Capitol Insurrection Report

"It was just a delay that somebody or somebodies were willfully, deliberately delaying making the decision." (Transcript of Major General William Walker before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack, p 118) For three hours and 19 minutes, the NC National Guard waited in the DC Armory on January 6th, 2021, supposedly awaiting approval from Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy to deploy to the US Capitol. That order was never conveyed to Walker, although Secretary of Defense Chris Miller claims he authorized deployment at 3:04 pm, and Secretary McCarthy claims he called Walker to authorize deployment at 4:30 pm--a phone call Walker has consistently denied took place. Who were the "somebody or somebodies" who delayed deployment on January 6th, and what were their motivations? Given the conflicting accounts and the threadbare relationship between the official account of the DOD and what actually happened on January 6th, it seems unlikely we will ever see a definitive account of why the delay was felt to be necessary. Nonetheless, there is circumstantial evidence in the documentary record that shows that both the civilian and military leadership on duty on January 6th were uniform in their desire to keep both active-duty and National Guard servicemembers on the sidelines in the fight for the Capitol. The fact that this actually happened, and very much aligned with the preferences of top leadership is probably more than just a coincidence. If Trump had intended to misuse the military, why is there no record of his attempting to issue an illegal order on January 6th? Why did Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy believe it was necessary to personally develop a CONOP for January 6th, a circumstance that seems as unlikely as Jeff Bezos delivering your Amazon order? Why is it that neither General Walker or anyone else has seen the plan McCarthy supposedly developed in 20 minutes? Why was Ryan McCarthy so surprised to "I don't know what actually happened." (Miller, 115) "I -- I can't -- I don't know how to explain that." (McCarthy, 136) "You're coming up with a plan without me being involved in the plan?" (Walker, 108) Q: Was there any hesitation by DOD leadership to deploy the D.C. National Guard? A: None. No. (Milley, 258) "In fact, even in hindsight, I am really glad the cops showed up first. I'm glad that the FBI or the DEA or whoever it was, I'm glad they were the ones that showed up first and cleared the Capitol. Because they're the pros, they know how to do it. They're cops." (Milley, 275) https://www.govinfo.gov/collection/january-6th-committee-final-report?path=/gpo/January%206th%20Committee%20Final%20Report%20and%20Supporting%20Materials%20Collection/Supporting%20Materials%20-%20Transcribed%20Interviews%20and%20Depositions/%7B%22pageSize%22%3A%2250%22%2C%22offset%22%3A%220%22%7D https://www.govinfo.gov/collection/january-6th-committee-final-report?path=/gpo/January%206th%20Committee%20Final%20Report%20and%20Supporting%20Materials%20Collection/Supporting%20Materials%20-%20Transcribed%20Interviews%20and%20Depositions/%7B%22pageSize%22%3A%2250%22%2C%22offset%22%3A%220%22%7D https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2022/08/08/milley-almost-quit-over-trump-wrote-biting-resignation-letter-new-book-reveals/ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/chairman-joint-chiefs-says-no-role-military-presidential-election-n1238772 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMrvbCVNcwE&t=1s https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/09/mark-esper-fired-defence-pentagon-donald-trump https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/politics/chris-krebs-fired-by-trump/index.html DOD Statement on Personnel Changes at the Pentagon > U.S. Department of Defense > Release https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/d-c-mayor-muriel-bowser-press-conference-on-capitol-protests-transcript-january-6 https://docs.house.gov/meetings/IJ/IJ00/20211213/114313/HRPT-117-NA.pdf

I interview Aquilino Gonell, formerly of the United States Capitol Police. Gonell has published American Shield, an autobiography recounting his life story from his childhood in the Dominican Republic, and New York City, his service in the Second Iraq War, and also detailing his leadership role in a Civil Disturbance Unit on January 6th, 2021, as well as the aftermath of the attack and his decision to testify before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack. Sergeant Gonell is a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal and the Congressional Gold Medal. https://www.counterpointpress.com/books/american-shield/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741940/escudo-americano-by-aquilino-gonell/ https://www.uscp.gov/department/united-states-capitol-police-memorial-fund https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/03/politics/capitol-police-officers-exclusive-interview-january-6/index.html https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-117hhrg50139/html/CHRG-117hhrg50139.htm https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/01/06/remarks-by-president-biden-at-presentation-of-the-presidential-citizens-medal/

