By Joe Miller
January 6 Committee: No One Is Above The Law
On Monday, the Jan. 6 Committee unanimously referred former President Donald Trump, far-right attorney John Eastman, and several other members of his inner circle to the Department of Justice for obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement, and incitement of an insurrection. The referrals mark a critical turning point in holding MAGA Republicans accountable as other investigations near completion as well.
In Georgia, the Fulton County grand jury investigating Trump and his MAGA allies’ 2020 election interference is winding down as state prosecutors begin drafting a final report detailing the findings and recommended indictments. The Jan. 6 Committee report cites Georgia as critical evidence of Trump’s criminal intent to overturn the 2020 election results. A new report exposing thousands of former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ leaked text messages revealed that some Georgia Republicans shared wild conspiracy theories with the White House as former President Donald Trump tried to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
The committee also referred four top House Republicans to the ethics committee for failure to comply with lawful committee subpoenas, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, extremist incoming House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs. As McCarthy struggles to hold competing GOP factions together in his bid for Speaker of the House, the Republican National Committee is being consumed by an increasingly nasty leadership fight as well.
Even as investigations roil MAGA Republican leaders, election deniers are still chasing lies and conspiracy theories in an effort to overturn the will of voters. An Arizona judge declared that defeated Governor candidate Kari Lake can move forward with her lawsuit attempting to overturn the midterm election results, ruling that she has the right to “inspect ballots” after ordering a two-day trial in which Secretary of State and Governor-elect Katie Hobbs will not be required to testify. Lake’s lawsuit is not the only remaining high-profile election case, with a second lawsuit from defeated Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh headed to trial — though judges finally permanently dismissed Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem’s election lawsuit last week.
Elsewhere, threats to democracy persist:
In Florida, authoritarian Governor Ron DeSantis is still pushing to convict 20 formerly incarcerated citizens of voter fraud after months of court setbacks. One case ended with a plea deal, three have been dismissed, and the remaining cases face significant roadblocks even if they make it to trial.
In Pennsylvania, nine counties delayed certification of the midterm election results — including Pittsburgh-based Allegheny County, which has a 2020 fake elector on the county council — following a “significant increase” in the number of (often legally invalid or improperly filed) recount petitions.
In Nevada, rural Nye County appointed MAGA election denier and defeated state Treasurer candidate Michelle Fiore as a local Justice of the Peace, despite her lack of a law degree or legal experience.
And finally, the North Carolina state Supreme Court struck down a restrictive voter ID law as unconstitutional, ruling that the law amounts to intentional and unlawful racial discrimination just days after the court ordered the gerrymandered State Senate map to be redrawn. The voter ID law was partially struck-down earlier this year, and voter suppression in the state is all-but-certain to be re-litigated in the high court’s next session with an incoming conservative-majority.
