January 6th Committee Broadcast

[Phi for All]

43 minutes ago, TheVat said:

  I also wondered, as Phi did, if bringing in Cassidy was setting up some action by Garland.   She had not only damning testimony but looks like she wandered off the set of The West Wing, yet not at all trying to put on a show or dramatize.   And the allusion to attempts at witness tampering before her deposition - "they reminded me a couple of times that Trump does read transcripts..." - adds to her power as a sympathetic figure standing up to intimidation.  

It was clear she didn't want to be saying those things about her former bosses. It was also clear she's done trying to defend Nero's fiddling around while Rome burned. She wanted to work that close to the Oval Office, and instead got a three ring freak show where the Ringmaster is also the biggest clown in the tent.

[StringJunky]

5 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

It was clear she didn't want to be saying those things about her former bosses. It was also clear she's done trying to defend Nero's fiddling around while Rome burned. She wanted to work that close to the Oval Office, and instead got a three ring freak show where the Ringmaster is also the biggest clown in the tent.

Comparing Cassidy H. with Trump: Guess who's the one with the fur coat and no knickers? She's a credit to her profession.

[toucana]

 

 

Apparently a spokesman for the US Secret Service is now telling media outlets that Tony Ornato, the former WH deputy head of operations, and Bobby Engel the driver, are prepared to offer testimony disputing the latest account of what happened inside the presidential SUV on 1/6.

 

The one big problem is that Cassidy Hutchinson was deposed under oath in a public hearing, and spoke under penalty of perjury if she lied. The Jan 6 committe and Miss Hutchinson’s lawyers have now invited these two SS agents to do likewise - Don’t hold your breath, because I don’t think either of them will be in any great hurry to do so.

 

Tony Ornato was actually removed from the presidential protection detail within minutes of president Biden taking office in 2021, because Ornato was widely seen as a total Trump sycophant who simply could not be trusted with the responsibility of protecting his successor. Even senior Republicans distrusted him, notably VP Mike Pence who flatly refused to get into a limousine sent by Ornato to remove him from a Capitol basement parking bay in the middle of the 1/6 mayhem. “I trust  you” Mike Pence told his own personal SS guard, “But you aren’t the one driving the car”. Pence seriously feared that once driven away from the Capitol, he would  be placed on a plane and flown to a ‘secure location’ in Alaska. He chose to remain in the Capitol and complete the electoral count.

 

There are credible reports that a number of members of Trump’s SS security detail were such gung-ho supporters of the MAGA movement, that they were posting messages on their personal social media accounts, cheering the insurrectionists along on their march to the Capitol - even though the SS agents, of all people - would have known from 11 a.m. onwards that there were people carrying  AR-15 rifles and Glock pistols in that crowd.

 

Attached is a clip of a panel discussion from last night that includes Carol Leonnig the Pulitzer prize award winning journalist for the WP who has also written two books about the Secret Service. They discuss these issues in some detail.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h0ci208Txo

Edited June 29, 2022 by toucana

[swansont]

1 hour ago, toucana said:

Apparently a spokesman for the US Secret Service is now telling media outlets that Tony Ornato, the former WH deputy head of operations, and Bobby Engel the driver, are prepared to offer testimony disputing the latest account of what happened inside the presidential SUV on 1/6.

They had already appeared before the committee. It’s doubtful they would have let her testify if it wasn’t corroborated.

The republican responses have not been under oath, and sometimes, like this, unattributed. Take them with a huge grain of salt. Pay attention only if they, too, testify under penalty of perjury  

[geordief]

1 hour ago, toucana said:

 

 

Apparently a spokesman for the US Secret Service is now telling media outlets that Tony Ornato, the former WH deputy head of operations, and Bobby Engel the driver, are prepared to offer testimony disputing the latest account of what happened inside the presidential SUV on 1/6.

 

The one big problem is that Cassidy Hutchinson was deposed under oath in a public hearing, and spoke under penalty of perjury if she lied. The Jan 6 committe and Miss Hutchinson’s lawyers have now invited these two SS agents to do likewise - Don’t hold your breath, because I don’t think either of them will be in any great hurry to do so.

