Michael Cohen warned us. Two years before the January 6 insurrection, former US president Donald Trump’s one-time fixer testified to the House Oversight Committee about his former boss: “I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power.”
Cohen is not Nostradamus. But his prediction was spot on. He knew Trump better than most.
Now America knows too. The January 6 Committee held its seventh public hearing on Tuesday, with direct testimony that confirmed Trump was informed repeatedly by his advisers, administration officials and campaign staff that he had lost the 2020 presidential election. He knew there was no evidence that the result was rigged or stolen. Despite this, he refused to concede. Instead, he attempted a coup d’état.
The contours of his attack have long been apparent. House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy put it bluntly in the immediate aftermath: “The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.”
Then Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell also condemned Trump on the Senate floor: “There is no question, none, that president Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president. And having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing crescendo of false statements, conspiracy theories, and reckless hyperbole which the defeated president kept shouting into the largest megaphone on planet earth.”
Yesterday the committee outlined Trump’s actions between December 14, 2020, the day electoral college delegates voted 306-232 to confirm Joe Biden as the next president, and January 6, 2021, when Congress assembled to count those votes.
The evidence centred on a critical White House meeting on December 18, 2020. Described as the most “unhinged” meeting of Trump’s administration, it began with Trump, his long-time confidant Rudy Giuliani, former national security adviser lieutenant-general Michael Flynn, attorney Sidney Powell, and Patrick Byrne, founder of internet retailer Overstock.com. (Byrne had previously been forced to resign as CEO and chairman of the company after an affair with Maria Butina, convicted spy and now member of the State Duma representing Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.) No White House staff were in the room at first.
This quartet presented Trump with a draft executive order instructing the secretary of Defence to seize voting machines, and to appoint Powell as special counsel to investigate the election.
While they were pressing their case, White House counsel Pat Cipollone learnt of the meeting. He bolted to the Oval Office with deputy counsel Eric Herschmann and staff secretary Derek Lyons. Over the ensuing hours, amid shouting and insults, the White House officials vehemently rejected allegations that the election was fraudulent. Cipollone shot down their claims with a simple question: “Where is the evidence?” They had none, because there was none. He told the plotters: “At some point you have to put up, or shut up.”
Trump heard every word.
When the meeting ended after midnight, Trump was left alone. Then he pressed the button. At 1.42am he tweeted “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” As multiple witnesses have testified, backed up by emails, text messages, and videos, this was the spark that summoned the mob.
Later that day Alex Jones, a bombastic conspiracy theorist, and other far-right provocateurs went into overdrive. Jones urged listeners of his Infowars podcast to assemble in Washington DC on January 6. “Where were you when history called?” he demanded. Ali Alexander, associate of Roger Stone and organiser of Stop the Steal, registered the internet domain name wildprotest.com. YouTuber Salty Cracker rejoiced: “Red wave, bitch! There’s gonna be a red wedding going down Jan. 6,” referencing a violent murder scene in the Game of Thrones TV series. Thousands more joined in their clamour.
The rest, as they say, is history. They came, they fought, they failed. Trump failed.
Eighteen months on, the Gordian knot of Trump’s treason can appear hard to unravel. But the January 6 Committee’s investigations have pulled it apart thread by thread.
First, Trump lost the election, and he knew he lost. Everyone who worked for him knew he lost. They told him, and now they have told us.
Second, Trump refused to accept his defeat. Just as Cohen had warned. Trump had no intention of leaving office.
Third, Trump tried every trick he could to remain in power. He filed dozens of legal challenges. He harassed state and federal election officials. He pressured Department of Justice leadership. He sought to install toadies who would do his bidding. He oversaw the submission of fake electoral votes to Congress. He demanded his vice-president obstruct the official count. He conspired with congressmen to refuse to certify the election. He relentlessly poisoned his supporters with the big lie. And he directed his armed paramilitaries to storm the Capitol at the head of a mob to overthrow the government.
He did everything except prepare for the peaceful transition of power.
As Representative Jamie Raskin said: “the Watergate break-in was like a cub scout meeting compared to this assault on our people and institutions.”
These are the facts. The January 6 Committee, and the hundreds of witnesses who have spoken under oath, have laid them bare. Only those unencumbered by truth can continue to deny them.
AND yet millions of Americans continue to believe his lies. They are in a spot of bother. Democracy is fragile and needs to be jealously guarded. Just look at 92, 96, 00, 08, 12, 16 and 20 elections. The Republicans lost the popular vote on each occasion, bar once in 30 years, yet have won the Presidency at three of those elections. Those minority Presidents have stacked the Supreme Court. Where is their Federal Election Commission? Why do they accept a 240 year old gerrymander? Troubled times have come. And Trump remains a free man. The Hand Maid’s tale writ large.
