The gang of extremists, who controlled the process of deciding the Speaker, did not so much elect McCarthy as much as they tamed, domesticated, and subordinated him.
What the House Drama Reveals about the State of Extremism in America
Thursday Hearing Will Be Devastating As 1/6 Committee To Focus On What Trump Was Doing During Insurrection
1/6 Committee member Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said that Thursday's 1/6 Committee hearing will focus on what Trump was doing during the insurrection.
Trump’s Own Former Defense Lawyer Just Turned On Him And Called 1/6 An Insurrection
Former Trump defense lawyer Ty Cobb said that if 1/6 was not an insurrection, he doesn't know what is.
Organization that Set Up Jan. 6th Rally Now the ‘Go-To’ Event Org. for Far MAGA Right
Far from being a pariah, the company is now enjoying the most prominent role in coordinating Trump-associated far-right events.
WATCH: Trump Lawyer Sidney Powell Says Insurrection Was FBI Set Up and All Arrested for 1/6 Are Innocent
The Trump insurrection that took place couldn’t have happened without months of buildup. There were Trump’s repeated lie about the election. There was also Conservative media outlets constantly making viewers think there was something fishy.
Then there was Sidney Powell and the rest of Trump’s “elite strike force” of lawyers. Powell, a former federal prosecutor, made Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis look tame by comparison.
During a recent appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast, Powell was asked about the insurrectionists who have been arrested since January 6th. She first pleaded for lawyers to work with the rioters. “
We need lawyers to step up and help. We’re having trouble finding people willing to work for them even for compensation because of all the blowback that the left heaps on anyone who stands up to seek justice.”
CNN’s Gangel: It Must Have Been Excruciating For Trump to Hear Heroic Cops Bash Him and His Supporters [VIDEO]
At this time last year, Donald Trump was still in office and was the nominal head of the Republican party. Now that he’s out of office, though, he is still fully in control of the GOP. And the party is focused on making sure Trump is protected and never blamed for anything.
Tuesday was a tough day for the GOP. Despite desperate attempts from Kevin McCarthy to sabotage the 1/6 Insurrection panel, it began today. And McCarthy didn’t even have bomb throwers like Jim Banks and Jim Jordan to make a mockery of the hearing.
Instead, the four police officers were able to tell their full stories which painted Trump and his terroristic supporters in an awful light. CNN’s Jamie Gangel explained why this must have been excruciating for the former president.
The CNN reporter began, “
Donald Trump is not happy. What happened today is what he didn’t want to happen. He did not want any committee, and to your point, he didn’t have Jim Jordan or any other allies there fighting back or pushing back.”
WATCH: Lawyer For Capitol Police Officer Blasted by Tucker Carlson Says His Client is Getting Death Threats
In the post-Trump reality, many things have changed. The GOP is no longer the party that backs the blue. Instead, Republican lawmakers have refused to meet with injured police officers and Conservative talking heads question their actions.
Earlier this week, Tucker Carlson dedicated a segment of his show to blasting Capitol officer Harry Dunn. He told his audience, “On Tuesday, Nancy Pelosi will call a Capitol Police Officer called Harry Dunn. Dunn will pretend to speak for the country’s law enforcement community. But it turns out Dunn has very little in common with your average cop. Dunn is an angry left-wing political activist whose social media feeds are full of praise, not coincidentally for Nancy Pelosi.”
That officer is now receiving death threats according to his lawyer.
Mark Zaid, who is representing Dunn, talked about Carlson’s comments with Claire McCaskill, who was filling in for Nicolle Wallace. The former senator asked, “Talk about where he is today in terms of dealing with what he had to encounter that day and how strongly he feels about the way Tucker Carlson said it that he somehow was not an average cop.”
Zaid responded:
“It was not until last night, after Tucker Carlson made that despicable monologue, that he started receiving the most vile hate messages, racist attacks through social media. It is not a coincidence that those attacks started after Tucker Carlson made his comments and I attribute those directly to Carlson just like when I experienced death threats when I was representing the IC whistleblower during the first impeachment hearings. Those death threats started after right-wing social media and talking heads like Carlson started speaking out and naming us publicly.”
Jim Acosta Says Trump’s Latest ‘Delusional’ Lies About the Insurrection Invite His Supporters To Live In Alternate Reality.
Despite him overseeing the loss of the White House, Senate and Congress, the GOP will keep Donald Trump as their party’s figurehead. It’s a risky proposition considering he incited and insurrection on the US Capitol following his election loss.
And the more stories that come about Trump’s feelings on the riots, the harder it gets to defend him. Authors Phil Rucker and Carol Leonnig recently released a tape of the former president discussing January 6th. Trump claimed that the police had actually “ushered” the rioters into the building.
