Jan. 6 Select Committee Probing Right-Wing Groups

 

The presence of far right street thug groups like the "Proud" Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other militia-style seditionists at the January 6 Capitol insurrection has been known from the start, but the House Select Committee investigating that day and the events leading up to it are ready to make a strong case of a criminal conspiracy on their part.  From The Guardian's reporting:

"The panel’s working theory – which has not been previously reported though the justice department has indicted some militia group leaders – crystallized this week after obtaining evidence of the coordination in testimony and non-public video, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Counsel on the select committee’s 'gold team' examining Donald Trump, the 'red team' examining January 6 rally organizers, and the 'purple team' examining the militia groups, are now expected to use the findings to inform the direction for the remainder of the investigation, the sources said.

The panel has amassed deep evidence about the connections between the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys in recent weeks after it obtained hours of non-public footage of the leaders of the militia groups in Washington ahead of the Capitol attack, the sources said.  

And the select committee has also now heard testimony from award-winning documentary film-maker Nick Quested on Wednesday about contacts between the militia group leaders, far-right political operatives and the Save America rally organizers, the sources said.

The information, which could play a large role in establishing for the select committee whether Trump oversaw a criminal conspiracy as part of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, is being viewed internally as a significant breakthrough, the sources added."  (our emphasis)

Note the inclusion of the "Save America rally organizers" and "far-right political operatives," which are the conspirators closest to the Malignant Loser (e.g., Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Rudy Giuliani, etc.) who were plotting on January 6 in Washington's Willard Hotel, likely with the Malignant Loser on burner phones.  There's the sense that the House Committee's work is nearing a critical point, connecting the dots in a way that will withstand scrutiny and tie up the Malignant Loser, his most faithful enablers, and his Stormtrumpers with a criminal conspiracy bow.

 

Court: Trump "Corruptly Attempted To Obstruct" Congress On Jan. 6

 

Trumpist coup planner and delusional Constitutional law crank John Eastman tried to keep his e-mails related to the events before and during the January 6 Capitol insurrection from the House Committee investigating it. U.S. District Court Judge David Carter disagreed, and this morning ruled that Eastman's 101 sensitive e-mails had to be turned over to the Committee, writing in his decision that:

“Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021."  (our emphasis)

Carter also called Eastman's and Trump's efforts related to the January 6 events "a coup in search of a legal theory."

As the Committee's work proceeds, the clear evidence of a conspiracy to obstruct the Congress and to defraud the U.S. government becomes stronger, more extensive and closer to the Malignant Loser.

BONUS:  The Court's ruling should also expose the direct involvement of Eastman friend, the smarmy seditionist Texas  Sen. "Cancun Ted" Cruz, in the coup plotting.

Coup Cowboy Faces Charges In Federal Court

Coup cowboy and founder of the right-wing group "Cowboys for Trump" Couy Griffin was in Washington, DC, today for a District Court appearance to answer charges for his participation in the January 6 Capitol insurrection. Griffin is also a county commissioner for Otero County, New Mexico. He drove into the nation's capital in a pickup truck towing a horse carrier, and graciously declined to ride his horse to the District Court building in downtown Washington so as not to create a "spectacle." 

Unfortunately for the violent MAGA moron, his activities on January 6 were dutifully recorded by his friend Matthew Struck, a videographer, who has given the prosecution all they need for a conviction:

"In a video taken in a parking lot outside the Capitol on 5 January, Mr. Griffin said he came to Washington for 'possibly the most historic day for our country in my lifetime' and trusted that Vice President Mike Pence would 'do the right thing.' [ed.: he did]

After attending President Donald Trump's 'Stop the Steal' rally on 6 January, Mr. Griffin and Mr. Struck walked over barriers and up a staircase to enter a stage that was under construction on the Capitol's Lower West Terrace for Biden’s inauguration, according to prosecutors. [snip]

After climbing over a stone wall and entering a restricted area outside the Capitol, Mr Griffin said, 'This is our house … we should all be armed,' according to prosecutors. He called it “a great day for America” and added, “The people are showing that they have had enough,” prosecutors said.  (our emphasis)

To add to Griffin's woes, his erstwhile buddy Struck is cooperating with the prosecution and will testify against Griffin in exchange for immunity. D'oh! To which we say, "yee haw and throw him in the hoosegow!"

(photo: Trump cultist Griffin on January 6. All hat and no cattle.)

