January 6 Select Committee: THE FINAL CHAPTER

A live blog.

The House January 6 Select Committee is back today for what is quite likely its final hearing before Kevin McCarthy takes back the speaker's gavel and turns the House of Representatives into a Star Chamber fixated on Hunter Biden's laptop.

But before then we're going to get a summation of the committee's work over the past year and a half, with the focus on Donald J. Trump, the person whose quest to stay in power is at the center of this nightmare. CNN reports that the committee's focus today will be on warning Americans that the former president remains a “clear and present danger” to the Republic, even as he is very clearly gearing up for a third presidential campaign in 2024.

We won't be seeing any live witnesses today, but we will see new evidence and video testimony from former Cabinet officials who hadn't spoken to the committee before.

“We will be presenting a great deal of new documentary evidence tomorrow as well,” a select committee source told CNN. “And certainly among that evidence will include information from the hundreds of thousands of pages that the United States Secret Service has produced to the committee pursuant to the committee’s subpoena of July.”

So, let's do this, shall we?

WATCH LIVE | Jan. 6 committee holds public hearing    www.youtube.com   

1: 02Here we go. Chair Thompson and Vice Chair Cheney and the gang's all here. One of the last official acts for Reps. Cheney, Kinzinger, Murphy, and possibly others, too.

1: 05Chair Thompson gives an opening address describing Trump's "attack on our democracy," a "betrayal of his oath."

1: 07Thompson points out that it isn't Democrats accusing Trump of attempting to overthrow the government — although we're certainly doing that. Almost every witness against Trump has been a Republican. The facts are the facts, and they don't care about your feelings, partisan or otherwise.

1: 11Thompson says that this hearing will be different because it's not just a public hearing — it's a business meeting, in which the committee can vote. I think we call that FORESHADOWING.

And here's Liz Cheney to say that the committee may make referrals to the Department of Justice. But the main purpose is to propose laws.

1: 15Cheney says that Trump had a "premeditated plan" to declare victory on election night and stay in office no matter the actual vote tally. Trump was in a "unique position" to know that the election was not stolen. He had Justice Department investigators telling him there was no fraud; he had lost in every court; and his own campaign told him the fraud claims were bullshit. He knew.

And he summoned the mob anyway.

"None of this is normal, or acceptable, or lawful in our republic."

1: 18"Our institutions only hold when men and women of good faith make them hold, regardless of the political cost."

And if anyone knows the cost, it's Liz Cheney.

1: 20"Without accountability, it becomes normal, and it will recur."

Wow, that was one hell of a swan song. Will find a clip and drop in here.

“Cheney: "None of this is normal or acceptable or lawful in our republic."”

— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1665680136 

1: 22Rep. Zoe Lofgren is up to discuss the Red Mirage/Blue Wave, shows videos of Jared Kushner and Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien discussing the reality that Trump had discouraged mail-in voting, that they had conversations about it with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. They all knew well in advance that there was no possibility of calling the race on election night and that the tally would likely shift in Biden's favor.

1: 29Lofgren is showing a memo from Pence's team trying to keep him far away from Trump's ratfuckery.

And then a memo from Judicial Watch's Tom Fitton a month before election to call for the vote counting to stop on election day.

Brad Parscale confirmed that Trump planned to declare victory on election night no matter what. And now we're getting the video of Steve Bannon saying that Trump would use the levers of power to stay in office: "If Biden's winning, Trump is going to do some crazy shit."

1: 33Here's the footage of Roger Stone saying "fuck the voting, lets get to the violence" to the Danish filmmakers, interspersed with him pleading the Fifth under questioning by Liz Cheney. Lofgren says Stone talked to Trump in the lead up to the attack and had "extensive connections" to the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.

“Recently, the Select Committee obtained footage of Roger Stone before and after the election.”

— January 6th Committee (@January 6th Committee) 1665682589 

1: 40Adam Kinzinger is up, with his signature "cut the shit style" talks about the reality that Trump knew he'd lost. And one way we know he knew was that he did a whole bunch of crazy shit to prepare to leave office. Like pulling all our troops out of Afghanistan and Somalia and pardoning all his cronies.

