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Capitol riot hearings: Donald Trump accused of staging an attempted coup [Post#145]

CricketCartoons said:
Oh so twitter is the new paragon of justice now. But it is good. Patriots would realize what they are up against. For too long they have been disorganized and complacent.
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They are “up against” Twitter? What a strange remark. If you get banned from a burger chain for getting drunk and abusing the clientele, it’s your fault. It’s not your patriotic duty to get drunk and abuse people who want a burger, neither is it your right to do so.
 
KingKhanWC said:
Thanks.

He's not allowed on social media but allowed to carry the nuclear football. :))

Agree or not with him, this is a terrible , terrible precident. Social media has no right to choose what can be said or not. I dont see them banning other leaders who call for violence or display hatred to others.

Trump should start up his own social media page, it would generate millions of followers. You cant really stop such a famous person from his views not being heard, it's idiotic.
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Of course a social media company has that right. It’s called the right to own property. If you use their platform you have to abide by their rules, else you risk being thrown off. If they throw you off, or don’t, it’s their call, their right, because it is their property you are standing on.
 
Bewal Express said:
I am waiting for hi melt down. With no platform or therapy, this is going to be good.
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You think an unstable and cornered man who has just encouraged an act of sedition against his own country and has his finger on nuclear triggers, about to “melt down” is good.
 
President Trump will have plenty of time to play golf soon — and now he will also have one of his famous courses all to himself.

The outgoing president, who lost the U.S. election to Joe Biden in November and then failed in numerous legal and illegal attempts to have the results overturned, has lost the honor of hosting one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the PGA Tour.

The PGA of America announced on Sunday that it was pulling the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump’s New Jersey golf club. The organization voted on the matter Sunday night, just four days after a Trump-inspired mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, resulting in the deaths of five people and interrupting Congress as it attempted to certify Biden’s victory.

PGA President Jim Richerson said the PGA voted to “terminate the agreement” with Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The PGA also canceled the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in 2015 at Trump National Los Angeles Golf Club following then candidate Trump’s insulting remarks about Mexican immigrants.

“We find ourselves in a political situation not of our making,” Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA of America, said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press. “We’re fiduciaries for our members, for the game, for our mission and for our brand. And how do we best protect that? Our feeling was given the tragic events of Wednesday that we could no longer hold it at Bedminster. The damage could have been irreparable. The only real course of action was to leave.”

“This is not because of any pressures we feel. We’re not being forced into a decision,” Waugh said. “We had to make a business decision. It’s a perpetual institution. My job is to hand it off better than when I found it. One hundred years from now, we still want to be vibrant.”

Trump National in Bedminster — about 45 minutes outside of New York City — hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 2017.

Waugh said the PGA of America is already searching for a new course on which to play the PGA Championship next year.

“We’ve had a number of places reach out already,” he said. “We think we’ll have a bunch of options.”

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ny-trump-pga-20210111-fuhl7lmvdfdgtdcckyegq3sw7u-story.html
 
Trump has shot himself in the foot for real this time. I think the American political system and the elites would have put up with any of his ** as long as he was just defrauding common citizens and selling his lies to them. But as soon as he launched an assault on the actually system, as well as put the safety of the elites (his own VP and his family), congressmen and senators in danger, well the blowback was going to be hard. Now they will make sure he is politically worthless. You don’t challenge the establishment like this and get away with it. He will be impeached, banned from social media platforms, his business rep will be in tatters. They will do what they can to mitigate his reach to his followers. And I think it’s too verbal for the greater good. His fans have turned into a dangerous cult who will attack you if you don’t agree with them.

He will have no other legacy than one of shame and failure.

Good riddance!
 
Stewie said:
Trump has shot himself in the foot for real this time. I think the American political system and the elites would have put up with any of his ** as long as he was just defrauding common citizens and selling his lies to them. But as soon as he launched an assault on the actually system, as well as put the safety of the elites (his own VP and his family), congressmen and senators in danger, well the blowback was going to be hard. Now they will make sure he is politically worthless. You don’t challenge the establishment like this and get away with it. He will be impeached, banned from social media platforms, his business rep will be in tatters. They will do what they can to mitigate his reach to his followers. And I think it’s too verbal for the greater good. His fans have turned into a dangerous cult who will attack you if you don’t agree with them.

He will have no other legacy than one of shame and failure.

Good riddance!
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His business interests will soon take care of him.

He has a 500m dollar loan maturing and ordinarily the bank would extend the loan.
However, I suspect Covid will have had a huge impact on his property portfolio.

Commercial properties will be suffering from lack of rent and hotels due to lack of tourism and business trips. Golf clubs will also be suffering.

With the huge amount of bank loans plus loans from private entities such as the Prince of Saudi, he would have been struggling even prior to Covid... Covid could be the straw that finale breaks his back.

You know what they say when you corner a rat, well I think we have a rate sitting in the Whitehouse which is why we've seen so many acts of desperation.

Time will tell if I'm right.
 
IMMY69 said:
His business interests will soon take care of him.

He has a 500m dollar loan maturing and ordinarily the bank would extend the loan.
However, I suspect Covid will have had a huge impact on his property portfolio.

Commercial properties will be suffering from lack of rent and hotels due to lack of tourism and business trips. Golf clubs will also be suffering.

With the huge amount of bank loans plus loans from private entities such as the Prince of Saudi, he would have been struggling even prior to Covid... Covid could be the straw that finale breaks his back.

You know what they say when you corner a rat, well I think we have a rate sitting in the Whitehouse which is why we've seen so many acts of desperation.

Time will tell if I'm right.
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You are correct. I think he realized this which is why he kept harping about election fraud and getting into litigation over the election fraud in various courts. Because what he did was use the litigation as a cover to raise millions and millions of dollars. Last time I checked he had to the tune of 60-70 million raised through donations and rallies to fight the supposed election fraud. And he had spent merely 8million on the litigation.

The rest is all going in his pocket. He knows the loan payments are coming due. Also all the pardons he handed out, I am sure he was charging hefty fees under the table for those as well. I have no evidence of that, full disclosure, but the election fraud money raised issue is well documented. You can Google and find out what’s going on with it. He has not said anything about where all the leftover money will go now that the cases are thrown out.
 
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Robert said:
You think an unstable and cornered man who has just encouraged an act of sedition against his own country and has his finger on nuclear triggers, about to “melt down” is good.
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There are security procedures in place to stop him from using the button for stupid reasons
 
Bigboii said:
There are security procedures in place to stop him from using the button for stupid reasons
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I agree that there will be checks and balances in place with respect to the nukes.. however, although unlikely, it won't stop him doing something silly in the ME (Iran in particular)...

I think the biggest fear is that he can run again in 2024 or even try and pardon himself before his term is over. Impeachment will be mean he won't be able to stand again and risks going to jail
 
Robert said:
Of course a social media company has that right. It’s called the right to own property. If you use their platform you have to abide by their rules, else you risk being thrown off. If they throw you off, or don’t, it’s their call, their right, because it is their property you are standing on.
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Since you are a fan of the EU, Chancellor Merkal has been vocal about this. She says it must be legislation that determines what is acceptable in speech, not tech bosses.
 
Robert said:
You think an unstable and cornered man who has just encouraged an act of sedition against his own country and has his finger on nuclear triggers, about to “melt down” is good.
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Oh come on dude. That's a bit dramatic. Trump never waged war in his 4 years in power, never gave the order to, he withdrew troops, and you think he's going to nuke a country as his last hoorah!?

Also Trump didn't encourage anyone, that is your interpretation and assumption.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Oh come on dude. That's a bit dramatic. Trump never waged war in his 4 years in power, never gave the order to, he withdrew troops, and you think he's going to nuke a country as his last hoorah!?