 

Giuliani In Talks With Jan. 6 Committee

 

The Malignant Loser's close ally and consigliere, unhinged Big Lie promoter Rudy "Toot Toot" Giuliani is reportedly in discussions with the House Committee investigation the seditionist Trumpist insurrection on January 6, 2021. Giuliani has received a subpoena to testify, but may be allowed to provide a sworn deposition instead. From a NY Times report:

"One person familiar with the matter said that Mr. Giuliani was still negotiating over whether to give investigators an informal interview or a formal deposition, and that he had not yet determined how much information he might seek to shield from the committee by invoking executive privilege or attorney-client privilege with Mr. Trump.

A committee aide said that the panel would not comment on negotiations with its witnesses. But the aide said that the committee had allowed Mr. Giuliani, who was scheduled to appear for a deposition before the panel last Tuesday, to reschedule it at 'his request.' The aide said the committee was pressing Mr. Giuliani to 'cooperate fully.'”

Our guess would be that Giuliani's playing rope-a-dope with the Committee, appearing to cooperate and then invoking attorney-client privilege when the time comes to testify. Despite being stiffed by the stingy Malignant Loser for his fees, Giuliani is one of the most loyal Trump stooges and likely maintains close contact with him. If hell freezes over and Giuliani cooperates fully with the investigation, it would shed a significant amount of light on Trump's efforts after the election to overturn the results:

"Among those efforts was a scheme to disrupt the normal workings of the Electoral College by persuading lawmakers in contested swing states to draw up alternate slates of electors showing Mr. Trump was victorious in states that were actually won by Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Mr. Giuliani was also instrumental in vetting a plan to use the Department of Homeland Security to seize voting machines in order to examine the data housed inside them for supposed evidence of fraud. At Mr. Trump’s direction, Mr. Giuliani asked a top homeland security official if the department could legally take control of the machines — a notion that the official shot down. Mr. Giuliani later opposed an even more explosive proposal to have the military seize the machines."  (our emphasis)

His own personal legal exposure likely involves both the defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems,his actions in seven states to interfere in the electoral vote count by advancing fraudulent slates of electors, and asking a Michigan official to give voting machines to the Trump campaign. His "trial by combat" urging to the January 6 insurrectionists might also come into play if the Justice Department stiffens its resolve to go after everyone involved in the Capitol riot. 

We'll see if the hair dye-leaking Borat film star is ready to turn "state's witness," or whether he remains true to form and to his cult leader. 

 

QOTD -- "Legitimate Political Discourse"

 

"WHEREAS, Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger are participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse, and they are both utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes... " -- Part of the censure resolution passed by the Malignant Loser's cultists at the Republican National Committtee yesterday (our emphasis).

In a craven act of damage control after a firestorm of criticism, RNC Chairweasel Ronna "Mustn't Say Romney" McDaniel tried to add language at the end of the highlighted phrase above (our emphasis):

In a statement Friday afternoon, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel sought to clarify the resolution’s language, saying it was meant to refer to “ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol."

Regardless of her sniveling, insincere backpedaling, this is just a sample of what the seditious cultists at the RNC consider "legitimate political discourse":

Good to have that clarified for future reference and action.

BONUS:   A good summation --

The Republican National Committee is fully embracing the Trumpian retconning of Jan. 6th as a peaceful protest and, in the process, has gone all-in on the insurrection itself.

(Photos: top, Stephanie Keith/Reuters; bottom, Julio Cortez/AP)

Republicans In Disarray -- The MAGA Purge

The loons are on the march:

The defiant far-right acolytes of former president Donald Trump in the House Republican caucus have embarked on a targeted campaign ahead of the midterm elections to expand their ranks — and extend their power — on Capitol Hill.

The effort, backed by Trump and guided by House members such as Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), is part of a broader push by followers of the “Make America Great Again” movement to purge the GOP of those not deemed loyal to the former president and his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged in favor of Joe Biden.

Former Army Green Beret Joe Kent is running for a U.S. House seat in Washington state held by another Republican, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who voted to impeach Trump over his role in the events of Jan. 6 at the Capitol.

Kent said he has little interest in fighting with Democrats if he makes it to Congress. Instead, he wants to force Republicans into tough votes, starting with articles of impeachment against President Biden and a full congressional inquiry into the 2020 presidential election, which he says was stolen from Trump.

“A lot of it will be shaming Republicans,” Kent said. “I need to be going after the people in the Republican Party who want to go back to go-along-to-get-along. It’s put up or shut up.”

The effort is to create Congressional "MAGA strongholds" by ousting any Republican insufficiently obeisant to the cult leader, the Malignant Loser.  The purity of the coup caucus is paramount to the long- term goals of these Big Lie crackpots:  to reinstall the leader of their movement, the Malignant Loser, to power and turn the tables on Democrats.  

This particular loon, Kent, it's noted, was a former Green Beret, whose training apparently didn't include basic lessons in civics and the Constitution.  In fact, the MAGA purgers seem to be from central fascist casting -- former military and jocks, and quite white, of course -- so not only are they loons, but they're good lookin' loons!