1: 45Bill Stepien talks about how shitty it was for the "Truth Squad" to have to tell Trump that he'd lost when Rudy and the weirdos were having so much fun telling him lies. Poor, poor Billy!

1: 50Witnesses are describing Trump's temper tantrum when the Supreme Court rejected his preposterous election LOLsuit.

Liz Cheney asks Mike Pompeo if the election was a done deal when the electoral college met on December 14. Yes.

Patsy Baloney and Bill Barr and even Vanky testify that the electoral college vote put an end to the matter. Super brave to say that almost two years later. Slow clap!

1: 54Kinzinger finishes: "His intent was plain: Ignore the law, and stay in power."

That guy will land on his feet, he's a superstar.

Over to Rep. Elaine Luria.

1: 56Now for a sizzle reel of Trumpland lawyers telling the former president that the stuff he was saying about Dominion voting machines switching votes were total bullshit. Bill Barr says that "there was never an indication of interest in what the actual facts were."

2: 00Now for audio of Trump trying to extort Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have," even though the Justice Department had already told him there was no fraud in the state.

"That's a criminal offense, and you can't let that happen. ... That's a big risk," he said, attempting to Godfather his way into an electoral victory.

Cut to Cassidy Hutchinson testifying that Mark Meadows told her "he knows he lost, he knows it's over, but there are some good options, he's going to keep trying ..."

2: 05Ayyyy Jeff Clark! You drinking yet today? Might be time to start, since we're getting the instant replay on your plot to corruptly enlist the Justice Department in a coup plot .

2: 08Time for Rep. Stephanie Murphy to fuck it up ... or tell us about the fake electors scheme. Could be that one. Rumor is she's going to run against Florida Senator Rick Scott in 2024. Bring it, girl!

Ronna Romney McDaniel is testifying about Trump calling her to introduce her to John Eastman, who briefed her on getting the RNC in on the plot to round up fake electors and send fraudulent electoral slates to the National Archives. And with that done, it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to getting Pence to play ball.

2: 10Trump was mean to Mike Pence? The devil you say.

Okay, we know this pity party for that pansy is NOT FOR US. It's for the persuadable Republicans, the ones who are down with trickle down economics and mass incarceration of Black people, but not for the president calling his number two a "pussy."

We'll just swallow another antacid and move along.

2: 15Honestly, this hearing is the weakest one so far — more like a normal hearing, with legislators giving speeches. And now it's Rep. Adam Schiff's turn.

Schiff says that what they did get from the Secret Service, even after they deleted all their texts, showed that the Service and the White House knew beforehand that there was a risk of violence. He also mentions that a lot of members of the crowd on the Ellipse that day didn't want to go through the magnetometers for some reason .

2: 17Schiff is highlighting Secret Service memos from December showing that there was online chatter plotting violence, and that the Proud Boys planned to march in armed and overwhelm the Police.

And also, HEY-O!

“NEW + SCOOP w/ @alivitali The January 6th Committee plans to vote to subpoena former President Donald Trump during today’s hearing, sources familiar with the committee’s plans tell @NBCNews”

— Haley Talbot (@Haley Talbot) 1665683868 

2: 22Lots of Secret Service messages on the morning of the insurrection getting increasingly freaked out about tens of thousands of people who refused to go through the mag machines, some of whom were carrying guns, and many of whom were wearing tactical gear.

They told Mark Meadows who did ... fuck all.

2: 24Oh, interesting. Jason Miller forwarded a whole cache of gross messages from the (I think) Reddit to Mark Meadows. But Miller testified that he had NO IDEA there could be violence that day. Hmmmm.

2: 30And here's the open window where they could hear the crowd baying for blood. Kinda belies Trump's insistence that he had NO IDEA his supporters were being such silly rascals.

Time for a short recess. Don't forget to hydrate!

