After the seventh public hearing of the January 6th Select Committee, new evidence and testimony directly highlighted Donald Trump’s premeditated attack on the Capitol, using violent extremist groups he knew were armed. It is imperative that we hold Trump and his allies accountable for their actions to protect our right to choose our own leaders in our country.
Here’s what you need to know for the weekend:
Main Points for the Weekend:
1. The march to the Capitol on January 6th was not spontaneous, and Trump went ahead with his planned march even after he was told rally-goers were armed and dangerous. The crowd of supporters including members of organizations such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other violent white nationalist groups marched to the Capitol after being in touch with members of Trump’s inner circle like Roger Stone and Michael Flynn.
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- Top point to make: The violent attack on the Capitol was premeditated by Donald Trump and his MAGA allies. They will continue to use violence.
- If you read one thing: The Guardian, 7/13/22. Trouble for Trump as committee makes case Capitol attack was premeditated. “This ‘call to arms’ ricocheted around online echo chambers of Trump’s fanbase. The panel showed graphic and violent text messages and played videos of rightwing figures vowing that January 6 would be the day they would fight for the president. It would be a ‘red wedding’, said one, a reference to a mass killing in the TV series Game of Thrones. ‘Bring handcuffs.’”
2. MAGA Republican candidates who lose their primaries are refusing to concede and calling the elections rigged. State officials in various battleground states have cited coordinated incidents of breaches and refusal to certify election results along with more conspiracies that the local elections were stolen from Republican candidates and Trump-endorsed candidates.
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- Top point to make: The threat to our country is ongoing. MAGA Republicans now refuse to concede their own elections they know they’ve lost – a new gameplan for 2022, 2024, and beyond.
- If you read one thing: Politico, 7/13/22. Election officials fear copycat attacks as ‘insider threats’ loom. “What’s clear is this is a nationally coordinated effort,’ said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat. ‘It’s multi-year, multi-faceted … not just pressuring election officials, but pressuring local elected officials as well.’… ‘It can create a domino effect, because if one county successfully manages to tank their election by not certifying it, we’re gonna see copycats,’ said New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat and former president of NASS who sued to force certification last month.”
3. Trump attempted to contact a witness to the committee, the latest in the string of intimidation efforts by the former president and his allies. Witnesses that have been contacted are said to have important testimony and information that can link Trump directly to the planning and promotion of the events surrounding January 6th, and this latest is said to corroborate large parts of Cassidy Hutchinson’s bombshell testimony from last month.
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- Top point to make: Trump’s disregard for the law continues. We must hold all individuals accountable for their actions, no matter if they are former Presidents, members of Congress, or other federal and state officials.
- If you read one thing: CNN, 7/14/22. First on CNN: Trump tried to call a member of the White House support staff talking with January 6 committee, sources say. “The call was made after former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified publicly to the committee. The White House staffer was in a position to corroborate part of what Hutchinson had said under oath, according to the sources… ‘From my vantage point, it is highly unusual to do that, and that’s why we more or less put that in the hands of the Justice Department, for them to make that decision,’ Thompson said, when asked if the act of Trump calling the person was enough evidence to determine whether he was attempting to intimidate a witness. ‘We are concerned about witnesses’ safety. This is not the first time the committee has raised concerns about potential witness tampering.’”
