I realized I hadn’t heard anything about Rudy Giuliani for a couple of days. We know that even during the Wednesday afternoon putsch, and the hours after, he was calling and texting Republican lawmakers to get them to at least delay the certification of the Electoral College votes because there was more evidence! Real evidence this time!
The most recent Rudy news I could find was in the right-wing Washington Times.
President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani said Friday that he is surprised more people did not try to storm the U.S. Capitol during the deadly insurrection they both fomented this week.
Mr. Giuliani, who on Wednesday recommended “trial by combat” as way of resolving the presidential election decisively lost by Mr. Trump, voiced disbelief “so few” people seized the Capitol hours later.
Speaking to Stephen K. Bannon, the president’s former aide, Mr. Giuliani also denied “Trump people” scaled the Capitol’s walls during the breach and baselessly laid blame on alleged outsider activists.
“Most of them hadn’t come there with implements to do it and also led on by people from, you know, groups that are experts at it. Believe me, Trump people were not scaling the wall,” Mr. Giuliani said.
“So there’s nothing to it that [Mr. Trump] incited anything,” Mr. Giuliani said on Mr. Bannon’s “War Room: Pandemic” podcast.
It’s a bit remarkable that the Washington Times admitted that the claim that not-Trump-supporters were behind the putsch is “baseless.” Note also that Steve Bannon’s channels since have been removed from YouTube. There is also speculation that Rudy could face charges in connection with the riot. Otherwise, Rudy seems to have crawled under a rock somewhere.
For that matter, we haven’t heard much from Ivanka since she deleted a tweet that called the insurrectionists “patriots.” See also Emily Jane Fox, “The Stink of His Family Is Nearly Impossible to Get Off”: Jared and Ivanka’s Final Chapter in Washington Demolished Their Future at Vanity Fair. In brief, Javanka is now persona non grata among pre-2016 friends and associates. Ivanka was serious about launching her own political career, and after Wednesday let’s just say she’s got a way to go with that.
I was also curious about Kimberly Guilfoyle, last seen dancing in this video made just before the pre-putsch “rally.” She told us the best was yet to come, but I’m not sure Wednesday was what she had in mind.
True story: I couldn’t remember Guilfoyle’s name, so I googled “crazy woman who spoke at Republican convention” and she came right up.
Ben Carson! I occasionally wonder about Ben Carson. I worry that people forget to check on him to be sure he’s still breathing. But in the past few hours he and Donald Trump, Jr., have both criticized Twitter for the lifetime ban of The Donald. Ben Carson also let us know he is aware the U.S. is not China. Well, good on you, Ben! You’re learning world geography!
I don’t wonder about Eric. I don’t want to know about Eric.
Bess Levin at Vanity Fair reports that Hope Hicks is resigning, again, but not because of what happened on Wednesday. Hicks wants everyone to be clear about that. Her second resignation is just a scheduling thing.
I am sad to report that Tiffany Trump is doubling down on family loyalty.
The 27-year-old Georgetown law school graduate hopped on Twitter, a platform she hasn’t much used recently, to issue a series of messages and retweets that repeated his false allegations of election fraud and that blasted Twitter and Facebook for locking his accounts or for removing his content that was seen as promoting election disinformation and inciting violence.
Oh, Tiffany. You got a law degree, girl. In spite of your least-favorite-daughter status and being stuck with a name worthy of a strip-club headliner, you were on the way to making something of yourself and building a life apart from Trump, Inc. And there you go making another appeal for Dad’s Approval. So sad. He doesn’t love anyone, you know.
I also regret to report that Steve Mnuchin has not resigned yet. He’s going to stay on the job until they drag him out. His wife Louise has made a new movie in which her character eats a spider, it says here, so we can still see her, if we want to.
Steve and Louise in happier (for them) times.
Mike Pompeo is also sticking it out. He will be addressing the staff of Voice of America on Monday. VoA staff are pissed they are being required to broadcast the speech, which they consider propaganda. That’s our Mike.
Acting Homeland Security Director Chad Wolf, whom you might remember was all over Portland last summer but who somehow couldn’t be bothered to respond to the riot in the Capitol, did emerge from his secret bunker long enough to issue a tweet condemning the violence on Wednesday. Yeah, we’re not impressed, Chad.
