Tag: Trump insurrection

House formally sends impeachment to Senate, putting Trump on trial for Capitol riot

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House Democrats on Monday sent to the Senate their single impeachment article against former President Trump, officially putting him on trial for his role in the deadly mob attack on the Capitol earlier in the month.

The ceremonial delivery — a somber cross-Capitol march performed by the nine Democratic House members who will prosecute the case — was a legal formality. The House had impeached Trump 12 days ago, and Senate leaders have agreed to postpone the start of the public trial until the week of Feb. 8.

The timeline itself has been strategic, allowing the newly seated President Biden some breathing room to install several top Cabinet officials and advance the debate over another massive package of coronavirus relief before the Senate becomes consumed by the highly contentious impeachment trial.  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.

Real estate agent charged in Capitol riot blocked from using PayPal for donations

Jenna Ryan was charged last week after federal authorities said she breached the Capitol on Jan. 6.

A Texas real estate agent who took a private jet to the riot at the U.S. Capitol is blocked from using PayPal to accept donations, the company said.

Jennifer Ryan, who goes by Jenna Ryan on social media, was charged last week after federal authorities said she breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 with other supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

The Dallas-based realtor was charged with disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry. Continue reading.

Watchdog Says Organizer of Capitol Protest Turned Riot ‘Received Explicit Support’ from 2 GOP Reps

An ethics watchdog organization is alleging that two Republican members of Congress gave “explicit support” to at least one organizer behind the rally that later led to a riot at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6.

In an investigation request addressed to the House Office of Congressional Ethics on Friday, the Campaign for Accountability requested a probe to determine whether the alleged actions of Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona were in violation of federal law. The complaint also mentioned Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, who was similarly accused of actions that the organization wrote “may have violated laws prohibiting sedition and insurrection.”

Biggs’ deputy chief of staff, Daniel Stefanski, denied Biggs’ involvement in the events that led to the riots in a statement shared with Newsweek. Newsweek contacted Gosar’s and Cawthorn’s offices for comment but did not receive responses in time for publication. Continue reading.

Organizers of Trump Rally Had Been on Campaign’s Payroll

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign paid more than $2.7 million over two years to individuals and firms that organized the Jan. 6 rally that led to rioters storming the U.S. Capitol, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The payments, which span Trump’s re-election campaign, show an ongoing financial relationship between the rally’s organizers and Trump’s political operation. They were all made through Nov. 23, the most recent date covered by Federal Election Commission filings, which is before the rally was publicly announced.

Eight paid Trump campaign officials were named on the permit issued on by the National Park Service for the rally, including Maggie Mulvaney, the niece of Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff who resigned his position as special envoy to Northern Ireland after the riot. Maggie Mulvaney was paid $138,000 by the campaign through Nov. 23. Continue reading.

McConnell privately says he wants Trump gone as Republicans quietly lobby him to convict

WASHINGTON — As the House prepares to send an article of impeachment to the Senate on Monday, CNN has learned that dozens of influential Republicans around Washington — including former top Trump administration officials — have been quietly lobbying GOP members of Congress to impeach and convict Donald Trump. The effort is not coordinated but reflects a wider battle inside the GOP between those loyal to Trump and those who want to sever ties and ensure he can never run for President again.

The lobbying started in the House after the January 6 attack on the Capitol and in the days leading up to impeachment. But it’s now more focused on Sen. Mitch McConnell, the powerful minority leader who has signaled he may support convicting Trump.

“Mitch said to me he wants Trump gone,” one Republican member of Congress told CNN. “It is in his political interest to have him gone. It is in the GOP interest to have him gone. The question is, do we get there?” Continue reading.

Tensions running high after gun incident near House floor

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Lawmaker tensions are running high this week after a Republican lawmaker nearly brought a gun onto the House floor, further stoking concerns about Capitol security and whether members of Congress need protection from one another.

The renewed anxiety just two weeks after the deadly Jan. 6 attack was sparked by Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) when he set off a newly installed metal detector off the House floor with a concealed gun, despite a longtime ban on firearms in the chamber.

The incident followed numerous reports of other Republicans, accustomed to bypassing metal detectors in the Capitol, chafing at the new security measures. Some Democrats are now openly expressing that they don’t feel safe around certain colleagues. Continue reading.

‘The US is falling apart’: How Russian media is portraying the US Capitol siege

The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which was Christmas Eve for Eastern Orthodox Christians, was a perfect holiday gift for Russian politicians and state-controlled Russian media. 

While President Vladimir Putin has remained silent so far, reaction from political leaders was instantaneous, and the topic has dominated Russian news coverage ever since.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that while the siege is “an internal affair,” it’s important to point out that the “electoral system of the U.S. is archaic.” Continue reading.

Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland sets off metal detector while carrying gun near House chamber

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The U.S. Capitol Police department has launched an investigation after Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) set off a magnetometer near the House chamber while carrying a concealed gun Thursday afternoon, according to a Hill staffer with knowledge of the incident.

Harris set off the magnetometer — installed after the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol — as he was on his way to the chamber, leading security to pat him down, said the staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the incident.

“One security official present saw a firearm on the person of Rep. Harris and relayed that to his superiors,” the staffer said in a text message. “To be clear, Harris did not enter the Floor.” Continue reading.