For the third anniversary of the January 6th Attack, I speak with Riverfox, a sedition hunter whose current role includes a crowdsourced effort to debunk the "Fedsurrection" narrative. We discuss what this campaign of far-right propaganda is, why it is central to the politics of the Trumpist movement, and how to counter it. After the interview, I will review some recent developments, to include the arrests of three longstanding Florida fugitives for charges stemming from their alleged roles in the January sixth attack. I also review some recent developments in the January 6th cases against Trump: 2023 was the year in which cases were finally charged against the apex of the January 6th Attack conspiracy, but 2024 will be the year in which these cases are tried. I'll then discuss what it means for the electoral prospects of a major party nominee who will be campaigning for the presidency while embroiled in multiple felony cases in different jurisdictions. Finally, I will review the numbers, using some interesting data visualizations from the people behind the X account @jan6thdata that show some intriguing patterns among January 6th defendants. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/former-capitol-police-officer-harry-dunn-announces-bid-for-congress/ar-AA1mvgED https://news.gallup.com/poll/311825/presidential-job-approval-related-reelection-historically.aspx https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/supreme-court-denies-special-counsels-request-to-take-up-trump-immunity-claim/ar-AA1lUOoc https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/2024-01-05/supreme-court-takes-up-colorados-decision-to-kick-trump-off-its-primary-ballot https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/121120zr_p860.pdf https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/11/supreme-court-refuses-quick-action-on-trump-election-lawsuits.html https://cha.house.gov/cha-subcommittee-reading-room-fe781e74-d577-4f64-93cc-fc3a8dd8df18 https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67891889/united-states-v-donald-trump/ https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24250215-us-v-trump-gov-appellate-response-to-trump-immunity-dc-case?responsive=1&title=1 https://archive.org/embed/TheKGBAndSovietDisinformationLadislavBittman

This episode's guest is Julie Farnam, who was a witness before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack, in which she testified regarding intelligence she had obtained before January 6th that attendees intended to come to the event armed, that white supremacists planned to attend, that participants were sharing maps of the Capitol tunnels, and many other data points that ought to have been sufficient for the USCP to adequately prepare. This interview is occasioned by the publication of her forthcoming book, “Domestic Darkness: An Insider’s Account of the January 6 Insurrection and the Future of Right-Wing-Extremism,” which is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold, with a publication date of January 2nd, 2024. Farnam had served as the Assistant Director of the Intelligence and Interagency Coordination Division (IICD) for the USCP during the run-up to, and then in the aftermath of, the January 6th, 2021 attack on the Capitol. Following the resignation of her immediate superior, Jack Donohue, in the Spring of 2021, Farnam assumed the position of Acting Director of the Intelligence and Interagency Coordination Division for the USCP. Then, when she was passed over for Donohue’s job in March of 2022, Farnam returned to her Assistant Director position, which she later left. We discuss Farnam's experiences in her government career, and the "culture of mediocrity" that was evident in the failure of USCP leadership to act on the intelligence IICD had provided in the assessment she wrote and submitted on January 3rd, 2021. We also discuss how it was that she came to be interviewed by the FBI regarding an MPD officer who allegedly gave sensitive law enforcement information regarding investigations and pending arrests with the Chairman of the Proud Boys. Also discussed: a pressure campaign by USCP intended to force Farnam not to submit her manuscript for publication, in incident involving Russian nationals behaving suspiciously on January 6th, an interview she conducted with a DOD source who told her that Charles Flynn and Bradley Gericke were concerned that an as-yet not public intelligence report was too focused on the danger to the Capitol from the crowd that would attend Trump's Ellipse speech, and insufficiently concerned with Antifa and BLM. https://www.igpub.com/tag/julie-farnam/ https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-J6-TRANSCRIPT-CTRL0000034626/ https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21174477/uscp-jan6-intelreports-cnn.pdf https://www.rules.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Jan%206%20HSGAC%20Rules%20Report.pdf https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/30/capitol-police-trump-insurrection-485138

Following the latest developments in the January 6th story, including the arrest of the 1,200th January 6th Attack defendant, a key ruling by the DC Circuit Court in the Blassingame civil case in DC, the rejection of Trump's claim of absolute immunity in the election interference case in DC, the rape allegation against the Chairman of the Florida Republican Party, and the claim by the House Speaker that he will release all the security video from the Capitol taken on January 6th, 2021, but only after he blurs the faces of the Trumpist mob so that these individuals will not be identified and charged by the Department of Justice. In the final segment, I will read from a transcript from an audio recording of an online "space" taken from the website formerly known as Twitter. There's an ongoing effort led by a Texas Three Percenter and several supporters of the Proud Boys paramilitary gang to harass federal law enforcement officials at federal prisons, and also to collect their names for unspecified purposes. The participants claim that this is being done in an effort to secure the early release of Proud Boys and other January 6th defendants, even though that's not how this works. I will also play excerpts from the space so listeners can hear these Trumpist "activists" harassing federal officers who are sworn to protect the community. https://www.businessinsider.com/moms-for-liberty-gop-chairman-threesome-christian-bridget-ziegler-conservatism-2023-12 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/12/06/sarasota-gop-joins-ron-desantis-in-pushing-ziegler-to-resign/71822927007/ https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.38510/gov.uscourts.cadc.38510.2029472.0.pdf https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258148/gov.uscourts.dcd.258148.171.0.pdf https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258148/gov.uscourts.dcd.258148.176.0.pdf https://www.modeldmedia.com/features/timeline-of-calls-to-action-at-tcf-center.aspx https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/19/2123875/-Faketriots-stage-protest-of-Jan-6-veterans-by-trying-to-clog-up-VA-suicide-prevention-hotline

