2020 Election Fallout 13: Sedition And Arrests

[GreyhoundFan]

From the WaPo Editorial Board: "For some Republicans and Democrats, the 2020 race still isn’t over"

Quote

YOU MIGHT have thought that the 2020 elections were over. Not in the minds of Arizona Republicans, who are still upset about President Biden’s narrow win in their state last November. Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R) said Thursday that the Senate will conduct its own hand recount of 2.1 million ballots in Maricopa County, the state’s most populous jurisdiction. Republicans claim they want to restore confidence in the voting process. In fact, they are only encouraging people to believe the lie that the election was stolen.

The state Senate does not typically conduct recounts; in fact, Senate Republicans had to go to court to force Maricopa County to turn over the ballots and election machines they wish to audit. The county, run by a Republican-majority board of supervisors, has already audited the ballots, the voting machines and the count, taking extra steps to assure the state Senate that there was no reasonable doubt about the results because there is none.

For the Senate to conduct a massive hand recount, Republicans would need to create their own vote-tallying infrastructure. The Associated Press reports that they still do not know where the counting will happen or who will conduct the survey. Ms. Fann had considered hiring Allied Security Operations Group, an auditing firm that had worked with former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani during his campaign to discredit the 2020 results. She backed off that idea and now says she has another company in mind, but it is a bad sign about where the recount is going. Arizona Democrats, meanwhile, refuse to participate.

As any experienced election official can attest, there are rules upon rules upon rules in the normal counting process — who gets to observe, how ballots are handled, how voting machines are examined. A non-expert, partisan body conducting its own recount, on the fly, without the other party’s buy-in, two months after the new president has been sworn-in, simply cannot produce credible results.

Given Arizona Republicans’ pathological refusal to accept Mr. Biden’s victory in their state, perhaps the point is not accuracy so much as discovering “irregularities” that seem to bolster Republicans’ stolen-election mythology. As Republicans in states across the country have done, they can use the absence of confidence for which they are responsible to push election “reforms” that suppress Democratic voters.

Though they have done far more damage, Republicans are not the only ones who should question whether their refusal to accept last year’s election results is good for the nation. Rita Hart, a Democrat who lost her bid for a U.S. House seat in Iowa by six votes, is petitioning the House to reconsider the results in her race, claiming that election officials improperly tossed 22 ballots. The House has the power to judge such disputes, which it does with some regularity, and it has a rule-bound process for doing so.

But House Democrats should keep their distance. Iowa’s bipartisan election process certified the results. Barring truly egregious errors, a partisan House majority should not reverse them. Democrats have the moral upper hand condemning Republican efforts to use legitimate means, such as election law changes and congressional objections, to undermine democracy. They should focus on expanding voter access and fighting gerrymandering and other pro-democracy reforms, not open themselves to charges of hypocrisy over a single House seat.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Evidence in Capitol attack investigation trending toward sedition charges, departing chief says"

Quote

Former interim U.S. attorney Michael R. Sherwin, of Washington, reiterated Sunday that he thinks charges of seditious conspiracy could be brought against certain defendants in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, a rarely invoked charge for those who use violence to hinder the execution of federal law.

In a “60 Minutes” interview aired on CBS two days after he stepped down from supervising the investigation, Sherwin said, “I personally believe the evidence is trending toward that, and probably meets those elements.”

“I believe the facts do support those charges. And I think that, as we go forward, more facts will support that,” he said.

Sherwin’s comments echo those he made Jan. 26, when he said, “We are closely looking at evidence related to the sedition charges. . . . We are working on those cases. I think the results will bear fruit very soon.”

Since that time, prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office for District of Columbia, which has led the inquiry, have charged about 20 members of the Proud Boys — a far-right group with a history of violence — with leading some of the earliest and most aggressive efforts to breach the Capitol.

On Friday, authorities unsealed the latest indictment, charging four Proud Boys leaders from Washington state, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania with conspiracy to aid and abet the obstruction of Congress’s confirmation of the 2020 presidential election and police attempts to protect the Capitol from rioting that led to five deaths and 130 police assaults.