They cling obsessively to an outdated unrepresentative system as they do to stale ideals ie: the right to bear arms.
In fact the US has a tyranny of the minority…mainly thanks to a Senate that was put in place by a minority, the Founding Fathers …To ensure that the real control of the country did not pass too easily to the masses was the real concern of many of the attendees at the Constitutional Convention.
Then there is the Electoral College which was constituted to give citizens in less populated and economically unproductive rural states with as many as four times the votes as those as those in more populous and economically productive urban ones, thereby violating the fundamental democratic principle of “one person, one vote;” It can also be alleged that the college was originally instituted and continues to be maintained for explicitly racist and anti-democratic purposes.
The loser of the popular vote has won the electoral college only five times before 2000. The last time such happened was in the mid 1800’s, long before universal franchise. Now it’s happened twice in 16 years and has enabled, inarguably, the two worst presidents in modern American history, both Republican. Dubya, The Faux Texan and as the Scots have it The Radge Orange Bampot!
Ian Millhiser, writing in Vox, calculates that if you add up the population of states and assign half to each of their two senators, “the Democratic half of the Senate represents 41,549,808 more people than the Republican half.”
41.5 million, more than 10 % of the population in fact c 12.5%, close to 1/8th!
You might think that in a country that claims to be some sort of a democracy, the party that held that much of an advantage might end up with a solid majority in the Senate, rather than have just barely eked out a 50-50 tie in a body that, taken together, represents the whole country.
Republicans have not won the majority of the votes cast in all Senate races in any election cycle for a long time. Nonetheless, Republicans held majority control of the Senate after the elections of 2014, 2016 and 2018 and still, after the 2020 races, held 50 of the 100 seats.
The problem in the USA is that though it says United, the States of America are not, so concerning much needed legislation, many people, mostly GOP oriented , but some from the Democratic Party, will clutch at their pearls and scream “State’s Rights!”
There are two things needed to occur to bring the USA out of the 18thC into at least the 20thC.
The Electoral College needs be reformed or the US moves to The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
Also new legislation to replace the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, a combined census and apportionment bill passed by the United States Congress 18 June 1929, that established a permanent method for apportioning a constant 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives according to each census.
In 1929 the population of the USA was c. 122 million with 48 states it is now c.331 million now with 50 states to which must be added the Federal District of Columbia and the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Island.
Almost a century on the USA has over twice the the population but with still only 435 seats in the House of Representatives.
Great contribution. Thank you for contributing to the pool of knowledge
Thanks is also due to Professor Malcolm
MacKerras, Psephologist and Politics Lecturer at UNSW Canberra ADFA for he sparked my interest in the politics of the US.
This when I worked there in the Academy Library during his last years there and sat in on a few lectures as well as having some interesting conversations with him when he came to use the library.
As well as his knowledge concerning the history of elections and politics in Australia both federal and state he also had a great interest and knowledge of that of the North America both Canada and the US. Having visited them both during elections.
He invented The Mackerras Pendulum, which applies to all Australian lower houses with single member electorates.
Perhaps here but the pendulum/swingometer was invented by Peter Milne, later refined by David Butler and Robert McKenzie.
The first outing on British television was during a regional output from the BBC studios in Bristol during the 1955 general election (the first UK general election to be televised) and was used to show the swing in the two constituencies of Southampton Itchen and Southampton Test.
Following this use in 1955, the BBC adopted the swingometer on a national basis and it was unveiled in the national broadcasts for the 1959 general election.
Thank you for that information, Freya.
I know of David Butler, but will check ou the other two psephologists.
When one side of America does not want to know about truth, logic or evidence – in fact, sees these things as weapons of the Elite – then The Handmaid’s Tale is truly on its way.
Which takes us to .. Why do we in Australia accept an unrepresentative `democracy’?
It is far more representative than that of the US as shown in the Economist Democracy index 2021…
The index is based on 60 indicators grouped in five different categories, measuring pluralism, civil liberties and political culture.
In addition to a numeric score and a ranking, the index categorises each country into one of four regime full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes and authoritarian regimes.
The top ten in Full Democracy are Norway, Aotearoa/NZ, Finland,Sweden. Iceland, Denmark , Ireland, Taiwan, Australia which since the ATM Farrago has slipped down to 9 now tied Switzerland.
The USA has now slipped down to 26 in the Flawed Democracy section. In 2016, the USA was downgraded from a full democracy to a flawed democracy. The USA score, which had been declining for some years, crossed the threshold into flawed from 8.05 in 2015 to 7.98 in 2016.
And can be expected to sink lower with the now GQP attacks on universal suffrage with gerrymanders, voter disenfranchisement and suppression,
The UK has now slipped again down to 18 in the Full Democracy section, that is three places from 2020. Given what is happening there now it will probably slip further, even into being a flawed democracy?