Jim Acosta and Brian Stelter talked about the new tape on CNN Thursday. “I cannot get over how delusional this sounds,” said Acosta. “I mean, the lies. It’s just nuts. But does it sound like the former president is emboldened to spin even more outrageous lies about January 6th as time passes on the deadly attack? We see this video day after day. It sounds delusional to listen to what he is saying.”
“Yeah, emboldened is the word,” responded Stelter. “That is why this is relevant. We’ve seeing him over time dig in further and further and lies on this level are like a power trip. They are a challenge to the audience. Lies on this level, delusions on this level, you know, you’re daring people not to believe their eyes and own ears and daring people to deny what they know them to be true.”
Jim Acosta says Trump's latest 'delusional' lies about the insurrection invite his supporters to live in alternate reality. pic.twitter.com/FllEoH3zfQ
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) July 22, 2021
Acosta closed the segment
remarking
WATCH: Jim Jordan Says Democrats Are to Blame For the Insurrection Because They “Normalized Anarchy”
On the day Donald Trump took office, Americans took to the streets in protests. The 4 years following saw plenty more protests against the actions of Trump and police brutality.
The vast majority of these protests were peaceful. Some of them did feature fights or looting, but there was nothing that could compare to the Trump supporters insurrection that happened on January 6th.
Republicans, of course, tried to say that the insurrection featured members of the Black Lives Matter movement or Antifa. But there has been absolutely no evidence of that. Still, that did not keep Jim Jordan from rehashing the lie to try to explain what occurred in January.
Jordan was answering questions after Nancy Pelosi vetoed him off the 1/6 congressional panel. The Ohio congressman was asked why the insurrection actually occurred. He told reporters:
“My answer is because what happened all last year. The Democrats normalized anarchy. They normalized rioting and looting and rioters and looters attacks on law enforcement personnel, when rioters and looters destroyed small businesses, what did Democrats did? They went out and raised money to bail them out of jail and they continued to talk about defunding the police.”
Megyn Kelly: The Media is Making January 6th Out to Be So Much Bigger Than it Was
Megyn Kelly was, at one point, one of the biggest stars in Conservative media. Her attempts to move away from the Fox News channel resulted in disaster when she left NBC after doing a segment where she defended blackface.
The former Fox News hosts opinions have only grown more extreme. During a recent episode, Kelly noted that the media is making too big a deal out of the recent insurrection.
Kelly’s guest, Chrissie Mayr, a comedian, said she was there at the riots. She told the host, “I was there and anybody who was there on the 6th is, like, blown away by how, like, inaccurate the media coverage is. At this point, it’s like I don’t want to listen to anybody’s thoughts on the 6th unless they were like there, like physically there, because it was so, like, not a big deal.”
Mayr continued, “I mean, it was horrible, like, like, Ashli Babbitt was murdered— should not have happened, but for a group who could have come fully armed to the Capitol, they didn’t.”
Kelly somewhat agreed, saying, “There is no question the media represented it as so much worse than it actually was.” The host did later concede, “Not like [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY)], ‘I need therapy for the rest of my life,’ afraid, but I can understand it, and I didn’t like seeing it at all.”
"Worse than 9/11? 3,000 people died. Firefighters, cops, children who were on those planes that got turned into missiles…"@MegynKelly and @ChrissieMayr on Matthew Dowd's January 6th 9/11 comparison. Listen and download here:https://t.co/F96HgIpiAuhttps://t.co/Ug9rU1Qwki pic.twitter.com/2mr7NjSmK2
WATCH: Ex-Republican Strategist Matthew Dowd Explains Why 1/6 Was Worse Than 9/11
Horrific events often have the effect of unifying the country. The attacks on 9/11 was a good example of this. Despite the heavy partisanship of 2001, George W. Bush had a 90% approval rate soon after.
1/6 was another horrifying event in American history. But the country certainly hasn’t come together since. And that, Matthew Dowd says, is why the January insurrection was worse than the 2001 attacks.
The former Republican strategist made the comments during a Tuesday night appearance on Joy Reid’s show. The host began, “It feels like things have gotten worse since January 6th. I remember reading the reports when Trump ran for office he inspired a uptick in violent white nationalism. The chatter was this is our guy. He’s gone now. Even without his presence daily on social media we have members of congress openly paling around with people who marched in Charlottesville.”
Dowd responded, “I absolutely agree, I think it is much worse than on January 6th, much worse than it was in November. Much worse after January 6th. Part of the problem is because there’s been no accountability it’s given permission to do more of this. Not only it’s given permission to just average people who might do crazy things, it’s allowed the Republicans just to continue this big lie that they’ve pushed across.”
