The House Select Committee to investigate the attack on January 6 is not fooling around. They sent out four subpoenas on Thursday, targeting key people around Donald Trump who have knowledge of his actions that day. The four—former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Daniel Scavino, former Defense Department official Kashyap Patel and former Trump advisor Stephen Bannon—were told to appear at depositions on October 14 or 15.
This follows what we now know from the new Bob Woodward/Robert Costa book, Peril—in which a memo from Trump lawyer John Eastman details a 6-point plan to overturn the election, subvert the Constitution, keep Trump in power and (as Trump reportedly put it) “kill the Biden presidency in its crib.” We all know how January 6 turned out for our democracy and for the safety of law enforcement, Capitol staff and members of Congress who came to do their constitutional duty—despite the efforts of truth-denying Republicans to insist the day was largely peaceful and comparable to a tourist visit.
I am counting on Chairman Bennie Thompson and his Select Committee to use the strongest possible means to compel those four to testify. That can include bringing contempt of Congress charges. While more unlikely to be pursued, Congress has “inherent authority” to arrest and detain recalcitrant witnesses. But here is this Saturday’s question: Who else would you want to be served with a subpoena and compelled to testify—and why? I’m thinking particularly about the crowd of inciters, organizers and funders of January 6, including some of the members of Congress who refused to certify the election and may have assisted the planning for that heinous attack on the Capitol.
As always, I look forward to hearing what’s on this thoughtful community’s mind—and the chance to learn from each other. Please do be respectful of each other in your comments.
I would like each member of Congress who voted against certifying the election -- after being held hostage and having their lives threatened by the insurgents -- to be called to answer the simple question "why did you vote against certification?" We need to understand their thinking, what influenced them to vote this way, what they imagined the outcome of their vote would be -- in essence, what did they want and why? And of course, I want Trump himself to be forced to testify; he will lie like a rug as the saying goes, but we need to see this televised live. I would also like to see key members of his family testify: Don, Jr., Ivanka, Jared, Kimberly Guilfoyle. As the people closest to him, they would've heard and seen everything, and some of them may have had an active role as well. Most of all, I want this to matter -- I want real, serious consequences. These actions were not "simply" efforts to harm our democracy; this was a well-planned, well-financed effort to overthrow the US government. Let us start treating it as such.
Could the committee just go to the heart of the matter and subpoena donald trump instead of always working around him? But not the 2nd team-Greene, Gaetz, Hawley, Boebert, etc. They call the election fraud, want to "imeach" Biden, encouraged dismissing the count, continue the big lie, but investigating their roles would only serve to shine a spotlight on them which they would love.
This can be a complicated question or one can approach it from a more simpler direct point of view. I choose the latter... THE WHO: Brooks, Hawley, Cruz, Green, Boebert, McConnell, along with their staffs, and Stone for starters. Everyone who was present at the 1/5 meeting. THE WHY: They are all dirty, dirty as the day is long, plain and simple. All liars, all abdicated their oaths and all TRAITORS to the Constitution and the Republic.
Kimberly Guifoyle (sp?), girlfriend of DJT, Jr. She was in the tent, at the pre-speech party. However, she may have been too drunk or drugged up to provide any memory of what occurred.
all GOP senators and congressmen who "walked through" the Capitol, basement and other locations as part of their reconnaissance to aid the attack on Jan6
I’d like to see the truly egregious Republicans tell the truth under oath and subpoena if necessary. What is wrong with those leaders that they lie so blatantly? How can they sleep at night?
I think Jim Jordan is in it up to his neck. He should be made to testify. Whomever was with or around Trump as the insurrection was happening can testify as to Trump’s state of mind. The former chief of Capital Police Sund, the Senate Sergeant at Arms Stenger, the House Sergeant at Arms Irving, Chris Wray, Pentagon officials, FBI Norfolk officials, DC Metro PD chief Contee, Officials at the DC National Guard, DC Mayor Bowser, Justice Thomas’ wife Ginni Thomas, NPR reporter Tom Bowman and producer Graham Smith, Army Staff Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt who said he could not recommend that his boss, Army Secretary McCarthy send National Guard troops, Virginia Governor Northam, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., (chair of the House Administration Committee.) "I was told by the police chief and the sergeant-at-arms that everything is under control and they had provided for every contingency,"
Acting Defense Sec. Miller, Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and then there’s this:
“Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, says two Capitol Police officers have been suspended. One of the suspended officers took a selfie with a rioter. The other put on a MAGA hat "and started directing people around," says Ryan. He chairs the House subcommittee investigating police response to the riot and says 10 to 15 other Capitol Police officers are under investigation.” NPR.org, Laurel Wamsley, 1/15/21.