Interesting both the UK and the US have The Moloch and His NewsCorpse Minions at work in supporting respectively the Tories and the now GQP
Bu it does appear, shown in the last election, that finally the NewsCorpse veil has been lifted from voters eyes in Australia
Keep up the good work; it’s through the agency of contributors like you that awareness of our systems and the flaws and benefits thereof help to raise our consciousness of such.
But will the deliberations, conclusions and recommedations from The January 6 Committee make any difference? Will they stop the Trumpists in the mid-term elections in November? Will they prevent Trump from running again? Will they result in Trrump and his sycophants facing justice?
I think I know the answer to all four questions. It will be a bad outcome for democracy worldwide.
“The January 6 Committee”
It is a partisan Democrat Party meeting only.
The fact that the Republican Party declined to attend does change the totally partisan nature of it makeup.
Cheney is Republican in name only and may get through her next election as a Republican, but that is all.
She otherwise is Democrat Party in behaviour and allegiance through this committee of “7 Democrats+her+1 other”.
Are you aware of the array a membership types across all US political parties?
Does not seem so atoll.
Not one syllable uttered at this kangaroo court is Judicial nor acceptable in a Court of Law.
So far nothing has sparked a developing interest from the Justice Department.
Do you believe in fairies as well?…………..
“First, Trump lost the election, and he knew he lost.”
It disappoints me that most accounts of Trump’s electoral treason suggest that it began on election night. It began when he started to tell his rallies that the only way he could lose the election was by fraud. In my memory he really got started on this in about May. The polls were suggesting that his handling of Covid might actually lose him the election. He prepped his followers assiduously. He also knew, along with everyone else, that pre-votes, which are usually counted after election day, tended to favour the Democrats. So he amplified his attempts to discredit this practice. He told followers to vote in person on election day. He ran the line that the election should be called on election night. In short, he was preparing like crazy for the possibility that he would lose, but would appear to be ahead on election night. He also prepared for and encouraged the possibility of violence in such comments as “Stand down and stand by”. It seems that with the exception of Giuliani not even his closest supporters fully grasped how serious he was about all of this, but his actions were predictable in detail, and were in fact predicted.
Trump made the initial election fraud attack in advance of what he presumed would be his loss in 2016. He was forever saying that the whole thing was rigged and that he was going to lose because of election fraud encouraged by the democrats and the deep state. He had to backpedal a little when he unexpectedly won. He staged a facesaving inquiry into the supposed voter fraud and the mysteriously undetectable 3 million phony votes against him. He put some stooge in charge of it and no real evidence of fraud was uncovered and it faded from view – not that he ever accepted that there wasn’t massive fraud. His approach to 2020 was more of the same really – he wouldn’t accept a loss as a legitimate outcome. Fundamentally, he doesn’t want to be seen as a loser.
You are right. More of the same, but with the power of incumbency to deploy.
As for Giuliani and who took it seriously – it seems Bannon and everyone at a meeting 31Oct 2020 knew full well, according to the Julia Bergin report today. Knew all about it, took it seriously, and laughed about it in manic, schoolboy anticipation.
In fact Sedition….18 U.S. Code § 2384 – Seditious conspiracy which should result in a senatence up to 20 years aas well as a fine
18 U.S. Code CHAPTER 115— TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES
18 U.S. Code § 2383 – Rebellion or insurrection
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
18 U.S. Code § 2384 – Seditious conspiracy
If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
18 U.S. Code § 2385 – Advocating overthrow of Government
Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or
Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or
Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
As used in this section, the terms “organizes” and “organize”, with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units of such society, group, or assembly of persons.
The difficulty in using these laws against Trump and his scheming henchmen IMHO, is that until Biden was sworn in as the president or perhaps even formally accepted as such by the senate, that they would seem to punish actions against an incumbent government, not those who took action to prevent the forming of one.
With the evidence that is coming into view at the HoR 6 January Committee the case for prosecution is being well made.
Undoubtedly. My concern is whether prosecution can take place when nothing has taken place against a duly elected government.
Remember that Trump was still president and none of this was against him.
Bill, take heart…
Ὀψὲ θεῶν ἀλέουσι μύλοι, ἀλέουσι δὲ λεπτά.
“The millstones of the gods grind late, but they grind fine.”
Friedrich von Logau, in his Sinngedichte (c. 1654), composed an extended variant of the saying under the title “Göttliche Rache” (divine retribution)
“Gottes Mühlen mahlen langsam, mahlen aber trefflich klein,
ob aus Langmut er sich säumet, bringt mit Schärf ‘er alles ein.”
Translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (“Retribution”, Poetic Aphorisms, 1846)
“Though the mills of God grind slowly; Yet they grind exceeding small;
Though with patience He stands waiting, With exactness grinds He all”
Garland and the DoJ are making sure that every i is dotted, that every t is crossed so as to ensure that there is no legal wriggle room for those that are brought to trial.
The DoJ is slowly and carefully, as above, working its way up the pile of perps.
As done, when dealing with the Mob in RICO cases, it charges the foot soldiers first up, then the capos and by making deals obtains evidence and information to move on those further up, the bosses.
During the Second World War, both Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt quoted Longfellow when promising retribution for the extermination of the Jews.
Overwhelmingly one might say but evidence based behaviour is not a noted characteristic of US politics.
True now that the RWRNJs have a grip on power.
Second R is fro Religious!
It is not clear to me (or anyone else) that there is any realistic prospect of healing a broken, partisan, America. Jailing Trump for ‘Treason’ – if it comes to that – will not resolve anything.
Not jailing, but a conviction, yes. If there is to be any kind of healing it would have to be the first step. If no healing ensues, what would have been lost?
As for punishment, I’d favour community service.
Trump is the only reason I would consider capital punishment. I’m a lifelong opponent…..but……
20 years and a large fine according to the above would do better.
It would be in addition to this…when he was named
The Loser of the Year,” back in December 2020, as below
Der Spiegel article on Trump as “Der Verlierer des Jahres”
Der Verlierer des Jahres: Donald Trumps Schicksalswochen 2020 – die Rekonstruktion
Truth be told, The Trump brought for the GQP, in horse racing parlance, a Losing Trifecta…
2018 GQP loses control of the House of Representatives
2020 GQP loses the Presidential Election
2021 GQP loses control of the Senate.
The last time this happened was in 1932 when another first time GOP President, Herbert Hoover, lost in his attempt to be reelected, this was together with the GOP losing control in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Don’t tell me [Hayward Maberley],
YOU are a QP Doll?
Conviction will require the VERY ABSENT truth with proof.
I have seen Trump compared with Nixon on the simpleminded basis of the Watergate thing.
Well
Nixon ordered shoot to kill at Kent, Ohio, State University and murdered 4 students {AMERICAN STUDENTS} at the American University.
He also ordered and secretively carried out the carpet bombing of Cambodia, hidden from the US citizens and you cannot convince me that the media owners did not know.
Now,
Let’s hear the Trump equivalence there ………. hhmmm??
With horse poop (ignorance of fact) like that being peddle – even recently in this paper [and deleted when contradiction appeared in the comments] –
HOW do you manage to lay accusations based on stuff that will not be accepted in a Court of Law.
That is the problem.
No credible evidence.
Anyone noticed that all the claims shocked and horrored across the press when Trump was actually in office have disappeared ?
Because, simply, none were credible for a Court of Law.
So far it’s all about things that happened after he was voted out despite an increase of 17% in the vote toward the Republicans in 2020.
Where do I claim equivalence with Nixon? Nixon should have been jailed for life for those non-Watergate crimes. Not sure what he should have got for Watergate itself, but I recommend community service for Trump. I think it would be the best way of humiliating him without making him a martyr.
No credible evidence of trying to subvert the result of an election? Let’s agree to differ about that, but I see from your last sentence where you are coming from. No mention of the increase in the Democrat vote, and no mention of the complete and utter lack of evidence of voting fraud. Has the possibility ever occurred to you that every time Trump spoke to a rally and inspired more Trumpists to vote he was also inspiring a slightly greater number of people to vote against him, and for the lack-lustre Biden?
No credible evidence for a court of law? That is what would be determined by a prosecution.
“All things that happened after he was voted out,” but, crucially, while he was still president and sworn to uphold the constitution.
In fact it would be Sedition and the other offences below
18 U.S. Code CHAPTER 115— TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES
18 U.S. Code § 2383 – Rebellion or insurrection
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
18 U.S. Code § 2384 – Seditious conspiracy
If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
18 U.S. Code § 2385 – Advocating overthrow of Government
Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or
Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or
Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
As used in this section, the terms “organizes” and “organize”, with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units of such society, group, or assembly of persons.
It’s all about money with Trump. He has grifted from the start- retaining conflicts of interest between his businesses and the office of President, employing his children etc. The Secret service would have to accompany him to Mar A Lago- the government paying the Trump family top dollar for their accommodation- whilst Trump played another game of golf. The Stop The Steal campaign allows him to grift millions of dollars from his MAGA followers including from selling the MAGA merch- all made in China. No accountability for how the money is spent. It’s just a big business for he and the kids. Immoral, unethical, dishonest, fraudulent? but apparently not illegal,
Money – and the power to be able to hide what he’s done, from any authority.