The emerging candidates — some former collegiate athletes and military veterans, telegenic and mostly White male millennials — have benefited from publicity from [seditionist Steve] Bannon and the fundraising prowess and endorsements of the alliance of Republican House members who have cast themselves in Trump’s image, including Greene, Cawthorn, Matt Gaetz (Fla.) and Lauren Boebert (Colo.).

As Kent puts it, they'll be a pain in the ass for other Republicans before they turn their guns (literally?) on Democrats:

“I think for the first two years our job is to be the resistance. We’re going to be fighting the Republican Party a lot,” he said. “I think for your average Republican voter, what comes out of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s mouth is what they want to hear. That’s what Trump did; he brought the average American into the room.”

The bathroom?  The massage room?  The mud room? 

The entire article is worth the read to get the sense of the radicalism of this crop of potential candidates.

It should go without saying that there's no more important mission in our country right now that to defeat these un- American, anti- democracy fascists at every opportunity.  If Republican in- fighting helps achieve that, we're all for it.  But we also have to be on our game, be proactive and work like hell.

Why Would They Be So Worried?

You may have noticed in recent weeks a rising chorus among certain seditionist Republicans seeking to enable and threaten violence, human detritus like Reps. Matt Gaetz, Madison Cawthorn, Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks, Marjorie Taylor Greene and others who will be investigated for their roles in the January 6 insurrection. Capturing phone and social media messages is essential to determining what exactly their actions before and on January 6 can tell us about the level of treason they committed..  No wonder spineless shitweasel Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Sedition-CA) is issuing threats in a desperate attempt to keep the conspiracy hidden:

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) issued a warning to telecom and tech companies on Tuesday, saying Republicans would “not forget” if they turn over phone records to lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

McCarthy made the comments a day after a House select committee, led by Democrats, requested that 35 phone and social media companies preserve the records of an unknown group of people related to the deadly insurrection, as well as those involved in the “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House that precipitated the mob attack.

People with nothing to hide don't try to threaten and obstruct, and what McCarthy is attempting to brazenly do could very well be an obstruction of justice.  Well, that would certainly be in character, especially for this rotted- out Trump protector and enabler.

A spokesperson for the select committee had this response:

“The Select Committee is investigating the violent attack on the Capitol and attempt to overturn the results of last year’s election.  We’ve asked companies not to destroy records that may help answer questions for the American people. The committee’s efforts won’t be deterred by those who want to whitewash or cover up the events of January 6th, or obstruct our investigation.”

Expect the threats and strong-arm tactics to continue as the committee digs deeper into the actions of the seditionists who nearly put an end to American democracy (and are still at work to do so).

(Photo: from McCarthy's Twitter profile)

January 6 Committee Wants Telecom Records

 

In a move that's certain to eventually reveal more of the maneuverings and the conspiracy behind the January 6 seditionist Trumpist insurrection at the Capitol, the House committee investigating the event is reportedly about to formally ask several telecommunications companies to preserve the phone records of several Trumpist Members of Congress and of the former guy and his corrupt family. CNN is reporting:

"The records request is the first step in the committee's investigatory process and could signal the direction they plan to go when they call witnesses.

It is unclear what means the committee will use to compel the telecommunications companies to cooperate with their request. The committee does have subpoena power, but requesting the information -- especially from members of Congress -- could lead to a lengthy legal battle.

The committee decided against making public the names of the lawmakers whose records they are targeting, three sources told CNN. But multiple sources familiar with the committee's work have confirmed for CNN at least part of list including many of the members of Congress included in the request. [snip]

The list is said to be evolving and could be added to as the investigation steps up. As of now it includes Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Paul Gosar also of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Jody Hice of Georgia and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania."

The reported list contains some of the very worst, most dangerous seditionists in Congress. Notably missing is pathological liar and perpetual hack Rep. Kevin "Qevin" McCarthy (Sedition-CA) who reportedly told his Dear Leader to call off the attack on the Capitol while it was in progress. January 6 committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) has indicated that the telecom records of dozens of individuals involved in the so-called "Stop The Steal" rally and its planning will be pursued (e.g., Roger Stone, Proud Boy and Oath Keeper leaders, etc.).

Several days ago, the January 6 committee asked eight Federal agencies for any records pertaining to the attack, requesting "communications within and among the White House and Executive Branch agencies during the leadup to January 6th and on that day,” including the Pentagon and FBI.

 

Monday Reading

 

As always, please go to the links for the full articles/ op eds.

