I have just seen the best reason yet for Moscow Mitch and Kreepy Kevin to get the Capitol riot under a bushel basket and locked in the root cellar as soon as possible. Because there is something ugly brewing, and it’s not only beyond their control, it’s only going to get worse as we get closer to the midterms.
Look, the Capitol riot was the greatest moment of Trump’s life. For the first time, he actually felt like a revolutionary leader, those were his people out in the streets, storming the ramparts to defend him! He had the television coverage on in every room, cheering the crowd on, and it took five hours to finally convince him to call it off, which he did half heartedly and with great praise for the traitors.
Trump openly bragged about his hold over his base, causing him to humiliate McCarthy in a panicked phone call from the Capitol that it looks like they’re more upset about the election than you are, which caused Mighty Mouse to squeal out, Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?!? Trump only stopped bragging, reluctantly, when lawyers started whispering in his ear that the speeches that he and his monkey spawn, along with The Ghoul Man could be legally construed as incitement to riot. Which forced Trump to start walking between raindrops to praise the rioters, while denying that his words incited the insurrection.
But here’s where the chickens start to come home to roost. Pretty much every brainless toad that stormed the Capitol went in feeling safe and secure, feeling that their actions would restore Trump to office. And if not, then one of Trump’s last acts would be to sign a mass pardon for anyone charged in the Capitol riot. All of those rioters, especially The Loud Tois, and The Oath Creepers are getting seriously bummed as they sit in jail running up legal bills as they wait to go to trial.
And they’re all blaming Trump! Some of the lower level offenses are coming up for preliminary hearings, and in their pleas for bail to be released, the rioters are claiming that Trump was the legitimate President at the time, and they felt that they were following his orders. Yep, the good old fashioned Nuremberg Defense. And the funny part is that it’s backfiring! The judges are telling the defendants that they are saying that they were influenced by Trump to attack the Capitol, and now they repent, yet Trump is still spouting the same insurrectionist shit about the election being stolen, so how can the judge let them go back to being influenced by Trump’s message, and back to the Crossbar Hilton they go. Trump is literally keeping his supporters in jail due to his obsession.
And these are just the low level sol dados. Every time they go to court, they are going to point to Trump as the catalyst, while trying to convince the judge they’ve completed the Trump 12 Step Program. And these hearings are going to continue throughout the summer and into the fall, and every time that the media solemnly reports on the defendant’s plaintive pleas, they will immediately follow it up with video of Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric from the Ellipsis on January 6th. And the GOP will wriggle on the hook.
But it gets even worse. Because these are just the bottom feeder corn cobs, we haven’t even heard yet from the more senior members of The Loud Tois and The Oath Creepers, who are charged with the far more serious crime of conspiracy. Early rumblings from defense defense attorneys looking to make a deal was that at least some of these people were in subliminal contact with the Trump government, obtaining information to help them plan the revolt. These people are starting to leak out that they felt like they were an actual militia, and massed outside of the city to avoid DC’s restrictive guns laws, and waited for Trump to claim an insurrection, and publicly deputize them as a legal militia in defense of the United States.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is going to be a Roman circus. The Democrats will hold their hearings, presumably with a House Select Committee, and the hearings will largely be broadcast. But the low level insurrection trials are not even scheduled to begin until late summer. Defense attorneys of lower tier defendants are complaining that the DOJ is playing hardball in their plea negotiations. Obviously the DOJ wants to make an example that armed insurrections are bad! and the more serious of the conspiracy charges trials are not even scheduled to start until next February.
This is only going to drip on like a runny nose. Every time a lower level drone pleads out, he’s going to blame Trump. Every time one goes to trial, he’s going to blame Trump. And if some of those conspiracy charges go to trial next spring, and if they go to trial, then the defense is going to present whatever evidence they can that the Trump administration was complicit in giving information to the far right groups. Don’t forget, while Roger Stone never entered the capitol, he visited it on January 6th, and had an Oath Creepers bodyguard unit. Trump is going to be continue to be named as the chief culprit in the insurrection, and Trump will never back down. This actually figures to be a seminal issue in the 2022 midterms.
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Absolutely right, Murf. But even the senior Plowed Boys and the Oaf Keisters are relative small fry in all this. If the investigators stop there they “have scotched the snake, not killed it,” and democracy can’t afford that. They must go for the jugular. And where is the jugular?
Are you familiar with General Smedley Butler, the only man in the history of the United States Armed Forces to win three Medals of Honor? About a hundred years ago, Big Business tried roping him in on a similar plot against FDR. He promptly testified behind closed doors to Congress and his story was corroborated by many lower level officers who had also been approached. So trust me when I say that none of this is new.
