators rejected an effort by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to declare the looming trial unconstitutional. 

The Senate voted 55-45 to set aside Paul’s motion, with all but five GOP senators siding with Paul. GOP Sens. Mitt Romney (Utah), Ben Sasse (Neb.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Pat Toomey (Pa.) voted with Democrats to table Paul’s point of order.

The vote is the clearest sign yet that Trump is heading toward a second acquittal and offers an early insight into which Republicans are lining up behind an argument that his second impeachment trial isn’t constitutional. Continue reading.

Pentagon restricted commander of D.C. Guard ahead of Capitol riot

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The commander of the D.C. National Guard said the Pentagon restricted his authority ahead of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, requiring higher-level sign-off to respond that cost time as the events that day spiraled out of control.

Local commanders typically have the power to take military action on their own to save lives or prevent significant property damage in an urgent situation when there isn’t enough time to obtain approval from headquarters.

But Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, said the Pentagon essentially took that power and other authorities away from him ahead of the short-lived insurrection on Jan. 6. That meant he couldn’t immediately roll out troops when he received a panicked phone call from the Capitol Police chief warning that rioters were about to enter the U.S. Capitol. Continue reading.

Fox “Frontline Doctor” Was Capitol Rioter — And Source Of Deadly Disinformation

Dr. Simone Gold was among the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6. But unlike many of her fellow rioters, Gold was there not just to undermine American democracy, but also to attack public faith in coronavirus vaccines.

According to an interview Gold recently gave to The Washington Post, she delivered a speech inside the Capitol similar to one she gave at a pro-Trump rally the day before, in which she referred to the vaccine as an “experimental, biological agent deceptively named a vaccine.” Her anti-vaccination comments at the Capitol riot were part of a monthslong effort by both Gold and the medical misinformation group she founded, America’s Frontline Doctors, to erode public confidence in pandemic response measures.

Gold, who has since been arrested for her participation in the Capitol riot, founded America’s Frontline Doctors in 2020. The group received national attention in July, when former President Donald Trump retweeted a video of a misinformation-laden press conference the group held that was organized by the Tea Party Patriots. Continue reading.

Speaker at Jan. 5 pro-Trump rally charged with encouraging mob, impeding police during Capitol breach

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A prominent speaker at a “Stop the Steal” rally held by Trump supporters in Washington the day before the storming of the Capitol was taken into custody Monday on charges of impeding police during the riot.

Brandon Straka, 44, of New York was arrested in Nebraska on a felony charge of interfering with police during civil disorder, and illegal entry and disorderly conduct on restricted Capitol grounds.

The arrest came as federal prosecutors in court filings condemned what they called the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which delayed the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory, led to the deaths of four rioters and one police officer, and resulted in assaults on about 139 Capitol and D.C. police officers. Continue reading.

Calls mount for Republican Rep. Scott Perry to resign for reported role in effort to overturn Georgia election

Calls are mounting for U.S. Rep. Scott Perry to resign after a report late Saturday exposed his “significant role” in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 

Perry, a Republican from York County, connected President Donald Trump with a Justice Department official to try to remove the acting U.S. attorney general from his post and pressure Georgia lawmakers to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential contest, according to The New York Times. 

The congressman did not respond to questions from The Times before publication. He also did not immediately respond to questions from the USA TODAY Network on Saturday night. Continue reading.

‘The trial is stupid’: Marco Rubio battles Chris Wallace over Trump’s insurrection impeachment

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Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Sunday said that he will attempt to end former President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial because it is “stupid.”

Rubio make the remarks during an interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace.

“First of all, I think the trial is stupid,” Rubio said dismissively. “We already have a flaming fire in this country and it’s like taking a bunch of gasoline and pouring it on top of the fire.” Continue reading.

Capitol rioter claims he was ‘duped’ by Trump, lawyer says

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The attorney for Anthony Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman who made rounds on social media for his outlandish outfit during the Capitol riot, is blaming former President Trump for his client’s involvement. 

“He regrets very, very much having not just been duped by the president but by being in a position where he allowed that duping to put him in a position to make decisions he should not have made,” Al Watkins, a lawyer for Chansley, told Missouri’s NBC-affiliated television station KSDK.

Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, was arrested on Jan. 9 for his role in the riot. At the time, Chansley told NBC News he saw nothing wrong with his actions.  Continue reading.

An FAA Employee And QAnon Follower Was On The FBI’s Radar. Then He Stormed The Capitol.

Kevin Strong reportedly believed that the insurrection on Jan. 6 would lead to World War III.

A Federal Aviation Administration employee who subscribed to the QAnon conspiracy theory was already under FBI investigation when he took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, federal authorities disclosed this week.

The FBI initiated an investigation into Kevin Strong, a FAA employee in San Bernardino, California, on Dec. 30, a week before the Capitol siege. A witness told the FBI that Strong believed he had “Q clearance” and that World War III was going to occur on Jan. 6. Strong, the witness said, hung a “WW1WGA” flag at his home, and believed QAnon would cover the cost of a truck he recently purchased.

Strong is now facing federal charges. An affidavit from FBI Special Agent Erin Norwood states that there is probable cause that Strong violated a law that makes it a crime to enter a restricted building without lawful authority with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government, as well as a law that makes it illegal to disrupt the orderly conduct of a session of Congress. Continue reading.

Trump and Justice Dept. Lawyer Said to Have Plotted to Oust Acting Attorney General

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Trying to find another avenue to push his baseless election claims, Donald Trump considered installing a loyalist.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s top leaders listened in stunned silence this month: One of their peers, they were told, had devised a plan with President Donald J. Trump to oust Jeffrey A. Rosen as acting attorney general and wield the department’s power to force Georgia state lawmakers to overturn its presidential election results.

The unassuming lawyer who worked on the plan, Jeffrey Clark, had been devising ways to cast doubt on the election results and to bolster Mr. Trump’s continuing legal battles and the pressure on Georgia politicians. Because Mr. Rosen had refused the president’s entreaties to carry out those plans, Mr. Trump was about to decide whether to fire Mr. Rosen and replace him with Mr. Clark.

The department officials, convened on a conference call, then asked each other: What will you do if Mr. Rosen is dismissed? Continue reading.

New report reveals multiple GOP lawmakers sought pardons for their roles in the Capitol riot

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With President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony less than 24 hours away, reporters have been wondering who President Donald Trump will grant pardons to during his remaining time in the White House. And according to CNN’s sources, Trump has decided against granting them to GOP lawmakers who spoke at or helped put together his “Save America Rally” in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6.

That rally took place before a violent mob of far-right extremists and Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Building. The U.S. House of Representatives has since indicted Trump on an article of impeachment for “incitement to insurrection.”

In an article published by CNN’s website the day before Biden’s inauguration, reporters Kaitlan Collins, Kevin Liptak and Pamela Brown explain: Continue reading.