Prosecutors and the FBI also have accused 10 members and affiliates of the Oath Keepers with conspiring to obstruct Congress. The Justice Department is now looking at whether a larger conspiracy case can be made, including against senior figures in the group, which recruits military, law enforcement and first-responder personnel and claims authority to disobey government orders that some think are part of a conspiracy to strip Americans of their constitutional rights.

Members or associates of the two groups make up about 10 percent of more than 300 charged so far. Prosecutors have said they expect at least 400 people to be charged.

Federal law makes conspiring to overthrow or oppose by force federal authority punishable by up to 20 years in prison, including the use of violence to prevent, hinder or delay the execution of law.

Sherwin also told “60 Minutes” that he personally witnessed some of the events Jan. 6, noticing some people in Kevlar vets, helmets and tactical gear leave early while he accompanied D.C. police to President Donald Trump’s rally on the Ellipse.

In unaired portions of the interview, Sherwin debunked claims about left-wing extremists posing as Trump supporters and discussed tours of the building that took place before Jan. 6, “60 Minutes” reported.

Sherwin said investigators are examining whether suspects who toured the Capitol days before the attack were “casing or doing reconnaissance runs” or on “a basic tour.” He called the possibility troubling.

Sherwin, a career prosecutor from Miami, was named by then-Attorney General William P. Barr to be the top D.C. federal prosecutor last spring, while he was on detail to Barr’s deputy. Sherwin stepped down March 3, allowing the Biden administration to rename Channing D. Phillips as acting U.S. attorney while the White House and Attorney General Merrick Garland select a permanent nominee.

 

[fraurosena]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

No surprise: "Roger Stone keeps appearing in Capitol breach investigation court filings"

Quote

Roger Stone’s name and image were invoked by both prosecutors and defendants in court filings over the last week, underscoring the increasingly visible presence of former president Donald Trump’s political confidant in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach investigation.

On Wednesday, U.S. prosecutors produced a photograph they said was shared on Facebook on Dec. 15 showing two Florida members of the Oath Keepers who were later charged in the riot posing with five others next to someone who appears to be Stone at a book signing.

All the faces are redacted except for the two charged Oath Keepers in the picture, which prosecutors introduced to show the defendants knew each other. Three of Stone’s books are displayed in a room that looks like the White House Oval Office.

One of the faces redacted is of someone in a blue shirt, tie, suspenders and khaki slacks. Stone wore matching clothing at a rally that day of Trump supporters in Largo, Fla., according to video by cable channel Bay News 9. The rally site, a two hours’ drive from the two defendants’ homes, was a coffee shop with a matching replica backdrop of the Oval Office. The coffee shop had indicated on Instagram that Stone would be a guest with “other Patriots” on Dec. 14.

The defense attorney for a third charged Oath Keepers co-defendant, Jessica Watkins, wrote separately Thursday that her client was only planning to provide security for Stone in Washington, where she was given a “VIP” security pass for events.

“I’m down to be security for Roger Stone. Seems like a sweet gig,” Watkins texted another co-defendant on Jan. 1, the defense filing said.

Another photograph posted on Facebook on Dec. 13 and shared with the FBI appears to show Stone interacting outside his Fort Lauderdale home with a fourth co-defendant charged in the riot, an Oath Keepers leader in Florida, according to two people familiar with the image who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

The images show Stone had previous interactions with at least three more defendants who prosecutors have accused of being players in organizing the Jan. 6 breach. Although investigators continue to bump into Stone as they probe members of the Oath Keepers and of the Proud Boys, another right-wing group charged with leading the assault, it remains unclear what that means as prosecutors review what, if any, influence Stone, other high-profile right-wing figures or Trump associates had on them.

The five Oath Keepers in the photos and court filings are among 10 members and associates charged with conspiring to obstruct Congress’s confirmation of the 2020 presidential election results. The Justice Department and FBI are now seeing if a larger conspiracy case can be made, including against senior figures in the group, which recruits military, law enforcement and first responder personnel and claims authority to disobey government orders that some believe are part of a conspiracy to strip Americans of their constitutional rights.

