2020 Election Fallout 14: Arrests And The Big Lie

[GreyhoundFan]

I hope more of the shady attorneys have to pony up big bucks: "Judge orders two lawyers who filed suit challenging 2020 election to pay hefty fees: ‘They need to take responsibility’"

Quote

A federal judge has ordered two Colorado lawyers who filed a lawsuit late last year challenging the 2020 election results to pay nearly $187,000 to defray the legal fees of groups they sued, arguing that the hefty penalty was proper to deter others from using frivolous suits to undermine the democratic system.

“As officers of the Court, these attorneys have a higher duty and calling that requires meaningful investigation before prematurely repeating in court pleadings unverified and uninvestigated defamatory rumors that strike at the heart of our democratic system and were used by others to foment a violent insurrection that threatened our system of government,” wrote Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter.

“They are experienced lawyers who should have known better. They need to take responsibility for their misconduct,” he wrote.

The two lawyers, Gary D. Fielder and Ernest John Walker, filed the case in December 2020 as a class action on behalf of 160 million American voters, alleging there was a complicated plot to steal the election from President Donald Trump and give the victory to Joe Biden.

The two argued that a scheme was engineered by the voting machine vendor Dominion Voting Systems; the tech company Facebook, its founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan; and elected officials in four states. They had sought $160 billion in damages.

Their case was dismissed in April. In August, Neureiter ruled that the attorneys had violated their ethical obligations by filing it in the first place, arguing that the duo had run afoul of legal rules that prohibit clogging the courts with frivolous motions and lodging information in court that is not true. At the time, he called their suit “the stuff of which violent insurrections are made,” alleging they made little effort to determine the truth of their conspiratorial claims before filing them in court. He ordered them to pay the legal fees of all of the many entities that they had sued.

The two did not respond to a request for comment Monday but have previously argued that their suit was not filed in bad faith. They have appealed Neureiter’s order that they be penalized.

In Monday’s order, Neureiter said the lawyers should pay just over $11,000 to cover the legal fees of the states of Michigan and Pennsylvania, both defendants in the suit, a dollar figure the duo had agreed was fair. The two lawyers had balked, however, at far higher fees requested by three other entities: Facebook, Dominion Voting Systems and the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), an election reform advocacy group that has received funding from Zuckerberg and Chan.

In a 21-page order Monday, Neureiter ordered that Fielder and Walker pay $50,000 to Facebook and $62,930 each to Dominion and CTCL, arguing that billing records submitted by the group showed the fees were reasonable given the prominence of the lawyers who worked on the case and the amount of time they spent.

What’s more, Neureiter wrote, the hefty fees were appropriate given “the severity of the violation” and because the lawyers had solicited donations from the “arguably innocent and gullible public” to fund their suit. He said he weighed whether the penalties could chill future legitimate lawsuits but concluded that “the repetition of defamatory and potentially dangerous unverified allegations is the kind of ‘advocacy’ that needs to be chilled.”

Neureiter agreed to stay his order, pending the outcome of the lawyers’ appeal.

Neureiter’s order is one of the first efforts to put a dollar figure on penalties for lawyers who attempted to use the legal system to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The Center for Tech and Civic Life provided grants to local governments to help administer elections in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, grants that have been the subject of criticism and conspiracy theories by Trump supporters. The group’s executive director, Tiana Epps-Johnson, said in a statement that “not a single challenge” to the grant program “has had basis in fact or law,” adding that “another federal judge has agreed.” She called on Congress to appropriate funding to ensure secure elections in 2022.

A spokeswoman for Dominion said the company was “grateful for the court’s findings.” She noted another key finding of the judge, who wrote: “This lawsuit has been an abuse of the legal system and an interference with the machinery of government.”

A federal judge in Michigan has ordered that a different group of lawyers that challenged the election, including Sidney Powell and L. Lin Wood, be financially penalized and referred them for grievance proceedings that could result in the loss of law licenses.

Dominion has also sued Powell, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and a number of other individuals and media organizations for defamation, arguing that the company was harmed by false claims its voting machines were manipulated to steal the election from Trump.

In June, a panel of judges in New York suspended Giuliani’s law license, arguing Trump’s personal lawyer had “communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements” that amounted to an ongoing threat to the public. Giuliani’s lawyers have said they are confident his license will be restored after a hearing.