Although she’s not an official part of the Trump Administration, I want to give a special shout-out to Ginny Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas. She was a big online cheerleader of the “rally” on Wednesday. There are reports she sponsored 80 buses of insurrectionists that went to DC. Since Wednesday she has been uncharacteristically quiet and, I understand, has even deleted her Facebook page.
Her husband might be concerned that if her involvement in the riots became widely known he might be pressured to resign. He might be right.
Read, that along with filing articles of impeachment, Ted Lieu is also calling on the NY State Bar to investigate and disbar Guiliani, specifically for the "trial by combat" remark.
The DOD, under the leadership of Acting SecDef Tongue Up Donald's @ss, issued their report on the DOD timeline of 'action' on Wednesday. Of note, the DOD did NOT call it an insurrection; the DOD did NOT call it a riot; the DOD did NOT call it a mob; the DOD called it a "First Amendment Protest".
That seems an awfully defensive word choice. Did they not get my memo on how we seem to all agree it was NOT a protest.
Mouthpieces like Guiliani should understand that when they try to portray antifa or non-supporters of Trump as the troublemakers, they are insulting the MAGAts who are quite proud of their acts carried out on behalf of their master and they feel they deserve full credit.
And I was gonna add something snarky like what’s the worst thing Louise Mnuchin has had down her throat, but,,, nah.
Rudy and Dershowitz are reportedly heading up the defense team. The others who defended Trump the first time around are (reportedly) not at all interested. I'm not sure if Rudy won't be disbarred by then for a remark at the Insurrection Rally where he said, "Let's have trial by combat."
The Senate "trial" phase won't begin until AFTER Trump is no longer president which means a pardon for Rudy has to happen BEFORE the impeachment. The optics aren't good.
I was amused that the "Shaman of Q" who was photographed sitting in Pelosi's chair declared when he was arrested that he and "patriots" were responding to a call by Trump. This may have been a not-too-subtle shout out to Trump for a pardon but he just implicated Trump as the instigator of the riot.
Most others who have been arrested are contrite and pleading temporary insanity. I wonder if they can be called as witnesses in Trump's impeachment regarding what they expected the rally to be about. All of them want to curry favor with the court so will they testify that they were answering the call by Trump to revolt?
None of the "patriots" arrested so far has declared, "Give me liberty or give me death!"
Essay by Timothy Snyder, teaches history at Yale, expert on fascism, The American Abyss:
A historian of fascism and political atrocity on Trump, the mob and what comes next
*sigh* I wish people would learn to warn the rest of us when a link goes to either a pay site or a limited number of free looks site.
Yes, I’m cheap. I have no choice.
Meanwhile, we people of limited means need to remember to look at the little tag which shows up in the lower left corner of the screen when one hovers the pointer over the link.
The rabble are losing their jobs. Hilarious that these idiots didn’t realize that expressing their id would cause others to take notice. Most of them are now, trying so hard to back-peddle their involvement.
I'm "Antifa."
Yes I am.*
So's every regular reader and commenter here.
And maha's, like, "Auntifa," or something. 😉
By definition, everyone who is against Fascism is "Antifa." It's a compound word: "Anti" + "Fascism" = "Antifa."
Donald John Trump is a Fascist.
And so, if you're a fan/follower of tRUMP, you are a "tRUMPist." And therefore, you're not a "patriot," you're a Fascist! Walking around claiming you're an American patriot don't make ya one.
Real American patriots fought the Fascists in WWII. And they kicked their Fascist asses! Those heroes, those real patriots, were, and still are, Antifa. It's just that "Antifa" wasn't a word back then.
Everyone who really loves America – the big idea, the bigger warts, and everything in between – and who wants to make it better for everyone, so we can be an inclusive, multi-cultural country, can think of themselves as an American patriot. And hence, they are Antifa, too!
I'm Antifa.*
I'm proud to be Antifa.
*And so is my Mom – who as a child was forced to leave Stalingrad, Russia, by the Nazi's. The German Fascists.
Btw, if I'm a bit scarce around here for a while, it'll be because I just found out my Mom has Covid. Keep her in your thoughts for me. Thanks.