We shared a tweet by Will Bunch yesterday that linked to his article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "President Biden’s ‘mistake’ at U.S. southern border isn’t what clueless pundits, GOP think it is." Here's an excerpt in case you didn't have a chance to read the article:

The border situation is neither the first crisis facing the new administration nor close to the biggest — not with a pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans and the related economic crisis leaving 10 million out of work — but it is the nation’s most visible problem that can be so easily demagogued by Republicans looking to score cheap political points against a popular president, or get lapped up by Beltway journalists eager to go back to the brunch of lazy punditry. Indeed, the Sunday morning talk shows — ABC even flew its panelists to an outdoor location at the border — seemed to openly salivate at a return to the days of swinging at Democrats with a club furnished by the RNC.

With America’s former demagogue-in-chief retired to a golf pasture and banned from Twitter, House GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has gamely stepped up to the plate — claiming that “this crisis is created by the presidential policies of this new administration” and tweeting nonsensically about “open borders” when the reality is instead that thousands are detained. But attacks like McCarthy’s are now driving off-kilter coverage like Sunday’s breathless, four-byline lead story in the Washington Post that centers the notion that Biden’s policies are to blame — with amnesia about the Post’s own reporting last fall while Trump was president that awful conditions in Central America were already driving an uptick in refugees, let alone the role that the inhumane policies of POTUS 45 have played in making things worse. What’s more, overall border crossings right now are similar to 2019 — when Trump was in the White House.

Critics of the Washington Post article like the attorney Luppe B. Luppen (@nycsouthpaw) noted that part of the “blame” for the crisis attributed to Biden is ending the Trump administration’s program called “Remain in Mexico” which, in blocking asylum seekers, created — and this is how the Post described it in its own article — “families crowded into squalid camps” on this other side of the border. Let that sink in: The Post article amplifies the idea that a policy that created a human rights nightmare of unsanitary refugee camps was a policy success that a Democratic president foolishly overturned.

And never mind that a federal judge ruled in November, or two months before Biden took office, that America had to stop Trump’s policy of turning away unaccompanied minors — one of the many nuances lost in our newest pseudo-debate.

They never learn, they never change.  Less than 3 months after the Republican Party and its militia wing attempted a coup to cancel the results of the election, the media is in its default business- as- usual, he said/she said mode -- ahistorical and, yes, amoral.

Of course the insurrection at the Capitol was sedition, and let the charges reflect that:

Michael Sherwin, the federal prosecutor who had led the criminal investigation into the Capitol riot, said that evidence in the probe is “trending” toward sedition charges. 

The former acting U.S. attorney in Washington told CBS News’s “60 Minutes” that thus far, none of the more than 400 defendants have been charged with sedition, which is conspiracy to overthrow the government.

During the interview that aired Wednesday, “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley questioned Sherwin about the sedition statute saying it “seems like a very low bar.”

“I don't think it's a low bar, Scott, but I will tell you this: I personally believe the evidence is trending towards that, and probably meets those elements,” Sherwin said.

In the same interview, Sherwin also said he thought Donald "Mango Mussolini" Trump could be criminally culpable for the insurrection and that prosecutors are exploring "everything."

Soon to join his glorious pantheon of failed Trump- brands, Trump's hawt new Twitter- like social media vehicle ("Shitter"? "Bitter"?):

Former President Donald Trump is coming back to social media -- but this time with his own network, a Trump spokesperson told Fox News on Sunday.

Jason Miller, a long-time adviser and spokesperson for Trump's 2020 campaign told Howard Kurtz on Fox's "MediaBuzz" that Trump will be "returning to social media in probably about two or three months." He added Trump's return will be with "his own platform" that will attract "tens of millions" of new users and "completely redefine the game." 

 

"This is something that I think will be the hottest ticket in social media," Miller told Kurtz. "It's going to completely redefine the game, and everybody is going to be waiting and watching to see what President Trump does, but it will be his own platform."

... Maybe "Slammer," for where he'll hopefully be in the future?

The days of an American President kissing Putin's ass are over:

The Biden administration is preparing a series of aggressive cyber attacks on Russia in a major shift in tactics designed as a warning shot to rival powers.

The attack, which is expected in the next fortnight, is in retaliation for the SolarWinds hack, the large-scale infiltration of American government agencies and corporations discovered late last year that was traced back to the Kremlin. [snip]

The US will not target civilian structures or networks, but the hack is instead designed as a direct challenge to Mr Putin, Russia’s President, and his cyber army, The Telegraph understands.

The White House confirmed it will take “a mix of actions” - both “seen and unseen” - although it did not provide specifics on when and how it would do so.

At long last, make that thug pay for his attacks on our country.

Infidel 753's link round-up to posts from around the Internet is awaiting you.  If you haven't already visited it by the time you finish reading this sentence, no soup for you!