 

[CTRLZero]

2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I hope more of the shady attorneys have to pony up big bucks

It would be great if the amount of fees to be paid would actually increase due to having to respond to the appeal.  (I’m hoping the appeal isn’t successful.)  Also, I’m wondering if there will be any ramifications from the various bar associations who are monitoring these frivolous and concerning lawsuits.  As mentioned in the article, another judge sent requests to state bar associations asking for review and possible sanctions.  That should happen with these two Colorado attorneys. 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Florida man photographed with Pelosi’s lectern on Jan. 6 pleads guilty"

Quote

The Florida man charged with taking the lectern of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and parading it around the Capitol on Jan. 6 reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Adam Johnson, 36, pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, a charge that comes with a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges of theft of government property and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

The agreement also included provisions around a potential book, or “something of that nature,” that Johnson has expressed interest in publishing about his involvement on Jan. 6. The plea deal gives the government rights to any profit that Johnson acquires as a result of that product for five years.

The parties agreed on sentencing guidelines ranging from zero to six months in prison, with fines between $500 and $9,500. The government did not request that Johnson be held before sentencing.

Johnson was one of the most visible Jan. 6 defendants after images of him posing for photographs while cradling the lectern went viral.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton allowed Johnson to remain in Florida before sentencing, but he made it clear Monday that the defendant would have to prove that he understood the gravity of his actions to avoid time behind bars.

“It’s very concerning to me that you were weak-minded enough that you would follow a lie and do what you did,” Walton said. “So why shouldn’t I lock you up, sir? Why should I think you won’t do this again?”

“I’ve spent a lot of time listening to a lot of information, reading a lot of things, and I think maybe your assessment is accurate that I got caught up in a moment,” Johnson replied.

Johnson traveled to the District from Tampa on Jan. 5 to attend a rally in support of President Donald Trump the next day, according to the statement of offense filed in court. He was part of the crowd that marched from the rally to the Capitol, witnessed clashes between police officers and rioters, and, eventually, entered the Senate wing door to the Capitol, prosecutors said.

Once in the Capitol, according to the court filing, Johnson posed near a sign that read “Closed to all tours” and later posted the image on Facebook, along with the caption “No.” He later found the podium for the House speaker near a spiral staircase and carried it to the Capitol Rotunda, where he posed for a picture before a photographer with a professional camera and asked another woman to take pictures of him standing in front of the podium using his phone, according to the court filing.

He left the podium in the center of the room and continued to wander through the building — witnessing a group of protesters standing behind a line of U.S. Capitol Police officers and another group banging against doors and chanting “stop the steal,” the court filing said. At one point, prosecutors alleged, Johnson shouted that the bust of George Washington would be “a great battering ram.”

“Your honor, I understand that my actions are regretful,” Johnson said in court Monday. “I’m here pleading guilty because I am guilty.”

Also Monday, a Pennsylvania man who organized charter buses for 200 people to attend the events on Jan. 6 was sentenced to 60 days in jail, when prosecutors had only sought 14 days in jail. It was the largest increase in sentence by a judge so far, 46 days, above what the government had sought, according to a sentencing grid filed by prosecutors in the case.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth also imposed the maximum $5,000 fine, which is the largest one yet imposed in a Jan. 6 case, according to the government’s sentencing chart.

Lamberth said he gave Frank J. Scavo, 59, of Old Forge, Pa., credit for being truthful with the FBI, pleading guilty relatively early in the case, and not harming anyone. The organizing of buses from Pennsylvania was not discussed in the hearing, but the judge noted that “without you and the other people who participated in this, this whole event, that ended up in preventing the government from being able to function, would not have happened” and that had to be weighed in the sentence.

“I can’t imagine entering a government building that is closed to the public, but I did,” Scavo said. “Entering the Capitol on January 6 was a crime. I regret doing it.”

 

[47of74]

No shit

Quote

In a country gripped by political polarization, Americans across the board seem to agree on something - no talking politics at Thanksgiving.

In a Quinnipiac University national poll of adults released today, 66% of Americans say they are hoping to avoid discussing politics while visiting family or friends this Thanksgiving, with just 21% saying they are looking forward to it.

50% of those polled say there is not likely to be a heated political debate among family or friends, with 15 percent saying it is somewhat likely, and 9 percent saying it is very likely.

Fortunately this year the gathering will be small and there won't be any Branch Trumpvidians at the gathering.  If there was I'd make it pretty fucking obvious that I have no time for those who want to sing the praises of fuck face and the GQP.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Maybe wearing a distinctive outfit is a bad idea if you are participating in an insurrection: "A Broadway actor was with Oath Keepers on Jan. 6, feds say. His Michael Jackson jacket gave him away."

Quote

In the role of Judas in the traveling Broadway show “Jesus Christ Superstar,” James Beeks was about to see his onstage career take off. Beeks, whose stage name is James T. Justis, was lauded for his role as the disciple who betrayed Jesus.

But it was his side job as a Michael Jackson impersonator that unintentionally brought about a twist in his story that even Andrew Lloyd Webber might have struggled to imagine: Authorities accuse Beeks of being in the pro-Trump mob that breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot after joining the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group.