 

Tony Ornato was actually removed from the presidential protection detail within minutes of president Biden taking office in 2021, because Ornato was widely seen as a total Trump sycophant who simply could not be trusted with the responsibility of protecting his successor. Even senior Republicans distrusted him, notably VP Mike Pence who flatly refused to get into a limousine sent by Ornato to remove him from a Capitol basement parking bay in the middle of the 1/6 mayhem. “I trust  you” Mike Pence told his own personal SS guard, “But you aren’t the one driving the car”. Pence seriously feared that once driven away from the Capitol, he would  be placed on a plane and flown to a ‘secure location’ in Alaska. He chose to remain in the Capitol and complete the electoral count.

 

There are credible reports that a number of members of Trump’s SS security detail were such gung-ho supporters of the MAGA movement, that they were posting messages on their personal social media accounts, cheering the insurrectionists along on their march to the Capitol - even though the SS agents, of all people - would have known from 11 a.m. onwards that there were people carrying  AR-15 rifles and Glock pistols in that crowd.

 

Attached is a clip of a panel discussion from last night that includes Carol Leonnig the Pulitzer prize award winning journalist for the WP who has also written two books about the Secret Service. They discuss these issues in some detail.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h0ci208Txo

Carol  Leonnig was pretty impressive.

[TheVat]

A first year law student could poke holes in Ornato's credibility.  Ornato was so pro-Trump that the president removed him from the Secret Service and made him his political adviser, then deputy chief of staff. Ornato helped orchestrate that infamous moment where riot police gassed peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters from in front of the White House so that Trump could have a photo op in front of a historic church.  He also helped plan many Trump political rallies before later returning to the Secret Service.

But what we really have are anonymous hacks feeding fantasy rumors to the Fox News bubble.  They do this because they know how truly damning a lot of the testimony has been.  Anything to sow seeds of doubt, and to repeat as often as possible.

[iNow]

In an attempt to blunt the response to these hearings and distract from the damning testimony, Trump has accelerated his campaign planning and is likely to announce he’s running soon (per fivethirtyeight)

[Janus]

On 6/29/2022 at 12:39 PM, swansont said:

They had already appeared before the committee. It’s doubtful they would have let her testify if it wasn’t corroborated.

The republican responses have not been under oath, and sometimes, like this, unattributed. Take them with a huge grain of salt. Pay attention only if they, too, testify under penalty of perjury  

Adding to the mix, apparently there are sources in the Secret Service that have said they had also heard the story about Trump's behavior in the SUV.    Did the story possibly grow in the retelling? It happens.  But again, Hutchinson was clear that she was only repeating what she was told.  The fact that others say they heard the same, at the very least, seems to confirm that the story was floating around.

[geordief]

5 minutes ago, Janus said:

Adding to the mix, apparently there are sources in the Secret Service that have said they had also heard the story about Trump's behavior in the SUV.    Did the story possibly grow in the retelling? It happens.  But again, Hutchinson was clear that she was only repeating what she was told.  The fact that others say they heard the same, at the very least, seems to confirm that the story was floating around.

To tell the truth I am slightly disappointed that Trump actually tried to go to the Capitol as  I had him down as a physical coward who would lead from the back.

 

Maybe the source is the big Doh ,trying to big himself up?   

[swansont]

7 hours ago, geordief said:

To tell the truth I am slightly disappointed that Trump actually tried to go to the Capitol as  I had him down as a physical coward who would lead from the back.

 

Maybe the source is the big Doh ,trying to big himself up?   

I think he wanted to be there so the crowd would be cheering him, and he could exhort them to march on. I don’t think he had any intention of physically leading the charge into the building.

[geordief]

10 minutes ago, swansont said:

I think he wanted to be there so the crowd would be cheering him, and he could exhort them to march on. I don’t think he had any intention of physically leading the charge into the building.

Was his principle aim to "stop the confirmation "?