As a jarhead (my active duty was so long ago it seems like another life) I feel compelled to offer a correction. General Butler was awarded the Medal of Honor Twice, something not many have experienced. He’s part of an even smaller group that earned those medals in separate wars and quite a few years apart. Sgt. Dan Daly was awarded the Medal of Honor twice in WWI and should have received a third, but the powers-that-be refused to do so as they thought it would look bad to give someone our highest decoration three times. Anyway, where Butler is concerned the confusion comes from long before his first Medal of Honor. All the way back to his heroics in the Boxer Rebellion in China. He was one of a small group (four if memory serves) who’s actions warranted it but being a young Lt. (an Officer) Butler was ineligible under the regulations of the time for the award. So, at age 19 Butler was “breveted” to the rank of Captain instead in recognition of his actions that day. A couple of decades later when the Marine Corps Brevet Medal was authorized, Butler became one of (I think) twenty Marines to whom it was awarded.
As for the rest of you comment he was indeed approached and told of a plot being in the works and offered command when the time came. He promptly reported it and while the closed door Congressional Delegation found no links to foreign fascist regimes their finding was that stuff was being actively discussed and planned by powerful people and interests here in the U.S. Word filtered out and the whole thing fizzled but you’re right that it’s a sobering reminder that there are those here with power and money who will go to extremes.
On related note, another celebrated (in the Corps) Marine named Archibald Henderson (The Grand Old Man of the Marine Corps – he served as Commandant far longer – thirty six years – than any other in his five decades in the Corps) who broke up a riot in 1857. A group of riotous people (I think they were known as the “Plug Uglies”) headed down from Baltimore with the intent to take over voting sites. The mayor of DC called on the Corps for help and Henderson was with his Marines to meet them. They had a cannon and while setting up to fire on the Marine positions Henderson literally walked up to it and placed his belly against the muzzle and dared them to fire! That action was enough to give the bad guys pause and diffuse the situation. My Marine Corps, like our country ain’t perfect and never has been. But we’ve had some pretty extraordinary people do some pretty special stuff when most needed.
And if not at the level of Henderson or Butler more recently we had General Mattis’ resignation letter eloquently calling out Trump for the incompetent, dangerous asshole he is. Damned near everyone but Trump read it and realized he was eviscerating Trump. There’s a dark humor in the fact that Trump initially thought he’d been praised and only after it was explained to him realized how massively Mattis had insulted him!
A historical correction of my own: the Plug Uglies were actually a street gang that more than lived up to their name. They weren’t known for their brains or they’d have known better than to take on Marines.
They were plenty tough to be sure. However, there’s a difference between even a seasoned gang and professional, combat hardened military types and Henderson & his Marines were more than that gang’s match. When push came to shove and they were facing a well armed group that they realized weren’t local cops but professionals who’d faced a helluva lot more than a street gang the Plug Uglies backed down. Funny how so many bullies suddenly lose their nerve when faced with the prospect not of just suffering some bumps and wounds but truly getting an ass whuppin!
And where does Joe Manchin fit in? He probably was not one of the instigators, but he’s definitely playing a big part ion the coverup and consolidation of gains.
More on this:
Still more:
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-attempted-coup-federal-law-enforcement-capitol-police-2021-1
Multiple European security officials told Insider that President Donald Trump appeared to have tacit support among US federal agencies responsible for securing the Capitol complex in Wednesday’s coup attempt.
https://newrepublic.com/article/161121/military-veterans-extremism
How the Military Turns Troops Into Extremists. — Why are veterans trying to tear down the country they once swore to protect?
The insurrection was a historical moment and won’t go away because some want it to. T and his minions are screwed as far as history will be concerned, if we have a history going forward. Things are still rather perilous. I wish I were not writing this, but it feels true. Thanks for reporting.
This article made me so happy this morning! It also seems to me (IANAL) that as everyone blames their actions on Trump, it would not help Trump in any legal situation regarding incitement if it ever turns into a court case. HAHAHAHAHAHA MF
I keep saying that it was inadequate leadership that kept January 6th from being worse. And that failure comes from solely from Trump, who never ran into an operation he couldn’t micromanage into a liability. Once sentences start getting handed down, it will be interesting to see how hard the turn against Trump gets at ALL levels.
If they are going to laim they have completed a twelve-step program, they’d better hope they get a judge who knows nothing about twelve step programs. They are never “comleted.” They are practiced – one day at a time – essentially for life.
You’re trading one addiction for another. Granted, it’s probably a somewhat safer addiction but still an addiction. One reason why twelve step programs are not shining examples of successful treatment of addiction.
OH YEAH . good choice .. try the Nuremberg defense used by Nazi Officers blaming Hitler. .. How’d that go for them again!
THANKS Murf . And thanks to US DOJ it is a gift to American journos that will go on giving and giving as you note.