The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

 

The good:

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) left no doubt that the House committee investigating the Jan. 6th insurrection will definitely consider issuing a subpoena to Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, if she refuses to testify.

During her appearance with host Jake Tapper, the conservative lawmaker was asked about Thomas’ attempts to subvert the 2020 presidential election results and whether the committee will press her to testify.

“She was writing to them about efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, not to mention her correspondence with Arizona lawmakers pushing fake electors. Is your committee planning on talking to her?” host Tapper asked.

“We are,” Cheney replied. “The committee is engaged with her counsel and hope she will agree to come in voluntarily. The committee is prepared to contemplate a subpoena if she does not.”

“I hope it doesn’t get to that and I hope she comes voluntarily,” she continued. “We’ve spoken with numbers of people who are similarly situated in terms of the discussions that she was having as you mentioned. It’s very important for us to speak with her and, as I said, I hope she’ll agree to do so voluntarily — I’m sure we’ll contemplate a subpoena if she won’t.”

The bad:

Days before Maryland’s July 19 primary, Michael Peroutka stood up at an Italian restaurant in Rockville and imagined how a foreign enemy might attack America.

“We would expect them to make our borders porous,” Peroutka told the crowd, which had come to hear the Republicans running for state attorney general. “We would expect them to make our cities unsafe places to live. We would expect them to try to ruin our economy.” The country was “at war,” he explained, “and the enemy has co-opted members and agencies and agents of our government.”

On Tuesday, Peroutka easily dispatched a more moderate Republican to win the nomination. State Del. Dan Cox, who won Donald Trump’s endorsement after supporting the former president’s effort to subvert the 2020 election, also dispatched a Republican endorsed by the state’s popular governor, Larry Hogan.

Both candidates described a country that was not merely in trouble, but being destroyed by leaders who despise most Americans — effectively part of a civil war. In both swing states and safe seats, many Republicans say that liberals hate them personally and may turn rioters or a police state on people who disobey them.

The ugly:

Jury selection is set for Monday in a trial that will determine for the first time how much Infowars host Alex Jones must pay Sandy Hook Elementary School parents for falsely telling his audience that the deadliest classroom shooting in U.S. history was a hoax.

The trial in Austin, Texas — where the conspiracy theorist lives and broadcasts his show — follows months of delays. Jones has racked up fines for ignoring court orders and he put Infowars into bankruptcy protection just before the trial was originally set to start in April.

At stake for Jones is another potentially major financial blow that could put his constellation of conspiracy peddling businesses into deeper jeopardy. He has already been banned from YouTube, Facebook and Spotify over violating hate-speech policies.

The trial involving the parents of two Sandy Hook families is only the start for Jones; damages have yet to be awarded in separate defamation cases for other families of the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.

The lawsuits do not ask jurors to award a specific dollar amount against Jones.

Courts in Texas and Connecticut have already found Jones liable for defamation for his portrayal of the Sandy Hook massacre as a hoax involving actors aimed at increasing gun control. In both states, judges have issued default judgements against Jones without trials because he failed to respond to court orders and turn over documents.

Another twisted MAGA submoron is about to get the bill for his vicious, crazed lies.  Make him pay.