Most of the major news outlets are tip-toeing around an obvious fact expressed in this Buzzfeed headline: Trump’s Pentagon Blocked Troops From Getting to the Capitol Riots For Hours, DC National Guard Commander Said.
Something really funky was going on in the Pentagon on January 6. That something involved Trump’s civilian Pentagon appointees, plus Michael Flynn’s brother, Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn. I believe most of the professional military would have deployed troops to the Capitol immediately, if they had anything to say about it. Obviously, some exceptions were at hand. But for some reason troops were held up for more than three hours, waiting for an order.
If you missed the testimony yesterday from DC National Guard commanding general William Walker, here it is.
Somewhere, before January 6, a decision was made that whatever happened at the Capitol would be allowed to happen without interference from National Guard. A fix was in. We don’t yet know all the names of everyone in on the fix, or where it originated, but it sure as hell was in.
Here’s a review of what we know, from Max Boot:
Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commander of the D.C. National Guard, told a Senate committee Wednesday that he had been prevented by then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy from deploying a quick-reaction force or distributing weapons and riot gear before Jan. 6. McCarthy, in turn, was acting on the orders of then-acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller. Walker said such restrictions were “unusual” and were not imposed during Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Washington.
When the attack on the Capitol began, Walker continued, he received a frantic call for assistance at 1:49 p.m. from the then-head of the Capitol Police and immediately relayed the request to the Pentagon. But it was not until 5:08 p.m.— three hours and 19 minutes later — that Walker finally received permission to deploy his troops. That was long after the Capitol had been overrun.
Dana Milbank pointed out yesterday that the order to send the Guard was held up until after Trump tweeted that the rioters should go home: “Curiously, the Pentagon claims Miller’s authorization came at 4:32 — 15 minutes after Trump told his ‘very special’ insurrectionists to ‘go home in peace.’ Was Miller waiting for Trump’s blessing before defending the Capitol?”
And, of course, we all remember that Christopher Miller was appointed acting secretary of defense in November, after Joe Biden had been declared the winner of the election. And we all said, what the bleep? What is Trump up to?
The fix was in. Most of news media seems to be avoiding stating this obvious fact. They are saying that the delays need to be investigated. Well, yes. And I appreciate the need to avoid making accusations before all the facts are known. But, seriously, people, the fix was in. All we need now are names. Who was in on it? Who wasn’t?
And CNN is reporting that Federal investigators are examining communications between US lawmakers and Capitol rioters. This could get juicy.
Today was the day that Trump was supposed to return to Washington in glory and be sworn in as the real president, according to QAnon mythology. I see that QAnon mythology has mingled with some of the old “sovereign citizen” claptrap that’s been banging around in the fever swamps for years:
Back home on the QAnon ranch though, there is an even more extreme idea picking up steam: that Trump will still be inaugurated after all!
On March 4.
As the 19th President.
The idea borrows heavily from the sovereign citizens movement, which revolves around the theory that followers get to decide which laws to abide by because the true, original U.S. government has been secretly replaced by a new, illegitimate system. Sovereign citizens clog courts with convoluted legal filings, declaring they are not required to pay taxes and immune to punishment for breaking the law. There are various beliefs among the sovereign citizens about when the switch to the illegitimate government happened, but for the purposes of its overlap with the QAnon community, that date has been pinned down to 1871.
Then, per the various believers, an obscure 1871 law made the United States a corporation, not a government — meaning that any law passed since then doesn’t apply, and that the line of presidents stopped with Ulysses S. Grant. Trump, they contend, will be inaugurated as the 19th President on March 4, the day presidents were inaugurated prior to the passage of the 20th Amendment in 1933. Trump will reign over a newly restored republic.
Exactly how this was supposed to happen is a bit hazy. I take it the clouds would part and Trump would come floating out of the sky over Washington, to be greeted by Brett Kavanaugh to swear him in..But Capitol security is beefed up today, so storming the Capitol will be a bit trickier than it was on January 6. Trump is still in Florida, as far as I know.