Stone, who has consistently said he was not involved in the Capitol riots and did not have advance knowledge of the breach, is not charged and has not been accused of any crime.

In a statement, Stone said, “This new filing does not in anyway provide proof or evidence that I was involved in or had advance knowledge of the illegal acts at the Capitol on January 6 that are alleged to involve some individual members of the [Oath Keepers] organization.

“Such an implication is ‘guilt by association’ with no factual basis,” he said, adding that any implication otherwise regarding any unlawful acts by any person or group in Washington D.C. that day ‘is categorically false.”

Stone has said Oath Keepers “came forward to voluntarily provide free security for me [in Washington] as they had graciously done at three previous rallies in Miami and Tampa.”

Stone said he did not know the faces or names of security guards he was photographed with in Washington before they were charged.

In the “Oval Office” book signing photo that prosecutors filed Wednesday, on the replica Resolute Desk, Stone’s visible book titles appear be “Jeb! and the Bush Crime Family,” and “Nixon’s Secrets,” which he co-authored 2016 and 2014, and the cover design of a stack of books matches that of Stone’s 2017 work on Donald Trump, “Making of the President 2016.”

Prosecutors have not alleged that Connie Meggs, 59, of Dunnellon, Fla., or Graydon Young, 54, of Englewood, Fla., — the two Oath Keepers members allegedly at the book signing and later charged in the riot — guarded Stone.

The same is true for Meggs’s husband, Kelly Meggs, 52, of Dunnellon, Fla, who appears to be with Stone in the Fort Lauderdale photograph, and who prosecutors say called himself the Oath Keepers “Florida state lead” on Jan. 6. In the image, Meggs posed with Stone — wearing a blue “Stop the Steal” T-shirt — outside what appears to be the building where Stone lives in Fort Lauderdale, according to voting records and Google Map street images. The Washington Post has viewed the photo that two people familiar with the image confirm was shared with the FBI. An FBI Washington Field Office spokeswoman declined to comment.

Stone’s cameos in the Capitol attack investigation come as prosecutors are probing potential ties between those involved in the attack and high-profile right-wing figures who may have influenced them to look into the mind-set of those who committed violence and their paths to radicalization, according to people familiar with the investigation.

A superseding indictment was unsealed Friday accusing four leaders of the Proud Boys of conspiring to lead the group’s efforts on Jan. 6 after its national chairman, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, a former personal aide to Stone, was unable to attend.

Prosecutors and the FBI have also charged about 20 members or associates of the Proud Boys — a far-right group with a history of violence in street protests — in the Capitol attack, accusing some of leading some of the earliest, most aggressive and preplanned efforts to overrun police and break into the building.

In proceedings two years ago while charged with obstructing Congress’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Stone testified that Tarrio, who lives in Miami, was one of a handful of aides he entrusted with his phones and social media accounts.

Tarrio, 33, also promoted Stone’s legal defense fund and launched an online store selling Stone and Proud Boys gear, before creating a company last year to promote the Proud Boys with two of its freshly indicted leaders, Ethan Nordean, of Seattle, and Joseph Biggs, of Daytona Beach.

On Jan. 2, the Saturday before the riot, Stone dialed in by phone to speak to a Proud Boys protest led by Tarrio outside the West Miami home of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), demanding that Rubio not confirm the election results, according to the Miami Herald and New York Times.

After 9 p.m. on Jan. 5, according to the recent indictment, as 60 users gathered on a Proud Boys encrypted channel called “Boots on the Ground” in Washington, Biggs responded to another indicted leader who asked about the next day’s plan: “I gave [first name of Proud Boys chairman] a plan. The one I told the guys and he said he had one.”

Tarrio has denied that the group organized any violence at the Capitol. Tarrio was not at the Jan. 6 rally and has not been charged with any wrongdoing related to the riot. “There was no plan to go into the Capitol. … There was no plan to even interrupt Congress,” Tarrio has said.