I am so sorry to hear about your mother. Keep us updated about how she is doing. I am sending positive vibes.
Damn, I'm sorry to hear about your Mom. Will send good energy your way until we hear she has beaten it.
I am sorry Gulag. I hope she's getting everything she needs to beat it. Age eventually catches up with even tough Russians – the ones who stood their ground through that awful winter in Stalingrad.
"Liberal" and "antifa" and "class warfare" are words that need rehabilitation after the dumbing down of everything / twisting of language by conservatives. However, today's American antifa's do themselves no favors by their destructive behaviors – it plays right into the right's need for a bogeyman.
Video of Trump and his stupid coterie, watching the Jan 6 carnage unfolding, via monitors, to the tune of “Gloria”. They’re havin’ a great time! Party like a Republican!
Now I have visions in my head of Tiffany spinning her tassels.
You brought up Rudy. He's (reportedly) eager for a pardon. He stepped all over various laws in Ukraine and may be up to his neck in the planning of the Battle of Capitol Hill. Rudy is also one of Trump's impeachment lawyers. This may get awkward if evidence shows Rudy was in it and Rudy got a pardon (on top of Trump pardoning himself.)
Also Christopher Miller may take center stage, He's acting Defense Secretary, appointed after the election when Trump fired Esper. If reports are true, he funneled everything about DC security and authorizing National Guard across his desk. He might be counting on a get-out-of-jail-free card also. If Trump gives it, Miller can be required to testify – if he lies, no pardon can save him. (The trial phase starts after Jan 20.) If Trump doesn't grant a pardon, Miller's only chance to cut a deal may be to sing.
If the trial phase of impeachment proves a conspiracy and Trump was behind it, damn few Republicans will cover for Trump. McConnell has declared war on Trump which means the power in the DNC wants to move past Trump. As of the 20th Trump is no longer POTUS and even now, with Twitter off, his power to do damage is greatly reduced.
If Trump pardons himself, it may not be valid – the US Supreme Court would almost certainly wind up hearing the case. (If Trump is obviously guilty of insurrection, there's no way the Supreme Court will let him skip out. The Democrats would pack the court in response.)
If Trump pardons himself, it may not be valid
That's why is so important to impeach Trump as soon as possible. My understanding is that a pardon can't be issued to circumvent an impeachment. And it would certainly be a strategic advantage to put the onus on Trump to prove that he can pardon himself rather than prosecutors trying to prove that he can't. One of Trump's most successful tactics is bogging his opponents in endless litigation, and there might not be the political will to pursue Trump through litigation if he manages to get the jump on issuing himself a pardon. Trump is a wily bag of shit so every consideration for him slipping the noose must be taken.
That seems an awfully defensive word choice. Did they not get my memo on how we seem to all agree it was NOT a protest.
Please pardon the comment repetition above, a reply to OldVet.
Written by Henry Farrell and Elizabeth N. Saunders Jan. 7, 2021 at 8:38 a.m. CST and published today by the WP is one of the best lead sentences of any opinion piece I have read in a while. What follows is no disappointment.
I still remember those who went anti-French in the lead up to the war in Iran. One liqueur store I went to even refused to sell French wine and freedom fries were all the rage. One could not find a soul who would doubt that there were weapons of mass destruction or even publicly discuss that the war might be ill advised. Now, with hindsight, we could have used more skepticism most would say, and hopefully would say they owe an apology to France for their rash judgement. This was a country that once had the French Foreign Legion and much better versed in middle east and their ways than we were. At the root of this all was a cynical theatrical gesture that was played out in the cafeteria of the congress of the United States. It turned out to be very harmful in the long run.
Cynical election-fraud ploys aren't harmless – The Washington Post
Well, you've got to hand it to Ginny Thomas for finding the strength to climb out of her gin bottle and manage some semblance of functionality, even if it is in the service of aiding and abetting an insurrection.. She's become a testament to the twelve steps. If she was a rum drinker would she be Rummy Thomas?
I wonder if her early morning telephone episode* on Anita Hill's answering machine was the catalyst for her to finally put the plug in jug?
* I'm not taking her inventory…I'm just wondering. I've had a few unpleasant bouts with John Barleycorn myself so I know how difficult it can be.