Expert voices
Barbara McQuade, former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, re: Steve Bannon and Select Committee on January 6: “Witnesses don’t get to determine the time of their testimony. He violated the law the day he failed to show up on the date on the subpoena.” Tweet
Peter Odom, former assistant district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia: “Subpoenas issued to members of Trump’s team earlier this week in Georgia hint at how prosecutors are building a case that the former president and his lieutenants were engaged in a criminal conspiracy. Subpoenas say that several of the witnesses were ‘involved in the multi-state, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 election.’ That particular language raises red flags for Peter Odom, a former assistant district attorney in that office who prosecuted election criminal cases. ‘Conspiracy is an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime. It’s very clear they’re having the grand jury looking at conspiracy by Donald Trump and his close associates to illegally influence the election,’ Odom told The Daily Beast.” The Daily Beast
Laurence H. Tribe, Carl M. Loeb University Professor of constitutional Law emeritus at Harvard University, Dennis Aftergut, former federal prosecutor, and Norman Eisen, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution: “By calling [Georgia Secretary of State Brad] Raffensperger, [Senator Lindsey] Graham looks to have been engaging in political activity well outside any proper legislative function and, therefore, beyond the privilege’s protection. Graham’s appearance before the grand jury is important not only to understanding the full extent of what happened in the alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. It also matters to a core tenet of our constitutional democracy. No one, including a senator or a president, is above the law.” The Washington Post
Noah Bookbinder, president of CREW: “That 61% of Republicans now call January 6 a ‘legitimate protest’ even as we learn more about how it was violent, premeditated, and premised on known lies is beyond disturbing. That a major party has abandoned its commitment to truth and democracy creates incredible danger.” Tweet
Norm Eisen, Brookings senior fellow: CNN Video: “I expect [today’s] 1/6 committee hearing to demonstrate how Trump called the militias to D.C. for January 6. It was like a bat signal for them to spring into action. I discussed @CNN @CNNnewsroom w/ @AnaCabrera @renato_mariotti” Tweet
Just Security: Strongest Evidence of Guilt: Chart Tracking Trump’s Knowledge and Intent in Efforts to Overturn the Election: “presents key factual findings – concerning evidence of Trump’s knowledge and beliefs when trying to overturn the election – based primarily on the Committee’s work to date…The following list highlights just some of the information presented in the Chart below.
*Lying about victory on Election Night (Nov 3-Nov. 4 early AM)
*Manufacturing false allegations of election fraud (December 3, 2020-early January, 2021)
Trying to force Department of Justice officials to lie about the department’s findings of election fraud (late December, 2020 – Jan. 3, 2021)
*Advancing false claims of election fraud after being told by senior DOJ and campaign officials of irrefutable flaws in the claims (Dec. 2020 – Jan. 6, 2021).
*Lying about communications with federal and state officials in efforts to pressure them (Jan. 2-Jan. 6, 2021)” Just Security
Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: “Q: ‘Does that put us at a crossroads? Trump tried to destroy our constitutional order and had the tacit backing of many in his party. That produced the biggest outbreak of political violence in modern U.S. history. Yet many Republicans still refuse to seriously admit to what happened or even dismiss efforts at an accounting as themselves being illegitimate. Could a very different response from Republican leaders right now — in which they took this moment seriously — make a further downward spiral less likely?’ A: ‘Absolutely. The research on leaders is incredibly clear. If enough Republican leaders started denouncing political violence — saying there’s a line in the sand in a democracy, and violence is it — we would see much less political violence.’” Column from Washington Post’s Greg Sargent
Karen Stenner, political psychologist & behavioral economist: “A decent chunk of MAGA will in the end realize theyve been had & be *furious*. That can easily go sideways so watch for *any* opportunities to bring them back in (it *won’t* be by smugly triumphing over/shaming/excluding them!) But large % might just dig in deeper to self-protect” Tweet
Andrew Weissmann, former Assistant United States Attorney: “The tenacious work of the Jan. 6 committee has transformed how we think about the Jan. 6 rebellion. It should also transform the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election…The evidence gathered in the hearings describes a multiprong conspiracy — what prosecutors term a ‘hub and spoke’ conspiracy — in which the Ellipse speech by President Trump and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol were just one spoke of a grander scheme.” New York Times op-ed
Tom Dupree, principal deputy assistant attorney general in W. Bush administration: Fox News Video: “I think the committee succeeded today in establishing links that we hadn’t previously known about between the White House and some of these militia groups.” Tweet of Fox News Video
Julian Zelizer, Princeton University historian: “So, according to the hearings, the ‘party of small government’ sat still as a Republican president considered seizing voting machines in an effort to overturn the 2020 election.” Tweet