Tracking Down The Insurrectionists: More "Proud Boys" Cuffed

 

Two more Proud Boys incel man- babies are under arrest:

F.B.I. agents have arrested two organizers for the Proud Boys in Philadelphia and North Carolina, and prosecutors filed new charges against two other prominent members of the far-right group in Florida and Washington State as federal authorities continued their crackdown on its leadership ranks, three law enforcement officials said on Wednesday.

With the new conspiracy indictment, prosecutors have now brought charges against a total of 13 people identified in court papers as members of the Proud Boys. Federal investigators have described the group, which appeared in force in Washington on Jan. 6, as one of the chief instigators of the riot at the Capitol that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

In the indictment, prosecutors accused Charles Donohoe, a Proud Boys leader from North Carolina, and Zach Rehl, the president of the group’s chapter in Philadelphia, of conspiring to interfere with law enforcement officers at the Capitol and obstruct the certification of President Biden’s electoral victory. Two other high-ranking Proud Boys who were already facing similar charges — Ethan Nordean of Auburn, Wash., and Joseph Biggs of Ormond Beach, Fla. — were also implicated as part of the conspiracy.

The wheels of justice...

(Photo:  Missing links Biggs and Nordean slouching toward the Capitol, January 6/ Carolyn Kaster, AP)

Tracking Down The Insurrectionists: Sicknick Assaulters Arrested

Once the autopsy for Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick is finished, these violent fucksticks may face more charges:

Federal authorities have arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot but have not determined whether the exposure caused his death.

Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios, 39 of Morgantown, W.Va., were arrested Sunday and are expected to appear in federal court Monday.

“Give me that bear s---,” Khater allegedly said to Tanios on video recorded at the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol at 2:14 p.m., where Sicknick and other officers were standing guard behind metal bicycle racks, arrest papers say.

About nine minutes later, after Khater said he had been hit with bear spray, Khater is seen on video discharging a canister into the face of Sicknick and two other officers, arrest papers allege.

Khater and Tanios are charged with nine counts including assaulting three officers with a deadly weapon — Sicknick, another U.S. Capitol Police officer identified as C. Edwards, and a D.C. police officer identified as B. Chapman. They are also charged with civil disorder and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors filed charges after tipsters contacted the FBI allegedly identifying Khater and Tanios from wanted images released by the bureau from surveillance video and officer-worn body camera footage, the complaint said. It said the men grew up together in New Jersey, and that Khater had worked in State College, Pa., and Tanios owns a business in Morgantown.

Tanios identifies himself on Instagram as "thesandwichnazi," by the way.

Keep identifying them, keep rounding them up, keep locking them up.

(Photo: Insurrectionist/ missing link George Tanios)

Tracking Down The Insurrectionists: Unhappy Camper

StormTrumper insurrectionist Boyd Camper was in U.S. District Court in Missoula, MT, last Friday for his participation in the January 6 assault on the Capitol. Charges include parading, demonstrating or picketing in Capitol buildings; engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct at the Capitol; knowingly engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in restricted areas; and knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted space without authority. Let's hope they charge him with sedition or insurrection while they're at it.

What gave us a laugh about this case -- one of hundreds that the FBI is pursuing -- is Camper's self-owning rationale for engaging in insurrection against the Government, expressed in an interview with a reporter:

"When a reporter asks Camper, 'you were inside the Capitol?' Camper responds, 'I was on the front line.' Camper then went on to say, 'We’re going to take this damn place. If you haven’t heard it’s called the insurrection act and we the people are ready.'"

This sad, clueless cultist thought the "insurrection act" allowed him to engage in insurrection (but only for white people!). It figures that he's one of the 74 million mouth breathers, greed heads and amoral wankers that cast ballots for their corrupt and cynical Dear Leader, who sent them to the Capitol, watched from the White House, and has yet to face any consequences.

(photo: The FBI thanks you for your video confession, shitheel. CBS screenshot)

Tracking Down The Insurrectionists: Proud Boy Busted

The residents of Stanhope Circle in Collier County, Florida, were awakened in the early morning yesterday by armored vehicles carrying FBI and SWAT team members in military gear who broke down the door of domestic terrorist "Proud Boy" Christopher J. Worrell.  Worrell, who participated in the January 6 seditionist coup at the Capitol, was arrested on various charges related to the riot.

As with many of the loyal StormTrumpers that day, Worrell has had run-ins with law enforcement. In June 2009, Worrell was arrested on felony charges of impersonating a police officer:

"Collier sheriff's deputies arrested a 37-year-old man for impersonating a police officer after he harassed a 23-year-old driver by following her, flashing a badge and yelling at her on Monday night.