Also Trump didn't encourage anyone, that is your interpretation and assumption.
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If you think he didn’t want to ... have a read:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...clear-weapons-has-become-a-very-real-concern/


An excerpt:

By August 2016, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough claimed that Trump had asked a foreign policy expert what good nuclear weapons were if they weren't utilized. “Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump,” said Scarborough, who was intermittently friendly and adversarial with Trump. “And three times, [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times. He asked at one point, if we had them, why can't we use them?”
The Trump campaign denied this. But in a March interview on MSNBC, Trump seemed to make a similar argument.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: The Japanese, where we bombed them in '45, heard it. They're hearing a guy running for president of the United States talking of maybe using nuclear weapons. Nobody wants to hear that about an American president.
TRUMP: Then why are we making them? Why do we make them?
 
They gave him so many warnings. Insurrection is the last straw. If they had done it long back this would not have happened.
 
Stewie said:
If you think he didn’t want to ... have a read:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...clear-weapons-has-become-a-very-real-concern/


An excerpt:

By August 2016, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough claimed that Trump had asked a foreign policy expert what good nuclear weapons were if they weren't utilized. “Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump,” said Scarborough, who was intermittently friendly and adversarial with Trump. “And three times, [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times. He asked at one point, if we had them, why can't we use them?”
The Trump campaign denied this. But in a March interview on MSNBC, Trump seemed to make a similar argument.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: The Japanese, where we bombed them in '45, heard it. They're hearing a guy running for president of the United States talking of maybe using nuclear weapons. Nobody wants to hear that about an American president.
TRUMP: Then why are we making them? Why do we make them?
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He even wanted to nuke hurricanes lol
 
Technics 1210 said:
Oh come on dude. That's a bit dramatic. Trump never waged war in his 4 years in power, never gave the order to, he withdrew troops, and you think he's going to nuke a country as his last hoorah!?

Also Trump didn't encourage anyone, that is your interpretation and assumption.
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He never waged war but he almost single handedly threw the leader of the "free world" into the third world and civil war. :))
 
Technics 1210 said:
Oh come on dude. That's a bit dramatic. Trump never waged war in his 4 years in power, never gave the order to, he withdrew troops, and you think he's going to nuke a country as his last hoorah!?

Also Trump didn't encourage anyone, that is your interpretation and assumption.
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After inciting sedition against his own government I wouldn’t put anything past him. Wiser heads that I have called for removal of his control over the nuclear triggers.

This is not a normal human being. He is a malignant narcissist, doesn’t operate under consensus morality and is entirely unpredictable.
 
Robert said:
After inciting sedition against his own government I wouldn’t put anything past him. Wiser heads that I have called for removal of his control over the nuclear triggers.

This is not a normal human being. He is a malignant narcissist, doesn’t operate under consensus morality and is entirely unpredictable.
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Didn't you also believe Trump colluded with the Russias? I mean every accusation against Trump is just that, an accusation.

So you don't trust Trump who has been anything but predictable in the past 4 years when it comes to not waging war, but will trust Biden who championed Is Iraq, supported Obama on numerous wars, and is showing signs of actual mental illness, with the Nuclear button? JFK has come closer to pressing the button, as was Reagan.

Anyway, as mentioned above, nuclear button isn't a door bell, there's a full procedure which must be followed before the President gives the go.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
He even wanted to nuke hurricanes lol
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Hahaha, you are so right. Didn’t want to derail this thread but he did seriously ask around if he could nuke the hurricanes from forming. What a loser!
 
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Trump says impeachment attempt causing 'tremendous anger' but he wants 'no violence'

Donald Trump has warned that efforts to impeach him are causing "tremendous anger" - but insisted that he wants "no violence" in the run-up to Joe Biden's inauguration.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since last week's deadly riots at the US Capitol, Mr Trump declined to answer questions on whether he would resign.

His remarks came as he left for a trip to the border wall in Texas.

"We want absolutely no violence," said the president.

"On the impeachment, it's really a continuation of the greatest witch-hunt in the history of politics, it's ridiculous - it's absolutely ridiculous.

"The impeachment is causing tremendous anger... and it's really a terrible thing that they're doing," said Mr Trump.

"For Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to continue on this path, I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country and it's causing tremendous anger."

Before he stepped on to helicopter Marine One, he reiterated: "I want no violence".

America is still reeling from last Wednesday, when Trump supporters forced their way into the US Capitol building in Washington and ran amok.

Five people died in the violence, with the president widely blamed for sparking the disorder by his comments to the crowd earlier in the day.

Efforts to impeach him for a second time began on Monday, when Democrats filed one article in the House of Representatives.

It accuses the president of incitement to insurrection and says he made statements that "encouraged and foreseeably resulted in" the riot at the Capitol.

Democrats are reconvening today to vote on a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to force Mr Trump out as an "unfit" leader.

Mr Pence is believed to be extremely unlikely to entertain the idea, so a vote on the impeachment could happen on Wednesday, and needs a simple majority to pass.

If it is voted through, it would move to the Senate for trial with senators acting as jurors.

However, Republicans control the Senate and would not take up the charges until 19 January at the earliest - Mr Trump's last day before Joe Biden's inauguration - so forcing him from power seems very unlikely.

According to the FBI, armed protests could take place in Washington and in all 50 state capital cities in the run-up to the inauguration.

One armed group has vowed that an uprising will take place if attempts are made to remove Mr Trump from office.

But Michael Plati, the US secret service agent in charge of the inauguration, said officials stand ready to make sure there are no further security breaches in Washington on the big day.

The National Guard will also have up to 15,000 personnel in the city, with 10,000 in place by this Saturday.

The Washington Monument has also been shut to the public and the ceremony on the steps of the Capitol will be off limits to the public.

Meanwhile, several police officers have been suspended and at least 10 others are under investigation over their alleged roles in the violence.

https://news.sky.com/story/trump-sa...ndous-anger-but-he-wants-no-violence-12185981
 
Several police officers have been suspended and at least 10 others are under investigation following the deadly riot at the US Capitol.

A member of the House of Representatives said that one of the temporarily removed Capitol Hill officers had taken a selfie with people in the mob which stormed the seat of the US legislative last week.

It comes as President Donald Trump said efforts to impeach him over the riots are causing "tremendous anger" - before adding that he wants "no violence".

The article of impeachment being prepared accuses the president of incitement to insurrection and say he made statements that "encouraged and foreseeably resulted in" the riots.

Another of the officers that has been temporarily taken off rota was seen wearing a Make America Great Again hat during the violence, and was directing rioters, according to Democrat Tim Ryan.

He said of the investigation: "The main point is the Capitol Police are looking at everybody involved that could have potentially facilitated at a big level or a small level."

Mr Ryan added that between 10 and 15 other officers were under investigation.

The acting chief of the US Capitol Police (USCP), Yogananda Pittman, said the suspensions were part of an internal investigation into what happened.

"The Department is fully engaged with our law enforcement partners throughout the National Capital Region on the Federal, state, and local levels," she said.

"The Department also has been actively reviewing video and other open source materials of some USCP officers and officials that appear to be in violation of Department regulations and policies.

"Our Office of Professional Responsibility will investigate these behaviours for disciplinary action, up to, and including, termination. Several USCP officers have already been suspended pending the outcome of their investigations."

Ms Pittman took over running the police force after Steven Sund resigned as chief over the violence, having been pressured to do so by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

A police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot a woman during the violence. Three others died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

At least 25 domestic terrorism cases have been opened in the wake of the siege and the Washington Monument was closed to the public.

Meanwhile, the FBI has warned that armed protests could take place in all 50 states ahead of President-Elect Joe Biden's inauguration on 20 January.

https://news.sky.com/story/us-capit...ce-in-washington-12185977?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
 
moscow imitch might have turned on him. can he get enough votes in senate to get rid of him
 
Trump impeachment: Several Republicans to join Democrats in House vote

The US House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote to impeach President Donald Trump over his role in last week's storming of Congress.

Democrats accuse the president of encouraging his supporters to attack the Capitol building. Five people died.

Members of Mr Trump's Republican party say they will join Democrats to impeach him on Wednesday, formally charging the president with inciting insurrection.

President Trump has rejected any responsibility for the violence.

The riot last Wednesday happened after Mr Trump told supporters at a rally in Washington DC to "fight like hell" against the result of November's election.

Will Trump be impeached?