We get caught up on arrests in the January 6th Attack, which have picked up again. I also discuss the attempt by an AFO defendant in New Jersey to flee from the FBI, and the sentencings of some notable defendants. Also: leaked proffer videos in the Fulton County case, and the effort to get cameras in the courtroom in the Trump's DC case. Most of the episode consists of a review of the figures connected with the Tomotley Plot, a ring of attorneys and former military intelligence officials who worked together to overturn the 2020 presidential election at Lucian "Lin" Wood's plantation in South Carolina. I draw on dozens of transcripts to show how extensively Powell and her co-conspirators are connected to every part of the January 6th story. The story of what happened at Tomotley is one that's had little coverage, but it was every bit as important to the progress of the Trumpist plot as Trump International or the war room at the Willard. Apparently no one took even a moment to consider the wisdom of a group of white, southern lawyers working together with retired military officials in an attempt to disenfranchise millions of American voters, particularly black voters, at a locale so thoroughly associated with the Confederacy that General Sherman burnt the place to the ground in 1865. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/special-counsel-says-trump-wants-jan-6-trial-to-be-a-media-event-as-it-argues-against-live-court-tv/ar-AA1jRGcm https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.260552/gov.uscourts.dcd.260552.16.0.pdf https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.260552/gov.uscourts.dcd.260552.22.0.pdf https://www.rawstory.com/lin-woods-tweet/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/prosecutor-asks-judge-to-revoke-bond-for-harrison-floyd-in-georgia-election-case/ar-AA1jZN9w https://abc7chicago.com/jenna-ellis-sydney-powell-donald-trump-2020-election/14054154/ https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/who-is-misty-hampton-former-coffee-county-elections-director-indicted-for-election-interference https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/10/16/a-stay-at-lin-woods-maga-friendly-bed-and-breakfast https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/lin-wood-loses-again-as-federal-appeals-court-savages-georgia-election-lawsuit/ https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/05/politics/lin-wood-law-license/index.html https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/wisconsin-federal-judge-picks-apart-sidney-powell-and-lin-woods-lawsuit-in-brutal-order/ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-TRANSCRIPT-CTRL0000082296/pdf/GPO-J6-TRANSCRIPT-CTRL0000082296.pdf https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/03/politics/michigan-voting-machine-plot-charged-lambert/index.html https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/trump-indictment-georgia-protective-order-plea-deal-interviews https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21201004/documents-for-eo-story.pdf https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/09/14/2018-20203/imposing-certain-sanctions-in-the-event-of-foreign-interference-in-a-united-states-election

In this episode, I will read the final chapter of Franz Neumann's Behemoth, which I see as a touchstone for understanding Trumpism. Writing in exile, Neumann described Germany as a nullity, a place with no underlying political theory, no theory of society, and ultimately not even properly a state. He describes it as a nation where a coalition of elites rule through careful application of propaganda, which is used to control the people directly, without the mediation of the state. https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.10130/page/9/mode/2up https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691134130/secret-reports-on-nazi-germany https://web.archive.org/web/20020809080635/http://www.wbenjamin.org/Behemoth.html

In this episode, I chat with sedition hunter Jewelz about the sedition VIPs who are still at large and apparently uncharged, which is concerning, given the expiration of the 5-year federal statute of limitations on January 6, 2026. I also discuss the recent plea deals of Sidney Powell, Ken Chesebro and Jenna Ellis in the Georgia election interference case in Fulton County. We also catch up on developments in the cases of certain January 6th defendants. I also examine the transcripts from the January 6th Committee for clues regarding Powell’s overall connections to the broader conspiracy to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, in which she is a major node. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.246841/gov.uscourts.dcd.246841.38.0.pdf https://www.bop.gov/policy/progstat/6010_003.pdf https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oath-keepers-leader-stewart-rhodes-resist-bidens-presidency-push-trump-to-act/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/kenneth-chesebro-takes-last-minute-plea-deal-in-georgia-election-interference-case/ar-AA1izKpy https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/jenna-ellis-former-trump-attorney-with-deep-colorado-ties-pleads-guilty-in-election-case/ar-AA1iN5if https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/sidney-powell-continues-to-peddle-election-conspiracies-despite-guilty-plea/ar-AA1iQlum

