Timeline
A House Divided
As the Jan 6 Committee's investigation ramps up, and fellow House Members are being called for interviews, Trump allies are continuing to refuse to cooperate, with some filing law suits against the Committee.
Scott Perry (R-Pa.), the first sitting House Member called by the Jan 6 Committee, has declined to be interviewed by an "illegitimate" panel. In addition, Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, and Alex Jones, the InfoWars broadcaster, have filed suits against the Committee in order to block subpoenas against them; many top Trump aides and lawyers are also pleading the Fifth, including John Eastman, Roger Stone, and Jeffrey Clark. Meanwhile, Trump announced a Jan 6 anniversary news conference at his resort in Palm Beach.
Trump Allies Quivering in Their Boots
Rep. Kinzinger says the Jan 6 Committee is not ruling out the possibility of issuing subpoenas to other members of Congress.
Last Friday Roger Stone appeared before the Committee but invoked the Fifth Amendment for "fear that Democrats would fabricate perjury charges." Other Trump allies such as William Walker, former commander of the D.C. National Guard, and Dustin Stockton, conservative activist responsible for organizing rallies after the election, are both complying with the Committee through witness testimony and turning over evidence that would have Trump allies "quivering in their boots".
Meadows in Contempt of Congress
The House votes to hold former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress as Trump's legal problems escalate.
Trump has a long history of abusing the legal system to bully others and to avoid accountability for his criminal behavior. Now Trump and his associates are facing multiple legal problems for failing to comply with Congressional subpoenas, criminal abuse of power, attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and a long list of other criminal and civil lawsuits.
Absolute and Unmitigated Liars
Army General Charles Flynn and Lt. General Walter Piatt are accused of lying to Congress about the long delay in sending the National Guard to protect the Capitol on January 6.
In a detailed 36-page memo, Col. Earl Matthews accuses the Pentagon Inspector General of trying to cover up the Army’s attempt to rewrite history and deflect responsibility for their delayed response to the January 6 Insurrection. Matthews calls out Gen. Charles Flynn and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt as “absolute and unmitigated liars.”
Trump’s Covid Lies Are Killing People
President Trump lied about the dangers of Covid, campaigned while infected, and is empowering conspiracy theories that are killing people.
Trump's "America First" policy has played a significant part in the delay to help lower-income countries inoculate their citizens. This has huge consequences on the rest of the world because these same countries are where COVID is mutating. Additionally, Trump lied about his own COVID infection and still attended the first debate as well as multiple events in 2020. On top of that, GOP are empowering COVID conspiracy theories preventing millions from getting vaccinated and blocking policies to control the pandemic.
Evidence Mounts of Trump Conspiracy
Although those closest to Trump have been trying to claim executive privilege and slow down the process in the courts, lower level staffers lack the resources to fight the subpoenas and are talking to the committee.
The Jan 6 committee is collecting even more evidence that the attack on the Capitol was all part of Trump's plan to overturn the election. Sources have spoken out about the fact that Trump called aides and lieutenants right before the attack in order to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. This call will become a central focus of the Jan 6 Committee as "it raises the specter of a possible connection between Trump and the insurrection."
Trump Officials Run to Jan 6 Committee
Around 200 witnesses and members of the Trump administration have voluntarily come forward to the Jan. 6 Committee to provide information to Congress.
In addition to the 200 witnesses, the Committee received 25,000 documents for the investigation. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a member of the Jan 6 Committee stated, "Let me say certainly there have been people, part of the Trump administration, who have spoken to us and provided important insights that have led us to further questions."
McCarthy and GOP Endorse Political Violence
The GOP’s refusal to censure Rep. Paul Gosar for posting an animated video showing him murdering Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a shocking endorsement of political violence targeting women of color.
“Violence against women in politics is a global phenomenon meant to silence women and discourage them from seeking positions of authority and participating in public life, with women of color disproportionately impacted. Minority Leader McCarthy’s silence is tacit approval and just as dangerous.” – Statement Prepared by House Democrats
Bannon Indicted – Meadows May Be Next
Steve Bannon has been indicted for contempt of Congress as Mark Meadows and others in Trumps inner circle attempt to hide behind dubious claims of executive privilege.
It has been a busy legal week for Trump. The January 6 Commission has issued two new rounds of subpoenas targeting Trump’s inner circle, a federal appeals court has granted a temporary stay to block the release of Trump White House records, and top Trump advisor Steve Bannon was indicted by a federal grand jury for contempt of Congress on the same day Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows ignores a Congressional subpoena.
Top Trump Allies Subpoenaed
The January 6 Committee has subpoenaed six individuals linked to Trump’s War Room inner circle “tied to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.”
