Here goes history, rhyming again. It was late night on November 8th, 1923 in the city of Munich, Germany. A 3rd rate loser of a politician held a rally of about 2,000 brown shirted followers in a Munich beer hall. He whipped them into a rhetorical frenzy, and laid out his plan.
They would march en masse to the government center in the middle of Munich. There they would take over the building and proclaim that the NSDAP was now the only authorized government in Germany. Never mind the fact that 2,000 mental midgets wouldn’t be enough to fill every desk in the city hall, much less take over a government. Hitler led the way personally with other party leaders.
There was just one problem. The police knew they were coming. Hitler’s angry mob was met by a phalanx of police officers in the street in front of city hall. Hitler demanded that the officer in charge surrender his men, and they join him in charging the building. The officer demanded that the mob stand down and disburse. The mob charged, shots were fired, and 16 Nazi’s, 4 cops, and one bystander were killed. The minute the shooting started, Hitler was whisked away from the scene in a waiting vehicle. It mattered not. Hitler was identified, captured, tried and sent to prison.
Fast forward to January 6th, 2021. Another 3rd rate politician who couldn’t legally win an election gathers a mob of a couple of thousand supporters to the Ellipse, some of them armed, and whips them into an oratorical frenzy to March on the Capitol, where they have to fight like hell, or you won’t have a country anymore, and promises that he’ll be right there leading the way. The Trumpless mob descends on a police contingent around the Capito, and three hours of mayhem ensue, Trump nowhere in sight.
Yep, here comes that goddamned law of unintended consequences again. This time it actually has nothing to do with Trump directly. It has to do with somebody else completely who, while doing their job correctly, instead accidentally complicates a national discourse far beyond his own direct relationship to the events. And that man is former Secret Service presidential detail chief Bobby Ingalls.
Oh, you all know who Bobby Ingalls is, even if you’ve never seen him. Some of the most riveting testimony given by former Trump Chief of Staff’s top aide, Cassidy Hutchinson had everything to do with Bobby Ingalls.
In her testimony Hutchinson related that upon entering the presidential vehicle following the speech at the Ellipse, Trump demanded to be transported to the Capitol. Ingalls replied that due to security concerns, he was unable to comply, and they were returning to the West wing. A semi physical confrontation ensued, with Trump trying to choke Ingalls according to Hutchinson’s testimony, and they finally returned to the West wing.
Here’s the McGuffin. Ask yourself this one simple question. What is the one major difference between the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, and the capitol Riot of January 6th,2021. Elementary, my dear Watson. Hitler not only inspired the putsch, he led it. And while Trump was so desperate to lead the capitol Riot after inspiring it, one man, Bobby Ingalls, putting duty and oath over orders, refused to place Trump in potential harms way.
Here’s why this is so critical. Right now, the predominate argument being made by Trump’s fleet of misfit lawyers is that he didn’t actually do anything. Instead he was simply exercising his 1st Amendment rights of free political speech, and that Traitor Tot himself has absolutely no actual control ever the actions of his supporters. What unutterable bullsh*t. You’ll sure as sh*t never hear El Pendejo Presidente say anything like that. He revels in the notion that when he opens his mouth, his mob snaps to attention to take orders. Literally.
To my mind, Ingalls taking independent action instead of following orders is the only reason that His Lowness is still walking around out there pissing the rest of us off. It’s the only reason Trump isn’t charged with seditious conspiracy, and at the very least under home confinement with an ankle monitor.
Presence is everything. In 1923 Hitler not only inspired, he led. There could be no doubt about his intentions on that night. And it cost him. Trump certainly inspired the mob, but Ingalls refusal to take him to the Capitol saved his fat New York ass.
Look at it this way. Let’s just say that on January 6th, Ingalls had submitted, and driven Trump to a presumably defendable location at the Capitol. Even if Trump never left the vehicle, his simple presence at the scene, without even bothering to grab the microphone instead of Ingalls, and insisted that the mob disburse and go home, tells you everything you need to know about his intent.
Let me be clear, Bobby Ingalls made the right call. and his doing so showed honor and integrity to both his oath and his charge. But if he had simply driven Trump to a safe location and let him sit there for 10 lousy minutes, The Mango Messiah wouldn’t be running for President right now. He’d be running for Mexico, and grateful as hell that his stupid wall was never completed. It’s true. One snowflake can create an avalanche.
I think you for the privilege of your time.
You’re quite right in saying Ingalls did his job and was right to do so. What I’m not at all sure of is that Trump would be in jail on on house arrest right now. I don’t think Trump would have gone to the Capitol and sat there in his vehicle. Nope. He’d have been allowed into the underground parking and demanded agents get him up to the House Chamber. Who knows? They might have done just that and Trump would have stormed in and elbowed aside Pence. Worse, he’d have ordered a devotee to scoop up all the Electoral Vote Certificates! You don’t think someone like Jordan would have done so? Or one of his more militant Secret Service Agents?
