Tuesday was Hump Day for the House Jan. 6 committee, the fourth and halfway point. As things stand now, seven hearings will be held.
In case you are new here, I concede the committee is out to “get Trump.” I also believe the first three hearings did not produce a smoking gun.
I am not interested in the opinion of committee members, nor what you have heard on OAN or CNN. I am interested only in the sworn testimony of those with first-hand knowledge.
Advance word was the committee was going to try to prove that Donald J. Trump’s attempted subversion of the election began before January 6.
Did it succeed?
I answer that in a minute, but the first thing to know is every witness I am reporting on who gave damaging testimony is was a Trump loyalist.
To Trump’s debit, the key witnesses are men of principle who put loyalty to their country over loyalty to their president.
The committee led with it’s best shot, a conservative Republican who wanted Trump to win, but not at the cost of breaking the law or his word to God.
There was a foreshadowing of the bad news delivered by Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, when it was learned Presidential Counsel Rudy Guiliani and Trump reached Bowers after he had left church on a Sunday. That suggested he was a man of faith and a man who took oaths seriously.
In short, Giuliani and Trump wanted him to convene a session of the legislature to overturn the election. On what basis?, he asked.
Giuliani claimed he had the name of thousands of undocumented people who had voted, plus thousands more of dead persons.
Bowers asked Giuliani for the names. He is still waiting. It’s hard to produce what does not exist. If it did exist, Guiliani would have produced it.
Then they asked Bowers to replace Joe Biden electors with a fake panel pledged to Trump.
He recounted his response in powerful words.
“It is a tenet of my faith that the Constitution is divinely inspired by my most basic, foundational beliefs,” he said.
Of Trump’s request he said, “You are asking me to do something against my oath and I will not break my oath.”
In a later press release, Bowers explained he had no authority to overturn the expressed will of the people, and quoted President Ronald Reagan that America’s orderly transition of power is “a miracle.”
For his efforts, he received countless thousands of emails, calls, and texts, many of them threatening, and his home has been picketed by protestors calling him corrupt and a pedophile.
In a contemporaneous diary entry he was asked to read, Bowers said, “It is painful to have friends who have been such a help to me turn on me with such rancor. . . I do not want to be a winner by cheating. I will not play with laws I swore allegiance to.”
He was not the only election official to invoke his oath.
Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” more than 11,000 votes to give him a win in Georgia.
Sounding delusional, Trump insisted he had won by more than 400,000 votes.
Georgia conducted not one, not two, but three audits of the five million votes cast under the supervision of Republicans. All three audits, Raffensperger told the committee, convincingly proved that “President Trump came up short.”
In a 67-minute phone call with Trump, Raffensperger said the president wanted him to certify the election, then threatened him, suggesting he could find himself in court.
“We followed the law. We followed the Constitution we swore an oath to do,” Raffensperger said.
Whether these “requests” by Trump and attempts in seven battleground states to replace legitimate Biden electors with fake Trump electors, are an actual crime, some other body will have to determine.
But if the committee did not produce a smoking gun, it did lay a gun on the table. Its barrel was pointed squarely at Trump.
In much shorter testimony, Georgia Chief Operating Officer in the Secretary of State’s office, Gabriel Sterling publicly said of the violence that was sparked by his lies about the election being stolen, “President Trump, you have not condemned these actions or these words.”
The final witness, Georgia election official Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, testified about threats, but I believe she is a Democrat, and I am keeping this all GOP.
Like these on video:
Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr: “Allegations have no merit… No evidence of subterfuge… The claims of fraud were bullshit.”
Former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue: “Major allegations are not supported by evidence.”
Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former Trump chief of staff: Attempt to decertify “not legally sound.”
Former Trump campaign manager Justin Clark: “Unless we have litigation pending in those states, I don’t think this is appropriate.”
Trump campaign staffer Robert Sinners: “We we’re just useful idiots or rubes at that point.”
Former chair of the Michigan Republican Party Laura Cox: “Insane and inappropriate.”
Is insanity a defense?
To me, they’ve done a pretty darned good job of laying things out in an unemotional, chronological fashion. Whether they can prove illegality is another question, which I supposed the Department of Justice will have to answer. But they’ve certainly proven what an asshat Trump is, something that most of us from this area have known for over 40 years anyway. I’ve spoken personally with several contracts whom this man destroyed by refusing to pay bills and then throwing lawyers at them. One nice gentleman lost his entire business and his kid’s college funds in such a scenario. Who does something like that? A misanthropic monster, that’s who.
funny thing about business. Two parties enter into an agreement. Both SHOULD know what they’re getting into. If that was true, we would not have so many start ups fail in their first years of operation.