Stone’s encounters in December with Florida Oath Keepers members came immediately after he returned to the state from participating in a pro-Trump Million MAGA March in Washington, D.C., which drew Trump supporters from around the country to oppose the election results on Dec. 12.

On the eve of the rally, Stone stood beside Tarrio and Nordean as Infowars personality Owen Shroyer told a gathering pro-Trump crowd near Freedom Plaza they had been “stabbed in the back” by the Supreme Court rejection earlier that day of a lawsuit to overturn the presidential count.

“We will fight to the bitter end for an honest count to the 2020 election,” Stone urged, adding “Never give up. Never surrender. And fight for America!”

The following night, Nordean was in a group where four people including at least one Proud Boys member were stabbed.

Oath Keepers provided security at the December event, including one Alabama member who the FBI said became a driver for Stone on Jan. 5 and who was among guards seen with Stone on Jan. 5 and 6 before later being charged with entering the Capitol.

Stone in online columns accused news organizations of engaging in “more ‘Russian-collusion hoax-style’ smears.” He wrote that if credible information were to emerge revealing a conspiracy, everyone involved should be prosecuted.

Stone has complained that his finances were devastated by legal costs related to his trial in which he was convicted of lying and witness tampering in a years-long probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Trump pardoned Stone on Dec. 23.

Stone said he was forced to move from a comfortable rented waterfront home to a less spacious apartment on Fort Lauderdale. Book sales have long provided a key source of income for Stone, a prolific author who has published conspiracy theory books about the JFK assassination and the Clinton family.

 

[Xan]

41 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

 

This is bizarre.  She can't possible think that this will work as a defense, does she?  "You can't hold me responsible because I was obviously making it up as I went along."

[47of74]

Another oaf keeper

Quote

A Florida man and member of the “Oath Keeper” militia organization who was charged with coordinating a military-style attack on the U.S. Capitol aimed at overthrowing the federal government is asking a federal judge to reconsider a ruling that will keep him in jail until the start of his criminal trial.

Graydon Young, 54, was denied bond last month by U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson after claiming that he was “duped” into participating in an insurrection with the extremist para-military group. He insisted that he was “unaware of the organization’s nefarious purpose when he joined” and claiming his role in Jan. 6 was “limited.”

Lawyer for Young filed a motion on Monday seeking to have the initial bond ruling vacated, arguing that the Government lacked sufficient evidence to hold Young on the charges. They cited to his “strong character” and the “psychological burdens” Young has endured as a result of his first-ever jailing as reasons why he should be released.

“The psychological burdens of being detained pending trial are very real for Mr. Young. Since he has no previous experience with the criminal justice system, being detained is taking an extremely high toll on his mental well-being,” the motion stated. “Prior to being detained, Mr. Young was a mentally strong and stable person with no history of mental disorders. His current emotional and psychological state is owing entirely to the fact that he has been detained and is unable to rely upon his normal social support systems. Because he is such a strong family man, locking him up away from his wife and children with the prospect of an extremely long period of time before trial is even scheduled is causing potentially irreparable psychological and emotional damage to Mr. Young.”

If I was said magistrate I'd get into all sorts of trouble because my response would be "Prison bunk.  Made.  Lie.....and go fuck yourself."

Edited March 23, 2021 by 47of74
spelling, Marsha, spelling

[thoughtful]

6 hours ago, Xan said:

This is bizarre.  She can't possible think that this will work as a defense, does she?  "You can't hold me responsible because I was obviously making it up as I went along."

From mighty Kraken to Nathan Thurm in only a few months.

 

[Becky]

8 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Another oaf keeper

If I was said magistrate I'd get into all sorts of trouble because my response would be "Prison bunk.  Made.  Lie.....and go fuck yourself."

“The psychological burdens of being detained pending trial are very real for Mr. Young. Since he has no previous experience with the criminal justice system, being detained is taking an extremely high toll on his mental well-being,” the motion stated.

Well, I suppose being a white supremacist/Nazi in jail is probably NOT a happy experience.  I almost reacted with a LOL because it is a ludicrous motion, but it's really not funny at all that these guys think being white dudes means they get special treatment.  Between him and the Q Shaman guy, who's the snowflake now, guys?  ?