In the intro to this episode, we hear Donald Trump declare the beginning of communism in our country in response to the failure of his own attorneys to request a jury trial in the civil case brought by Leticia James being heard before Judge Engoron. We will then review almost every new criminal defendant charged since the last episode: in the beginning of September, these were mainly AFO defendants, but moved to parading defendants later in the month. The trend of defendants who are connected to other defendants or who displayed organized behavior continued. We then move on to Trump’s request that Judge Chutkan recuse herself based on the idea that her ruling against members of the January 6th mob somehow constituted bias on her part, a motion that she unsurprisingly ruled against. We then move on to another motion in the same case, a motion by the government to impose a protective order to prohibit Trump from threatening witnesses, tampering with the jury pool, and generally attempting to try the case on Fox News and OANN rather than in the courtroom. Trump’s legal team also claimed that the indictment against Trump was itself somehow prejudicial, and the government opposed this claim, and used thew opportunity to offer a very succinct summary of the allegations contained in the indictment. We then move on to the imposition of the gag order on the New York civil case, which was occasioned by Trump’s allegation that the clerk in the case is “Chuck Schumer’s girlfriend.” Next, we move on to the Fulton County case, and the plea agreement reached with Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman who is the brother-in-law of longtime Trump associate David Bossie. Hall has admitted wrongdoing in illegally accessing election equipment in Coffee County, Georgia. Hall is also linked to Sidney Powell and Jeffrey Clark, two other defendants in the Fulton County RICO case: although he is a “small fish,” he is in a very unique vantage point to offer evidence against the alleged conspiracy. Finally, we address the sentencing of Shane Leedon Jenkins, a Texas lifelong felon who has a category VI criminal history who was found guilty of assaulting law enforcement on January 6th, and who was the subject of the second episode of this podcast. The government recommended Jenkins receive 19 years, 8 months in their 42-page sentencing memorandum, but ultimately Jenkins was awarded far less, despuite the fact that he is a grifter whose history begins with killing his stepfather and who is utterly unrepentant, raising over $118,888 from donors who support his criminal activities. 61-Order Denying Recusal - DocumentCloud gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.60.0_2.pdf (courtlistener.com) United States v. TRUMP, 1:23-cr-00257 – CourtListener.com gov.uscourts.dcd.258148.64.0_2.pdf (courtlistener.com) Gentile v. State Bar of Nevada :: 501 U.S. 1030 (1991) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center trump-ny-fraud-ruling.pdf (documentcloud.org) Why a fraud finding is like ‘corporate death penalty’ for Trump (msn.com) Did Judge Kill The Trump Organization? What Fraud Ruling Means For Ex-President’s Business (forbes.com) Trump returns to court for $250 million fraud trial after judge imposes gag order (msn.com) Trump Rages No Jury in Fraud Case 'Beginning of Communism' (mediaite.com) GPO-J6-TRANSCRIPT-CTRL0000082296.pdf (govinfo.gov) CNN Exclusive: Trump operative seen on video in Georgia voting system breach testifies before special grand jury | CNN Politics https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.gand.283580/gov.uscourts.gand.283580.6.18.pdf http://www.senatorligon.com/THE_SENATE%20JUDICIARY%20SUBCOMMITTEE_FINAL%20REPORT.PDF What the Heck Happened in Coffee County, Georgia? | Lawfare (lawfaremedia.org) MM010952 - (Mark Meadows Production), MM010972 (November 3, 2020, Jason Miller group text message to Mark Meadows and David Bossie at 11:53 pm) - Content Details - (govinfo.gov) gov.uscourts.dcd.229273.86.0.pdf (courtlistener.com)

Over the summer of 2023, the pace of arrests quickened once again, with over 8 Capitol attackers arrested on average every week. These arrests included a great many individuals who assaulted police on January 6th, 2021, and a number of VIP defendants. We will catch up on these cases, and review a few other developments, including news that Molly Michael is offering evidence against Trump in the stolen documents case. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.259850/gov.uscourts.dcd.259850.5.0.pdf https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-wrote-lists-assistant-white-house-documents-marked/story?id=103226113 https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/political-information-10-1945.htm https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/17/fbi-agents-testify-security-clearances/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjE2MzAyMDkwIiwicmVhc29uIjoiZ2lmdCIsIm5iZiI6MTY4NDM4MjQwMCwiaXNzIjoic3Vic2NyaXB0aW9ucyIsImV4cCI6MTY4NTY3ODM5OSwiaWF0IjoxNjg0MzgyNDAwLCJqdGkiOiI1MTIyNWNjZC1hMjdlLTQwOGUtOWQ1Zi1jYjlmZDM0ZTc2YTkiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vcG9saXRpY3MvMjAyMy8wNS8xNy9mYmktYWdlbnRzLXRlc3RpZnktc2VjdXJpdHktY2xlYXJhbmNlcy8ifQ.04N4JVU47bSF8sx4R38s1b0bQ5GKACIoLbbiCJP7kiw https://atlantaantifa.org/2023/04/19/inside-southern-sons-active-club-part-i/ https://www.rawstory.com/cindy-chafian-2657493858/ https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/File:CTRL0000034601_-_Transcribed_Interview_of_Cindy_Chafian,_(October_28,_2021).pdf https://www.rawstory.com/cindy-chafian/ https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/31/politics/alex-jones-rally-organization-efforts/index.html

