...so it's a bullshit argument that rushing these cases to court earlier would have prevented anything, much less a Trump candidacy.
It's interesting that critics are still pretending convictions are a slam-dunk because of something read or heard in the news, forgetting that there is a process of law in which defendants have myriad rights and opportunities to delay or divert proceedings, and ignoring the complicated process unfolding right before them.
This isn't tiddlywinks. Garland and Smith have done what's possible in moving the prosecutions forward, recognizing that it is going to take an overwhelming amount of evidence which isn't always admissible in court, or just laying out in the open for prosecutors to use effectively in a trial.
That's why the beginning of this prosecution involved removing the assumed privileges the Trump WH officials and attorneys have used to shield their testimony from the courts. That's something Garland did to perfection.
___Thomas Windom, a little-known federal prosecutor who is presently representing the Special Counsel position before Judge Chutkan on the Trump protective order and more, is the man Deputy AG Lisa Monaco tasked in Fall 2021 to oversee key elements of the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results - one of the first indications that Trump and his associates were under DOJ investigation.
NYT:
"It (was) Mr. Windom, working under the close supervision of Garland’s top aides, who is executing the department’s time-tested, if slow-moving, strategy of working from the periphery of the events inward..."
"He ha(d) been leading investigators who have been methodically seeking information about the roles played by some of Mr. Trump’s top advisers, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and John Eastman, with a mandate to go as high up the chain of command as evidence warrants."
"Mr. Windom’s second objective — mirroring one focus of the Jan. 6 committee — is a widening investigation into the group of lawyers close to Mr. Trump who helped to devise and promote the plan to create alternate slates of electors."
...it was Merrick Garland, not Jack Smith, who oversaw the arrests of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders who were outlined in detail in the
January 6th Committee's final report as linked to the Trump White House through the former president's close confidant and frequent WH visitor, Roger Stone, who the report describes as having a longstanding, close relationship several of the already convicted insurrectionist leaders.
For some stupid reason, one of the complaints about AG Garland was that he was only arresting 'foot soldiers.' You don't get a Jan. 6 indictment of Trump for the PB and Oath Keepers' rioting without the sedition charges GARLAND successfully prosecuted against both Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders. Weird trying to separate those historic convictions from any ultimate charges Trump gets hit with, as so many of his critics have, just to (falsely) say Garland was doing nothing.
Those 'foot soldiers' who were arrested, charged, and convicted of crimes ranging from blocking government proceedings to committing seditious acts are essential to making the case against Trump - at least that's what the Jan. 6 committee took pains to point out.
There were 1,059 arrests related to Jan 6th, and DOJ says they’re still looking for 323 additional people to charge. But, most important in those arrests and convictions, DOJ has indicted and convicted the top commanders of those foot soldiers, with direct ties to Trump's top aides, on sedition charges.
The sedition charge, which is rarely used and harks back to the Union’s efforts to protect the federal government against secessionist rebels during the Civil War, was also used in two separate trials against nine members of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers militia. Six of those defendants — including Stewart Rhodes, the organization’s founder and leader — were convicted of sedition; each of the others was found guilty of different serious felonies.
As the verdicts were read in the fourth-floor courtroom, Mr. Tarrio, Mr. Pezzola and the other defendants — Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl — remained steely. With the exception of Mr. Pezzola, the men were also found guilty of conspiring to obstruct the certification of the election, which took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6. All five defendants were convicted of a third conspiracy count as well, which accused them of interfering with the duties of members of Congress that day.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/us/politics/jan-6-proud-boys-sedition.html
Indictments weren't handed down for the “Watergate Seven,” including John Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, until March 1, 1974, almost two years after the burglars were charged. Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are the equivalent measure of those burglars, or 'foot soldiers.'
So, the question here is, how do you get to an indictment of Trump for his ties to the Capitol riot leaders without the efforts of Merrick Garland in rounding up and convicting these WH connected insurrectionists?
Aside from that important peg in the board, what would be the actual value in arriving in court ready to prosecute Trump for a conspiracy that hadn't yet been fully prosecuted? Hell, even now Stewart Rhodes is stretching his conviction out into an appeal. What Garland's team spent their time on is absolutely integral to any conspiracy prosecution of Trump for the attempt to overthrow democracy that day.
And, they were completists. They did their job diligently, and with historic successes in the sedition convictions: something Trump should be expected to face in his own prosecution.
See for yourself what the Jan. 6 committee expected in the way of prosecutorial accountability. Ask yourself, who delivered that?
...excerpts from the Jan. 6 Committee Final Report:
Ali Alexander, a rightwing provocateur who has worked closely with Roger Stone, quickly organized a new “Stop the Steal” campaign. On November 10, 2020, Alexander established “Stop the Steal” as an entity incorporated in Alabama.Alexander added a bank account and various websites.