As Democrats hold a majority in the House, the vote is likely to pass. The case will then head for the Senate, where a trial will be held to determine the president's guilt.

A two-thirds majority would be needed there to convict Mr Trump, meaning at least 17 Republicans would have to vote for conviction. As many as 20 Senate Republicans are open to convicting the president, the New York Times reports.

The timeline of when a trial could be held is not known but it is unlikely it could be finished before Mr Trump leaves office on 20 January, when Joe Biden will be sworn in as president.

The Senate could also use an impeachment trial to block Mr Trump from ever running for office again. He has indicated he plans to campaign for president in 2024.

Wednesday's vote means that Mr Trump is likely to become the first US president ever to be impeached twice.

In December 2019 he became the third president to be impeached over charges of breaking the law by asking Ukraine to investigate Mr Biden to boost his own chances of re-election. The Senate cleared him.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55642101
 
BREAKING: House begins Trump impeachment debate session

The House of Representatives has opened its session, and Democrats are getting ready to impeach President Trump over last week's deadly attack on Congress.

The Democrats have a majority in the House, so the vote later on Wednesday on whether to impeach Mr Trump for the second time is expected to pass.

Here's what we can expect as the day progresses...

There'll be an hour of debate on the rule of the session, split between the two parties. Then, lawmakers will vote on the rule.

We'll then move into two hours of debate on the impeachment article itself.

The final vote on impeachment should last around an hour. We're expecting that to begin around 1600EST/2100GMT.
 
Twitter boss: Trump ban is 'right' but 'dangerous'

Twitter boss Jack Dorsey has said banning US President Donald Trump was the right thing to do.

However, he expressed sadness at what he described as the "extraordinary and untenable circumstances" surrounding Mr Trump's permanent suspension.

He also said the ban was in part a failure of Twitter's, which hadn't done enough to foster "healthy conversation" across its platforms.

Twitter has been praised and criticised for freezing Mr Trump's account.

In a long Twitter thread, Twitter's chief said he did not celebrate or feel pride in the ban - which came after the Capitol riot last week.

He reiterated that removing the president from Twitter was made after "a clear warning" to Mr Trump.

"We made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter," Mr Dorsey said.

He also accepted that the move would have consequences for an open and free internet.

"Having to take these actions fragment the public conversation. They divide us….And sets a precedent I feel is dangerous."

"A company making a business decision to moderate itself is different from a government removing access, yet can feel much the same," said Mr Dorsey.

However, big tech firms generally argue that as they are private companies, and not state actors, this law does not apply when they moderate their platforms.

Facebook and YouTube have taken steps to silence the president, while Amazon shut down Parler, an app widely used by his supporters.

Now Snapchat has also announced that Mr Trump will be permanently banned from its platform too.

It had already announced an indefinite suspension, but has now decided that "in the interest of public safety and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence" to permanently terminate his account.

On Monday, the German chancellor's spokesperson said she found the social media ban "problematic". And the Mexican president said: "I don't like anybody being censored."

Incoming US President-elect Joe Biden has said he wants companies like Facebook and Twitter to do more to take down hate speech and fake news.

He has previously said he wants to repeal Section 230, a law protecting social media companies from being sued for the things people post.

It's not clear how Mr Biden intends to regulate Big Tech, though it's likely to be a legislative focus of his.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55657417
 
The Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives has voted, with Republican support, for a commission to investigate the Capitol riot.

Thirty-five Republicans defied their party leaders and former President Donald Trump in siding with Democrats by 252-175 to establish the inquiry.

Mr Trump had urged Republicans to vote against the "Democrat trap".

The bill looks unlikely to pass the upper chamber. Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell called it "slanted".

The inquiry would be modelled on the commission that investigated the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.

It would establish a 10-member body, evenly split between the two main parties, that would make recommendations by the end of the year on how to prevent any repeat of the Capitol invasion.

Trump supporters stormed Congress on 6 January in a failed bid to thwart certification of President Joe Biden's victory in November's election.

Wednesday's vote was seen as a loyalty test to the former president for members of his party.

All 10 of the House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the days after the Capitol riot for incitement of insurrection were among the 35 who voted for the commission.

New York congressman John Katko, who negotiated the legislation with Democrats, said: "This is about facts - it's not partisan politics."

Mr Katko - the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee - said "the American people and the Capitol Police deserve answers, and action as soon as possible to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again".

But Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, said the commission was a Democratic ruse "to smear Trump supporters".

Shortly before the vote, Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat, said on the House floor: "We have people scaling the Capitol, hitting the Capitol Police with lead pipes across the head, and we can't get bipartisanship? What else has to happen in this country?"

But the legislation faces dim prospects in the Senate, where the rules mean Democrats would need 10 Republicans to join them in passing it.

John Thune, the deputy Republican leader in the upper chamber, said he was concerned the inquiry would be "weaponised politically" in the 2022 election cycle.

Mr Trump has been dividing post-presidential life between his golf clubs in Florida and New Jersey and hinting about another run for the White House in 2024.

He continues to spread unfounded claims that last year's election was stolen from him - the conspiracy theory that drove many of his supporters to Capitol Hill on 6 January.

One of them, an unarmed woman, was shot and killed by police as she tried to break into the House chamber.

Two other protesters died of heart failure in the melee and one other from an amphetamine overdose.

A Capitol Police officer who tackled the protesters died of a stroke the following day. Two other officers took their own lives in the days after.

The Capitol Police union said one officer lost an eye during the attack and others sustained brain injuries.

BBC
 
Facebook Inc has suspended former US President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years.

He was barred indefinitely from both sites in January in the wake of posts he made on the US Capitol riots, but last month Facebook's Oversight Board criticised the open-ended penalty.

Facebook said Mr Trump's actions were "a severe violation of our rules".

Mr Trump said the move was "an insult" to the millions who voted for him in last year's presidential election.

Facebook's move comes as the social media giant is also ending a policy shielding politicians from some content moderation rules.

It said that it would no longer give politicians immunity for deceptive or abusive content based on their comments being newsworthy.

Mr Trump's ban was effective from the date of the initial suspension on 7 January, Facebook's vice-president of global affairs Nick Clegg said in a post.

"Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr Trump's suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available," it added.

"If we determine that there is still a serious risk to public safety, we will extend the restriction for a set period of time and continue to re-evaluate until that risk has receded."

On his return, Mr Trump will be held to "a strict set of rapidly escalating sanctions," for any violations, Mr Clegg's statement noted.

How has Mr Trump responded?

In a statement issued from his Save America political action committee, Mr Trump said: "Facebook's ruling is an insult to the record-setting 75m people, plus many others, who voted for us..."

"They shouldn't be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win. Our country can't take this abuse anymore!"

In a second statement on the two-year ban, Mr Trump attacked Facebook's founder.

"Next time I'm in the White House there will be no more dinners, at his request, with Mark Zuckerberg and his wife," the former president said. "It will be all business!"

The move by Facebook allows Mr Trump to return to the platform before the 2024 presidential election.

It also comes as he prepares to again hold the large scale in-person rallies that were a signature of his campaigns and presidency. One of his first is planned for Dallas, Texas, in early July, according to local media.

Earlier this week, it emerged that the communications platform set up by Mr Trump in the wake of his social media bans - From the Desk of Donald J Trump - has been permanently shut down.

In addition to Facebook, which has over two billion monthly users, Mr Trump has also been banned from Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitch and other social media platforms over the January riot.

Last month, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican Trump ally, h signed the first law in the US that punishes tech companies for de-platforming politicians.

Bbc
 
Trump asks judge to force Twitter to restore his account

A filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida says Twitter allowed the Taliban to tweet frequently about its military victories in Afghanistan, but censored the president during his term in office.

Donald Trump has asked a federal judge in the US to force Twitter to restore his account, which was shut down after his supporters attacked the US Capitol in January.

The former US president has filed a request for preliminary injunction against the social media company in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where Mr Trump has a home.

He argues Twitter was "coerced" by members of the US Congress to suspend the account, which had tens of millions of followers.

Twitter was among several other social media platforms that removed Mr Trump from their services after a mob attacked the US parliament building in the 6 January riot that left several people dead.