Might he have thought  his physical presence would have created the chaos needed to interrupt the ceremony and buy time  that could be used to raise further spurious objections to the formality of the handling over of power?

Was he more greedy or fearful I wonder -or just omnipotent in his own head.

 

Edited July 2, 2022 by geordief

[iNow]

1 hour ago, geordief said:

Was his principle aim to "stop the confirmation "?

His aim was to retain power in any way possible. He tried to do this in at least 4 different ways. Storming the capitol or having his supporters storm the capitol was one of them. The committee hearings confirmed he and his team were talking about exactly this several days beforehand 

[Peterkin]

1 hour ago, geordief said:

Was his principle aim to "stop the confirmation "?

His principle aim, forever and always, is to be the in the middle of the picture, bigger and more important than everybody else.

[iNow]

But that’s not really thread relevant since he could’ve done all that without pushing his followers to hang his vice president. 

[Peterkin]

Not really. For Trump, central, biggest and most important is The President of the Great-Again America. He was about to be pushed off the great big presidential podium with all the world's cameras pointed at it. That's the single thing he wanted not to happen - at any price, by any means, ever. And he still hasn't given it up.

Edited July 3, 2022 by Peterkin

[iNow]

18 minutes ago, Peterkin said:

For Trump, central, biggest and most important is The President of the Great-Again America. He was about to be pushed off the great big presidential podium with all the world's cameras pointed at it. That's the single thing he wanted not to happen

Agreed, but that’s different from this comment below, despite obvious overlap in the circles of that Venn diagram:

 

2 hours ago, Peterkin said:

His principle aim, forever and always, is to be the in the middle of the picture, bigger and more important than everybody else.

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by iNow

[Peterkin]

1 hour ago, iNow said:

Agreed, but that’s different from this comment below, despite obvious overlap in the circles of that Venn diagram:

How is it different? There is no Venn diagram. Trump is primarily, overwhelmingly, a narcissist. The whole reason he wanted the presidency - it sure wasn't from party conviction

Quote

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_career_of_Donald_Trump   Trump's political party affiliation has changed numerous times. He registered as a Republican in Manhattan in 1987, switched to the Reform Party in 1999, the Democratic Party in 2001, and back to the Republican Party in 2009.^[13]

- was simply and almost entirely, for the purpose of being the central, biggest, most important face in every picture.  That's why he had to lie about the turnout at his inauguration and kept rallying after he won the election: he needs a booster shot of adulation at least once a month.

[iNow]

6 hours ago, Peterkin said:

How is it different? There is no Venn diagram.

Yet you apparently need me to draw you a picture. I can explain it for you, but I can’t understand it for you. 

There are meaningful and important differences between “wanting to be in the middle of what’s happening and more important than those around you” and “wanting to hold on to the US presidency,” despite the obvious overlap previously acknowledged. 

I have no current plans to further comment on this peripheral topic, so please feel free to keep having the last word and refusing to acknowledge any sloppiness or imprecision in your comment until your heart’s content.

[Peterkin]

19 minutes ago, iNow said:

Yet you apparently need me to draw you a picture. I can explain it for you, but I can’t understand it for you.

Thank you for trying, anyway.

Only this feeble defense for my lack of comprehension. 

20 minutes ago, iNow said:

“wanting to be in the middle of what’s happening and more important than those around you”

is not precisely what I said, nor is it synonymous with an overwhelming need to be the biggest and most important face in every picture. He needed the presidency primarily because it is the biggest mirror in the world; he couldn't bear to have it taken away from him, and for the same reason. I don't believe that's peripheral; I believe vanity is the central motivation for everything Trump does.  

[J.C.MacSwell]

On 6/28/2022 at 9:09 PM, J.C.MacSwell said:

I kind of hoped Trump would simply go away. It might be better if he just did.

Can he plea bargain an agreement to STFU?

That of course was wishful thinking. I think Peterkin is right on the money on this part of this post: +1

9 hours ago, Peterkin said:

...with an overwhelming need to be the biggest and most important face in every picture. He needed the presidency primarily because it is the biggest mirror in the world; he couldn't bear to have it taken away from him, and for the same reason. 