Christopher J. Worrell had a loaded handgun, handcuffs, knives, boxes of ammunition, and a fake badge in his possession when deputies arrested him, according to Collier County sheriff's reports."  (our emphasis)

As a Proud Boy, it's possible that Worrell will face conspiracy charges in the January insurrection. FBI agents removed duffel bags of evidence (and probably weapons) from his home yesterday during the raid. He needs to be behind bars for a very long time.

(photo: From Twitter, Worrell on January 6 holding a two-way radio / walkie talkie)

Tweets Of The Day -- Capitol Seditionists Got Pandemic Relief Funds Last Year

 

We're devoting today's longer- than- usual thread to the topic of "far- right seditionists and grifters who took Pandemic Protection funds and then stormed the Capitol on January 6", because they deserve some notoriety and, in some cases, jail time:

 

Right-wing extremists, including many who stormed the Capitol, used millions of dollars of Pandemic Protection loans to fund extremist activities.

1. James Patrick Riley: $317,300.00
Riley attended the Capitol insurrection on Jan 6th and holds right-wing events at Rileys Farm. pic.twitter.com/ADgLvp493L

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

9. Update from @bobbyduncannot:
James Riley, the right-wing extremist, Capitol insurrectionist, and owner of Rileys Farms, actually received over $830,000.00 in pandemic relief. https://t.co/5h3h7Dqr3T pic.twitter.com/YBJZFyLEZf

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

2. The Ly family, owners of Tank Noodle restaurant in uptown Chicago, came under fire after images of them surfaced attending Trump’s January 6th rally in DC.

They not only defrauded their employees out of $700,000 in wages, they also received a PPP loan of $163,557.00. https://t.co/yJtrKSoGsk pic.twitter.com/uR1wizwE0m

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

3. Cordie Williams of Carlsbad, CA, aka “The Megaphone Marine”, attended the Capitol insurrection on January 6th.

Williams, who founded an org called 1776 Forever Free, frequently travels to right-wing events. His chiropractic business has received $167,775.00 in pandemic loans. pic.twitter.com/HwZPKw6wa6

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

4. Gina Bisgnano, the Beverly Hills salon owner who was arrested by the FBI for rioting in the US Capitol, received pandemic relief loans totaling $15,600.00. pic.twitter.com/Cv7uTp7h16

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

5. Simone Gold, the Los Angeles-based M.D. and pusher of unproven COVID remedies, was arrested by the FBI for breaching the Capitol on January 6th.

Dr. Simone Gold received $21,833.00 in pandemic relief loans. pic.twitter.com/YGpDR7tLpG

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

6. Kristopher Dreww, a far-right extremist based in Huntington Beach, CA who goes by “The Adorable Deplorable”, had his home raided by the FBI after admitting he stormed the Capitol.

Dreww received $1,000.00 in pandemic relief loans. pic.twitter.com/dlPHGLUdRn

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

7. Tom Ramsey, a homebuilder from Louisville, CO, was exposed by @FrontRangeAFA after he was filmed rioting at the Capitol on Jan 6th.

Ramsey received pandemic relief loans of $23,770.00. https://t.co/oTF0foMpR0 pic.twitter.com/HtpQwU1seX

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

8. Nick Yaya is a Los Angeles-based QAnon extremist and anti-vaxxer who staged a shutdown of the nation’s largest vaccine site on January 30th at Dodger Stadium.

Yaya wears a white lab coat at anti-vax protests to pretend he’s a doctor. He received $1,000.00 in pandemic relief. pic.twitter.com/KUptN7oJeg

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

10. Jim Worthington, Trump donor, founder of "People 4 Trump" PAC, and owner of the Newtown & Horsham Athletic Clubs, chartered several busses bringing dozens of Trump supporters from Bucks County, PA to the Jan 6th DC protest.

Worthington received $182,600.00 in pandemic relief pic.twitter.com/F5BYU5qblF

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) March 13, 2021

 

There are more in the thread.

 

Tracking Down The Seditionists: Catching A Sturgeon

The F.B.I. keeps getting their fish man seditionist:

Another Montanan faces federal charges related to U.S. Capitol siege Jan. 6.

New court documents say D.C. Metropolitan Police Department body cameras captured Isaac Steve Sturgeon, 32, of Dillon, on Jan. 6, wearing a green jacket, green scarf, grey knit hat and dark backpack.

The charging documents say Sturgeon and a group of others “picked up a metal police barricade and shoved the barricade into MPD officers.” The documents say the FBI posted a photo of Sturgeon on its website, looking to identify him.

