6 Jan 2020 U.S. Events (Split from A Deeply Fractured US)

[brihard]

The legal action has started.

Trump sued by Democratic congressman over U.S. Capitol riot

By Eric Tucker The Associated Press

Posted February 16, 2021 11:52 am EST

The House Homeland Security chairman accused Donald Trump in a federal lawsuit Tuesday of inciting the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and conspiring with his lawyer and extremist groups to try to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election he lost to Joe Biden.
The lawsuit from Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson is part of an expected wave of litigation over the Jan. 6 riot and is believed to be the first filed by a member of Congress. It seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages. It also names as defendants Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, and the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, extremist organizations that have had members charged by the Justice Department with taking part in the siege.
“All I wanted to do was do my job, and the insurrection that occurred prevented me from doing that,” Thompson, D-Miss., told reporters Tuesday as he recounted his harrowing experiences as Trump loyalists broke into the Capitol and disrupted the constitutionally mandated process of certifying the election.
A Trump senior adviser, Jason Miller, said in a statement that Trump did not organize the rally that preceded the riot and “did not incite or conspire to incite any violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6th.” A lawyer for Giuliani did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
The suit, filed in federal court in Washington under a Reconstruction-era law called the Ku Klux Klan Act, comes three days after Trump was acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial that centred on allegations that he incited the riot, in which five people died. That acquittal is likely to open the door to fresh legal scrutiny over Trump’s actions before and during the siege. Additional suits could be brought by other members of Congress or by law enforcement officers injured while responding to the riot.



Even some Republicans who voted to acquit Trump on Saturday acknowledged that the more proper venue to deal with Trump was in the courts, especially now that he has left the White House and lost certain legal protections that shielded him as president.

More at link...

Trump sued by Democratic congressman over U.S. Capitol riot - National | Globalnews.ca

The lawsuit from Mississippi's Rep. Bennie Thompson is part of an expected wave of litigation over the Jan. 6 riot and is believed to be the first filed by a member of Congress.

globalnews.ca

It will be very interesting to see what comes out in the discovery process. Civil lawsuits have a great deal of power to compendisclosure of relevant information.

I hope we see further legal action from the many dozens of police officers injured in the course of suppressing the insurrection. There has to be accountability for this.

 

[PMedMoe]

Welcome to the world of conspiracy theorizing, where everything is what you want it to be.

Ha. More like the world of politics where everyone will lie to cover up their tracks. I guess not all the rats have abandoned the sinking ship.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Accountability will depend on what emerges as fact. As sometimes happens, some of the early (and most consequentially influential) reporting was wrong.

Greenwald at Substack.

 

[RangerRay]

Capitol Police suspends 6 officers, investigates dozens in probe of Jan. 6 riot

USCP's acting chief ordered that any officer whose behavior is not in keeping with the department's rules will face "appropriate discipline."

www.cnbc.com

Looks like the Capitol Police’s investigation is picking up steam.

 

[RangerRay]

DC National Guard commander says 'unusual' Pentagon restrictions slowed response to Capitol riot

The commanding general of the Washington, DC, National Guard testified Wednesday that he did not need authorization from Pentagon leaders before deploying troops in response to protests at the nation's capital last summer but that changed in the days before the January 6 insurrection.

www.cnn.com

Sounds like procedures to call up the NG were changed just before January 6, causing a delay in deployment.

 

[RangerRay]

The Inspector General’s report is out. A lot of deficiencies.

Capitol Police inspector general testifies on preparedness for Jan. 6 riot

His report said Capitol Police were ill-prepared.

abcnews.go.com

This jumped out at me:

Regarding calls for the National Guard on Jan. 6, appendices attached to the IG's report of a timeline provided by Capitol Police show Capitol Police Chief Steve Sund requested Guard help at 2:26 p.m., just as insurrectionists were breaking into the Capitol.

"We don’t like the optics of that," Army Staff Secretary Walter Pitt responded at the time, according to the report.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Bumped with one of the latest guilty pleas ....

An Idaho man pleaded guilty today to breaching the U.S. Capitol for the purpose of obstructing Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6. The guilty plea was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko of the National Security Division ...

 

[mariomike]

JULY 15, 2021

Stars and Stripes

Book excerpts reveal Gen. Mark Milley feared potential ‘Reichstag moment’ aimed at keeping Trump in power

www.stripes.com

Milley told a group of senior leaders, "Here's the deal, guys: These guys are Nazis, they're boogaloo boys, they're Proud Boys. These are the same people we fought in World War II. We're going to put a ring of steel around this city and the Nazis aren't getting in."

"mark milley" "proud boys" - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

 

[dimsum]

JULY 15, 2021

Stars and Stripes

Book excerpts reveal Gen. Mark Milley feared potential ‘Reichstag moment’ aimed at keeping Trump in power

www.stripes.com

I would not have doubted it one bit if it happened. I was glued to the news on Jan 6-7.

 

[RangerRay]

A New York Times visual investigation of the insurrection. Sure doesn’t look like a regular day of tourists to me. Looks absolutely terrifying for the police.

Video: Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol

A six-month Times investigation has synchronized and mapped out thousands of videos and police radio communications from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, providing the most complete picture to date of what happened — and why.

www.nytimes.com

 

[lenaitch]

^ Yup, just a tour group.