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by J.C.MacSwell

[toucana]

The Bannon Gambit

 

On Tuesday, the Mother Jones website released a leaked audio clip of Steve Bannon discussing Trump’s post election strategy in private with some close associates on Saturday October 31 2020.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/07/leaked-audio-steve-bannon-trump-2020-election-declare-victory/

The audio clip discloses what some commentators have previously called the ‘Pigeon Gambit’ in chess -  a term that was originally coined by Scott D. Weitzenhoffer in 2005 to describe the problem of trying to debate evolution with creationists:

"it’s like playing chess with a pigeon. It knocks the pieces over, craps on the board, then flies back to its flock to claim victory”.

The chilling part of the newly released audio clip - as Bannon gleefully makes clear - is  that if Donald Trump had succeeded in his plot to corruptly seize power in November 2020, then there would have been no more elections in USA - ever.

[exchemist]

1 hour ago, toucana said:

The Bannon Gambit

 

On Tuesday, the Mother Jones website released a leaked audio clip of Steve Bannon discussing Trump’s post election strategy in private with some close associates on Saturday October 31 2020.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/07/leaked-audio-steve-bannon-trump-2020-election-declare-victory/

The audio clip discloses what some commentators have previously called the ‘Pigeon Gambit’ in chess -  a term that was originally coined by Scott D. Weitzenhoffer in 2005 to describe the problem of trying to debate evolution with creationists:

"it’s like playing chess with a pigeon. It knocks the pieces over, craps on the board, then flies back to its flock to claim victory”.

The chilling part of the newly released audio clip - as Bannon gleefully makes clear - is  that if Donald Trump had succeeded in his plot to corruptly seize power in November 2020, then there would have been no more elections in USA - ever.

I'm not sure there is anything new here. We all knew Trump would pretend the early Republican lead, and subsequent erosion of it by postal ballots, would be a sign of election-rigging. We also all know Bannon has wanted for years to bring down the whole structure and that he revels in the prospect of chaos and right wing dictatorship.

Bannon is a nutter. 

[iNow]

3 hours ago, exchemist said:

Bannon is a nutter. 

And sadly not enough citizens have nut allergies nor the common sense to avoid the anaphylaxis it so often generates. 

[iNow]

The US Secret Service deleted multiple txt messages sent on January 5 and January 6 AFTER they’d been requested by the January 6 probe, and I don’t buy their story that it was an “oopsie” during routine maintenance. 
 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-secret-service-deleted-emails-sought-jan-6-probe-watchdog-says-2022-07-15/

[toucana]

According to Mother Jones reporter Dan Friedman, Steve Bannon made these remarks shortly before the US 2020 presidential election in the HQ of G News, a right-wing disnformation network associated with an emigre Chinese billionaire called Guo Wengui (郭文贵)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09jjIi88Sa8

Guo Wengui fled China in 2017 and is currently wanted there on charges of bribery, kidnapping, money- laundering, fraud and rape. He subsequently settled in USA and became a member of Trump’s exclusive Mar-a-Lago club in Florida before setting up G News in tandem with Steve Bannon. This media outlet played a prominent role in promoting disinformation about COVID-19 during the pandemic - specifically  fabricating and circulating false claims that the COVID was deliberately created by a Chinese biological warfare lab in Wuhan. He has also promoted conspiracy theories against Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and G News also actively disseminates QAnon propaganda.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guo_Wengui

in  August 2020 Steve Bannon was arrested by FBI agents in Maine in connection with his border wall fraud scheme onboard a $28 million yacht called Lady May owned by Guo Wengui - Bannon was subsequently pardoned by Trump.

In February 2022 Guo Wengui was reported  to be facing a $134 million fine from a US NYSC judge for illegally hiding this same yacht in the Bahamas outside of US jurisdiction as part of a fraudulent asset concealment scheme.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/guo-wengui-bannon-judge-order-b2012475.html

Edited July 15, 2022 by toucana
typo - 'vaccines'