We begin with the bombshell revelation that Trump's main fake elector attorney, Kenneth Chesebro, was on Capitol grounds on January 6th, following Alex Jones, Trump's stand-in, and appearing to send messages to persons unknown, for over an hour. Other topics include the Fulton County indictment, the surrender of Trump and his 18 co-defendants, the Coffee County data breach, the threat to the community posed by Trump and other January 6th defendants, and the decision by violent convicted gang member Christopher Worrell to become a fugitive from justice, rather than to attend his sentencing. The episode concludes with a reading of my transcription of Trump's comments on Tuesday, August 22, when Trump hosted the "Patriot Freedom Project" at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. In his comments, Trump claimed that the January 6th Attack was led by BLM and Antifa, while pledging his devotion and love for January 6th defendants, apparently to include white supremacists, gang members and violent criminals, but somehow excluding the BLM and Antifa members who he claims were behind the January 6th attack, even though he won't identify which defendants were BLM or Antifa. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/kenneth-chesebro-alleged-architect-of-fake-electors-plot-followed-alex-jones-around-capitol-grounds-on-january-6th/ar-AA1frglK https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/06/30/behind-bidens-2020-victory/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/read-the-full-georgia-indictment-against-trump-and-18-allies https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/attorney-for-trump-s-personal-valet-denies-conflicts-in-classified-docs-case/ar-AA1fscdZ https://twitter.com/capitolhunters/status/1692565572536402067 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-was-indicted-georgia-trump-18-co-conspirators-fulton-county/ https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/georgia-election-indictment-highlights-wider-attempts-illegally-access-102291944 https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/21/politics/colorado-elections-breach/index.html https://www.npr.org/2023/08/01/1142599350/deperno-michigan-voting-machine-breach-charges https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-bond-200000-fulton-county-georgia-case/ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66529579 https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2023/07/31/fulton-da-reports-threats-urges-staff-stay-safe-ahead-trump-decisions/ https://www.npr.org/2023/08/18/1194471162/trump-indictment-fulton-county-grand-jurors-threats https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/08/16/pattern-to-attack-the-prosecutors-trump-vs-fulton-county-da-willis/70595855007/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/donald-trump-bemoans-travesty-of-justice-after-georgia-arrest-and-mugshot/ar-AA1fK2Jl https://crooksandliars.com/2023/08/proud-boy-turned-jan-6-fugitive-now https://apnews.com/article/proud-boys-district-of-columbia-capitol-siege-b944fd79b8e132f633bfb0111adfaba8 https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/23/politics/trump-fundraiser-january-6-defendants/index.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/judge-schedules-trump-codefendant-ken-chesebro-for-october-trial-in-racketeering-case/ar-AA1fJqzA

Donald Trump has now been charged with four felony counts for his scheme to defraud the US, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy to deprive voters of the right to vote and to have their votes counted. In this episode, I examine the indictment, the identity of Trump's co-conspirators, and also selections from the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack depositions of fake electors and others involved in the conspiracy to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election. I also examine the prospect of state-level charges against the fake electors and others, as well as the ongoing terrorist threat illustrated by the example of Craig Robertson, a Trump supporter who was shot by the FBI at his home in Provo, Utah while they were raiding his home as a result of his threats against President Biden, Alvin Bragg, and others. https://www.justice.gov/storage/US_v_Trump_23_cr_257.pdf https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/co-conspirator-6-trump-2020-election-indictment-rcna98014 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-are-the-co-conspirators-in-the-trump-indictment/ https://www.npr.org/2023/08/05/1192129237/should-trump-trial-be-televised https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/08/jack-smith-donald-trump-pac-00110279 https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-fake-election-documents-michigan-dana-nessel-1284781/ https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/18/politics/michigan-fake-electors/index.html https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/05/06/georgia-probe-eight-fake-electors-immunity-deals-trump/70190884007/ https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/20493986/nara-records-regarding-invalid-elector-slates-nara-21-0174-a.pdf https://crooksandliars.com/2023/07/michigan-fake-elector-i-was-duped-trump https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/trump-fake-electors-scheme-corrupt-plan-indictment-101936714 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-09/twitter-fined-350-000-in-secret-doj-fight-over-trump-records#xj4y7vzkg https://airmail.news/issues/2023-8-12/legal-weasel https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/fulton-county-timeline-fani-willis-likely-to-present-trump-case-to-grand-jury-next-week/ https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/utah-shooting-fbi-biden-threats-rcna99106