Ex-Republican Strategist Matthew Dowd Opines That 1/6 Was Worse Than 9/11 pic.twitter.com/UODCdXhC9m
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) July 7, 2021
The guest concluded:
“To me, though there was less loss of life on January 6, January 6 was worse than 9/11 because it’s continued to rip our country apart and give permission for people to pursue autocratic means. And so, I think we’re at a much worse place than we’ve been, and as I’ve said to you before, I think we’re in the most perilous point in time since 1861 and the advent of the Civil War.”
On Anniversary of Insurrection, Biden Calls For Americans to Stand Up to the Lies and Extremism That Led to It
The country is now 6 months past the insurrection on the Capitol inspired by the previous administration. And while Donald Trump is still telling anyone who’ll listen to him that he won the election, most other GOP lawmakers have moved on.
The Republicans, though, are moving on by trying to pretend the insurrection wasn’t all that bad and doesn’t need to be investigated. Joe Biden called for unity today, but also urged Americans to stand up to the elements that led to the insurrection.
The President said in a statement, “This was not dissent. It was disorder. It posed an existential crisis and a test of whether our democracy could survive—a sad reminder that there is nothing guaranteed about our democracy.”
Biden continued:
“But while it shocked and saddened the nation and the world, six months later, we can say unequivocally that democracy did prevail—and that we must all continue the work to protect and preserve it.”
“That requires people of goodwill and courage to stand up to the hate, the lies, and the extremism that led to this vicious attack, including determining what happened so that we can remember it and not bury it hoping we forget,” Biden continued. “It requires all of us working together — Democrats, Republicans, and independents — on behalf of the common good to restore decency, honor, and respect for the rule of law.”
The Partner of Brian Sicknick Wrote a Column Slamming Donald Trump Who She Once Supported
Brian Sicknick was one of many police officers around the country who supported Donald Trump. While he was in office, the former president would often talk about how much he loved the men and women in blue.
But his supporters had little care for police officers when they tried to block them from breaching the United States Capitol. On January 6th, 140 officers were injured by Trump’s insurrections.
3 officers working that day later died. Brian Sicknick was one of those officers. His long-time partner, Sandra Gomez wrote an article for CNN about how she has been treated by Trump and the rest of the GOP.
Gomez began, “
Before his (Officer Sicknick) memorial a month later, something came over me: I wanted to see everything I could and understand what happened that day. As I watched the videos, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw officers being brutalized and beaten, and protesters defying orders to stay back from entering the Capitol. All the while, I kept thinking, “Where is the President? Why is it taking so long for the National Guard to arrive? Where is the cavalry!?”
Frank Figliuzzi: Fox Is Pushing FBI Insurrection Conspiracy Theory To Protect GOP Lawmakers Who May Be Involved
In the days after the January insurrection, few Conservative lawmakers or media members were willing to defend the rioters. As time has gone on, there has been a push by Republican Reps. and Fox News personalities to downplay the events of that day.
Recently, Tucker Carlson has began hinting that the people arrested for their roles in the riots were actually undercover FBI agents. Frank Figliuzzi had a theory as to why Fox is allowing this.
The former FBI agent began by telling Nicolle Wallace, “Let’s be clear here, we’re not talking about conspiracies that just spontaneously sprung up from the population as they do — urban legends that need to get swatted down or that take on a life of their own — we’re looking at conspiracy as a deliberate strategy.”
Figliuzzi then said of Fox:
“I think that they are frightened out of their minds that the FBI is actually looking at the root causes of this. And we have some confirmation of that because NBC News obtained one of the FBI interview transcripts of one of the January 6 defendants. And low and behold, what is one of the questions they asked him? ‘Do you know anybody in Congress or congressional staffers? “If that is becoming a standardized question under certain circumstances, they have every right to be worried and that’s why we’ll see them continue to plant this cockamamy theory that the FBI did it.”
WATCH: CNN’s Erin Burnett Rips Republicans Who Think 1/6 Was a False Flag
The presidency of Donald Trump featured a number of truly awful moments. But the worst or the worst was the January 6th insurrection inspired by Trump’s false election claims.
Rather than taking responsibility for what happened on that day, the anchors of Fox News are looking to blame anyone but Trump. Last night, Tucker Carlson claimed the insurrection was an FBI inspired false flag operation.
During her Thursday night show, Erin Burnett slammed Carlson and all the GOP lawmakers going along with that line of reasoning. She told her audience:
“Tucker Carlson is now saying the FBI was part of the riot guilty of assaulting America’s Capitol? This is an incredible thing to say. It is incredibly irresponsible. Of course, members of Congress who refuse to admit their actions and Trump actions leading up to January 6th, were the real cause of the insurrection that day, and they have picked up on this new, baseless theory, rushing to it.”
