Timeline

The Most Severe Charges Yet
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

The Most Severe Charges Yet

Eleven Oath Keepers have been arrested on sedition charges for their involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol Riots.

More than 700 rioters have been charged over several months of the Jan. 6 investigation. However, the "legal weight and political overtones" carried by these seditious conspiracy charges against Stewart Rhodes, leader and founder of the Oath Keepers, and 10 other members have been the most severe charges yet--carrying a maximum of 20 years in prison. According to the indictment, the Oath Keepers charged into the Capitol, under Rhodes' command, in search of Nancy Pelosi. Others were stationed in a nearby hotel, armed and ready to storm into the Capitol if needed.

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Jan. 6 Committee "Kicking into Overdrive"
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

Jan. 6 Committee "Kicking into Overdrive"

The House committee has received thousands of records and interviewed several key witnesses; they're ready to make their findings public, "possibly as soon as the spring."

Many of the documents sent in by state election officials highlight the pressure former President Trump placed on lower-level administrators. With the Committee's state-level work "kicking into overdrive", more higher-up officials close to Trump are refusing to cooperate, this includes former Vice President Pence and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). Both politicians have openly reversed their initial opinions of cooperation with the Committee, as Rep. Jordan called the investigation “partisan witch hunts.”

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One Year Later: Our Democracy in Danger
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

One Year Later: Our Democracy in Danger

A year after the Insurrection and the country still remains firmly divided on what actually happened that day.

Last January 7th, the whole world thought that Trump and his conspiracies finally took it a step too far; Trump was banned from Twitter, conservative social media site Parler went offline. The grim reality of the situation is that right-wing radicalism has only been ramping up since--30 percent of Americans still believe that "there is solid evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election." The Republican Party itself has seen significant radicalization and has continued their unified push to whitewash the past, especially the realities of the Jan. 6 Insurrection.

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Evidence Mounts of Trump Conspiracy
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

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."

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Trump Officials Run to Jan 6 Committee
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

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."

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McCarthy and GOP Endorse Political Violence
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

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

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Top Trump Allies Subpoenaed
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

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.

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Jan 6 Committee Makes “Real Progress”
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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.”

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THE ATTACK
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

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

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White House and GOP Planned January 6
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

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.

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The Slow Moving Coup
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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.”

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Trump’s “Murder-Suicide Pact”
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

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.”

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There Have to Be Consequences
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

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.”

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Trump Rally Organizers Subpoenaed
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

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.”

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Trump’s Inner Circle Subpoenaed
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Trump’s Inner Circle Subpoenaed

Trump loyalists, Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino, Steve Bannon, and Kash Patel are all part of a larger records request sent to government agencies last month.

Trump former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former deputy White House chief of staff Dan Scavino, former campaign manager Steve Bannon, and the former acting defense secretary’s chief of staff Kash Patel have been subpoenaed by the House Committee investigating the January 6 Insurrection.

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Howls, Of Course
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Howls, Of Course

The new Bob Woodward and Robert Costa book 'Peril' documents Trump's last-ditch effort to overturn the election.

On January 4, Trump tried to convince Vice-President Mike Pence to create a constitutional crisis that would allow the House to overturn the 2020 election. Trump's lawyer concocted a six-step plan that included Pence throwing out the electors from seven states and the expected “Howls, of course, from the Democrats.”

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GOP Sympathy for Domestic Terrorists
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GOP Sympathy for Domestic Terrorists

Republican Rep. Mo Brooks tweets support for domestic terrorist threatening to denote a bomb near the Library of Congress in D.C.

After a five-hour standoff, police arrested a Trump supporter who livestreamed Republican conspiracy theories and threatened to denote bombs around D.C. unless Democrats “step down.” Rep. Adam Kinzinger called out his Republican colleagues for inciting violence tweeting, “The GOP has a decision to make. Are we going to be the party that keeps stoking sympathy for domestic terrorists and pushes out truth, or finally take a stand for truth.”

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Time for Congress to Act
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

Time for Congress to Act

Trump and his GOP allies are engaged in a campaign of disinformation to rewrite the history of January 6 Insurrection and to restrict voting rights ahead of the 2022 election.

President Biden warns that we cannot allow the history of the January 6 Insurrection to be rewritten, “It was insurrection. It was riot and mayhem. It was radical and chaotic, and it was unconstitutional. Maybe most important, it was fundamentally un-American.” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland writes in an op-ed, “it is not right to erect barriers that make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to vote. And it is time for Congress to act again to protect that fundamental right.

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Trump: Leave the Rest to Me
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

Trump: Leave the Rest to Me

Evidence mounts that Trump and his congressional allies pressured DOJ and other government officials in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the election.

The Department of Justice released Richard Donoghue’s handwritten notes documenting how Trump pressured then acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen to make false claims of voter fraud. When informed that DOJ had no power to overturn the election results, Trump replied, “Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me” and to congressional allies.

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They Sacrificed to Defend Democracy
Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein Attack on Democracy Michael Bornstein

They Sacrificed to Defend Democracy

Capitol and D.C. Officers indict Trump and GOP for inspiring a racist, violent attack by “terrorists” and “white supremacists.”

On the first hearing of the House January 6 committee, officer gave powerful and emotional testimony describing a day of “hell” and call out “disgraceful” Republicans “who continue to deny the events of that day. And in doing so betray their oath of office." Officers accused the GOP for “a continued shocking attempt to ignore or try to destroy the truth of what truly happened that day and to whitewash the facts into something other than what they unmistakinigly reveal, an attack on our democracy by violent domestic extremists.”

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