From the “Where Are They Now?” files:
Richard Barnett, the rioter who put his feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk and stole her mail, is still in prison. And he’s pissed about it. He threw a temper during a virtual court hearing about how it isn’t fair he’s been behind bars for a whole month, yelling at the federal judge and his own attorneys. Yeah, yelling at the judge always helps, dude. Keep doing that.
Jacob Chansley, the QAnon Shaman, told an interviewer that no he did not attack the country on January 6. He was only there to bring God back into the Senate. Chansley is also still in jail and refusing to take a covid vaccine. Good luck with that, champ.
Here’s someone who hasn’t done jail time yet, but ought to — read about Genevieve Peters.
Javanka have burned out, CNN says. Jared is not taking part in any of Trump’s current schemes, and Ivanka has told friends not to ever mention Washington in her presence. Works for me.
Oh hell yeah the fix was in. My take on this is that the tactical hit teams underestimated the degree to which all the random fellow travelers would impede their mobility once the perimeter was breached allowing time for Pence and Pelosi (primary targets given their position in the line of Presidential succession) along with the rest of Congress to get to relative safety. Once that became clear, the exercise lost its purpose.
Okay, so let’s speculate on the Guard. Timing was pretty much after the bulk of attackers were leaving. Considering there was communications between trump and some co-conspirators, we might be able to assume that it was conveyed that Pence and Pelosi both were safe from harm. At which point, the tweet goes out? And then the Guard comes in? Was murder on the menu in addition to insurrection? IMHO, I wouldn’t doubt there was a special group in charge of disposing the next two in line.
Certainly hope there’s some real curiosity in some of those Senators to ask some pointed questions.
All of this reminds me of when people wanted Lyndon Johnson to be president even though he could not: "Outsiders saw the Johnson cult as a cargo cult brought on by isolation, lack of education, poor economic development, and overall lack of understanding of the modern world. " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_cult
"Ivanka has told friends not to ever mention Washington in her presence."
I'm shocked! Ivanka has friends?
I know it's important to avoid accusations without hard proof, but the Former Guy has always been so transparent that it's easy to read what passes for his mind. His obvious goal was to let this proceed long enough to have Pence and/or Pelosi taken into custody by his minions so that the nation would rise up as one and insist that he declare martial law. After that, he would have "no choice" but to declare that a new election would be held by the military.
I had to laugh when I read about Richard Barnett crying about his incarceration being unfair. It reminded me of the opening scene in the movie Going South starring Jack Nickelson. In that scene a posse on horseback is chasing Jack Nickelson. Nickelson manages to cross the Rio Grande into Mexico thinking that once he's entered Mexico the law couldn't touch him so he dismounted his horse thinking he was safe from capture. The posse ignored the border and pursued him into Mexico snatching him up. When he was captured he cried to his captors, "It ain't fair".
I watched Gen. Barry McCaffrey speak about how the Guard or military normally would’ve been brought in DAYS BEFORE Jan 6, not on the day of the insurrection. This is a video of him speaking on Nov 11 – ‘Mark me down as alarmed’ – over Trump loyalists being given top roles at the Defense Department in the last 70 days of Trump’s presidency. Now you know why…
There was plenty of warning, and not just for the intelligence agencies / military. AOC explained in great detail how EVERYONE knew something was going to happen, at least a week before Jan 6. If you haven’t see this video, it’s a must.
At least the clown with the horns won’t starve
I don't know if this makes me a bad person:
But I get a genuine feeling of glee whenever I read about one of these treasonous human scum-recepticals squealing about how "it's not fair" that their lily-white skin didn't keep them out of jail – like usual.
Glee!
The 64-thousand-dollar question is what Merrick Garland will order as A/G. If he puts the full investigative power of the FBI behind an investigation that peels the insurrection like an onion, with reduced sentences for turning on the kingpins, we might get to the bottom of this.