That riot came immediately after a speech by the defeated Republican in which he reiterated false claims that he lost the November US presidential election because of widespread fraud.

Mr Trump's lawyer said Twitter "exercises a degree of power and control over political discourse in this country that is immeasurable, historically unprecedented, and profoundly dangerous to open democratic debate".

The filing added that Twitter allowed the Taliban to tweet frequently about its military victories in Afghanistan, but censored the president during his term in office by labelling his posts as "misleading information" or indicating that they broke the company's rules against "glorifying violence".

In July, Mr Trump launched a legal action against Twitter, Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google, along with their chief executives, alleging they unlawfully silence conservative points of view.

Twitter declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

The former president's move will be seen by many as reflecting his ambition to return to the White House, given his continued influence over the Republican Party and having hinted that he would run for reelection in 2024.

https://news.sky.com/story/trump-asks-judge-to-force-twitter-to-restore-his-account-12423622
 
A disturbing thought from USA aired on LBC yesterday….

1. Trump runs in 2024

2. Trump loses

3. Republican congressmen are so cowed by the 2020 insurrection that they refuse to accept the Democrat win.

Result: civil war.
 
A US judge has ruled a congressional committee investigating the Capitol riot can access some of ex-President Donald Trump's White House records.

Mr Trump had argued the materials were covered by executive privilege, which protects the confidentiality of some White House communications.

The inquiry is trying to find out if Mr Trump had foreknowledge of the riot.

The ruling came on the day 10 Trump aides were issued with legal summonses to testify before lawmakers.

Hundreds of Mr Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol building and disrupted the official certification of President Joe Biden's election victory on 6 January this year.

The House of Representatives Select Committee wants to see a trove of phone records, visitor logs and other White House documents that could shed some light on the events leading up to the attack on Congress.

The former president had requested an injunction to keep the documents under wraps.

But US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled on Tuesday that the National Archives, the federal agency that holds Mr Trump's White House records, should comply with the panel's request.

Judge Chutkan, an Obama appointee, ruled that Mr Trump's request for a preliminary injunction seemed to rest "on the notion that his executive power 'exists in perpetuity'".

"But Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President," she added in the 39-page decision. The legal battle is likely to wind up at the Supreme Court.

Sixteen of Mr Trump's closest aides have been subpoenaed in the past two days.

They include Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, Stephen Miller, who was Mr Trump's senior adviser, Bill Stepien, campaign manager, Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, and Michael Flynn, former national security adviser.

Bennie Thompson, the Mississippi Democrat who chairs the House Select Committee, said in a statement he wants to know every detail about what happened on 6 January, and in the days leading up to it.

The committee expects the witnesses to "comply fully", he added.

The panel has already subpoenaed Dan Scavino, former deputy chief of staff, and Steve Bannon, a former Trump strategist.

Mr Bannon refused to comply with the subpoena and was charged with contempt of Congress.

Following the Capitol riot, Mr Trump was impeached by Congress, but cleared by lawmakers of inciting an insurrection. More than 670 people have been arrested for the invasion of the Capitol complex.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59227425
 
In the wake of that insurrection, if they elect Trump again I will believe that USA has lost its mind.
 
I am not sure that Trump will run again, but if the GOP takes back the White House then it could end up being President Trump 2.0 --- ruling by proxy. Particularly if Donald Jr, Ivanka, or Jared Kushner runs (and wins). The Republican Party, even after the Capitol insurrection is still in danger of becoming The Trump Party. I will add that I am not a fan of the Democrats in any sense whatsoever and think they are completely corrupted and morally bankrupt as well, just in a different way.
 
James said:
I am not sure that Trump will run again, but if the GOP takes back the White House then it could end up being President Trump 2.0 --- ruling by proxy. Particularly if Donald Jr, Ivanka, or Jared Kushner runs (and wins). The Republican Party, even after the Capitol insurrection is still in danger of becoming The Trump Party. I will add that I am not a fan of the Democrats in any sense whatsoever and think they are completely corrupted and morally bankrupt as well, just in a different way.
Click to expand...

Ivanka at least has education and brains.

Perhaps USA will be sick of septuagenarian POTUSes as Biden is hardly effective. Trump will be 78 by the next election and perhaps not in the best of physical health, as well as ongoing personality disintegration.
 
Robert said:
Ivanka at least has education and brains.

Perhaps USA will be sick of septuagenarian POTUSes as Biden is hardly effective. Trump will be 78 by the next election and perhaps not in the best of physical health, as well as ongoing personality disintegration.
Click to expand...

Biden was 78 when he won, and his mind is clearly in decline but you and others still rooted for him.

If Trump runs again he will win, because don’t forget about the Republicans that didn’t come out to vote due to Covid in 2020.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Biden was 78 when he won, and his mind is clearly in decline but you and others still rooted for him.

If Trump runs again he will win, because don’t forget about the Republicans that didn’t come out to vote due to Covid in 2020.
Click to expand...

I rooted for Biden because he has some basic human decency, unlike Trump.

I have been called ageist by some liberals for suggesting that his mind is not quite what is was a decade ago.
 
ishtiaq_ctg said:
USA lost its mind when it elected Joe Biden who's the worst ever POTUS.
Click to expand...

Worse than Harrison who died in thirty days?

Worse than Buchanan who vacillated as the union split towards civil war?

Worse than Nixon who resigned after being caught spying on the DNC?

Worse than Bush 43 who got USA bogged down into an Iraq war it didn’t have to fight?

Worse than Trump who fomented an insurrection against his own government?

Read some history.

Biden’s doing ok. Not great, but ok. We’ll see where to place him on the list in three years.
 
Robert said:
I rooted for Biden because he has some basic human decency, unlike Trump.

I have been called ageist by some liberals for suggesting that his mind is not quite what is was a decade ago.
Click to expand...

Biden will be 82 if he runs for re-election as the incumbent, and that too vs Trump if he runs. Would you still back Biden at 82 just because he has some human decency? If yes then it is clear that age is not a concern with you.

What you say is the exact problem in Western politics, support the lesser of 2 evils.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Biden will be 82 if he runs for re-election as the incumbent, and that too vs Trump if he runs. Would you still back Biden at 82 just because he has some human decency? If yes then it is clear that age is not a concern with you.

What you say is the exact problem in Western politics, support the lesser of 2 evils.
Click to expand...

I would not support Biden running at 82. I would not have chosen him at the DNC this time. But someone else must appear and be groomed for the WH. Not Kamala - she has two strikes on her - female and not white. So who else can step in, who is the young rising star?
 
Robert said:
I would not support Biden running at 82. I would not have chosen him at the DNC this time. But someone else must appear and be groomed for the WH. Not Kamala - she has two strikes on her - female and not white. So who else can step in, who is the young rising star?
Click to expand...

Kamala Harris being unelectable is not because of her identity. Obama as a person of colour won two massive victories in the US quite easily.

Harris just isn’t very good, and she is not popular. She absolutely tanked with the voters, including Democrat voters when she was running for President, and her campaign had been suspended for months by the time Joe Biden’s team came knocking. She is an incredibly lucky woman who has been elevated to a position that is above her capability.

Pete Buttigieg, now there’s a politician to watch.
 
In simple terms, the woke/left/liberal wouldn't back Biden and his toke anti racist puppet Harris now.

Nuff said. The price you pay for being subservient to the media.
 
Robert said:
I would not support Biden running at 82. I would not have chosen him at the DNC this time. But someone else must appear and be groomed for the WH. Not Kamala - she has two strikes on her - female and not white. So who else can step in, who is the young rising star?
Click to expand...

Yet you will support anyone vs Trump. This is the point.
 
James said:
Kamala Harris being unelectable is not because of her identity. Obama as a person of colour won two massive victories in the US quite easily.

Harris just isn’t very good, and she is not popular. She absolutely tanked with the voters, including Democrat voters when she was running for President, and her campaign had been suspended for months by the time Joe Biden’s team came knocking. She is an incredibly lucky woman who has been elevated to a position that is above her capability.

Pete Buttigieg, now there’s a politician to watch.
Click to expand...