[47of74]

1 hour ago, Becky said:

“The psychological burdens of being detained pending trial are very real for Mr. Young. Since he has no previous experience with the criminal justice system, being detained is taking an extremely high toll on his mental well-being,” the motion stated.

Well, I suppose being a white supremacist/Nazi in jail is probably NOT a happy experience.  I almost reacted with a LOL because it is a ludicrous motion, but it's really not funny at all that these guys think being white dudes means they get special treatment.  Between him and the Q Shaman guy, who's the snowflake now, guys?  ?

And don't forget the Pelosi office snowflake, who was whining that he had been in jail longer than anyone else and wanted to be released.  And who also gave an interview during his confinement to news media that pissed the judge off. 

[smittykins]

Geez, guys, maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to break the law...

[Alisamer]

22 minutes ago, smittykins said:

Geez, guys, maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to break the law...

Especially since you know full well that if it was a BLM protester in jail they'd be campaigning to keep them there indefinitely...

[47of74]

The Nazi was was in the Army Reserve has to stay in jail for a while.

Quote

An Army reservist who was a well-known Nazi sympathizer among his colleagues was ordered Tuesday to remain in jail while awaiting trial on charges tied to the Capitol insurrection.

A federal judge said the defendant, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, posed a threat to the public and that there was a potential for an "escalation of violence" from his long-held neo-Nazi beliefs.

"I am very concerned about the statements after January 6 suggesting that the defendant is looking forward to a civil war," Federal Judge Trevor McFadden said at a court hearing.

Hale-Cusanelli's case went viral this month when the Justice Department released photos of him sporting a distinctive "Hitler mustache" at the Navy base where he worked as a contractor.

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by 47of74

[Howl]

I hope y'all are following the fallout from Sunday's 60 Minutes interview with Michael Sherwin, who was, until about 15 minutes before that interview, the federal prosecutor who was leading the criminal investigation of the Capitol insurrection for DoJ.  He's a Trump/Barr appointee and there is intense concern that this was a deliberate effort to compromise and taint the entire effort to prosecute the insurrectionists.  He did not seek DoJ approval before the interview. He will be investigated for a breach of ethics. 

There is nothing good about this.  Nothing. 

Talking Points Memo covers it: DOJ To Probe Trump-appointed Prosecutor For Unauthorized CBS Interview

60 Minutes has a transcript of the interview on their Website. Inside the prosecution of the Capitol rioters

Edited March 24, 2021 by Howl

[fraurosena]

 

[Becky]

5 hours ago, fraurosena said:

 

I hope these a-holes go down, hard, but it's galling that the former guy who encouraged this will likely skate.  

[fraurosena]

3 hours ago, Becky said:

I hope these a-holes go down, hard, but it's galling that the former guy who encouraged this will likely skate.  

Your reticence is understandable, especially after the past four years, but I’m not so sure Trump will skate at all. The opposite is more likely, if you ask me. There simply is no one to either bail him out or protect him anymore. I am especially focussed on the NY investigation into Trump Org, as that has the most chance of not only putting him behind bars, but also his grown kids, and that the organization — along with its income— will fall. That will hit him where it hurts the most: his ego and his pockets.

 

[front hugs > duggs]

25 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Your reticence is understandable, especially after the past four years, but I’m not so sure Trump will skate at all. The opposite is more likely, if you ask me. There simply is no one to either bail him out or protect him anymore. I am especially focussed on the NY investigation into Trump Org, as that has the most chance of not only putting him behind bars, but also his grown kids, and that the organization — along with its income— will fall. That will hit him where it hurts the most: his ego and his pockets.

 

I pray with everything in me that you are right.

[SPHASH]

9 hours ago, Becky said:

I hope these a-holes go down, hard, but it's galling that the former guy who encouraged this will likely skate.  