2: 48And we're back. Rep. Pete Aguilar is up to remind us that Trump and his minions planned for the crowd to march on the Capitol, even though there was no official plan or permit to leave the Ellipse.

The White House had ample warning of the potential for violence among his armed supporters, and they didn't call off the rally, much less the march which Trump was desperate to lead.

Roll the footage of Trump demanding that the Secret Service let his supporters into the rally without having to go through the metal detectors even though they were armed, since Trump knew they weren't going to shoot him .

2: 55A White House staffer with his voice obscured testifies that Trump's plan to lead the crowd in a march on the Capitol scared the shit out of his staff, because they all knew that there would be violence that day.

Aguilar says that the Secret Service scrambled to get Trump to back down on that day, which they didn't manage to do until almost 2PM, when the riot was well underway. Kayleigh McEnany confirms that the former president planned to go in "The Beast."

2: 57Rep. Jamie Raskin is up to introduce testimony establishing that Trump knew damn well that the attack was underway because he was gleefully watching it on TV in the Oval Office — despite his recent lies to Maggie Haberman about being in meetings and unaware for the hour.

Pat Cipollone testifies that the entire White House staff wanted Trump to call off the mob. But he didn't. FOR HOURS.

3: 00Raskin describes the rest of Trump's government stepping in to fill the "gigantic leadership void created by the president's chilling and studied passivity that day" at the top.

3: 04Now there's chilling footage of Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer getting on the phone and begging the Maryland and Virginia governors to call up their National Guards, and shouting at the Acting AG to get the FBI down there.

3: 08Good lord that day was terrifying.

3: 10Interesting! There's video of Pelosi talking to (I think!) Mike Pence, who assured her that law enforcement would clean up the literal shit off the floor of the House so they could return and certify they vote last night.

“This previously unseen footage shows Congressional leaders—both Republicans and Democrats—as they were taken to a secure location during the January riot. Everyone involved was actively working to address the violence. All of them did what President Trump refused to do.”

— January 6th Committee (@January 6th Committee) 1665688680 

Pelosi hoped that Republicans could be convinced to pull their shit together and restrain themselves to a pro forma objection to Arizona's electoral votes .... He could not.

Raskin plays a recording of Rep. Jaime Herrera Buetler describing Kevin McCarthy begging Trump to call off the mob, and getting blown off . And although McCarthy later denied it, Mick Mulvaney confirmed that McCarthy described the conversation with Trump in exactly the same way.

3: 15Rep. Raskin is reading Trump for filth over the tweet he sent that afternoon attacking Pence at the very moment Pence was in greatest physical danger from the mob.

3: 20Here's Trump's Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, AKA Mrs. Mitch McConnell saying she simply had to resign when faced with the violence they all knew was coming. 

Look at all these very good Republicans.

(This part isn't for us.)

3: 24Remember when Trump finally called off the mob at 6pm, after Ivanka threatened not to sit in his lap any more (okay, just guessing there), and Trump told the mob they were great patriots and should remember that wonderful day forever?

3: 25Chair Thompson is back to wrap it up, describing Trump's effort to "take away the voice of the American people and replace with the will of the voters with his will to remain in power." Thompson says they want to hear from Trump to be thorough.

"This is a question about accountability to the American people. He must be accountable."

"It is our obligation to seek Donald Trump's testimony."

I mean ... good luck. It took NYAG Tish James three years to get it, and she had the power of New York State courts behind her.

3: 30Vice Chair Cheney introduces a resolution to subpoena Trump and says that they have evidence for multiple criminal referrals to the DOJ

Roger Stone, Mike Flynn, John Eastman, Jeff Clark — THIS IS YOUR LIFE.

3: 34Liz Cheney kicks Mark Meadows in the dick, before returning to business.

"Our duty today is to our country, our children and out Constitution."

The committee votes unanimously in favor of the resolution to call Trump to testify. And we are adjourned.

3: 35Aaaand the Supreme Court declines Trump's invitation to intervene and force the Justice Department to hand over classified documents seized at Mar-a-Lago.

Womp womp.

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