I shudder at the possibilities of what could have happened. One thing we agree on is that had Trump been taken to the Capitol the LAST thing he’d have done would have been to call off the mob. Ergo “intent” which legal talking heads make such a fuss over. You and I wouldn’t get that kind of consideration in court but rich and/or powerful people get more legal protections than expensive and highly qualified lawyers.
The reason I say that Denis, is that a charge of “Seditious Conspiracy” changes everything…And with the evidence of Trump’s INTENT to lead and stir violence on January 6th, and his continued inflammatory in public, he wouldn’t be getting the same kind of preserential bullshit treatment he’s getting now…
Good point about the Seditious Conspiracy but again, rich and/or powerful people get deference from courts most people don’t get so I have doubts even something mild like house arrest while awaiting trial would happen. Maybe I’m wrong about that. I’d sure like to be. Sadly we’ll never know because there was someone in place who knew his duty and performed it.
As I understand it, the President is only allowed admittance to Congress by invitation. His being there uninvited would be trespassing.
I think that had Bobby Ingalls even started driving trump toward the Capitol, trump would have shat/pissed himself and ordered Ingalls to take him to the west wing. Even if he did not do so when heading in the direction of the riot, when he viewed the violence taking place he damned sure would not order anyone to allow him to be placed in the thick of it. I do not credit trump with having much intelligence but I do know he has enough to imagine some bad actor that day perhaps being armed and aiming at his fat ass.
I’ll give credit to trump for knowing when his goose could be cooked-his father might have gotten a doctor to create a bone spurs diagnosis but you can bet mango man whined a great deal trying to get out of doing his duty to his country. Hell, even W. did his duty-granted it was flying planes no longer used in combat but still…
It simply doesn’t matter. Why? Because he is being indicted for the conspiracy, not the particular event(s) of that one day.
OH YEAH .. there we go ! Thanks..
If that POS EVER sees the inside of a jail cell then I’ll start to believe in miracles. Up to now it’s been skimming a few dollars from his immense grift to pay fines. That’s it. No matter what happens,Trump has shown the outrageous hypocrisy that passes for ‘law’ in this country. I expect double secret probation for the hundredth time. Unless the law locks him up we need to see ourselves as a banana republic with better PR. All this hand wringing about next November wouldn’t be necessary if the goddamn law lived up to it’s motto. It never has and it never will in my opinion. We’re 248 years down the rabbit hole. We have less than a year to start climbing out. Garland wasted twice that amount of time before doing anything to bring people to account, and it’s only been the boots arrested. Last time I checked all the congress members, like Jordan, who participated, haven’t even been touched. Must be a nice 200k gig with benefits to overthrow the democracy that put YOU into office. Hypocrisy is our national religion hands down.
This has never been a country where the law is applied to everyone, equally, regardless of their net worth. Or if it ever had been that was long, long, ago. Had this been a country where everyone was equal under the law, those p.o.s sacklers would be at the very least living behind bars or at best riding ol’ sparky.
Scott, I read a lot of comments like yours and often find myself nodding agreement.
But then I reread the indictment, SC Smith’s presentations and Judge Chutkhan’s rulings and they bring a smile to my face.
Why?
Because of just what you complain about: the TIMING.
Of course it took time to get to this point. They got the foot soldiers and are now going for the head of the serpent, and I hope they sweep f-ing Gymbag Jordan up somewhere and sometime soon. But that’s not my point.
We all remember that old sawhorse about the attention span of the American public, right? If DonnyDirtbag had been convicted in the summer of 2021, and for some bizarre reason had served his time or was even still in prison, the R party would have had time to gear up for the 2024 election.
Now, when he gets convicted, ALL THEY GOT are appeals on his conviction, many of which have already been answered in Judge Chutkhan’s recent brilliant 48 pager which addressed why FORMER presidents are not immune from prosecution for criminal activities. That’s the “not a get out of jail free card” ruling. So, he’ll argue the only thing left which is he can serve from a prison cell. Hahahahahahaha…
The American public won’t have to rely on its memory.
I think the timing could be considered to be perfect.
The timing is perfect only if he ends up behind bars for a long time. and by “behind bars” I mean wherever they will keep him locked up. There are logistical reasons why he might not end up in a regular penal institution. So long as his phone and all other communication devices are removed from his tiny hands and he is ONLY allowed visits any regular inmate is allowed, I won’t exactly be happy but I would accept it with very little bitching, whining, and moaning.
GOOD FUN PIECE .. too bad the timing is off
As it is Dec 7 .. but maybe it isn’t. It’s always good to refer back to previous egregious errors having been made by the HITLERS.m of the world.
GOOD COMMENT STREAM TOO!
Gist is TRUMP has a huge pile of shit to get through… and we love it all! ALL 91 charges plus fraud and rape $$$ settlements!
Thanks to everyone working on them.
As everyone in country now also gets to read
LIZ CHENEYS book … and they are as smoke is definitely clearing .. and TRUMP glory gets smarmier every day…
Just follow LINCOLN PROJECT .. and all special election results on horizon.