This episode consists mainly of a close reading of "Planned in Plain Sight: A Review of the Intelligence Failures in Advance of Januart 6th, 2021," a report written by the majority staff of the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, chaired by Senator Gary Peters. This report offers the best look yet at the failures of the FBI and DHS I&A in the runup to January 6th, building on the work of the House Select Committee--although it certainly also has its own issues, failing to really assign any responsibility to Christopher Wray or Chad Wolf. Also discussed: the acquittal of onstage Judas James Beeks by Judge Mehta, the strange story of Taylor Taranto, the conviction on all counts of Trump appointee Federico Klein, the charging of 16 fraudulent Trump electors by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and the possibility of a grand jury indictment of Donald Trump by the DC grand jury investigating the obstruction of the peaceful transfer of power on January 6th, 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/former-jesus-christ-superstar-actor-acquitted-jan-6-charges-rcna93956 https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/59731868/united-states-v-caldwell/?page=2 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/georgia-man-arrested-in-relation-to-jan-6-u-s-capitol-breach/ar-AA1dSBDc https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article277292548.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/centre-county-man-faces-january-6th-charges/ar-AA1dAd0p https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sedition-hunters-capitol-attack-jeff-smith-trump-riot_n_6117e45fe4b01da700f646dd https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67545209/united-states-v-taranto/ https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/230627_HSGAC-Majority-Report_Jan-6-Intel.pdf https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Internal%20Review%20Report%2020210930.pdf?ref=foreverwars.ghost.io https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/21028-07 https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/examining-the-january-6-attack-on-the-us-capitol-wray-061521 https://www.axios.com/2023/07/21/trump-appointee-federico-klein-jan-6-guilty https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/20/trump-grand-jury-witness-executive-privilege-00107442

Mainly consisting of a reading of Appendix 1 of the Final Committee Report, which gives a very perfunctory depiction of "intelligence failures" in the runup to January 6th. Also an interview with artist and illustrator Brian Michael Weaver, whose careful research and satirical style are both evident in his "Insurrection Maze!" artwork, a work of comic art that would be the perfect gift for anyone interested in the January 6th attack. We will also review the developments in the invesyigation by Special Counsel Jack Smith, including a selection of readings from the Committee transcript of Mike Roman, a key organizer of the fake elector plot who has been reported as accepting a cooperation deal. Roman is uniquely situated to offer evidence regarding a wide range of potential targets, and also on how the fake elector scheme morphed into a conspiracy to obstruct the certification of electoral votes. https://www.brianmichaelweaver.com/ https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/national/capitol-riots/doj-asks-to-dismiss-charges-against-magalumberjack-dillon-herrington-mobile-alabama-speedy-trial-lucas-denney-christopher-kelly-january-6/65-6ed270cc-1187-4d00-9de2-c1aa1f0d329b https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67503040/united-states-v-herrington/ https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.256518/gov.uscourts.dcd.256518.7.0.pdf https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-classified-documents-case-special-counsel-requests-december-trial/ https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/26/politics/trump-documents-cannon-hearing-july/index.html https://sos.ga.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/SEB2020-059%20ROI%20redacted.pdf https://news.yahoo.com/giuliani-ordered-pay-georgia-election-205815524.html https://www.chron.com/news/article/trump-lawyer-rudy-giuliani-interviewed-in-jan-6-18174184.php https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/exclusive-special-counsel-trades-immunity-for-fake-elector-testimony-as-jan-6-probe-heats-up/ar-AA1cWPyn https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/11/29/hyvy-n29.html https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-capitol-agent-idUSKCN2AV2XC https://lawandcrime.com/u-s-capitol-riot/ex-fbi-supervisor-assaulted-officers-on-jan-6-shouted-kill-em-as-rioters-attacked-police-line-feds/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/defendants/ibrahim-mark-sami https://wtop.com/dc/2023/05/wtop-interview-dc-police-chief-robert-contee-shares-why-hes-leaving-after-33-years/ https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2023-01-05/lynx-software-technologies-appoints-ryan-d-mccarthy-former-secretary-of-the-u-s-army-to-its-board-of-directors-lcj6y5vk https://t.co/vjAKJjLXuN https://news.yahoo.com/capitol-police-said-jan-6-151811832.html

Mainly consisting of a reading of the 37-count indictment of Donald Trump and Waldine Nauta, on the occasion of their arraignment in Miami. Other topics include the resumption of arrests of January 6th suspects, including some who had inexplicably not been charged long after identification, such as Mr. Show actor Jay Johnston and Long Island funeral home director Peter Moloney, #BlackBonoHelmet. Also discussion of the court finding that former Oath Keepers General Counsel Kelleye SoRelle is not competent to stand trial, and Trump's difficulties obtaining and retaining criminal attorneys. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/feds-charge-bobs-burgers-arrested-development-actor-jan-6-capitol-riot-rcna88135 https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/california-man-arrested-felony-charge-actions-during-jan-6-capitol-breach-0 https://www.thedailybeast.com/actor-jay-johnston-banned-from-bobs-burgers-over-capitol-riot https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/09/trump-lawyers-quit-classified-documents-case.html https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/ny-funeral-home-owner-arrested-jan-6-sleuths-ided-rcna88111 https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.256180/gov.uscourts.dcd.256180.1.1.pdf https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/national/capitol-riots/oath-keepers-attorney-deemed-not-competent-to-stand-trial-lawyers-say-kellye-sorelle-stewart-rhodes-militia-january-6-capitol-riot/65-70bcd4a6-a1ff-471e-bd96-97fec4ede855 https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/09/trump-lawyers-quit-classified-documents-case.html https://www.justice.gov/storage/US_v_Trump-Nauta_23-80101.pdf