Joe Rogan Slams Trump: “He Can Incite a Bunch of Morons to Do Something Really F*cking Stupid”
Joe Rogan has one of the most popular podcasts in the country. He is such a powerful voice that Spotify recently signed him to a massive deal that pays him $100 million.
The podcast host is also no stranger to controversy. He recently took heat for saying that young and healthy people don’t need to worry about getting vaccinated.
And Rogan isn’t necessarily a Donald Trump guy or a Joe Biden guy. He is more on the Bernie Sanders spectrum than anything else. But that didn’t stop the popular host from slamming Trump during a recent broadcast.
Rogan was interviewing pundits Saagar Enjeti and Krystal Ball from The Hill’s Rising. The Conservative Enjeti claimed that a commission on the 1/6 insurrection was unnecessary.
The host strongly pushed back telling his guests:
“I think it’s really important. And one of the reasons why I think it’s important is because it highlights the reasons why a guy like Donald Trump is so f*cking dangerous. [It] is because a guy can incite a bunch of morons to do something really f*cking stupid. And now that he’s silenced off of social media, and now that that actually did happen, once it becomes a thing, it could be like mass shootings, Right? They didn’t exist. Then they did. Now they’re a thing. That could be a thing.”
WATCH: Ron Johnson Melts Down, Blames Everyone But Trump for Insurrection
As the 1/6 insurrection has gotten farther in the rear-view mirror, Republicans have been working hard on absolving Donald Trump of any blame. The majority of GOP senators weren’t even willing to meet with the Mother of Brian Sicknick and Capitol police officers.
Few Republicans are willing to carry more water for Trump than Ron Johnson. The Wisconsin lawmaker was recently asked about the former president’s role in the riot and blamed pretty much everyone but him.
During a Zoom interview with the Milwaukee Press Club, Johnson was grilled about the incident. Charles Benson asked, “
Why are you not aggressively looking at what happened that day from the perspective of President Trump’s role in what happened on January 6th? You were against the bipartisan commission.”
“If You’re Afraid of Trump Get Out of Office” Dem. Sen. Jon Tester Rips GOP Colleagues Opposed to 1/6 Investigation
Following the events of January 6th, Republicans signaled a willingness to understand how the insurrection happened. Terrified of Trump, though, most of them have changed their minds on that matter.
Mitch McConnell understands that a commission will be very bad politically for Republicans. So he is urging them to vote against the bill. And that Republican resistance has driven some Democrats nut, specifically Montana’s Jon Tester.
Tester told Politico on Thursday, “
We’ve got to get to the bottom of this sh*t.
WATCH: Host From Alex Jones’ InfoWars Says Rioters Should Be Proud of What They Accomplished on January 6th
It has only taken a few months for Republicans to try and gaslight Americans about the January 6th insurrection. Last week, congressmen like Paul Gosar and Andrew Clyde painted the rioters as patriots.
And during a recent InfoWars broadcast, Owen Shroyer said that the participants in the insurrection should stop apologizing for their actions. In fact, he claimed, they should be proud of what they accomplished.
Shroyer began, “
I realized something too about January 6. And you know what? We’re all such good people, we’re almost too good, quite frankly. We’re too nice. We’re too tolerant. Because even after January — I mean Trump
WATCH: Meghan McCain Erupts on Co-Host Who Had the Gall to Bring up GOP’s Denial of Insurrection
Over the last four years, Meghan McCain has frequently been happy to criticize Donald Trump. The former president was not kind to her family, going as far as saying her father John McCain wasn’t a hero “because he got caught.”
At the same time, McCain is the Republican talking head of The View. And in that role, she often has to defend GOP points no matter how ridiculous. She had one of her worst moments yet on Thursday, lashing out at co-host Sara Haines for bringing up certain Republicans denial of the events of January 6th.
Haines was referring to comments from GOP Reps. like Paul Gosar and Andrew Clyde. She told the panel, “
I feel like we’re stuck in a Borat film. That was unbelievable to watch. And [Clyde] couldn’t look up at the camera. He was looking at a script because I think he could barely believe and doesn’t believe what it was saying.”
Former Defense Secretary: Trump Wanted National Guard to Protect the Rioters
On Wednesday, former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller spoke to lawmakers. And while it was known that Trump’s actions on January 6th were completely un-presidential, Miller painted a picture of just how bad it really was.
As the insurrection was happening multiple calls went out to Trump to deploy the National Guard. It took hours for the former president to make the call. According to Miller, though, Trump didn’t want the guardsmen protecting lawmakers and the Capitol police, he wanted them protecting the insurrectionists.
During today’s hearing, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) asked, “did you tell the president about the mayor’s requests or did President Trump ask if there were requests?”