The subpoenas included John Eastman who wrote the infamous memo on how to overturn the election, former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik, and disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The three members of Trump’s campaign who also received subpoenas are Bill Stepien; Jason Miller, and Angela McCallum.
Jan 6 Committee Makes “Real Progress”
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan is likely to rule against the Trump team's attempt to stop the release of documents to the Jan. 6 committee. The National Archive will plan to release these documents by Nov. 12th.
Despite Trump’s efforts to slow down the investigation in court, the January 6 Committee has interviewed more than 150 people and will soon issue 20 new subpoenas. Vice Chair Liz Cheney told Politico, “There really is a huge amount of work underway that is leading to real progress for us.”
THE ATTACK
The Washington Post publishes the most important investigative journalism this year: “The Attack: Before, During and After,” is an extraordinary investigation of the January 6 Insurrection and its aftermath.
“Throughout much of this year, a team of 75 Washington Post journalists has been working to produce a definitive account of Jan. 6 — its causes, its costs and its aftermath. The result of that investigation, a three-part series being published today, makes clear that the violence that day was neither a spontaneous act nor an isolated event.” - Washington Post Executive Editor Sally Buzbee
White House and GOP Planned January 6
January 6 organizers told the House Select Committee that they participated in “dozens” of “planning briefings” with Trump’s White House and over a dozen GOP lawmakers.
Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and White House officials played a “major role” in planning events that led to the January 6 Insurrection. Organizers warned Meadows that the protests could turn violent. Over a dozen Republican lawmakers also helped planned events that resulted in the violent attack on the Capitol, including Paul Gosar who assured organizers that Trump would issue a “blanket pardon” for protesters.
Steve Bannon’s Criminal Contempt
Despite Trump's threats, Nine House Republicans voted with Democrats to hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt for defying a subpoena to testify.
Trump and his allies are attempting to hide behind executive privilege to delay the investigation into the attack on the Capitol and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election. January 6 Committee Vice-Chair Liz Cheney said prior to the House vote, “Mr. Bannon's and Mr. Trump's privilege arguments do appear to reveal one thing, however: they suggest that President Trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of January 6th.”
Can the Courts Hold Trump Accountable?
Trump sues to block the January 6 Committee and is questioned for hours by lawyers representing protestors assaulted by his security guards.
Trump is facing numerous civil and criminal court cases. Civil cases include assaulting protestors, defrauding investors and family members, defamation from women claiming rape and sexual assault, and for violating civil rights and the Ku Klux Klan Act. The criminal cases include investigations into his business dealings, bank and tax fraud, and his failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
GOP Extremists Target Schools
The Republican leadership and rightwing media are using Covid and Critical Race Theory as a political strategy to rally Trump’s base, while students and educators pay the price.
The GOP Culture War is creating havoc in our public schools with angry protests and threats of violence against school board members, teachers, and even students. In school districts across the country, teachers fear retaliation for using books about racism, slavery, and even the Holocaust.
The Slow Moving Coup
The Republican Party has fully embraced lies, disinformation, and conspiracy theories to attack our democracy and put Trump back in the White House.
MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan warns, "We are in the midst of a rolling coup. Almost every day, Republicans pass more voter suppression laws. They purge more and more election officials and they entrench the big lie that the election was stolen." Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) tweeted, “Perpetuating the Big Lie is an attack on the core of our constitutional republic.”
Trump’s “Murder-Suicide Pact”
Senate Judiciary Committee Releases Report on Donald Trump's Scheme to Pressure DOJ & Overturn the 2020 Election
The Senate report, “Subverting Justice,” details how Trump and his loyalists threatened a wholesale takeover of the DOJ. Trump backed down after staff threatened mass resignations and White House counsel Pat Cipollone, called Trump’s plan a “murder-suicide pact.”
There Have to Be Consequences
The House January 6 committee conducts closed door interviews as rightwing extremists organize “shock troops.”
Former National Security Council advisor Fiona Hill warns that Trump’s “in plain sight attempt at a self-coup” is a danger to democracy because “congressional Republicans went along with President Trump's lies.” A federal Judge sentencing a Capitol rioter says, “There have to be consequences for participating in an attempted violent overthrow of the government.”
Trump Rally Organizers Subpoenaed
The House is investigating 11 organizers of Trump rallies connected to the January 6 Insurrection.
The new House subpoenas come a week after members of Trump’s inner circle were subpoenaed, including top Trump White House officials. The investigation includes “how various individuals and entities coordinated their activities leading up to the events of January 6, 2021.”