Tag: Trump insurrection

Trumpist masculinity reaches its high water mark

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A whole taxonomy of Trumpist right-wing manhood could be developed from the Internet investigations, wanted posters and arrest affidavits now trickling out in the wake of last week’s riot at the Capitol. En masse, the photos show a conglomeration of weird beards, ammo and camo, and a very specific brand of looks-like-somebody-got-a-Bass-Pro-gift-card-for-Christmas raging White masculinity.

But you also have the breakout alleged criminals representing their own splintering subcategories: QAnon Shaman. Hogan’s Heroes. Ski Dad, i.e. an overly tan man who looked like he should be teaching the bunny hill class but instead appeared to be stealing a lectern. Another man wearing a sweatshirt reading — God help us, find out what company makes this and shut it down — “Camp Auschwitz.”

And, Zip Tie Guy. Continue reading.

34 House Democrats call for investigation into Jan. 5 tours by fellow members ahead of attack

Capitol is supposed to be closed to tours

Rep. Mikie Sherrill and 33 other House members want an investigation into access given by fellow House lawmakers to visitors to the Capitol on Jan. 5 before the violent attacks on Congress the next day.

The New Jersey Democrat alleged Tuesday night that members of Congress led guests on what she described as “reconnaissance” ahead of the insurrection on Jan. 6.

A letter issued Wednesday asks the acting House sergeant-at-arms, acting Senate sergeant-at-arms, and United States Capitol Police to investigate “suspicious behavior” on Jan. 5 and changes to visitor access. Continue reading.

Giuliani calls wrong senator in last-ditch effort to delay certification of Biden’s win

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President Trump‘s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani reportedly left a voicemail message for the wrong lawmaker late Wednesday as he was attempting to reach Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) in an effort to stall Congress’s certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election.

According to The Dispatch, Giuliani recorded a voicemail message addressed to Tuberville at approximately 7 p.m., saying that wanted to discuss how congressional leaders were “trying to rush this hearing and how we need you, our Republican friends, to try to just slow it down so we can get these legislatures to get more information to you.”

“And I know they’re reconvening at 8 tonight, but it … the only strategy we can follow is to object to numerous states and raise issues so that we get ourselves into tomorrow—ideally until the end of tomorrow,” he added. Continue reading.

Veterans, ex-spies in Congress prominent in fraught week on Capitol Hill

Veterans, ex-spies in Congress prominent in fraught week on Capitol Hill

A bipartisan group of young lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds has been in the forefront of the congressional response to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and the cadre played a central role since then in the second impeachment of President Donald Trump. 

The group, which draws mostly from the Armed Services Committee, protected their fellow lawmakers during the attack. They also used military expertise to detect what they said were unnamed lawmakers who had possibly helped rioters plan their attack the day before.

They spoke of their oath to protect and defend the Constitution, in the military and in Congress alike, as they implored their colleagues to impeach Trump for his role in instigating the mob. Continue reading.

Democrat Ayanna Pressley’s office reveals a disturbing detail discovered during the Capitol siege

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Disturbing details are emerging about the state of Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s (D-Mass.) office amid the U.S. Capitol riots that took place as lawmakers certified the Electoral College vote. 

On Wednesday, Jan. 13, Pressley’s Massachusetts Chief of Staff Sarah Groh revealed to the Boston Globe that the entire panic button unit had been removed from the wall in the Democratic lawmaker’s office. As angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Groh revealed she and her colleagues looked for the panic button as they attempted to lock themselves inside the office. 

That’s when she discovered the button was no longer there. “Every panic button in my office had been torn out — the whole unit,” she told the paper. She also revealed she had previously used the button but received no notification about it being removed. Continue reading.

A Black officer faced down a mostly White mob at the Capitol. Meet Eugene Goodman.

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It was a video clip that captured not only the terror of the day, but the values at stake: a lone Black police officer in the marble halls of the U.S. Capitol building, facing down a mob of mostly White rioters who had stormed in bearing Confederate flags, weapons and vows to reclaim a lost election.

The footage captured by HuffPost political reporter Igor Bobic has gone viral in the past week, spurring people across the world to hail the officer as a hero. The U.S. Capitol Police have not publicly identified him, but three of his friends told The Washington Post that the officer is Eugene Goodman of Maryland, confirming what journalists at CNN and elsewhere have reported.

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers said they would introduce a bill to award Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest awards a civilian can receive in the United States. Continue reading.

New York City ends contracts with Trump, the latest business partner to abandon him in wake of Capitol attack

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New York City is terminating its contracts with President Trump’s company to run a carousel, two ice rinks and a golf course in city parks, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Wednesday — calling it a response to Trump’s encouragement of a mob that ransacked the U.S. Capitol.

“The President incited a rebellion against the United States government that killed five people and threatened to derail the constitutional transfer of power,” de Blasio said in a written statement. “The City of New York will not be associated with those unforgivable acts in any shape, way or form.”

That decision — which will cut off the Trump Organization from businesses that bring in $17 million per year in revenue — makes New York the latest business partner to cut ties with Trump’s company. Continue reading.

Here are the House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump

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Ten GOP House members joined Democrats in voting to impeach President Trump on Wednesday for inciting a riot at the Capitol last week. 

It marks the first time in the country’s history that a president has been impeached twice in one term.

It’s also the most bipartisan impeachment vote in the nation’s history. Continue reading.

McConnell won’t reconvene Senate early for impeachment trial

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Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell will not consent to reconvening the Senate on Friday under emergency authorities, delaying the start of President Trump’s likely impeachment trial until Jan. 19 at the earliest, McConnell’s team confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: If the House votes to impeach Trump for incitement of the Capitol riot on Wednesday, as is expected, the trial will likely not take place until after President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.

Driving the news: McConnell’s team informed Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s office on Wednesday that McConnell would not consent to reconvening the Senate immediately under the 2004 emergency authorities. Continue reading.

Rep. Phillips: Why I Voted to Impeach Donald Trump

Neighbors,

Yesterday, the House voted to impeach Donald Trump.

This was an absolutely necessary action, and I’ll tell you why: There is no unity or healing without accountability. 

Far too many of my GOP colleagues are spending more time decrying this impeachment vote than they are condemning insurrectionists and seditionists. They are putting political theater ahead of protecting our democracy. And they are utterly failing to demand that President Trump dissuade those planning violence in his honor and his name. 

Continue reading “Rep. Phillips: Why I Voted to Impeach Donald Trump”