Mainly consisting of an examination of how Antifa was used in the runup to January 6th, as red herring to distract from the potential for Trumpist violence, and eventually as a scapegoat in a cover story concocted to shift the blame for the attack away from the Trumpist mob that committed the attack. https://kurier.at/chronik/niederoesterreich/erik-prince-kriegsgeraet-niederoesterreich-us-soeldner-chef-wiener-neustadt-gericht/402451938 https://abcnews.go.com/US/eve-hearing-fbi-revoked-security-clearances-3-agents/story?id=99414928https://www.thedailybeast.com/fbi-whistleblowers-admit-taking-money-from-ex-trump-official-kash-patel https://abovethelaw.com/2023/05/quitfired-trump-lawyer-tim-parlatore-says-trump-is-innocent-victim-of-his-bad-advisors/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-attorneys-letter-attorney-general-merrick-garland-meeting-special-counsel-investigations/ https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/24/politics/jennifer-leigh-moore-weaponization-subcommittee/index.html https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shane-lamond-dc-police-proud-boys-enrique-tarrio/ https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/05/protests-washington-dc-federal-agents-law-enforcement-302551 https://www.newsweek.com/russia-donald-trump-enemies-sanctions-response-ukraine-1801818 https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/sort-just-knowing-theyre-around-can-create-sense-security-and https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/soldiers-disciplined-helicopters-hovering-blm-protesters-dc/story?id=77066526 https://media.defense.gov/2021/Nov/19/2002896088/-1/-1/1/DODIG-2022-039%20V2%20508.PDF https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2022/06/dods-acting-ig-is-in-his-position-unlawfully-gao-finds/ https://federalnewsnetwork.com/search-for-accountability/2023/05/robert-storch-inspector-general-of-the-department-of-defense/ https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/markmilleynationaldefenseuniversitygraduationremarks.htm https://www.npr.org/2020/11/09/933105262/trump-terminates-secretary-of-defense-mark-esper https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2022/08/03/dods-missing-jan-6-phone-records-need-investigation-senate-leader-demands/ https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/06/dhs-domestic-intelligence-program-00085544

We recap recent developments, including Pence's grand jury testimony, the Proud Boys seditious conspiracy verdict, the civil case brought by E Jean Carroll and news that Special Jack Smith is investigating the Big Rip-Off. I then have a conversation with a sedition hunter who goes by the handle Patr10tic who has applied his skills in artificial intelligence to develop tools, and who has lately been keeping tabs on the community that has developed a series of bizarre conspiracy theories regarding January sixth, including an especially strange claim that individuals in the mob of attackers were supplied with some very unusual communications equipment on January 6th. The rest of the episode consists of a reading of the many transcripts that mention former Trump White House trade czar Peter Navarro, including his work on the Navarro Report, his contacts with Bannon and other co-conspirators, the Green Bay Sweep, and his efforts to bring as many people to DC as possible for January sixth. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/capitol-rioter-shot-local-deputies-fbi-informed-jan-6-charges-rcna80725 https://www.newsweek.com/pence-testimony-sharply-incriminating-evidence-trump-kirschner-1797201 https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/trumps-embrace-new-hampshire-jan-6-defendant-dangerous-precedent-rcna81955 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zpPoruxy7k https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/63359365/united-states-v-navarro/ https://vimeo.com/470515015 https://www.govinfo.gov/collection/january-6th-committee-final-report?path=/gpo/January%206th%20Committee%20Final%20Report%20and%20Supporting%20Materials%20Collection/Supporting%20Materials%20-%20Transcribed%20Interviews%20and%20Depositions https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/prosecutors-reported-interest-trumps-fundraising-matters-rcna82198 https://rumble.com/vhpam3-episode-980the-border-tipping-pointpeter-navarro-on-the-stolen-election-and.html https://www.pinalcentral.com/san_tan_valley_sentinel/local_news/gop-lawsuit-questions-duplicateballots-in-queen-creek/article_ee9557d0-97e4-53e9-a269-5beb4b64370a.html https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23595949-letter-to-irs-re-request-for-review-of-501-c-3-status-61 https://archive.org/details/dominion-voting-systems-report-final-12-2-20.docx-1/page/n9/mode/2up https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/16/trump-white-house-aide-secret-author-dominion-report https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/24/politics/timothy-parlatore-testified-grand-jury-maralago-trump/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/13/politics/john-mcentee-white-house-security-clearance/index.html https://nypost.com/2021/11/09/book-reveals-how-johnny-mcentee-became-deputy-president-of-trump-wh/ https://www.axios.com/2020/06/14/john-mcentee-white-house-trump https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-attorney-trump-legal-adviser-jenna-ellis-censured/