Harry Litman, former US attorney: MSNBC Video: “There are always ragtag terrorists out there…there are people who are deluded or believe in a charismatic leader. What they aren’t, however, are normally following the direct commands of the President of the United States” MSNBC’s Deadline WH Tweet
Kathleen Belew, Northwestern University professor and expert on the white power movement: “Encrypted group chat with Flynn, Stone, Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, planning for militant action on Jan 6. It’s impossible to argue that there wasn’t coordination with Trump affiliates and the white power movement/militant right.” Tweet
Frank Figliuzzi, former FBI assistant director: MSNBC Video: “We needed to see those dotted lines become more solid lines between Trump and illegality… rejecting the legal for the illegal, rejecting the rule of law for the rule of Trump. What’s the rule of Trump? Get it done by any means” MSNBC’s Deadline WH Tweet
Neal Katyal, former acting US solicitor general: MSNBC Video: “There’s the tantalizing… bombshell at the very end that Donald Trump himself personally called a witness… That could be a very easy criminal case if the evidence is the way that Congresswoman Cheney suggested it might be” MSNBC’s Deadline WH Tweet
Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW): “Significant that after it was made clear to Donald Trump that there was no legal avenue to overturn the election, he then changed course and tweeted to invite the mob to Washington. He very consciously chose to turn to mob violence as his next tactic. He knew what he was doing.” Tweet
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, NYU historian: “The rally was a pretext for the siege to come after —an excuse to gather supporters right near the Capitol. It is also fitting that a rally was integral to Trump’s coup attempt. As my report to the Jan. 6 committee argues, Trump used these gatherings not only to sow hatred and build his leader cult, but also to engage in an intensive emotional retraining of his followers that emphasized the positive qualities of violence and cruelty.” Lucid
Ryan Goodman, Defense Department former special counsel: “Cipollone’s testimony points to Meadows’ criminal exposure. Evidence that Meadows knew full well Trump lost, and it was and should be over. In those and following weeks, Mark Meadows ran point in helping to “corruptly” obstruct congressional proceedings. Corrupt if knew lost” Tweet
Norman Eisen, senior fellow at Brookings, and Dennis Aftergut, a former federal prosecutor: “[T]he committee should now negotiate with [Steve] Bannon to determine whether, remote a prospect as it seems, he is actually ready to provide useful information. At the same time, the prosecutors and the court must keep moving forward resolutely if — as is likely — Bannon and his patron are playing games. Truth is the only answer to these kinds of manipulations.” CNN Op-Ed: Steve Bannon’s new ploy
NEW: Center for American Progress Action Analysis: Guns and Political Violence Play Central Role in MAGA Republican Campaign Ads: “At least 104 MAGA Republican ads this cycle display and feature firearms or weapons, blowtorches, and even ‘Tommy’ gun auctions, with many including threats against opponents on both the left and right.” CAP Action
Praveen Fernandes, vice president at Constitutional Accountability Center: Cheddar News Video: “I think, again, this shows the level of awareness, the level of planning, and the fact that this was not a crowd that just suddenly on its own decided to go to the Capitol. This is about a plan to weaponize this crowd that had gathered and use that anger, use that frenzy that frankly the top officials and Trump had actually whipped up and weaponized because, of course, all other plans had failed.” CAC Tweet of Cheddar News
Heather Cox Richardson, Boston College historian: “We are hearing now, 18 months after the fact, that our president tried to overturn our democracy, forcing his own will onto unwilling voters. And, at the time, no one in the White House said anything to the public or to our law enforcement officials to stop this deadly attack. Worse, it appears that a number of our lawmakers were complicit in the attempt to overturn our democracy…The silence from Republicans over what we have been hearing from the January 6th committee is deafening. It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that they were willing to permit Trump to overturn the will of the voters—to overturn our democratic form of government—if it meant they could retain power. We ignore this willingness to destroy our democracy at our peril.” Letters from An American
Joyce Vance, former US attorney: “Trump, like anyone else, is permitted to pick up the phone and call friends, acquaintances and former employees. That means there has to be more than just the bare fact that a call was placed here to raise this incident to the level of something that merits referral to DOJ…The statute most often used by DOJ in witness tampering situations is 18 USC 1512. You can read the full statute here…The statute is intentionally far reaching; it contemplates all the different ways someone might try to tamper with a witness, even an effort to delay testimony, so prosecution can be had.” Civil Discourse
Andrew Weissmann, a former senior prosecutor in the 2016 election Mueller probe: “‘[I]n order to have a criminal conspiracy, there has to be some meeting of the minds.’ ‘So for instance,’ Weissmann continued, ‘the conversation that Cassidy Hutchinson described on Jan. 5, I believe, where the former president asked Mark Meadows to speak to Michael Flynn and Roger Stone … That is a conversation I’d be particularly interested in getting.’” Politico Nightly