Prosecutors say law enforcement identified Sturgeon, a landscaper, through several of his social media accounts, including posts on Instagram with photos and descriptions of the events on Jan. 6.

Charging documents say two others provided Sturgeon’s contact information to the FBI, saying he “traveled frequently and had access to numerous weapons.”

Court filings say Sturgeon traveled to Kenya, Africa, Jan. 24 with a return ticket scheduled for April 5, 2021, but Kenyan authorities ordered him to be deported March 5. Authorities arrested him when he arrived and John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 6.  [snip]

Charging documents said exactly one week after the FBI posted his photo in a wanted bulletin, he bought his plane ticket to Kenya with cash, leaving the next day, on Jan. 24. Prosecutors said he was texting with friends in the weeks after the insurrection asking if he was wanted and initially went to Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands before Kenya.

McGrath said Sturgeon did not initially have a return ticket and purchased that while in Kenya. [snip]

Sturgeon faces eight counts, including assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, with up to 20 years in prison if he’s convicted.

A U.S. Magistrate ordered Sturgeon to be released on $250,000 bond, secured with a Montana property he owns worth $90,000, with location monitoring. He won’t be able to leave Montana unless it’s to go to D.C. for court, and he has to turn over his weapons to law enforcement. The judge ordered he can’t have any contact with co-conspirators.

Another nugget:  Republican seditionist enabler Sen. Steve Daines (Sedition- MT) had previously helped Sturgeon with a travel and passport problem in 2020 since he's friends with his parents.  So, paling around with terrorists?

Please take time to review the many seditionist insurrectionists that tried to take down our democracy at fbi.gov, and if you see someone familiar, report them.

(Image:  Seditionist Sturgeon with penis compensators/ screenshot via FBI Facebook)

Tracking Down The Seditionists: "Mama Tried" Edition

The round up of Trump's violent white supremacist insurrectionists from January 6 continues with the arrest of Tex-ass resident and habitual criminal Shane Jenkins. He's a doozy, too, emblematic of the criminal, nihilistic followers of neo-fascist demagogue and seditionist Donald "Mango Mussolini" Trump. Here's some reporting on the goon:

"Shane Jenkins, of Northwest Houston, was picked up at his home Friday morning after a tip led the FBI to several publicly available videos appearing to show the man smashing a U.S. Capitol window with the metal survival hatchet and throwing a flagpole and a metal pipe at federal officers, according to court documents.

Investigators say they also found social media accounts linked to Jenkins, where a video was uploaded by Jenkins himself at the riot. Someone in a red Nautica hat with tattoos allegedly matching Jenkins’, including the words “MAMA TRIED” across his neck, can also be seen in video footage captured by security cameras and body cams worn by Capitol police, according to court documents.

A parole officer, who had been assigned to Jenkins for several years, reportedly identified Jenkins for authorities using publicly posted photographs.

Jenkins is now facing federal charges, including assault on a federal officer, destruction of federal property, civil disorder, knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and knowingly engaging in violence in any restricted building or grounds."

Nothing like filming your crime, dumbass. And as far as "mama tried," leave Merle Haggard out of this. You did this on your own, loser, with a big assist from your cowardly Dear Leader. Refusing to take responsibility is a Trump value.

Please take time to review the many seditionist insurrectionists that tried to take down our democracy at fbi.gov, and if you see someone familiar, report them.

(photo: Police mugshot)

Tracking Down The Seditionists: Trump Appointee Arrested

Doesn't sound like Antifa to us:

On Thursday, the FBI arrested a political appointee of former president Donald Trump on charges that he stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, according to a criminal complaint, marking the first member of the administration arrested in connection with the insurrection.

Federal agents arrested Federico G. Klein, 42, a former State Department aide, on multiple felony charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to a criminal complaint published by the New York Times. (Politico first reported the arrest.) The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Friday.

Klein, who is also a former Trump campaign employee, did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Friday. It is unclear if he has hired a lawyer.

Klein was still employed at the State Department as a staff assistant on Jan. 6 when he joined a mob in a tunnel leading into the U.S. Capitol, the FBI said. Then he allegedly “physically and verbally engaged with the officers holding the line” at the building’s entrance, according to the complaint. After ignoring officers’ orders to move back, he assaulted officers with a riot shield that had been stolen from police, the complaint said, and then used the shield to wedge open a door into the Capitol.

At one point, Klein was caught on video shouting for more insurrectionists to come to the front lines, where officers were struggling to hold back the mob.

“We need fresh people, need fresh people,” he said, according to the complaint.  (our emphasis)

The first member of the Trump assministration to be arrested, but probably not the last.

Lock him up (and throw away the key!) !

(While you're here, take a look at the terrorists's photos at the FBI site, scroll down and see if there's anyone you might recognize. Then contact the FBI).