When you intend to build a casino, the SUB-CONTRACTS are in the MILLIONS. This is partly why businesses failed. Bankruptcy is legal. Small contractors can not afford the big hit !
That doesn’t make Donald Trump anything that you’re trying hard to make him out to be. As he told Hillary and the world on live T.V., and I paraphrase here, ” I’m a business man. I am protecting my investors and making them money. If you don’t like how I play the game, change the rules”.
Tony
Tony, With all due respect that comment is ridiculous. I despise a cheat and a business plan to cheat by the rules, is still cheating.
For me the question should not be “Can I cheat”, but “Should I cheat”.
While you may consider him a good business man, but I prefer honesty and integrity in any leader.
I agree Phillyborn.
folks,
Trump didn’t build casinos with the idea of screwing people. Quite the opposite. New Jersey blew the opportunity of a lifetime with the rejuvenation of A.C.. Most of the casinos have either been sold or went into bankruptcy. The ones that survived were aprt of a billion dollar empire. Trump’s casinos where a separate entity, apart from his other ventures. This too is a common practice. LTD. is but one avenue of success.
Tony
Striving to make a profit does not ever give you the right to behave in a completely unethical fashion. When a person with deep pockets (solely thanks to his daddy, by the way) like Trump intentionally refuses to pay a contractor and then tells them “I’ll give you 10 cents on the dollar for what I bought from you, and if you don’t like it, sue me,” he does so fully knowing that he has enough money and lawyers to simply out-last the small businessperson, who simply cannot afford to compete with him on this playing field. You know what that is, Tony? It is wrong, it is unethical, and it is inhumane, and you have to be a horrible human being to act in such a fashion. If you think that is okay, I’m thinking it might be time for you to look in a mirror and ask yourself what you stand for and who you are. And while you’re at it, you might want to ask Stu about “Lugenpress” and what that means, since so many of Trump’s genius supporters seem to be wearing shirts that say exactly that these days. Maybe it’s just me, but I really would not want to be associated with perhaps the greatest evil in human history. But I guess opinions vary, huh?
F,
I can’t even give you credit for being entertaining. Although, I don’t have a law degree, I used to know the bankruptcy law in both Jersey and Pennsy. ( comes in handy ) Obviously, you don’t know the law of Jersey.
As I said begore. Two parties agree on a contract. It’s not as simple as a handshake. Probably never was, BUT, I almost remember an old adage. ‘My handshake is my contract. My word is my bond .”
Did Trump – as CEO – plan to walk out ? Certainly not. At the time, the Jersey casinos were taking a bath. Some folded. Some went bankrupt. Some had construction delays, and more. Trump acted in the best interest of his stock holders. You say many negative things about Trump, and in your mind, you’re correct. What if you were a stock holder in his or Grigith’s casino? You want to make money. If you wanted to lose money, you’ld be down on the casino floor. I think that I made myself pretty clear. I’ll try crystal this time. I understand what Donald Trump did and why he did it. He doesn’t need my approval nor disapproval. To further clarify or cloud the issue. A Civil Engineer once said to me during a discussion on a project. “Tony, if I want your opinion – and I don’t – I’ll ask for it – and I won’t “. Before he left the job site, we had another conversation. He wasn’t upset at me. Rather, he was annoyed that the project had these setbacks. Some are always expected in construction, but others should never rear their ugly costly heads. He valued my opinion and supervision on the project . We worked together before and after this little fracas. His point. He had the formal education to build this project. His name is on the drawings, which means, he is responsible for the construction of this project FOR THE LIFE OF THE BUILDING. Me, I only have the degrees, not the seal.
Trump is most definitely like that, as well as many other people that I have known. He just lives in a different world than us.
T
I completely agree Freeze.
Deflection tactics. The Titanic is sinking and politicians are rearranging the deck furniture.
Greg,
HOPEFULLY, the voters are smart enough to understand the typical poliyical game. The dims will throw us a bone – to get re-elected, while they get all of the meat !
DRAIN THE SWAMP ! and VOTE THEM ALL OUT !