Unless we subpoena Trump and force him to testify in public and then mete out appropriate punishment we will have failed. You know it, I know it, they know it, everyone knows it. It’s past time we as a society admit the truth. Trump tried to stage a coup. We all saw it with our own eyes. He should be jailed for life, shot, or hung.
John Eastman. Mike Pence. But, since so many of these big wigs are armored up with talented lawyers who know how to obfuscate and delay, then how about a different approach: subpoena the aides, staffers, assistants, and little people who actually do the work, who act on the orders, who make sure messages are sent, and so on. Inflict pain there and maybe it will cause one to flip.
All those on this forum have mentioned both Flynn's, Ali Alexander, the supposed FBI insider who was communicating directly with the FBI what did they know and when was it really communicated effectively with capital police or not
Hell let's take it all back to the Mueller report in all its unredactedness, Bill Barr Rod Rosenstein Nuenes, all skiff pizza obstructers. Seriously and sadly to many to mention one can only pray that we are not obstructed with legal supeana madness. All of them /players sicken and disgust me personally, what they have done to our country is for me beyond forgiveness. I refuse to play clue each and everyone knew what they were doing and needs prosecution. Only then can any real healing or forgiveness even begin to happen.
Miles Taylor. For an unknown and likely illogical reason this apparently brilliant man activates my poo detector. Also, he has recently tweeted that TFG "for years" talked about the Insurrection Act. Why is this guy advertising the fact that he heard these things mentioned in the WH? Why not ask him, under oath. Maybe he can shed some light on what parties within the President's circle was enlightening him re the Insurrection Act. What does Mr. Taylor really know? Is it something or nothing?
What about the Secret Service people who are supposed to be with the President, including driving him from WH to the Ellipse? Q45 stated he would be going to the Capitol, but didn't the SS agents drive him back to the WH? Aren't they aware of all the people coming and going to WH, especially the morning of Jan 6, and the many days of planning before?
let's subpoena all of the FBI informants in the crowd that participated in the planning od the event, including sending money and plane tix to attendees, instructing others on the plan, basically, let's ask the FBI what they knew and when they knew it.
Trump. Trump Jr. Ivanka. Ginny Thomas. Charlie Kirk. Roger Stone. Marjorie Greene. Kevin McCarthy. The guy from Overstock. Ezra Cohen Watnick. Mark Esper. Pompeo. Jim Jordan. Lauren Boebert. Jeffrey Rosen.
Ginni Lamp Thomas. Her organization bussed in hundreds of protesters. She, and her ilk, were at the root of the insurrection.
Mike Lindell.
I would like each member of Congress who voted against certifying the election -- after being held hostage and having their lives threatened by the insurgents -- to be called to answer the simple question "why did you vote against certification?" We need to understand their thinking, what influenced them to vote this way, what they imagined the outcome of their vote would be -- in essence, what did they want and why? And of course, I want Trump himself to be forced to testify; he will lie like a rug as the saying goes, but we need to see this televised live. I would also like to see key members of his family testify: Don, Jr., Ivanka, Jared, Kimberly Guilfoyle. As the people closest to him, they would've heard and seen everything, and some of them may have had an active role as well. Most of all, I want this to matter -- I want real, serious consequences. These actions were not "simply" efforts to harm our democracy; this was a well-planned, well-financed effort to overthrow the US government. Let us start treating it as such.
Could the committee just go to the heart of the matter and subpoena donald trump instead of always working around him? But not the 2nd team-Greene, Gaetz, Hawley, Boebert, etc. They call the election fraud, want to "imeach" Biden, encouraged dismissing the count, continue the big lie, but investigating their roles would only serve to shine a spotlight on them which they would love.
Bill Doolittle, Surely Trump needs to testify
Subpoena every White house phone conversation, every WH email, every WH secretary, WH assistant, and inturn.
This can be a complicated question or one can approach it from a more simpler direct point of view. I choose the latter... THE WHO: Brooks, Hawley, Cruz, Green, Boebert, McConnell, along with their staffs, and Stone for starters. Everyone who was present at the 1/5 meeting. THE WHY: They are all dirty, dirty as the day is long, plain and simple. All liars, all abdicated their oaths and all TRAITORS to the Constitution and the Republic.
Kimberly Guifoyle (sp?), girlfriend of DJT, Jr. She was in the tent, at the pre-speech party. However, she may have been too drunk or drugged up to provide any memory of what occurred.
all GOP senators and congressmen who "walked through" the Capitol, basement and other locations as part of their reconnaissance to aid the attack on Jan6
I agree with Carol Moore except most republicans need to be on trial also!we need JUSTICE NOW
I’d like to see the truly egregious Republicans tell the truth under oath and subpoena if necessary. What is wrong with those leaders that they lie so blatantly? How can they sleep at night?