Miller responded that Trump had asked about requests. Donalds followed, “What was the president’s response to you with regard to the requests made to you by Mayor [Muriel] Bowser?”
Well, this is new.
Trump told his acting Secretary of Defense to use military force for what purpose?
Miller: Trump said "do whatever was necessary to protect the demonstrators that were executing their constitutionally protected rights."
Occurs in their Jan. 3 meeting. pic.twitter.com/jnEDYVUzsK
Betsy DeVos Says She Stands By Resignation But Also Thinks Trump is Key to Future of the GOP
Like other presidents before him, Donald Trump rewarded supporters with roles in his administration. But the 45th president took it to an extreme. Trump’s cabinet was filled with people completely unqualified for their roles.
Betsy DeVos was a good example of this. The billionaire heiress was named Secretary of Education. Her tenure was disastrous as she sought to privatize public schools and made it easier for college rapists to get away with their crimes.
Following the January insurrection, DeVos resigned from her position. It wasn’t all that big a stance as Trump was set to leave office days later. She wrote in a resignation letter, “
That behavior was unconscionable for our country. There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me.”
Report: A Proud Boy Arrested in Insurrection Has Agreed to Flip and Provide Information on the Group’s Leadership
When a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6th, the rioters came from all over. A number of them, however, came together. They were from organized groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.
So far dozens of people from both groups have been arrested on a variety of charges. With many of these charges being serious, some of the rioters could be looking to cut deals with prosecutors.
And according to a new report from CNN:
“At least one of the Capitol riot defendants has flipped against the Proud Boys agreeing to provide information that could allow the Justice Department to bring a more severe charge against the group’s leadership, according to an attorney involved in the case.”
The Department of Justice could be looking to flip more members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. The report continues, “Federal prosecutors have made clear they are focused on building conspiracy cases against leadership of the Proud Boys and paramilitary groups like the Oath Keepers.”
Martin Tankleff is a lawyer who is working with a number of clients who were involved in the insurrection. This includes Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola and “Bigo” Barnett who famously put his feet up on Nancy Pelosi‘s desk.
"At least one of the Capitol riot defendants has flipped against the Proud Boys, agreeing to provide information that could allow the Justice Department to bring a more severe charge against the group's leadership."
womp womp.
https://t.co/9r6TCNiYAm
Rep. Mo Brooks, an Important Figure in Trump’s Insurrection, Is Running For a Senate Seat
Donald Trump did plenty to incite an insurrection on the US Capitol on January 6th. But that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have help. The former President’s biggest allies in the Senate were Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley.
Trump’s top enabler in the House of Representatives was Alabama congressman Mo Brooks. And Brooks is betting that the Trump support will propel him to a seat in the Senate.
Brooks said on Monday, “Today, lest there be any doubt, I announce my candidate for the United States Senate from the great state of Alabama.”
Back in January, Brooks was using fiery language to help Trump’s big lie. He said on the day of the insurrection, “Our Republic’s election system…is under attack. In 2020 America suffered the worst voter fraud and election theft in history. And all of America would know that if the news media wasn’t suppressing the truth as they’re doing.”
And it looks like Brook’s has Trump’s support. The former President dispatched aide Jason Miller to be there for Brooks’s announcement. Miller told the assembled crowd:
“Nobody over the last four years has had President Trump’s back more than Mo Brooks. But now, I need you to have his back. I need you to have Mo’s back. Your vote for Mo Brooks will allow him to carry on the America First Agenda. The fight to save America and to save our country, our constitution and our liberty begins right here in Alabama and it begins right here with your support for Mo Brooks.”
History Won’t Smile Well on Him: Watch as GOP Rep. Kinzinger Blasts Ron Johnson
Over the last few months, Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson has become one of the most talked about lawmakers in America. He recently said that he won’t be getting the COVID-19 vaccine because he already has the illness.
But more striking has been his attempts to gaslight people on the January 6th insurrection. The Wisconsin senator recently claimed that he wasn’t afraid for his life during the event because the rioters weren’t from Antifa or Black Lives Matter.
During a recent interview on CNN, Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger blasted Johnson, saying “history won’t smile well on him.”
Host Wolf Blitzer said to the Illinois lawmaker, “He’s drawing a lot of condemnation for these comments.”
Kinzinger replied, “To me it seems like it certainly has a racial connotation, but most importantly I think it shows it’s just tribalism. Everybody is going into their tribes and what the senator seems to be saying is, ‘You know, if it’s my tribe that was attacking the Capitol, I felt fine with it.”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger rips into his fellow Republican Ron Johnson over his racism and gaslighting attempts. pic.twitter.com/xLtJgmIE8b
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 15, 2021
The GOP Rep. continued:
“I condemned the riots of the summer. I don’t understand the equivalency of it. You can both condemn the violence over the summer but then also condemn what happened on January 6th, and recognize there really is no comparison because January 6th was a threat to the institution of democracy. I don’t know why people like Senator Johnson are insistent on going back and saying it really wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s a rewrite of history that frankly is not going to smile well on him in the history of time.”