One of Alexander’s key allies in the “Stop the Steal” movement was Alex Jones. Prior to January 6th, Jones riled up crowds both in-person and online with incendiary rhetoric about the election. Jones’ InfoWars was also a platform for others in the election-denial coalition. For instance, both Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes made multiple appearances on InfoWars, including between election day 2020 and January 6, 2021.
Another frequent guest on InfoWars was Roger Stone — a nexus character in the “Stop the Steal” coalition. Stone recommended that then Presidential Candidate Donald Trump appear on Jones’s show in December 2015. Trump accepted the invitation and praised Jones at length during his appearance. The significance of Trump’s interview with Jones should not be underestimated. Donald Trump was a leading presidential contender at the time and would go on to win the election. His appearance with Jones normalized InfoWars, welcoming its conspiracy-minded audience into Trump’s base. Trump did not appear on InfoWars again. However, Stone continued to make regular guest appearances.
After election day 2020, Alexander Jones, and other “Stop the Steal” organizers, held rallies around the country to protest fictional claims of voter fraud. These events provided an opportunity for radicals and extremists to coalesce. The Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and Three Percenters were all attendees. QAnon adherents were well-represented. So, too, were the white nationalist Groypers and their leader, Nick Fuentes.
“Stop the Steal” events and other protests throughout 2020 helped build the momentum for January 6th. The Select Committee collected data on 85 right-wing events between January 1, 2020, and January 20, 2021, which were inspired by opposition to COVID-19 lockdown measures, racial justice protests, and, later, the perceived theft of President Trump’s victory. Far-right extremists protested at or inside State capitols, or at other government buildings, in at least 68 instances. Of those, 49 occurred during the period after the election through January 6th. In the year leading up to January 6th, there were at least nine events at which far-right actors entered State capitols.At least four of these capitol incursions—in Michigan, Idaho, Arizona, and Oregon—involved identifiable individuals who later participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Consider, for example, the protests held in Atlanta between November 18 and 21, 2020. Leaders and rank-and-file members of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and Groypers, gathered outside the State capitol and the governor’s mansion for nonstop events, including armed protests. Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes personally led contingents of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, respectively.
"... the “Stop the Steal” protests in Atlanta, Georgia, prefigured January 6th in important respects. “Stop the Steal” organizers tried to use the mob they had assembled — including extremists from the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters and Groypers — to intimidate lawmakers and overturn the election results in Georgia, which was required to certify former Vice President Biden’s victory in the State by the end of that week. They implored their followers to “storm the capitol.” As discussed in Chapter 8, this same coalition of radicals did just that on January 6, 2021.
Other “Stop the Steal” events helped pave the way for the events of January 6th. Two rallies in Washington D.C. — on November 14 and December 12, 2020 — were critically important. Alexander’s “Stop the Steal” was not the only protest organization present at these events. Both were called “Million MAGA Marches” and drew in other rally organizers. One of these other protests was called the “Jericho March” prayer rally. Regardless, the same constellation of actors that appeared in Atlanta also incited Trump supporters in Washington.
On the evening of December 11th, hundreds of Proud Boys and friends gathered in downtown Washington, DC to listen to an impromptu bullhorn speech by Tarrio and Nordean, along with Roger Stone and Shroyer. Stone implored the crowd to “fight to the bitter end.”?
The next day, as the Proud Boys marched in force on the streets, Tarrio teased in a social media post that he had a meeting in the White House. The visit, which was only a public White House tour, appears to have been facilitated by a friend, Bianca Gracia, the head of Latinos for Trump. As the rallies concluded the next day, the Proud Boys took to the streets again. Two key events occurred that evening.
First, members of the Proud Boys tore down a Black Lives Matter banner from a historically Black church in downtown Washington, DC. They filmed themselves burning it. Tarrio was eventually charged with destruction of property. He was arrested on January 4, 2021, and banned from Washington, DC, barring him from joining the group at the Capitol. As explained in Chapter 8, however, Tarrio’s arrest did not stop him from conspiring with his men on January 6th.
Minutes after the flag burning, a man wearing black clothes walked into a crowd of Proud Boys. Assuming he was associated with Antifa, they began pushing and harassing him, and he drew a knife in response. In the ensuing melee, four Proud Boys suffered stab wounds, including Bertino, a confidant to Tarrio. Bertino’s wounds were severe and life-threatening, preventing him from joining the group on January 6th.
The Proud Boys began to reorient and formalize their operations to focus on January 6th after President Trump’s December 19th tweet. Inspired, in part, by Bertino’s stabbing, the Proud Boys centered their new hierarchy in group chats that used terms such as “Ministry of Self Defense” (MOSD). However, the words “Self Defense” were misleading: Enrique Tarrio and others would soon go on the offense. And the MOSD served as their organizational scaffolding for the January 6, 2021, attack.