We begin with a short summary of recent sentencings in January 6th cases: many of the defendants who have faced more serious charges have opted to go to trial, which has meant that we were always going to reach a point when a large number of serious felony defendants would be found guilty and sentenced all at once. We have reached that point, so I take a moment to take stock of the felony defendants who have been sentenced since March 1. The bulk of the episode consists of an interview with a sedition hunter who I address as Jewelz, who specializes in “Sedition VIPs” and who can be found on Twitter @BetoAngelMommas. We have a broad-ranging conversation regarding the activities of sedition VIPs on January 6th, the role they and organizers played in the runup to January 6th, and the assymetric polarization of the Republican Party beginning during the Obama era. Jewelz also discusses the link between the Council for National Policy and a slew of persons involved in January 6th, and how the conservative funder Foster Friess has bankrolled any number of far-right actors over the years, including Ali Alexander, Charlie Kirk and Project Veritas. We also discuss the interlocking network of extremist groups, including Groundswell, the Conservative Action Group, Judicial Watch and the Tea Party, where many of the activists who organized January 6th gained experience and connections. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/ohio-man-pleads-guilty-felony-charge-actions-jan-6-capitol-breach https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/maryland-man-sentenced-felony-and-misdemeanor-charges-related-capitol-breach https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/texas-man-sentenced-felony-and-misdemeanor-charges-related-capitol-breach https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/north-carolina-man-sentenced-assaulting-officers-during-jan-6-capitol-breach https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/pennsylvania-woman-found-guilty-felony-and-misdemeanor-charges-related-capitol-breach https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/kentucky-woman-pleads-guilty-assaulting-officers-during-jan-6-capitol-breach https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/three-men-are-first-capitol-breach-defendants-convicted-trial-assaulting-police-officers https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/nevada-man-pleads-guilty-assaulting-officers-during-jan-6-capitol-breach https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7273354-CNP-Membership-Directory-September-2020 https://washingtonspectator.org/nelson-cnp/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/02/22/justice-clarence-thomas-wife-ginni-behind-group-that-reportedly-pushed-january-6-fake-electors-scheme/ https://www.foiaresearch.net/organization/groundswell-group

In the defendant profile, will revisit Shane Jenkins, who was convicted on all counts on March 29, 2023, and faces a lengthy stint in the federal prison system. Also covering the news that a Manhattan grand jury has issued an indictment for 34 charges, which may be the first of several indictments to be issued in the many potential cases in which Trump would stand as a defendant. The majority of the episode consists of a close reading of the transcript of Senior Advisor to the President Eric Herschmann, who, despite offering useful testimony with regard to the now-infamous White House meeting with "team crazy," nonetheless has some odd memory issues, and seems oddly protective of Rudy Giuliani. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/texas-man-found-guilty-felony-and-misdemeanor-charges-related-capitol-breach-1 https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3923044-pence-on-ruling-that-he-must-testify-in-jan-6-probe-i-have-nothing-to-hide/ https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/politics/donald-trump-indictment/index.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-grand-jury-hush-money-playboy-model-b2311288.html https://apnews.com/article/amazoncom-inc-donald-trump-jeff-bezos-business-ad911dcfadb4441fc3e7d9e0018c1dec https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/politics/allen-weisselberg-attorney-trump-organization/index.html https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/29/manhattan-trump-grand-jury-set-to-break-for-a-month-00089422 https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/29/manhattan-trump-grand-jury-set-to-break-for-a-month-00089422 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3917300-squeezed-by-investigations-trump-escalates-violent-rhetoric/ https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-J6-TRANSCRIPT-CTRL0000062567/

This episode begins with the numbers, and the description of a category of defendants who have recently been charged, after a long wait. These are defendants whose cases center in the "heave-ho" attack in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, who it appears are being charged with felony counts of acts of violence on restricted grounds during civil disorder, rather than Assault on a Federal Officer. We then move on to some recent news, including what may be the most significant January 6th case to date, the arrest of Bannon's billionaire financer and CPAC sponsor, Trump's premature claim that he was to have been arrested this week in the hush money case, and the ruling by Chief Judge Howell of the DCD that Trump attorney Evan Corcoran must hand over documents and testify in the stolen classified documents case, overcoming attorney-client privilege based on the crime-fraud exception. The remainder of the episode consists of a close reading of the transcript of the seven-hour testimony of Jared Kushner, with an examination of his role in the "Big Rip-Off" detailed in Appendix 3 of the Final Report of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/indiana-couple-arrested-actions-lower-west-terrace-during-jan-6-capitol-breach https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1574611/download https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ho-wan-kwok-aka-miles-guo-arrested-orchestrating-over-1-billion-dollar-fraud-conspiracy https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/06/guo-wengui-lin-wood-steve-bannon-million-maga-march/ https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/18/politics/donald-trump-manhattan-da-arrest-protests/index.html https://abcnews.go.com/US/sources-special-counsel-claims-trump-deliberately-misled-attorneys/story?id=98024191 https://news.yahoo.com/court-makes-extraordinary-night-demands-040839431.html https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/24/politics/trump-classified-documents-maralago-eluded-fbi/index.html https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-J6-TRANSCRIPT-CTRL0000060760/