WATCH: Trump’s Own Defense Secretary Admits Insurrection Wouldn’t Have Happened Without Trump’s Incitement
When Donald Trump first became president, he had a few “adults in the room.” But as the 4 years went on, people who may have been wiling to speak out against Trump were jettisoned from Washington.
Now that the 45th president is out of office though, more and more Republicans are willing to fight back. This was evident when 7 GOP senators voted to convict Trump during last month’s impeachment trial.
This was also clear in a recent interview with former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller. Miller admitted that the January 6th insurrection never would have happened without Trump’s incitement.
The former Defense Secretary spoke to Vice News in an interview that will air this weekend. “W
ould anybody have marched on the Capitol, and tried to overrun the Capitol, without the president’s speech,” he asked? “I think it’s pretty much definitive that wouldn’t have happened.”
WATCH: Queen of Gaslighting Kayleigh McEnany Says “Everyone Was Expecting Peace” on Day of Insurrection
On January 6th, a large mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol. And they largely did it on television. Americans sat in front of their TV’s and watched the event live.
Despite the fact that the insurrection is still burned into people’s memories, many prominent Republicans are trying to gaslight them about the event. Ron Johnson has pushed the idea that some of the rioters were “fake Trump supporters.”
Tucker Carlson has regularly told his viewers that the whole event is being blown out of proportion. And on Tuesday, Kayleigh McEnany will appear on Fox News’ The Faulkner Factor and push disinformation about the storming of the Capitol.
In a sneak preview of the interview shared by TV News HQ, McEnany tells Faulker:
“I think, at the beginning of the day before everyone went to the rally, everyone was expecting peace. We had been to hundreds of rallies, I’ve probably been to hundreds of rallies at this point, certainly many dozens, and they were nothing but peaceful events, and we expected that day to be the same. And then, as those events transpired, it was disbelief, shock, somber, sad, horrified by the violence. It was a very hard, difficult day at the White House.”
In her first interview since leaving the White House, @KayleighMcEnany tells Fox News’ @HarrisFaulkner of her “shock” and “disbelief” at deadly Capitol riot. The full interview airs Tuesday at 11am/ET on "The Faulkner Focus.” pic.twitter.com/daffXWgtx2
Mike Pence And Donald Trump Are Still Close Friends
Donald Trump doesn’t have much use for friends. His two closest friends were a bodyguard who worked in his administration and Michael Cohen, a lawyer who went to jail for him.
Once the usefulness of the friendship has come to pass, Trump is quick to take the exit ramp. And when Mike Pence decided not to help the former president overturn the election, he wasn’t all that useful anymore.
The former Vice President, though, doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo. According to a report from CNN:
“Pence told a group of Republican lawmakers on Tuesday that not only does he remain close friends with Trump but he has plans to launch a political-action organization defending the administration’s record. And Representative Jim Banks of North Carolina, who was part of the meeting, which was held in Pence’s transition office, said the riot “never came up.” Six weeks out from a potentially near-death experience made possible by your ex-boss? It’s time to let bygones be bygones.”
One of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s “Closest Friends” Involved in Capitol Insurrection
For much of January and February, there was a lot of attention being paid to Marjorie Taylor Greene. The QAnon congresswoman made news when Kevin McCarthy dared to put her on a congressional committee.
Democrats in the House quickly acted to remove her from the House Education and Labor Committee and Budget Committee. And for a few weeks, there was little noise about the Georgia congresswoman.
Now she is back in a big way. According to a new report from CNN, one of Greene’s closest friends was involved in the Capitol Insurrection.
Greene has called Anthony Aguero “amazing” and said he was one of her “closest friends.” Aguero recently described his role in the insurrection in a livestream.
“We were all there,” he said. “It was not Antifa and it was not BLM. It was Trump supporters that did that yesterday. I’m the first to admit it, being one myself.”
Aguero continued:
“A message was sent. These politicians are not going to continue to get away with the abuse as they’ve been doing. We will continue to press on these individuals. The National Guard has just been called in. A woman was shot in the face earlier. There was blood all over the floor. I recorded it for y’all. I could not go live during the whole event because the signal was either jammed purposely or there was just too many, too many people out there. Guys, I was able to make it inside the chambers and I have footage that I’m going to provide for you guys as we made our way in there.”