HAPPY WEDNESDAY !!!
pallie,
You are doing what you do best. Seeking out the truth. Good luck with that !
As I said before many times, I am a republican and I voted for Donald Trump. Contrary to popular belief, that does make all of us reps, “trumpsters’ and we don’t all ‘worship the ground that Trump walks on”. I don’t play the name calling game.
It appears that there actually are statemen in the swamp. Not surprised at all. The sad fact is that they are few and far between.
I believe that we already established the fact that the swamp is out to get Trump, and Trump keeps making it easier. Guessing forward. Will this committee find evidence to charge Trump with crimes ? That’s the goal. JAIL HIM ! If that doesn’t succeed, will there be a big contested republican primary between Trump and DeSantis ? Will Trump back off? ( highly unlikely. ego gets in the way )
I just don’t want it to get ugly.
Tony
The question about prosecution is on point. I will very soon have a fair assessment to examine that.
If you don’t play the name calling game Anthony, why do you call Democrats dims?
Wanda,
Good point. That is the ONLY name that I ever use when talking about the democrat party. I’m sire you have heard, “it’s not the party of you father”, or something similar.
This is also, sadly, the very FIRST time that I have ever disrespected the Office of the President of the United States, while that person is in office. Afterwards – he’s fair game.
Tony
Tony, You are so full of crap about Trump’s business acumen. He filed for bankruptcy on his Atlantic City properties alone three times. The Trump Taj Mahal was $3 billion in debt after just one year in operation. He was forced to cede control over several business holdings to his bankers in June 1990 in order to avoid personal bankruptcy. Then Trump airline ran out of cash and defaulted on its debt in September 1990.
In 2008 (if I recall correctly) Trump Entertainment Resorts missed an interest payment on a $53.1 million bond; the company declared bankruptcy, and Trump stepped down as its chairman. Also in 2008, Trump Tower in Tampa went belly up. Trump vodka started in 2006 and again went belly up in 2011.
And then there is the failure of Trump Steaks and the grift of Trump University.
My husband has started 7 businesses and none of them were abandoned or gone bankrupt. You know why? Because he was honest, did not over extend himself, did not think that he was smarter than everyone else, and he’s not an asshole who would leave his debt for someone else to pay off.
As far as your continued “drain the swamp” mantra, there has never been a bigger swamp than the people Trump surrounded himself by when he was president AND never been a swamp creature to rival him. Even Nixon.
Wanda,
I admire you and your husband for taking the leap and becoming business ventures. Obviously, you didn’t bother to mention the name(s) of your company(s), so I cannot amuse myself and check them out.
I’m sure, like you two, you know many people in business. Most of these companies are probably local and with a payroll under a hundred people. Good for them. It ain’t easy. It takes a special person to be good at what they do AND have the business acumen needed to stay afloat – never mind expanding.
I never wanted to be large or even rich. My self worth is more important than a big bank book.
As for Trump. When you sit at the top, you are involved in many – not all aspects of your businesses. Very diversified is he. Very successful for sure. He plays hardball. I can’t. “if your not making money, get rid of it” is a powerful saying in the hardnosed business world.
As for Trump’s politics. You are obviosly on the opposite side of the political fence. I don’t know how long you have been here. I don’t know where you came from. I don’t know anything about you, other than I read. I do know that you have very little knowledge of the political world, dating back to the late 1950s and forward. If you think that everything is fine and dandy in Washington D.C., then you are part of the problem. I maintain that statemen are just about all gone. In their place are politicians who masquerade as democrats and republicans, when in fact the true parties are GRAFT, GREED and CORRUPTION ! The SWAMP is every person in OUR capitol that takes care of themselves and the chosen few. EVERYBODY down there is ‘supposed’ to be there for US. The people of these United States. You better believe that I mean it, when I say, DRAIN THE SWAMP ! and
VOTE THEM ALL OUT !
Tony
Yes, Wanda, the “drain the swamp” mantra is laughable given the types of people this orange idiot brought into the government. Add to it the crazy amounts of money his daughter and son-in-law made while grifting in the White House and what do you have? I also have a major issue with the contention that “all politicians” are bad. That’s the same as saying all Italians are in mafia. There are people in Washington who are there for the right reasons and who are trying to do what is best for the people they represent. Just as there are bad people there looking out for their own interests before ours. The trick is separating the latter from the former, and that requires some level of intelligence and research. Some people have the ability to do that and some don’t.