(Image:  Klein on the rampage / FBI)

Gerry Connolly Pins Gym Jordan

 

During yesterday's hearing on the problems with the United States Postal Service, wrestling pedophile protector and extreme Trump cultist Rep. "Gym" Jordan (Seditionist-OH) whined about Dem "partisanship" for criticizing the Trumpist Postmaster General, Virginia's stellar Rep. Gerry Connolly showed the he wouldn't stand for the deceitful gaslighting:

"[Connolly] accused Republican colleagues of 'gaslighting' after they said Democratic outrage at Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — and attempts to remove him — were politically motivated.

Connolly’s retort: 'I didn’t vote to overturn an election, and I will not be lectured by people who did, about partisanship!' [snip]

For part of Wednesday afternoon, and at least in the soundbite-hungry world of Twitter, his latest dressing-down stole the show. He later shared footage of his tirade in a tweet that was retweeted more than 16,000 times within several hours.

“Sorry,” Connolly wrote in the tweet. “You lose the right to complain about partisanship once you’ve fanned the flames of violent insurrection.”  (our emphasis)

Here's the now viral clip of Connolly's take down:

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) goes off on Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) during USPS oversight hearing:

“I didn’t vote to overturn an election. And I will not be lectured by people who did about partisanship.” pic.twitter.com/oDWv9sETxk

— The Recount (@therecount) February 24, 2021

Gym will soon have his Hollywood close up when George Clooney films a docuseries on the Ohio State sexual assault scandal, which Gym is alleged to have witnessed and covered up while working as an assistant wrestling coach. In the meantime, we hope Gerry Connolly and other Dems continue to slam Republicans who participated in the seditious insurrection and voted to void the 2020 election, who are now moaning about "partisanship." 

Many Republican Politicians At Capitol Insurrection

While much of the focus has been on the elected Federal seditionists connected with the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol on January 6 (like vile Sens. Ted Coup [Sedition-TX] and Josh "Haw Haw" Hawley [Sedition-MO]), many more State and local Republican officials actually participated in the coup attempt, at least 21 by HuffPo's count. Some were arrested quickly, like lunatic former West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans who resigned after his video of storming the Capitol was provided to the FBI. Then there's violent New Mexico county commissioner and "Cowboys 4 Trump" leader Couy Griffin, who was arrested on various charges in Washington, DC, on January 17 after promising to come back "armed" on January 20. 

It's beyond disturbing that dangerously violent seditionists like these, brainwashed by their cult leader, the QAnon cult, and far right-wing media, have been elected to positions in their communities and states. They're literally the tip of the iceberg of the unAmerican, Republican voters who put them there, and with whom there can be no reasonable dialogue without accountability and a reckoning.

Shocker: Bundy Brothers, Five Others Acquitted

Seditionists and sagebrush moochers Ammon and Ryan Bundy and their five co- defendant militia nuts were (shockingly) acquitted of multiple charges related to their armed take-over of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters earlier this year. The jury's verdict was announced yesterday in Federal court in Portland, Oregon.  The Bundys still face charges in Nevada along with their father Cliven "Hoof" Bundy over a standoff at the Bundy ranch in 2014 over unpaid grazing fees.

Karoli at Crooks & Liars tells us the acquittal might have been the result of prosecutorial overreach:

Apparently the reason for the acquittal relates to the structure of the charges. Instead of going for the straightforward charge of possessing firearms on federal property, prosecutors went for intent to commit a crime, and didn't prove it.

In any event, we share the sentiments of Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, on the impact of the verdicts:

"We are deeply disappointed in today's verdict, which puts our park rangers and scientists at further risk just for doing their jobs. The outcome of today's trial will undoubtedly embolden extremist groups,'' Rokala said. " It's imperative that local, state, and federal law enforcement ensure the safety of our land managers.''

The timing of this verdict is also dangerous to all of us.  It's not a stretch to say that future acts against the government by Bundy- style armed nitwits will be the direct outgrowth of this verdict.  With violent, eliminationist talk (see post below) already a fixture of the shampaign of neo- fascist loon Donald "Rump" Trump and his alt-right supporters, this will be interpreted as a green light to act out if and when Rump goes down the crapper on November 8.

Meanwhile, this sums up the message being sent, once again:

White privilege, 2016:

Heavily armed militants just acquitted in #oregonstandoff as unarmed #NoDAPL protestors are attacked by riot police. pic.twitter.com/ZdVyEgUXTq

— David Harris-Gershon (@David_EHG) October 28, 2016

Stay tuned for more reactions.

(Photo:  Such nice people;  such nice Constitutional experts; such nice mugshots)