 

[brihard]

The first felony sentence in relation to the January 6th insurrection just got handed down. 8 months in prison and $2000 restitution for Paul Hodgkins, 38, of Florida. He pled guilty to felony obstruction of an official proceeding. He made it onto the Senate floor carrying a Trump flag and was photographed there. He did not take part in any direct acts of violence or destruction, and he pled guilty quite early on in proceedings. In his direct statement to the judge, Hodgkins took responsibility for his actions, explicitly recognized the legitimacy of President Biden, and said that no other person made him do what he did.

The judge clearly sentenced him not just for his individual actions (characterized by the defense as 'minimal'), but for his willing role in the larger events of the day. The Judge rejected what happened as a First Amendment exericse, and described it as an interruption to "one of the most solemn functions of democracy - counting votes for the peaceful transition of power"

Florida man Paul Hodgkins gets 8 months in prison, is first Jan. 6 defendant sentenced on a felony charge

“He understood what he was doing" during the riot at the Capitol, District Judge Randolph Moss said at the sentencing hearing of Paul Hodgkins.

www.usatoday.com

Looking at the facts of the case, other than he actually entered the Senate chamber, there's practically no aggravating factors to Hodgkins' conduct. Coupled with his early plea, acceptance of responsibility and expression of remorse, plus his repudiation of the claim the mob was making about the illegitimacy of the election, I think that this will set pretty much the 'hard floor' for any felony sentencing for Jan 6 charges. Depending on other aggravating factors or more serious charges, significantly higher sentences will likely be seen for those charged with actual violence, destruction, or obstruction/interference with police that didn't amount to assault, or where some degree of conspiracy is charged.

Of note- thus far it doesn't look like charges have yet been laid against anyone who wasn't physically present, but who had any sort of organization/incitement/financing role in any of what happened. I suspect we will eventually see this happen as well.

 

[daftandbarmy]

The first felony sentence in relation to the January 6th insurrection just got handed down. 8 months in prison and $2000 restitution for Paul Hodgkins, 38, of Florida. He pled guilty to felony obstruction of an official proceeding. He made it onto the Senate floor carrying a Trump flag and was photographed there. He did not take part in any direct acts of violence or destruction, and he pled guilty quite early on in proceedings. In his direct statement to the judge, Hodgkins took responsibility for his actions, explicitly recognized the legitimacy of President Biden, and said that no other person made him do what he did.

The judge clearly sentenced him not just for his individual actions (characterized by the defense as 'minimal'), but for his willing role in the larger events of the day. The Judge rejected what happened as a First Amendment exericse, and described it as an interruption to "one of the most solemn functions of democracy - counting votes for the peaceful transition of power"

Florida man Paul Hodgkins gets 8 months in prison, is first Jan. 6 defendant sentenced on a felony charge

“He understood what he was doing" during the riot at the Capitol, District Judge Randolph Moss said at the sentencing hearing of Paul Hodgkins.

www.usatoday.com

Looking at the facts of the case, other than he actually entered the Senate chamber, there's practically no aggravating factors to Hodgkins' conduct. Coupled with his early plea, acceptance of responsibility and expression of remorse, plus his repudiation of the claim the mob was making about the illegitimacy of the election, I think that this will set pretty much the 'hard floor' for any felony sentencing for Jan 6 charges. Depending on other aggravating factors or more serious charges, significantly higher sentences will likely be seen for those charged with actual violence, destruction, or obstruction/interference with police that didn't amount to assault, or where some degree of conspiracy is charged.

Of note- thus far it doesn't look like charges have yet been laid against anyone who wasn't physically present, but who had any sort of organization/incitement/financing role in any of what happened. I suspect we will eventually see this happen as well.

 

[Remius]

I’ll be curious to see how many that have been charged double down on their beliefs or not. So far a lot of recanting and buyer’s remorse in the face of reality hitting them.

 

[The Bread Guy]

So far, 11 guilty pleas to various charges out of all these cases being tracked by the FBI.

 

[kkwd]

The link is great in that it doesn't involve biased news outlet reporting.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

So far, 11 guilty pleas to various charges out of all these cases being tracked by the FBI.

Mind you a guilty plea may also represent that most people don't have the resources to fight a case that the Whole of Government is determined to win.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Mind you a guilty plea may also represent that most people don't have the resources to fight a case that the Whole of Government is determined to win.

True dat, but an awful lot have pleaded not guilty so far - it will be interesting to see how the courts treat these.

 

[brihard]

Mind you a guilty plea may also represent that most people don't have the resources to fight a case that the Whole of Government is determined to win.

Gonna be pretty damned hard to fight most of these charges given the ludicrous amount of video there is. Pretty much anyone who is positively IDed as having been inside the Capitol during the days events is hooped on something.

From the article I linked above:

At least 535 people were charged in the first six months after the attack, with 165 accused of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, according to the Justice Department. More than 50 people are charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer, the department said.

...

Dozens of conspiracy charges were based on planning for the attack through encrypted messages, military-style training and wearing helmets and reinforced vests.

Those heavier sets of charges will be interesting to watch.

I also wonder, as sentences begin to get handed out and it dawns on those still to come that they're probably going to prison, some for quite a while, I fear we'll see some real 'come and get me' stupidity from a few of the diehards. There will be some utterly unrepentant and utterly unwilling to face accountability for their choices and actions. Some of them will be armed, and unstable...

 

[mariomike]

, I fear well see some real 'come and get me' stupidity from a few of the diehards.

Some of them will be armed, and unstable...