On December 20, 2020, Tarrio established a “national rally planning committee” and created an encrypted MOSD chat to organize their activities. Tarrio added Proud Boys leaders from across the country, including several who played lead roles in the violence on January 6th. In the ensuing weeks, the Proud Boys traded equipment recommendations, shared maps marked with law enforcement positions, and established command and control structures. A separate encrypted chat, named “Boots on the Ground,” was established for foot soldiers who would be in Washington, DC on January 6th.
The Proud Boys’ planning for January 6th was a significant step in the group’s evolution. Previously, they were loosely organized. The MOSD was created to enforce a “top down structure” with a defined leadership.Tarrio stressed the command structure by telling members that they needed to “fit in, or fuck off.”?
...As explained above, a constellation of far-right characters came together in late 2020 as part of the “Stop the Steal” cause. Among them was Roger Stone, a right-wing political operative whose career as a self-trumpeted dirty trickster stretched back decades. Stone is arguably President Trump’s oldest political advisor. For example, he worked for Donald Trump’s independent presidential bid during the 2000 campaign. In addition to his political connections, Stone cultivated relationships with far-right extremists, including the two groups charged with seditious conspiracy: the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.
The Select Committee found that at least seven members of the Oath Keepers provided security for Stone, or were seen with him, in the weeks immediately preceding the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Text messages released by Edward Vallejo, an Oath Keeper charged with seditious conspiracy and other crimes, show that Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs discussed providing security for Stone. Some of these Oath Keepers guarded Stone during an event at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC on the night of January 5th. Stone was also flanked by Oath Keepers outside of the Willard Hotel on the morning of January 6th. One of the Oath Keepers who provided security for Stone was Joshua James, who pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy, obstruction of Congress and other charges in March 2022. James was also reportedly seen in Stone’s hotel room at the Willard hours before the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Stone has a longstanding, close relationship with the Proud Boys. Stone has taken the Proud Boys oath and repeatedly defended the group. Danish documentarians filmed him working with Proud Boys for years. In one scene, filmed in 2019, Stone warmly greets Joe Biggs, a Proud Boys leader central to the Capitol violence. Stone says of Biggs: “My guy, right here.”? In a 2019 court case, Stone identified Enrique Tarrio as one of his volunteers, explaining that Tarrio had access to his phone and could post to Stone’s Instagram account from it.
As mentioned above, Stone, Tarrio and another Proud Boy leader, Ethan Nordean, addressed an impromptu rally in Washington, DC on the night of December 11, 2020. Owen Shroyer, an InfoWars host, was also with them. “We will fight to the bitter end for an honest count of the 2020 election,” Stone told the crowd. “Never give up, never quit, never surrender, and fight for America!”?A few weeks later, on January 2, 2021, Tarrio led a Proud Boys protest outside of Senator Marco Rubio’s home in Florida. The Proud Boys wanted to convince Rubio to vote against certification of the vote on January 6th.Stone reportedly called into the event to speak to Tarrio’s crowd.
One way in which Stone maintained these contacts was through a Signal chat group named “F.O.S.” — or Friends of Stone. Two days after the election, Stone sent a text: “We provide information several times a day. So please monitor the F.O.S. feed so you can act in a timely fashion.”? Ali Alexander and Stone continued to coordinate about Stop the Steal strategy and events between the election and January 6th. In addition to Alexander, Stone’s “Friends” on the Signal chat included Rhodes and Tarrio.
In July 2020, President Trump granted Stone clemency after he was convicted of lying to Congress and other charges. Then, on December 23rd, President Trump pardoned Stone. Several days later, at a dinner on the evening of December 27th, Stone thanked President Trump. In a post on Parler, Stone wrote that he “thanked President Trump in person tonight for pardoning me” and also recommended to the President that he “appoint a special counsel” to stop “those who are attempting to steal the 2020 election through voter fraud.” Stone also wrote that he wanted “to ensure that Donald Trump continues as our president.” Finally, he added: “#StopTheSteal” and “#rogerstonedidnothingwrong.” The Select Committee has learned that Stone discussed the January 6th event with the President, likely at this same dinner on December 27th. The President told Stone he “was thinking of speaking.”?
The Select Committee sought to question Roger Stone about his relationships with President Trump and far-right extremists, as well as other issues. During his deposition, Stone invoked his Fifth Amendment right nearly 90 times. Stone has publicly stated that he committed no wrongdoing and that he encouraged a peaceful protest.
...who was it that dove into all of that, before and during the Jan. 6 committee hearings (which actually delayed the start of the first PB and OK court appearances) and came up with historically successful sedition convictions?
Who did all of that? You know who.
= new reply since forum marked as read
...and I never use that emoji.