Obama had one strike on him. As a brilliant communicator he was able to overcome that. Harris has two.

Buttigieg - Harvard, Rhodes Scholar, military service, cabinet member, seems ideal.
 
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Which media sources describe the attack on Capitol Hill as insurrection? This Is the problem with the woke left, they make stuff up.

The BBC article also states the last successful attempt at prosecution by congress was in the 70s.

Bannon is being made a scapegoat.
 
Robert said:
Worse than Harrison who died in thirty days?

Worse than Buchanan who vacillated as the union split towards civil war?

Worse than Nixon who resigned after being caught spying on the DNC?

Worse than Bush 43 who got USA bogged down into an Iraq war it didn’t have to fight?

Worse than Trump who fomented an insurrection against his own government?

Read some history.

Biden’s doing ok. Not great, but ok. We’ll see where to place him on the list in three years.
Click to expand...

Biden is not doing OK. Covid deaths are up, inflation has passed 6%, his Afghanistan move backfired, he is literally losing his mind, he refused to speak to reporters, he fumbles with his words, his cabinet have to dish out correction statements, and worse of all he's a proven racist. Not to mention how he's snubbed the UK pouring acorn over the so called special relationship, oh and his creepy actions with children.

There's a reason why Biden failed 3 times when running for the US presidency in the past, and a reason why his ratings are one of the worst after a year in office. He's useless.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Biden is not doing OK. Covid deaths are up, inflation has passed 6%, his Afghanistan move backfired, he is literally losing his mind, he refused to speak to reporters, he fumbles with his words, his cabinet have to dish out correction statements, and worse of all he's a proven racist. Not to mention how he's snubbed the UK pouring acorn over the so called special relationship, oh and his creepy actions with children.

There's a reason why Biden failed 3 times when running for the US presidency in the past, and a reason why his ratings are one of the worst after a year in office. He's useless.
Click to expand...

Correct. Then this should tell you everything you need to know about Trump

Best Regards

Woke69
 
Trump ran for office the first time and won. Defying all odds, destroying political stalwarts in the process regardless of what was thrown at him. In the process he has created an ideology which fellow GOP members must embrace to win in the future. So great was his influence that social media platforms banned him.

Teflon Don.

Trump24.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Trump ran for office the first time and won. Defying all odds, destroying political stalwarts in the process regardless of what was thrown at him. In the process he has created an ideology which fellow GOP members must embrace to win in the future. So great was his influence that social media platforms banned him.

Teflon Don.

Trump24.
Click to expand...

and yet he lost the second election.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Biden is not doing OK. Covid deaths are up, inflation has passed 6%, his Afghanistan move backfired, he is literally losing his mind, he refused to speak to reporters, he fumbles with his words, his cabinet have to dish out correction statements, and worse of all he's a proven racist. Not to mention how he's snubbed the UK pouring acorn over the so called special relationship, oh and his creepy actions with children.

There's a reason why Biden failed 3 times when running for the US presidency in the past, and a reason why his ratings are one of the worst after a year in office. He's useless.
Click to expand...

Dunno what he could do about COVID in that land of conspiracy theorists.

Inflation is rising everywhere due to the extreme amount of borrowing.

Evidence of racism?

His approval rating is pretty much where Trump’s was after a year, and a lot worse than Bush 43’s, who really was a terrible President.

He’s right to put pressure on the contemptible Tory UK Gov which seems intent on wrecking the GFA. I would expect no less of him.
 
Robert said:
Dunno what he could do about COVID in that land of conspiracy theorists.

Inflation is rising everywhere due to the extreme amount of borrowing.

Evidence of racism?

His approval rating is pretty much where Trump’s was after a year, and a lot worse than Bush 43’s, who really was a terrible President.

He’s right to put pressure on the contemptible Tory UK Gov which seems intent on wrecking the GFA. I would expect no less of him.
Click to expand...

You really despise the UK don’t you?

Bush 43’s approval ratings were among the highest after 9/11 event. 90 to be precise. His lowest was in year 2008, his last year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_approval_rating

I don’t understand where you get your info from, but it’s woefully wrong, and you are spreading misinformation and are not even comparing apples with apples.

As for Covid, it’s easy to brush Biden’s failure by claiming USA is the land of conspiracies, but Biden made many promises but failed to tackle Covid, and Fauci is to blame, the same guy who advised Trump - but wait, when C19 deaths were up during Trump’s presidency, I guess you put that down to Trump’s incompetency, yes?

Biden and racism? Found here:

https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/bidens-history-getting-away-racist-remarks

Biden is also a terrorist sympathiser given his connections with the IRA.

But you don’t care about any of this, as long as Trump isn’t president.

Oh on the point of inflation; Biden’s 1.4 TRILLION budget is the main contributer.
 
Technics 1210 said:
You really despise the UK don’t you?

Bush 43’s approval ratings were among the highest after 9/11 event. 90 to be precise. His lowest was in year 2008, his last year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_approval_rating

I don’t understand where you get your info from, but it’s woefully wrong, and you are spreading misinformation and are not even comparing apples with apples.

As for Covid, it’s easy to brush Biden’s failure by claiming USA is the land of conspiracies, but Biden made many promises but failed to tackle Covid, and Fauci is to blame, the same guy who advised Trump - but wait, when C19 deaths were up during Trump’s presidency, I guess you put that down to Trump’s incompetency, yes?

Biden and racism? Found here:

https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/bidens-history-getting-away-racist-remarks

Biden is also a terrorist sympathiser given his connections with the IRA.

But you don’t care about any of this, as long as Trump isn’t president.

Oh on the point of inflation; Biden’s 1.4 TRILLION budget is the main contributer.
Click to expand...

No, I despise this current government for their venality, incompetence and lack of statecraft. The UK I love is a land of tolerance and respect where we do what we say to our national neighbours and keep our treaties.

The Biden approval rating chart I quoted came from the BBC. Pretty bad for Biden but no worse than Trump at the same stage in his Presidency.

That racism link seems tenuous. He seems more clumsy with words than evil. Obama promoted him, said they are brothers. Then Biden promoted Harris. On his first day in office he issued this executive order:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing...d-communities-through-the-federal-government/

Biden has Irish roots, as do I. He wants peace in Ireland, as do I.
 
Robert said:
No, I despise this current government for their venality, incompetence and lack of statecraft. The UK I love is a land of tolerance and respect where we do what we say to our national neighbours and keep our treaties.

The Biden approval rating chart I quoted came from the BBC. Pretty bad for Biden but no worse than Trump at the same stage in his Presidency.

That racism link seems tenuous. He seems more clumsy with words than evil. Obama promoted him, said they are brothers. Then Biden promoted Harris. On his first day in office he issued this executive order:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing...d-communities-through-the-federal-government/

Biden has Irish roots, as do I. He wants peace in Ireland, as do I.
Click to expand...

So Biden isn’t a racist given his remarks but clumsy, yet those refusing to take the knee in a tolerant society are labelled racists. Got it. Remind we why Trump was accused of being a racist despite more blacks voting for him compared to Obama?

You despise the current UK government because its run by Boris, a Brexiteer. The UK you love is a land of tolerance and respect? This depends. Is this why on the morning after the EU referendum 17.3 Million racists (Brexit voters) appeared on the streets according to the left/remainers?

The left/remainers never respected the democratic result, whose fault is that? The incumbent government? Respect and tolerance is accepting a democratic result, and make no mistake about it, the social/political polarisation in the UK is down the the disrespectful left/remainers.

Don’t fall for the Obama brother line either, it’s politics, nothing more. It was Obama who told Biden not to run in 2016 and instead backed Clinton.

Sure you and Biden have Irish roots, doesn’t change the fact of terrorist sympathisers, and is not excuse to thwart/overturn a democratic result.
 
A prominent supporter of the baseless QAnon conspiracy has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his involvement in the US Capitol riot.

Jacob Anthony Chansley was among the Trump supporters who tried to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election on 6 January.

He earlier pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstruction in an official proceeding.

His sentence is among the longest so far given in connection to the riots.