And his “Bad” jacket helped prosecutors identify him, they say.

Beeks, 49, was arrested Tuesday and charged with obstruction of Congress, a felony, and a misdemeanor count of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds, according to the Justice Department. He was apprehended in Milwaukee, where “Jesus Christ Superstar” began a stretch of shows this week. Before he was arrested, federal investigators “observed” him in the role of Judas at shows this month in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

What stood out about Beeks, and helped investigators identify him, was that he was dressed differently from “the camouflage-combat attire of many individuals” with the Oath Keepers, according to charging documents. After cellphone data suggested the Orlando native was near the Capitol building on Jan. 6, another defendant in the case pointed investigators toward Beeks’s black jacket, prosecutors say. The jacket was emblazoned with the word, “BAD” — a familiar piece of apparel for fans of “the King of Pop.”

“Law enforcement was further able to corroborate Beeks’s possession of the black jacket that appears consistent with the one he was seen wearing on January 6, 2021,” investigators added. “The jacket appears to be from Michael Jackson’s BAD world tour, which started in 1987.”

Beeks did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Wednesday.

Members of extremist organizations such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys were subpoenaed Tuesday by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. It’s the latest in the House effort to investigate the riot, in which supporters of President Donald Trump, fueled by his false claims of election fraud, attempted to interrupt the confirmation of Joe Biden’s victory. The select committee is also increasingly focused on law enforcement failures that preceded the insurrection, scrutinizing in particular multiple warnings of possible violence that went unheeded by the FBI.

Nearly 20 associates of the Oath Keepers have been charged in the largest Jan. 6 conspiracy case. But a vast majority of all Jan. 6 defendants were not part of far-right groups or premeditated conspiracies to attack the Capitol, court records show. About 573 have no known affiliation with an extremist group, according to a Post analysis of court filings and public records as of Nov 3. Federal prosecutors have not identified serious criminal records in the cases of most suspects, although at least a dozen defendants have been accused or convicted of domestic violence.

Beeks’s career on Broadway included roles in “Kinky Boots,” “Aida,” “Ragtime” and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” as well as TV roles in “The Entertainer” and “The Deuce,” according to an online biography for the “Jesus Christ Superstar” show that has since been removed. A self-described “Michael Jackson Tribute artist,” Beeks posted videos of himself performing Jackson songs on his YouTube page.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUax58HlRjt/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ead5ce6a-d593-4810-8aac-1d095bf55ab3

While it’s unclear exactly when Beeks joined the Oath Keepers, he paid dues to the group on Dec. 21, 2020, according to the FBI. Authorities found that his hotel expenses suggested he made round-trip travel arrangements from Orlando to Washington in early January, and car rental records from Avis showed that he put nearly 2,500 miles on a car he rented in Florida.

“Beeks conspired with others known and unknown to forcibly enter the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and to obstruct the Congressional proceeding occurring that day,” prosecutors wrote in a statement of facts.

At about 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, Beeks joined a group of Oath Keepers and affiliates as they “marched in ‘stack’ formation onto the Capitol grounds and then up the east steps of the Capitol to the area outside of the Rotunda Doors,” a charging document says. Beeks, who was wearing a gaiter, carrying a shield and claiming to be bulletproof, indicated to a group of Oath Keepers that he had just joined, saying he followed the social media posts of Kelly Meggs, one of their Florida leaders, prosecutors say.

Once inside the Capitol at 2:38 p.m., Beeks was with some of the members when they tried to push their way through a line of law enforcement officers guarding a hallway that led to the Senate chamber, according to charging documents. When officers blocked their advance, Beeks and the others left the building at 3:04 p.m., prosecutors say.

Investigators struggled to identify Beeks in footage until another defendant, only known in charging documents as “Defendant 4,” pointed them in the direction of the Broadway actor.

The “Bad” jacket worn by Beeks appears to be from Jackson’s high-grossing tour in the 1980s. The FBI also noted Beeks’s links to Jackson on social media.

“According to his LinkedIn profile and YouTube page, Beeks regularly performs as a Michael Jackson impersonator,” prosecutors wrote.

Authorities also used his YouTube page to confirm the “pronounced antihelix” of his right ear in a photograph of the Oath Keepers at the Capitol, charging documents say.

When the FBI charged members of the Oath Keepers in February, he allegedly changed his phone number the following day. In an October interview, Beeks responded to a question about whether the nation’s civil unrest would affect how he portrayed Judas.

“I don’t look at it as Judas being a bad guy. I think he is a hero,” Beeks told Equality365. He added, “He wasn’t a bad guy, and was only doing what he had to do.”

In recent weeks, investigators tracked his movements as he traveled for the show.