Frank Figliuzzi: We Haven’t Heard From Capitol Police Because Their Story is Too Painful
On January 6th of this year, a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol and overwhelmed the police who protect the building. Despite the fact that many carried police supporting flags, the insurrectionists were more than happy to attack officers that got in their way.
Officer Brian Sicknick died that day. Following the attacks, two more Capitol police officers have committed suicide. But still, there has been little word about the incident from the body.
Nicolle Wallace discussed the silence with former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi on Wednesday. She asked, “We heard the House impeachment managers tell the most detailed version of their story that day, but we still have not heard from Capitol Police?”
Figliuzzi responded, “There’s an overriding historical reason why people don’t tell their story. Our institutions choose not to tell their story. It’s because even they don’t like their story. I’m concerned that we’re not hearing from these agencies because the truth is too painful even for them, and I think it’s going to be the independent commission that finally gets to the bottom of this, if we can even assemble an effective commission.”
The former FBI official continued:
“There’s a reason why we aren’t getting regular press conferences, why we aren’t seeing lengthy testimony as is scheduled, hopefully, for next week as we start to hear the story. But the reason why they’re not voluntarily coming forward, Nicolle — I fear the story is ugly, even for them.”
WATCH: Greg Kelly Says Insurrection Coverage is Racist Against White People
When things don’t go Donald Trump’s way, it is always someone else’s fault. The 45th president spent the entirety of his term painting himself as a victim. And that sense of victimhood has trickled down to Conservative media and Trump supporters.
This week, House Impeachment Managers have laid out a devastating case against the Trump supporters who stormed that Capitol on January 6th. And this has left a lot of people feeling attacked. Newsmax’s Greg Kelly is certainly one of those people. During his Thursday night show, Kelly described the hearing as racist against white people.
The Newsmax host began by asking:
“So what’s going on here? Oh, there is a racial component. Have you noticed? Let’s talk about this, all right? It’s clear to me that there is a racial component. Because right now in America, who doesn’t have much status? White folk. Especially poor, white folk. Especially poor, white people who stormed the Capitol. They should not have done it and I think the rioters should be prosecuted.”
Fox News Cut Away From Impeachment Trial When Explosive New Insurrection Footage Was Being Shown
Over the last two days, House impeachment managers have laid out a devastating case against Donald Trump. And a big part of the success of that case has been video footage.
On Wednesday, new video was presented from the insurrection and it was quite damning. It is unlikely, however, to change the mind of Republican voters who watch Fox News. The network cut away shortly before the footage was shown.
The Daily Beasts Justin Baragona writes, “Fox News is now pre-empting the House impeachment trial — which is currently featuring Democrats introducing chilling never-before-seen footage from the insurrectionist riot — so they can air The Five, which includes Jeanine Pirro today.”
Jimmy Kimmel also weighed in, but tweeting, “This impeachment trial (which is incredibly powerful) is live on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, etc, etc – guess which “News” channel isn’t carrying it?”
This impeachment trial (which is incredibly powerful) is live on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, etc, etc – guess which "News" channel isn't carrying it?
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) February 10, 2021
Virginia GOP Gubernatorial Hopeful Suggests Capitol Insurrection Was Justified Because of COVID Restrictions
Virginia was long a Republican state. Those days, however are over. In recent years, the state has gone red to purple to blue. That doesn’t mean, though, that Republicans can’t win in the commonwealth.
Democratic governor Ralph Northam will be seeking reelection in 2022. Amanda Chase, a Republican state Rep. hopes to be the one to unseat him. That may be harder for Chase to do so now after comments she made about the January 6th insurrection.
Chase, who Salon considers the favorite in the looming Republican primary, made the comments during an interview with Sky News. A British reporter asked, “They’re looking in on America and wondering what on earth is going on here?”
The lawmaker, who describes herself as “Trump in heels,” replied:
“America wants freedom. They are tired of an overreaching federal government and state government telling us what we can and cannot do in the form of mandates. I don’t think that’s representative of our republic and people. What we’re seeing is a level of frustration like we’ve never seen in America, and here in Virginia, because people are concerned that we are getting away from a representative republic and are headed towards socialism and communism, in which the government makes all these decisions for us.”
Opinion: African Americans Continue To Lead Insurrections For Democracy In America
In the summer of 1800, Gabriel Prosser, an enslaved blacksmith, planned a slave insurrection in Richmond Virginia. Information about the rebellion was leaked, and it was thwarted. Prosser and 25 of his followers were taken captive and hanged.
Opinion: Calling Capitol Assault A Coup Or Insurrection Hobbles Our Ability To Address America’s Racism And History
Calling the events of January 6 a coup denies the historical character of U.S. governmental institutions and once again threatens to distort if not entirely disarm the understanding of racial injustice in America that needs to inform racial transformation to achieve a just America.
