If You Have 1,000 Extra Hours, TPM Is Publishing All Mark Meadows's Dirty Naughty Coup-Plotting Sexts
Look, more Republican congressmen calling for MARSHALL LAW!
While we wait for the report from the House Select Committee on January 6 and whatever criminal referrals come with it, Talking Points Memo has just gotten its hands on the full tranche of 2,319 text messages from former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the days and weeks surrounding the January 6 attack on the nation and the attempted coup to overturn the 2020 presidential election — to be specific, from election night to inauguration day. Meadows is, of course, one of several close Trump associates who might get criminally referred to the Justice Department.
Forthwith, Wonkette ranks all 2,319 texts from "hottest" to "nottest." Haha just kidding.
They're publishing them in installments, calling them "the definitive, real-time record of a plot to overturn an American election." TPM explains:
They show the senior-most official in the Trump White House communicating with members of Congress, state-level politicians, and far-right activists as they work feverishly to overturn Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. The Meadows texts illustrate in moment-to-moment detail an authoritarian effort to undermine the will of the people and upend the American democratic system as we know it.
The text messages, obtained from multiple sources, offer new insights into how the assault on the election was rooted in deranged internet paranoia and undemocratic ideology. They show Meadows and other high-level Trump allies reveling in wild conspiracy theories, violent rhetoric, and crackpot legal strategies for refusing to certify Joe Biden’s victory. They expose the previously unknown roles of some members of Congress, local politicians, activists and others in the plot to overturn the election. Now, for the first time, many of those figures will be named and their roles will be described — in their own words.
TPM notes that Meadows handed over these texts to the J6 committee during the five seconds when he was cooperating with the investigation. Reportedly the Justice Department also has all of this. TPM notes that they may not actually be all his texts from the time period, though, as there are indicators within that things are missing, and that other conversations are happening on encrypted apps.
Of course, we've already seen some of Meadows's treasure trove. Batshit brain-poisoned conspiracy theory texts from Clarence Thomas's wife Ginni Thomas, for instance. Scheming with Utah GOP Senator Mike Lee. Texts with GOP Rep. Andy Biggs about Biggs's very cool election-stealing ideas. All his texts with Sean Hannity and other Fox News-ers. Marge Taylor Greene calling for "Marshall law." Texts with so many people during the actual J6 attacks themselves. The MyPillow guy just absolutely wilding out on December 20 about God's plans for the election and THE REAL TRUTH.
You know, to name just a few.
Ginni Thomas Texts To Mark Meadows Indicate She Is Several Fries Short Of Happy Meal
Sen. Mike Lee Was Full Of Crap On January 6. And He's Full Of Crap Today.
Jan. 6 Committee Invites Sean Hannity In For Chat About His *Interesting* Texts
And now TPM is dumping all the rest.
In its first installment, 450+ texts with 34 Republican members of Congress. TPM says Meadows got "at least 364 messages from Republican members of Congress" about overturning the election, and sent 95.
Greene wasn't the only one screaming "MARSHALL LAW!" One from GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina on January 17 was a particularly unhinged example of that same genre:
Mark, in seeing what’s happening so quickly, and reading about the Dominion law suits attempting to stop any meaningful investigation we are at a point of � no return � in saving our Republic !! Our LAST HOPE is invoking Marshall Law!! PLEASE URGE TO PRESIDENT TO DO SO!!
Here's one from Texas Republican Rep. Mark Babin on November 6, which seems like kind of the opposite bookend, compared to the one from Norman right before the inauguration, just above:
Mark, When we lose Trump we lose our Republic. Fight like hell and find a way. We’re with you down here in Texas and refuse to live under a corrupt Marxist dictatorship. Liberty! Babin
Or maybe this is the opposite bookend, written by Norman himself on November 7, just after the election was called for Joe Biden:
Guys, if there was ever a time to stand with our leader who has strengthened our military, stood for life for the unborn, supported Israel, built the wall , appointed conservative judges ect. And we lay down and abandon him JUST BECAUSE THE BIASED MEDIA HAS CALL THE ELECTION?? Now is the time to fight and ADVOCATE for a recount in GA, AZ, Pennsylvania!! What our delegation is doing in SC is gathering on the statehouse steps on Tuesday to advocate for standing with our president and other arguments/options that are at our disposal. For anyone willing to discuss our game plan let me or anyone else know and let’s get on a conference call with concrete plans of action. I will go anywhere anytime to help our cause. Bottom line, it’s time we FIGHT FOR THE ONE PERSON WHO HAS CHANGED THIS COUNTRY!! WAY TOO SOON TO GIVE IN NOW!!
So that's very cool and very normal.
Does this tranche have Tennessee GOP Rep. Mark Green telling Meadows that he saw on Newsmax where state-level Republican legislators could just say Trump was the winner? Yep. What about North Carolina GOP Rep. Ted Budd — who next month will be the state's junior senator — babbling words about "Dominion" and "George Soros" in the same sentence? Yep.
Here's the installment with Andy Biggs and Mark Meadows fantasizing about ways to overturn Arizona.
Here's the installmentwith nutbag Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Scott Perry and his magical plans for a "cyber team" to seize all the voting machines and his obsession with the super bonkers "Italygate" conspiracy theory, which indeed led Meadows to demand the Justice Department investigate whether Italy had hacked our precious Dominion voting machines with space lasers, or something.
And of course Paul Gosar of Arizona was pretty sure Dominion and China were the ones in cahoots. Here is a word salad text from December 16:
When is the 45 days up? What date starts the clock ?? Nov 3rd? If it is, then that is December 18!!! China bought Dominion in October for $400 million. If that’s not interference, then should have a report with details and specifics that would validate that either way. And if they didn’t…… Call me I have some fireworks coming out of AZ early tomorrow. Call me anytime, I’m up.
U up, Mark? Paul Gosar is up, call him anytime! U up?
TPM attempts to explain WTF:
The claim made by Gosar reportedly originated with far right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ website, InfoWars. Gosar also included a link to an executive order signed by Trump in 2018 that called for the director of national intelligence to “conduct an assessment of any information indicating that a foreign government” attempted to interfere with the election within 45 days of ballots being cast. Gosar also sent Meadows a link to a fringe blog called “Some Bitch Told Me” and a since-deleted set of files that he said showed “Massive fraud coming out of AZ.” In total, the log shows Gosar sent Meadows 13 messages, nearly half of which came between Dec. 16-17, 2020. Based on the log, Meadows did not respond to any of them.
Ah yes, the congressman sending the chief of staff vital information from the Some Bitch Told Me blog.
Mark Meadows Tried To Get DOJ To LOCK ITALY UP For Election Fraud
What a comfort that these people have recently, barely, won control of the House of Representatives.
And there are still so many more to come.
We are just glad the Justice Department has had all this for months now. We are sure it's been very helpful.
[ Talking Points Memo / TPM / TPM ]
Follow Evan Hurst on Twitter right here!
And once that doesn't exist, I'm also giving things a go at the Mastodon (@evanhurst@newsie.social) and at Post!
Have you heard that Wonkette DOES NOT EXIST without your donations? Please hear it now, and if you have ever enjoyed a Wonkette article, throw us some bucks, or better yet, SUBSCRIBE!
Do your Amazon shopping through this link, because reasons .
"Marshall Law" - If you want a cash refund when you return an item, be sure you have the receipt.
Morgan Freeman.