“Given that the next ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ production begins on November 23, 2021, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, law enforcement assesses that Beeks will likely fly from Orlando to Milwaukee within the next several days,” authorities wrote.

Officials with “Jesus Christ Superstar” did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The show’s website indicates that he has been replaced in the part by another actor.

After making his initial appearance Tuesday in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, he was released pending further court proceedings, authorities said.

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[Xan]

14 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

 

The cynical part of me wonders if more of them will start announcing this in hopes of getting some of that dark money from the deep pockets of the Republican donors.

[GreyhoundFan]

Good, another one arrested:

[Cartmann99]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

@Cartmann99 -- she also reminds me of Ox in "Stripes". He's excited to join the U.S. Army to lose weight for free.

 

Starts at 1:20 in the video:

 

[AlmostSavedAtTacoBell]

Gee, I thought Jenna wasn't going to jail because she's blonde and white.  So now she's going to that super special Spa Jail?  I guess I missed that one in the jail brochures.  

(Even more egregious than her Tweet about not going to jail because she is blonde and white is the clip where she is in the Capitol and word comes down that a woman has been shot.  After she mentions it, her reaction was literally to say, "Oh well.....")

[Cartmann99]

Unrolled version of thread is here.

[GreyhoundFan]

Cue a tangerine tantrum:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I will dance a happy dance if Meadows ends up behind bars for his games.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Gym needs to STFU:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

This is insane. The FBI needs to investigate this pronto:

 

More:

Spoiler

 

[AlmostSavedAtTacoBell]

20 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

This is insane. The FBI needs to investigate this pronto:

 

More:

  Hide contents

 

I’m not saying we shouldn’t take it seriously- we should- but the mental picture of Gaetz and Bannon in charge is really throwing me. I can’t get past thinking they could both be easily distracted if someone just set a couple of bottles of Mad Dog 20/20 and some copies of Juggs Magazine on the table between them. 

[Cartmann99]

This is what Jenna's upset about:

Spoiler

 

 

[Howl]

Quote

BREAKING: The appeals court has DENIED Trump’s effort to stop the Jan. 6 committee from getting his White House records.

Now what?  

[AlmostSavedAtTacoBell]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

Now what?  

He will ask SCOTUS to take the case. Given that it will set precedent for a case of national importance, I have no doubt they will take it. (SCOTUS is not required to take every case they are asked to review but cases that are viewed as something that will have a ruling that will basically become the “law of the nation” - such as Miranda v. Arizona setting the standard for “Miranda rights” SCOTUS will take the case.)  Since this case will set the standard for whether a former POTUS can claim executive privilege once out of office when current POTUS denied privilege I am sure SCOTUS will litigate it. So now we will see if his Beer Buddy and Handmaiden will come through for Trump. 

[Xan]

14 hours ago, AlmostSavedAtTacoBell said:

Since this case will set the standard for whether a former POTUS can claim executive privilege once out of office when current POTUS denied privilege I am sure SCOTUS will litigate it. So now we will see if his Beer Buddy and Handmaiden will come through for Trump. 

I agree.  I think they'll take the case.  Considering the flaming bag of feces that Gavin Newsom just left at their door, I'm hoping the Supremes will be a bit more circumspect with this decision than they were with the latest abortion case.

[Cartmann99]

Unroll is here.

[Coconut Flan]

They're in trouble.  Beginning January, 2022 the entire state of California is permanently allowed to vote by mail unless I read the news wrong.  

[Cartmann99]

Meadows Jan. 5 email indicated Guard on standby to ‘protect pro Trump people,’ investigators say

Quote

The context for the message is unclear, but it comes amid intense scrutiny of the Guard’s slow response to violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and conflicting timelines about their efforts from the Pentagon and National Guard leadership.

It's unclear who Meadows, the former White House chief of staff to Donald Trump, relayed the information to or whether it was the result of any insight provided by the Defense Department. But the exchange is of high interest to congressional investigators probing whether Trump played a role in the three-hour delay between the Capitol Police's urgent request for Guard support and their ultimate arrival at the Capitol, which had been overrun by pro-Trump rioters. The comment also aligns with testimony from former Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, who said that in a Jan. 3 conversation with Trump, the then-president told him to "do whatever was necessary to protect the demonstrators that were executing their constitutionally protected rights."

The description of the message is part of a 51-page document released Sunday by the select panel a day before it is set to vote to hold Meadows in contempt of Congress. The full House is expected to vote to hold Meadows in criminal contempt of Congress on Tuesday.

 

[Alisamer]

16 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

Unroll is here.

I'm super confused. They want to invalidate all electronic voting, and count only paper ballots... but not the actual paper ballots that were mailed in? 

Sounds like they have no clue about anything and are just grasping at straws.