There are three stages: what preparations before? What happened during? What cover-up after?
In before, What communications from the WH to the Pentagon (Miller) preceded the order by Miller to freeze the National Guard? What money moved from who to who to get the protesters to DC? Was there a set of 'insurrection tours' in advance? Who moved weapons to ready stations? (From what I read there was an arsenal across the Potomac. Had they captured hostages, what was the plan?)
During: Who was tasked with what? If the theory is right, the hardened soldiers were using the idiots for cover. What was the plan, the timetable, and who called it off when they failed?
After: key players must have moved to initiate a cover-up after the Guard took control. So who contacted who in the hours after the insurrection to destroy the evidence. The cover-up is usually improvised and sloppy. It may be a map of who the feds need to put the pressure on.
I propose that, on 1/6 from now on, people throw a party, starring a Trump pinata, hung by the neck. I'm sure you can order a Trump pinata from a shop in an Hispanic neighborhood. Good clean fun for the whole family!
Remember and be wary
The Sixth of January
The treason, sedition, and plot.
I know of no reason
Sedition and treason
Should ever be forgot.
According to his mother, his politics "ran a little hot". Which reminds me of the world's greatest understatement when Noah's wife asked Noah "If it might look a little bit like rain?"
Arrested on charges related to 1-6-21, Federico G. Klein, a Trump campaign worker in 16 and State Department aide in the Trump administration provides the first close link to the top.
According to Politico and Wa.Po. this guy even had top secret security clearance.
No wonder the wingnuts want to put this into a fading memory. Here we have a man on the government payroll linked to an insurrection attempt.
Reports are suggesting his behavior was much less than diplomatic on 1-6, to close with one more outlandish understatement.
Trump appointee arrested in connection with Capitol riot – POLITICO
Then there's Riley Williams charged with stealing a laptop from Pelosi's office and conspiring to sell it to the Russians. This gem of a woman has a documented history of cavorting with nazis and white supremacists. Given the current charges against her, she faces decades in prison if convicted for her alleged role in the January 6 attack. If anyone has reason to disappear before trial, she does, and yet she's out on bail awaiting trial. She needs to be in jail with Barnett. Or, put another way, if I was Barnett I'd be mad too.
There's a boatload of circumstantial evidence of a sedition conspiracy with Trump and/or his direct reports at the head of it, and involving some members of congress. He installs Chris Miller after the election, and then the pentagon goes silent when asked to approve troops to protect the capitol.
The questions ask themselves. For example, Christopher Miller, why did you delay the approval to send out the DC national guard?
I hope Garland is given a free hand to investigate this as it should be, and bring charges. I'd put the squeeze on Miller, Flynn and others over at the Pentagon, throw the book at them unless they talk. Charge anyone implicated, from Trump to Don Jr, Javanka, whoever.
Also, if I were Schumer I'd take up Johnson, Cruz and other Trump stooges in the senate on "election integrity" and hold a hearing. Let them spew to the world their unsupported, nonsensical claims of election fraud. And then one by one, tear down each one for the world to see based on the facts, starting with the 60 plus court cases they lost, and testimony from state election officials that expose their lies. Bring out the fact that the "Elite Strike Force" is now running from process servers, hiding from being held accountable in civil court for all the lies they told about election systems. Put it to rest once and for all, and make it plain that for Johnson, Cruz, Hawley and others to continue to tell these lies, or not refute them (Mitch) its no doubt that's exactly what they are, lies. This is what the GOP stands for, and if it looks like the GOP is being destroyed, so be it, because it needs to be, if this is what it does.
Of course the cult followers will refuse to believe it, but otherwise communicate to the sane world and solidify once and for all: these were lies told to steal an election won fairly by Joe Biden and install unconstitutionally a twice impeached, one term loser.
Twice impeached, one time loser or Loser One Time, Twice Impeached. LOTTI POTUS MINIMUS XLV or MAXIMUS XVII in standard Roman Numerals or Q speak respectively.
Etch that in stone.