I think Jim Jordan is in it up to his neck. He should be made to testify. Whomever was with or around Trump as the insurrection was happening can testify as to Trump’s state of mind. The former chief of Capital Police Sund, the Senate Sergeant at Arms Stenger, the House Sergeant at Arms Irving, Chris Wray, Pentagon officials, FBI Norfolk officials, DC Metro PD chief Contee, Officials at the DC National Guard, DC Mayor Bowser, Justice Thomas’ wife Ginni Thomas, NPR reporter Tom Bowman and producer Graham Smith, Army Staff Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt who said he could not recommend that his boss, Army Secretary McCarthy send National Guard troops, Virginia Governor Northam, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., (chair of the House Administration Committee.) "I was told by the police chief and the sergeant-at-arms that everything is under control and they had provided for every contingency,"
Acting Defense Sec. Miller, Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and then there’s this:
“Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, says two Capitol Police officers have been suspended. One of the suspended officers took a selfie with a rioter. The other put on a MAGA hat "and started directing people around," says Ryan. He chairs the House subcommittee investigating police response to the riot and says 10 to 15 other Capitol Police officers are under investigation.” NPR.org, Laurel Wamsley, 1/15/21.
Charles Koch:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/inside-the-koch-backed-effort-to-block-the-largest-election-reform-bill-in-half-a-century
David Koch:
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-08-23/david-kochs-legacy-dark-money-network
Koch Brothers:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/28/the-koch-brothers-tried-to-build-a-plutocracy-in-the-name-of-freedom
Robert Mercer and Rebekah Mercer:
https://theintercept.com/2021/01/27/rebekah-mercer-book-capitol-riot/
https://theintercept.com/2021/01/14/capitol-riot-mercers-election-unrest/
https://www.salon.com/2021/02/04/how-one-billionaire-family-bankrolled-election-lies-white-nationalism--and-the-capitol-riot/
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/15/robert-mercer-family-gave-nearly-20-million-to-dark-money-gop-fund-during-2020-election.html
Other radical, right sponsors:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/09/the-big-money-behind-the-big-lie
https://newrepublic.com/article/156431/how-powerful-council-national-policy-right-wing-shadow-network
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/09/the-big-money-behind-the-big-lie
Unless we subpoena Trump and force him to testify in public and then mete out appropriate punishment we will have failed. You know it, I know it, they know it, everyone knows it. It’s past time we as a society admit the truth. Trump tried to stage a coup. We all saw it with our own eyes. He should be jailed for life, shot, or hung.
John Eastman. Mike Pence. But, since so many of these big wigs are armored up with talented lawyers who know how to obfuscate and delay, then how about a different approach: subpoena the aides, staffers, assistants, and little people who actually do the work, who act on the orders, who make sure messages are sent, and so on. Inflict pain there and maybe it will cause one to flip.
To all the people who have already responded...ditto. Make them testify or hold them in jail until they do.
All those on this forum have mentioned both Flynn's, Ali Alexander, the supposed FBI insider who was communicating directly with the FBI what did they know and when was it really communicated effectively with capital police or not
Hell let's take it all back to the Mueller report in all its unredactedness, Bill Barr Rod Rosenstein Nuenes, all skiff pizza obstructers. Seriously and sadly to many to mention one can only pray that we are not obstructed with legal supeana madness. All of them /players sicken and disgust me personally, what they have done to our country is for me beyond forgiveness. I refuse to play clue each and everyone knew what they were doing and needs prosecution. Only then can any real healing or forgiveness even begin to happen.
Miles Taylor. For an unknown and likely illogical reason this apparently brilliant man activates my poo detector. Also, he has recently tweeted that TFG "for years" talked about the Insurrection Act. Why is this guy advertising the fact that he heard these things mentioned in the WH? Why not ask him, under oath. Maybe he can shed some light on what parties within the President's circle was enlightening him re the Insurrection Act. What does Mr. Taylor really know? Is it something or nothing?
Trump, Hawley, Cruz, Brooks, Green, Bobert, Gaetz…
What about the Secret Service people who are supposed to be with the President, including driving him from WH to the Ellipse? Q45 stated he would be going to the Capitol, but didn't the SS agents drive him back to the WH? Aren't they aware of all the people coming and going to WH, especially the morning of Jan 6, and the many days of planning before?
let's subpoena all of the FBI informants in the crowd that participated in the planning od the event, including sending money and plane tix to attendees, instructing others on the plan, basically, let's ask the FBI what they knew and when they knew it.
Trump. Trump Jr. Ivanka. Ginny Thomas. Charlie Kirk. Roger Stone. Marjorie Greene. Kevin McCarthy. The guy from Overstock. Ezra Cohen Watnick. Mark Esper. Pompeo. Jim Jordan. Lauren Boebert. Jeffrey Rosen.
M Lindell
G Thomas
Taylor Greene
Gosar
Boebert
Jordan
Cruz
Gaetz
R Johnson