In addition to his prison sentence, Chansley was sentenced to 36 months of supervised release and must pay $100 (£74) in restitution.

The 34-year-old became one of the most recognisable figures from the siege after being pictured wearing horns and a bearskin headdress, with a US flag painted on his face. He referred to himself as "the QAnon Shaman".

Followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory believe that former President Donald Trump was waging a secret war against a cabal of Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media.

Following his arrest, Chansley told the FBI that he came to DC in January "at the request of the president" that all "patriots" come to the city.

In court on Wednesday, Chansley said he wants to "evolve" and was "wrong for entering the Capitol". "I have no excuse," he said.

He also said has been asking himself "what would Jesus do?" and likened himself to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, saying: "What if we all judge Gandhi based on that he beat his wife before his spiritual awakening?"

He has been in custody nearly 11 months since being arrested just days after the riot.

Photographs and videos taken during the riot show Chansley carrying a spear in the Capitol. Prosecutors also say he led other protesters in prayer at the dais - a raised platform - and left a note a note threatening former Vice-President Mike Pence.

"It's only a matter of time," the note read. "Justice is coming!"

Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 51 months in prison, arguing that the government "cannot overstate the serious" of Chansley's conduct.

"His consistent rhetoric before and after the event, and his apparent ability to carry out his intentions of violently removing the 'traitors' in our government, is clear from the evidence in this case," prosecutors said.

Chansley now claims to have disavowed Mr Trump and QAnon.

In September, his attorney told the court that his client was "non-violent, peaceful and possessed of genuine mental health issues".

His 41-month sentence is one of the longest so far doled out to 6 January rioters.

Another participant, former mixed martial artist Scott Fairlam, was also sentenced to 41 months in prison earlier in November for assaulting a police officer and obstructing an official proceeding.

BBC
 
Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows turned over to the House select committee investigating the 6 January Capitol attack a PowerPoint recommending Donald Trump to declare a national security emergency in order to return himself to the presidency.

The select committee is certain there was at least some coordination between the Trump White House and the organizers of the 6 January rally.

The fact that Meadows was in possession of a PowerPoint the day before the Capitol attack that detailed ways to stage a coup suggests he was at least aware of efforts by Trump and his allies to stop Joe Biden’s certification from taking place on 6 January.

The PowerPoint, titled “Election Fraud, Foreign Interference & Options for 6 Jan”, made several recommendations for Trump to pursue in order to retain the presidency for a second term on the basis of lies and debunked conspiracies about widespread election fraud.

Meadows turned over a version of the PowerPoint presentation that he received in an email and spanned 38 pages, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The Guardian reviewed a second, 36-page version of the PowerPoint marked for dissemination with 5 January metadata, which had some differences with what the select committee received. But the title of the PowerPoint and its recommendations remained the same, the source said.

Senators and members of Congress should first be briefed about foreign interference, the PowerPoint said, at which point Trump could declare a national emergency, declare all electronic voting invalid, and ask Congress to agree on a constitutionally acceptable remedy.

The PowerPoint also outlined three options for then vice-president Mike Pence to abuse his largely ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress on 6 January, when Biden was to be certified president, and unilaterally return Trump to the White House.

Pence could pursue one of three options, the PowerPoint said: seat Trump slates of electors over the objections of Democrats in key states, reject the Biden slates of electors, or delay the certification to allow for a “vetting” and counting of only “legal paper ballots”.

The final option for Pence is similar to an option that was simultaneously being advanced on 4 and 5 January by Trump lieutenants – led by lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, as well as Trump strategist Steve Bannon – working from the Willard hotel in Washington DC.

The Guardian revealed last week that sometime between the late evening of 5 January and the early hours of 6 January, after Pence declined to go ahead with such plans, Trump then pressed his lieutenants about how to stop Biden’s certification from taking place entirely.

The recommendations in the PowerPoint for both Trump and Pence were based on wild and unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, including that “the Chinese systematically gained control over our election system” in eight key battleground states.

The then acting attorney general, Jeff Rosen, and his predecessor, Bill Barr, who had both been appointed by Trump, by 5 January had already determined that there was no evidence of voter fraud sufficient to change the outcome of the 2020 election.

House investigators said that they became aware of the PowerPoint after it surfaced in more than 6,000 documents Meadows turned over to the select committee. The PowerPoint was to be presented “on the Hill”, a reference to Congress, the panel said.

The powerpoint was presented on 4 January to a number of Republican senators and members of Congress, the source said. Trump’s lawyers working at the Willard hotel were not shown the presentation, according to a source familiar with the matter.

But the select committee said they did find in the materials turned over by Meadows, his text messages with a member of Congress, who told Meadows about a “highly controversial” plan to send slates of electors for Trump to the joint session of Congress.

Meadows replied: “I love it.”

Trump’s former White House chief of staff had turned over the materials to the select committee until the cooperation deal broke down on Tuesday, when Meadows’ attorney, Terwilliger, abruptly told House investigators that Meadows would no longer help the investigation.

The select committee announced on Wednesday that in response, it would refer Meadows for criminal prosecution for defying a subpoena. The chairman of the select committee, Bennie Thompson, said the vote to hold Meadows in contempt of Congress would come next week.

“The select committee will meet next week to advance a report recommending that the House cite Mr Meadows for contempt of Congress and refer him to the Department of Justice for prosecution,” Thompson said in a statement.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...meadows-capitol-attack?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
 
The televised hearings of the House select committee on the January 6 insurrection, which begin on Thursday, mark an historic milestone in the battle between democracy and autocracy. The events that culminated in the attack on the Capitol constitute the first attempted presidential coup in our nation’s 233-year history.

To a large degree, the success of these hearings will depend on the Wyoming Republican congresswoman and vice-chair of the committee, Liz Cheney.

The select committee’s inquiry is the most important congressional investigation of presidential wrongdoing since the Senate investigation of the Watergate scandals in the 1970s.

I vividly recall the televised hearings of the Senate Watergate committee, which began nearly a half-century ago, on 17 May 1973. More than a year later, on 8 August 1974 – knowing that he would be impeached in the House and convicted in the Senate – Nixon resigned.

I was just finishing law school when the Watergate hearings began. I was supposed to study for final exams but remained glued to my television. I remember the entire cast of characters as if the hearings occurred yesterday, and I’m sure many of you do, too – the North Carolina senator Sam Ervin, a Democrat, who served as the committee’s co-chair; John Dean, the White House counsel who told the committee about Nixon’s attempted cover-up; and Alexander Butterfield, Nixon’s deputy assistant, who revealed that Nixon had taped all conversations in the White House.

But to my young eyes, the hero of the Watergate hearings was the committee’s Republican co-chair, the Tennessee senator Howard Baker Jr.

Baker had deep ties to the Republican party. His father was a Republican congress*man and his father-in-law was Senate minor*ity leader for a decade.

Notwithstanding those ties, Baker put his loyalty to the constitution and rule of law ahead of his loyalty to his party or the president. His steadiness and care, and the tenacity with which he questioned witnesses, helped America view the Watergate hearings as a search for truth rather than a partisan “witch-hunt”, as Nixon described them.

It was Baker who famously asked Dean, “what did the president know and when did he know it?” And it was Baker who led all the other Republicans on the committee to join with Democrats in voting to subpoena the White House tapes – the first time a congres*sional commit*tee had ever issued a subpoena to a pres*ident, and only the second time since 1807 that anyone had subpoenaed the chief exec*ut*ive.

Fast forward 49 years. This week, Baker’s role will be played by Cheney.

Her Republican pedigree is no less impressive than Baker’s was: she is the elder daughter of former vice-president Dick Cheney and second lady Lynne Cheney. She held several positions in the George W Bush administration.

She is a staunch conservative. And, before House Republicans ousted her, she chaired the House Republican conference, the third-highest position in the House Republican leadership.

Cheney’s responsibility this week will be similar to Baker’s 49 years ago – to be the steady voice of non-partisan common sense, helping the nation view the hearings as a search for truth rather than a “witch-hunt”, as Trump has characterized them.