This may encourage you:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-hire-lawyer-capitol-riot-lawsuit-b1821885.htm

The father and son have retained attorney Jesse Binnall, who has served Mr Trump in multiple court battles, to represent them in a civil suit brought against them by Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell, according to The Daily Beast.

 

[47of74]

LOL

Quote

Dominion Voting systems, one of the largest election equipment manufacturers in the U.S. and the subject of false conspiracy theories by conservative figures, has sued Fox News for $1.6 billion.

The suit highlights the number of times Fox News segments contained false claims that Dominion equipment was used to rig the 2020 election, that it was tied to the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, or that it paid off U.S. government officials.

“Fox took a small flame and turned it into a forest fire,” the 441-page lawsuit reads. “As the dominant media company among those viewers dissatisfied with the election results, Fox gave these fictions a prominence they otherwise would never have achieved. With Fox’s global platform, an audience of hundreds of millions, and the inevitable and extensive republication and dissemination of the falsehoods through social media, these lies deeply damaged Dominion’s once-thriving business.”

A Fox spokesperson said in an email that “FOX News Media is proud of our 2020 election coverage, which stands in the highest tradition of American journalism, and will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit in court.”

The suit is the fifth billion-dollar lawsuit filed by an election company over false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, and the fourth by Dominion. Dominion has sued Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, lawyers affiliated with former President Donald Trump, as well as MyPillow Founder and Trump supporter Mike Lindell for their roles in sharing false claims about the company.

FUCK Faux News.  I hope they get taken to the fucking cleaners.  Along with that MeinPillow fuck.

[GreyhoundFan]

3 hours ago, 47of74 said:

LOL

FUCK Faux News.  I hope they get taken to the fucking cleaners.  Along with that MeinPillow fuck.

Don't forget the kraken. I hope they take every penny she's ever earned, plus every penny she will earn in the future.

[onekidanddone]

7 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Don't forget the kraken. I hope they take every penny she's ever earned, plus every penny she will earn in the future.

Can we name her Krazy Kraken Karen?

[47of74]

3 hours ago, onekidanddone said:

Can we name her Krazy Kraken Karen?

[SassyPants]

11 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Don't forget the kraken. I hope they take every penny she's ever earned, plus every penny she will earn in the future.

The same fate I hope and pray awaits Trump!

[fraurosena]

On 3/27/2021 at 4:16 PM, SassyPants said:

The same fate I hope and pray awaits Trump!

It looks like our deer Rufus may have heard your request. 

Dominion won't rule out lawsuit against Trump

Quote

Former President Donald Trump may yet face a lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems for spreading election fraud claims about the 2020 contest.

Stephen Shackelford, an attorney for the voting company, wouldn't rule it out when asked Sunday by CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter.

"We have not ruled out any potential defendants who participated in this defamation campaign," Shackelford said.

Dominion has a growing list of defamation lawsuits after the November election, citing claims about its technology and software that caused "irreparable damage" to the company's name and reputation.

The company filed a $1.3 billion lawsuit against Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, a similar suit against lawyer Sidney Powell, and a $1 billion suit against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. In seeking to dismiss the lawsuit against her, Powell argued last week that "no reasonable person would conclude" that her comments about alleged election fraud "were truly statements of fact."

Like his allies, Trump himself spread election fraud claims about Dominion and, according to a video published on Sunday by TMZ of a wedding at the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, is still asserting that something untoward happened in his loss to President Joe Biden more than four months ago.

For now, Shackelford said, Dominion's legal team remains "focused" on Fox News.

Dominion announced a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News on Friday. A network spokesperson said Fox News "will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit in court."

 

[Alisamer]

On 3/27/2021 at 11:16 AM, SassyPants said:

The same fate I hope and pray awaits Trump!

Although I bet if something like that happened to the former guy, it'd suddenly come out that oops? There's nothing there to take. Just lots and lots and lots of debt. And probably some poorly hidden transfers of money into various hidey-holes and into Melania and Ivanka's names. That orange guy himself? Not a penny to be had, total financial vacuum there. Sorry, plaintiffs!

Edited March 29, 2021 by Alisamer
Dammit autocorrect, I typed what I meant to type!