Fox’s Pete Hegseth on Trump Insurrection: “What Happened, Happened.”
The attack on the US Capitol last week was a first in multiple ways. Of course, the attack was unprecedented. But the assault on Democracy also represented the first time where almost all Republicans were willing to admit that Donald Trump did something bad.
And while some are willing to punish Trump for his actions, many others are looking to ignore the situation and hope it goes away. This was the tact Pete Hegseth had on Wednesday when he said of the insurrection, “what happened, happened.”
Hegseth said during Fox News‘ The Five, “When you talk to Trump supporters, who I talk to on a regular basis, there is a feeling that for the most part this was a protest that got out of hand, as Jesse talked about. They heard the president speak. He talked about being peaceful and patriotic. There was a lot of frustration on the ground that day. I was there covering it for Fox & Friends. But overwhelmingly what you didn’t see from that crowd or the words from the president, was insurrection or incitement to violence.”
The Fox host continued:
“What happened, happened. We can talk about it and deal with it. But if the left — the left never misses an opportunity, never, to try to use a moment to crush their political opponents. They see this as the moment to do that to Trump and of course the RINOs on the right, I mean there’s not a Republican out there that’s looking to go back to the years of Bush/Cheney, at least those 75 million that supported President Trump.”
US Attorney Hints That Trump Could Be Charged As Part Of Insurrection Investigation
Donald Trump had been asking his supporters to fight for him for weeks. It began with a flyer he distributed promising that January 6th in Washington DC would be a wild time.
Then there were weeks of tweets with his claims of frauds getting more extreme by the day. And then there was the speech that he gave yesterday morning. Not only did he direct his fans to head to the Capitol he even hinted that he may join them.
And all of this rhetoric helped incite a riot in Washington DC. The US Attorney who will be investigating the case, Michael Sherwin, said Trump may be a part of his investigation.
Trump wasn’t the only one inciting violence during his Wednesday speech. His son, Donald Jr. and Rudy Giuliani also stoked the flames. Sherwin was asked if those who spoke at the rally would be looking into.
“
Yes,” he responded, “we are looking at all actors here, not only the people that went into the building, but . . . were there others that maybe assisted or facilitated or played some ancillary role in this. We will look at every actor and all criminal charges
Tucker Carlson’s Defense of Donald Trump: “Is Any Single President Worth All This Time and Attention?”
Comedian John Mulaney brilliantly described that it’s like to be an American with Trump in the White House in his 2018 special Kid Gorgeous. He referred to Trump as, “a horse in a hospital,” meaning absolute chaos is always right around the corner.
And that unbridled chaos broke out yesterday in Washington DC as a Trump provoked mob stormed the US Capitol.
Trump, of course, was entirely to blame for the seditionists attacking the people’s house. His actions were completely indefensible. That didn’t mean, though, that Tucker Carlson wasn’t going to try.
In an effort to absolve the President for the sins of his term, Carlson argued that we’re just paying Trump too much attention.
The Fox host began the segment, “The people in charge of every institution in American life now spend all day talking about Donald Trump. You may not have noticed because that’s not very different from any other day over the past five years. Since the moment he announced for office it has been all about Donald Trump all the time. The effect on us has been noticeable, we’ve gone from being this big continental country with an enormous span of concerns and interests to a sweaty chat room of 300 million people all of whom are focused on a single man, Donald Trump.”
Tucker Carlson defends Donald Trump by asking, "is any single President worth all this time and attention?" pic.twitter.com/7ONmqk25sl
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) January 8, 2021
Trump: Any Protests Upon My Re-Election Will Be Put Down Quickly
Donald Trump and the GOP went into the Republican National Convention hoping for a significant boost in their polling numbers. The Convention came and went and that polling bounce does not seem to have occurred.
The President will now be looking towards the fall debates against Joe Biden as maybe his last opportunity to change his horrible poll numbers. And he’s confident that he will be able to do so.
Trump has conducted an interview with Fox host Jeanine Pirro that is set to air on Saturday. In an advanced clip from the discussion the President talked about the potential for mass protests if he is to be re-elected. Trump said that if there are protests, he will move to end the “insurrection” quickly.
Pirro asked Trump what he would do if he’s re-elected and “riots” occur. “
We’ll put them down very quickly if they do that,” he responded. “We have the right to do that. We have the power to do that, if we want.”
Rebellion Talks Leads to New Call To Impeach Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin
The Republican Bevin’s “insurrection talk” has elicited the second call for his impeachment as governor in six months; the first came within a month of him being sworn in office as Kentucky governor.
Virginia Republicans Call for Armed Revolution if Obama Wins in November
In a newsletter the Virginia Republican Committee is telling Republicans that if President Obama wins reelection, armed revolution will be their only option.