In many ways, though, Cheney’s role will be far more challenging than Baker’s. Forty-nine years ago, American politics was a tame affair compared with the viciousness of today’s political culture.

Republican senators didn’t threaten to take away Howard Baker’s seniority or his leadership position. The Tennessee Republican party didn’t oust him. Nixon didn’t make threatening speeches about him. Baker received no death threats, as far as anyone knows.

It will be necessary for Cheney to show – as did Baker – more loyalty to the constitution and the rule of law than to her party or the former president. But she also will have to cope with a nation more bitterly divided over Trump’s big lie than it ever was over Nixon and his cover-up of the Watergate burglary.

She will have to face a Republican party that has largely caved in to Trump’s lie – enabling and encouraging it. Baker’s Republican party never aligned itself with Nixon’s lies. Meanwhile, Cheney’s career has suffered and her life and the lives of her family have been threatened.

The criminal acts for which Richard Nixon was responsible – while serious enough to undermine the integrity of the White House and compromise our system of government – pale relative to Trump’s. Nixon tried to cover up a third-rate burglary. Trump tried to overthrow our system of government.

The January 6 insurrection was not an isolated event. It was part of a concerted effort by Trump to use his lie that the 2020 election was stolen as a means to engineer a coup, while whipping up anger and distrust among his supporters toward our system of government. Yet not a shred of evidence has ever been presented to support Trump’s claim that voter fraud affected the outcome of the 2020 election.

Consider (to take but one example) Trump’s phone call to Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, in which he pressured Raffensperger to change the presidential vote count in Georgia in order to give Trump more votes than Biden.

“All I want to do is this,” Trump told Raffensperger in a recorded phone call. “I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.” Trump threatened Raffensperger with criminal liability if he did not do so. Trump’s actions appear to violate 18 USC § 371, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and 18 USC § 1512, obstruction of Congress.

The justice department is conducting a criminal investigation into these activities. The attorney general, Merrick Garland, has said that the justice department will “follow the facts and the law wherever they may lead”. As with Watergate, the facts will almost certainly lead to the person who then occupied the Oval Office.

This week’s televised committee hearings are crucial to educating the public and setting the stage for the justice department’s prosecution.

Federal district court judge David Carter in a civil case brought against the committee by John Eastman, Trump’s lawyer and adviser in the coup attempt, has set the framework for the hearings. Judge Carter found that it was

more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021,” and concluded that Trump and Eastman “launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history […] The illegality of the plan was obvious.”

Those who claim that a president cannot be criminally liable for acts committed while in office apparently forget that Richard Nixon avoided prosecution only because he was pardoned by his successor, Gerald Ford.

Those who argue that Trump should not be criminally liable because no president in American history has been criminally liable, overlook the fact that no president in history has staged an attempted coup to change the outcome of an election.

Without accountability for these acts, Trump’s criminality opens wide the door to future presidents and candidates disputing election outcomes and seeking to change them – along with ensuing public distrust, paranoia and divisiveness.

Liz Cheney bears a burden far heavier than Howard Baker bore almost a half-century ago. Please watch this Thursday’s January 6 committee televised hearings. And please join me in appreciating the public service of Liz Cheney.

Guardian
 
Former president Donald Trump staged an "attempted coup", an investigation into the US Capitol riots was told.

It was also claimed close allies of Mr Trump - and even his daughter - rejected his false claims of election fraud, with one calling it "bulls**t".

On the first of six days of public hearings before a House of Representatives select committee, a never-seen-before 12-minute graphic video of the insurrection was shown.

In it, rioters could be seen smashing their way into the Capitol building on Washington DC's National Mall, following then-President Trump's incendiary speech in which he repeated his claims he had been denied a second term due to voter fraud.

At the time the Capitol was in session, overseeing the congressional certification of Joe Biden's win.

Five people died and more than 100 police officers were injured in the chaos.

The hearing witnessed public statements from key Trump administration figures including his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, Vice President Mike Pence and his chief of staff, Attorney General William Barr and General Mark Milley.

Far-right Proud Boys group's ex-boss faces up to 20 years in jail as he's charged with plotting to overthrow US government

At one point there was an audible gasp when the committee was told that when Mr Trump heard the Capitol mob was chanting for Vice President Mike Pence to be hanged, he responded that maybe they were right, that he "deserves it".

Mr Trump was angry Mr Pence, presiding in the House chamber, had refused his order to reject the certification of Mr Biden's victory.

While the facts of the 6 January 2021 attack are well known, the committee is trying to put together the story of how it happened, to prevent a repeat.

The made-for-TV hearings - shown on US network channels at prime time - included video of police officers being beaten and right-wing extremists leading the crowds into the iconic building.

'A constitutional crisis'

Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, the panel's vice chair who took the lead for much of the hearing, said Mr Trump had "summoned a violent mob".

"When a president fails to take the steps necessary to preserve our union - or worse, causes a constitutional crisis - we're in a moment of maximum danger for our republic."

The committee's probe comes as some have tried to downplay the violence.

"We can't sweep what happened under the rug," said Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the committee, "the American people deserve answers."

Mr Thompson described the attack as an "attempted coup" that put "two and half centuries of constitutional democracy at risk".

In one video testimony, former US Attorney General Mr Barr called the election fraud claims "bulls**t", an argument that appeared to have also convinced Mr Trump's daughter.

"I respect Attorney General Barr. So I accepted what he was saying," Ivanka Trump said in her videotaped statement.

Testifying in person, was one of the US Capitol police officers, Caroline Edwards, who sustained a brain injury as she battled the mob.

She described insults hurled by rioters at her during the melee but said she was proud of fighting them off, even after
being injured.

"I was slipping in people's blood," she said. "It was carnage. It was chaos.

"What I saw was just a war scene."

SKY
 
.. and yet he will win the next election because Biden is an old *****. Things are not so different politically in the US and Pakistan if the corrupt people have their way and nobody can do anything to stop them.
 
Stewie said:
.. and yet he will win the next election because Biden is an old *****. Things are not so different politically in the US and Pakistan if the corrupt people have their way and nobody can do anything to stop them.
Click to expand...

Trump will be 77. Perhaps he will advance Ivanka or Jared as GOP nominee and control them from the back room.

He is supporting only those Republicans who will repeat the delusion that he won the 2020 election.

The man is a cancer in US politics.
 
Robert said:
Trump will be 77. Perhaps he will advance Ivanka or Jared as GOP nominee and control them from the back room.

He is supporting only those Republicans who will repeat the delusion that he won the 2020 election.

The man is a cancer in US politics.
Click to expand...

He will never do it. He wants to be the man himself and I am sure he will get it too.
 
Trump is coming back to the presidency.

The writing has been on the wall for this since it quickly became clear that Biden was going to be the lamest of ducks in the role and rivalling even The Donald himself for unpopularity and low approval ratings.
 
The dems are terrible and they have ruined their chances with no policies of substance. Their failures are so massive that even a codger like Trump who can barely string together a coherent sentence has become a hero for the conservatives. His only smart move is that he identified the latent simmering hate and division and capitalized on it.
he will be the next Pres and speed up the country's descent into chaos.
 
Love it! These Amreekans love a good old insurrection on foreign soil, now they get a taste of their own medicine.

The Democrats and Liberals didn't have a problem with Biden's age when he was up against Trump, now suddenly age is a concern when the political landscape is ripe for a Trump return!

Biden will go down in history as one of the worst US Presidents ever, he is literally paving the way for Trump!
 
Donald Trump has rebuked his daughter and former White House aide Ivanka after she rejected the former president's claim of fraud at the 2020 US election.

Mr Trump said his daughter was not involved in looking at election results and "had long since checked out".

The comments were made in the aftermath of a hearing examining the insurrection at the Capitol Hill on 6 January 2021.

The House panel investigating the attack showed video testimony from former US Attorney General Bill Barr, who called the election fraud claims "bulls**t" and said he had found no evidence to support such claim.

His argument appeared to have convinced Mr Trump's daughter.

"I respect Attorney General Barr. So I accepted what he was saying," Ivanka Trump said in her videotaped statement.

Mr Trump, in a statement on social media, appeared dismissive of his daughter's evidence.

"Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, election results," he wrote on Truth Social, the platform he helped found after he was banned from Twitter.

"She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!)."

Mr Trump also had disparaging comments for Mr Barr, calling him a "weak and frightened Attorney General who was always being 'played' and threatened by the Democrats and was scared stiff of being impeached".

Mr Trump went on to say: "How do you not get impeached? Do nothing, or say nothing, especially about the obviously RIGGED & STOLEN Election or, to put it another way, THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!"

There has been no evidence to support Mr Trump's false claim that the 2020 election that was won by Joe Biden had been marred by fraud or other irregularities.

The claim was rejected by various courts, state election officials and members of his own administration.

The panel has for months investigated the insurrection last year, when Mr Trump's supporters stormed Capitol Hill as the victory of Mr Biden was being certified.

On the first of six days of public hearings before a House of Representatives select committee on Thursday, it said Mr Trump had led a "sprawling, multi-step conspiracy aimed at overturning the presidential election" and that the insurrection was a culmination of that "attempted coup."

The panel showed a never-seen-before 12-minute graphic video of the insurrection.

The hearing witnessed public statements from other key Trump administration figures, including Ivanka Trump's husband Jared Kushner, Vice President Mike Pence and his chief of staff, and General Mark Milley.

SKY
 
James said:
Trump is coming back to the presidency.

The writing has been on the wall for this since it quickly became clear that Biden was going to be the lamest of ducks in the role and rivalling even The Donald himself for unpopularity and low approval ratings.
Click to expand...

It's sad that a 78-year-old was the best the Dems could nominate. They should have selected him in 2000 to face Bush, when Biden was still something special.

I don't see how he can run again - he would be in the back end of his eighties by the time he finishes, and the people seem to hate Kamala even more. They should start grooming Buttgieg as successor now.
 
Robert said:
It's sad that a 78-year-old was the best the Dems could nominate. They should have selected him in 2000 to face Bush, when Biden was still something special.

I don't see how he can run again - he would be in the back end of his eighties by the time he finishes, and the people seem to hate Kamala even more. They should start grooming Buttgieg as successor now.
Click to expand...

Yes exactly, 78 and soon to be an octogenarian.

Trump will be 77 if/when he runs again but clearly the state of one being geriatric is not seen by the US voters as an auto-barring to the presidency.

Buttigieg is promising in terms of the political classes.
They could look at the military / ex-military pool in order to entice GOP inclined voters and swing voters.
Dems might also go for a celebrity nomination like Dwayne Johnson, Oprah Winfrey or Mark Zuckerberg.
Or perhaps Michelle Obama.
 
Last edited:
Donald Trump has called the investigation into the Capitol riots "pitiful" and a "kangaroo court" as the inquiry continues to probe his involvement in the attack.

A House select committee investigating the assault on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 was told that the former US president was becoming "detached from reality" during the 2020 election and clung to outlandish theories to stay in power.

The hearing was also told he was taking advice from a "definitely intoxicated" Rudy Giuliani.

In the 12-page rebuttal released through his Save America PAC, Mr Trump lashed out at the investigation, likening it to a "kangaroo court" to distract the American people before the November midterm elections.

Teasing the possibility of him returning for the 2024 presidential elections, he said the probe was "merely an attempt to stop a man that is leading in every poll, against both Republicans and Democrats by wide margins, from running again for the presidency".

"The Democrats know that I would correct all of this, and they are doing everything in their power to stop me - but we can't be stopped," he continued. "We have to Save America."

Mr Trump then went on to blame the Democrats for inflation and high gas prices.

Trump rebukes Ivanka on January 6th evidence: She had 'long checked out' and was not looking at election results

"Our nation is SUFFERING. Our economy is in the gutter. Inflation is rampant. Gas prices have reached an all-time high. Ships are unable to unload cargo. Families cannot get needed baby formula. We are an embarrassment around the world."

He also accused Democrats of being fixated on the events of 6 January and being "unable to offer solutions" to the country's issues.

"Democrats are desperate to change the narrative of a failing nation, without making mention of the havoc and death caused by the Radical Left just months earlier," he said.

"Make no mistake, they control the government. They own this disaster. They are hoping that these hearings will somehow alter their failing prospects."

Much of the 12-page document was used to rehash his unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 presidential election was supposedly "rigged and stolen".

"Politicians from both parties, but mostly the Democrats, worked in conjunction with corporate elitists to strip Americans of our right to elect our own leaders," he said.

The House of Representatives select committee has been looking into how and why the riots took place on 6 January last year.

On the second day of public hearings, the investigation heard how the former US president's closest campaign advisers, senior government officials and even his family tried to dismantle his false claims of voter fraud on election night.

Mr Trump's claims fuelled his defeated efforts to overturn the election and provoked a mob of his supporters to storm the US Capitol.

Giving evidence to the committee on Monday, former Justice Department official Richard Donoghue recalled breaking down one claim after another and telling Mr Trump that "much of the info" he was receiving was "false".

Some of the claims included a truckload of ballots being found in Pennsylvania, a "suspicious black suitcase" containing fake ballots that turned out to be a local election lock box, and computer chips being swapped into voting machines that automatically awarded Mr Trump votes to Joe Biden.

The Trump aides and advisers dismissed all of them as having no merit.

"He was becoming detached from reality," said former attorney general William Barr, who also gave evidence to the committee.

Trump sided with 'definitely intoxicated' Giuliani

Instead of listening to his aides, the advisers said Mr Trump sided with a "definitely intoxicated" Mr Giuliani to launch a movement that culminated in the 6 January attack.

Mr Giuliani, a former US attorney and New York City mayor, has been among Mr Trump's supporters and made repeated claims that the election had been stolen.

Previously recorded evidence given by Mr Trump's 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien was played to the committee after he was forced to leave the hearing due to his wife going into labour.

In the clip, he described how the festive mood at the White House on election night quickly turned after Fox News announced Mr Trump had lost the state of Arizona to Mr Biden.

He told the committee that he and other aides viewed themselves as "Team Normal" as they tried to steer Mr Trump away from dubious fraud claims being peddled by Mr Giuliani.

Aides worked to counsel him on what to do next, but Mr Trump chose to listen to Mr Giuliani instead, who told him to declare a victory.

"My belief, my recommendation, was to say that votes were still being counted, it's too early to tell, too early to call the race," Mr Stepien said in his recorded evidence.

Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also tried to deter him from listening to Mr Giuliani, but he responded by saying he had confidence in the lawyer.

The committee also heard that - after the election - a series of Mr Trump's fundraising appeals based on the allegation of voter fraud raised $250m (£200m).

Legal experts have said these fundraising activities could have been fraudulent.

Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren said: "It's clear that he intentionally misled his donors, asked them to donate to a fund that didn't exist and used the money raised for something other than what he said.

"Now it's for someone else to decide whether that's criminal or not."

The committee has interviewed 1,000 witnesses and compiled 140,000 documents as part of its investigation.

Legislators hope to show that Mr Trump's effort to overturn Mr Biden's election victory posed a grave threat to democracy.

Some members say they have uncovered enough evidence for the Justice Department to consider an unprecedented criminal indictment against the former president.

SKY
 
It is ridiculous that with such strong evidence, the US cannot find this criminal guilty and he will lend up being the the president again.

Now his own daughter is saying there was no fraud in the elections and he still believes it (or wants his base to believe there was) and has publicly rebuked her. This guy has no shame.
 
Stewie said:
It is ridiculous that with such strong evidence, the US cannot find this criminal guilty and he will lend up being the the president again.

Now his own daughter is saying there was no fraud in the elections and he still believes it (or wants his base to believe there was) and has publicly rebuked her. This guy has no shame.
Click to expand...

Political expediency trumps (haha) morals and ethics for many GOP Congressmen and Senators. They need 45 to sanctify them in their next elections.
 
The real story is the son of Biden's laptop.

Polls reveal that less people now believe Trump was responsible for the 6th Jan scenes.
 
The so-called greatest country on Earth choosing between a deluded bigot and a war-mongering dementia patient.
 
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