Jan. 6 Committee Hearings

[easyrider16]

I am curious why some states, who have been investigating this scheme for over a year now, haven't issued any indictments to date. IANAL but maybe DOJ asked them to wait for Federal indictments?

My guess would be the local politicians implicated have too much influence for state AGs or DAs to indict.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Remarkable, but not surprising.

Cassidy Hutchinson transcript details efforts to downplay her Jan. 6 testimony
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3785 ... testimony/

Hutchinson also said Passantino rebuffed her efforts to review her calendar and told the 26-year-old they would need to downplay her role at the White House — a line of argument that would be echoed in subsequent GOP attacks on Hutchinson’s highly critical public testimony of Trump.

“Look, we want to get you in, get you out. We’re going to downplay your role. You were a secretary. You had an administrative role,” Hutchinson said Passantino told her, according to the transcript.

“The less you remember, the better,” Hutchinson said Passantino told her.

Hutchinson’s testimony also says Passantino encouraged her not to tell a secondhand story she had heard about Trump lunging at his security detail and grabbing for the steering wheel after being told he could not join his supporters at the Capitol.

Passantino told her that was former Secret Service agent and White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato’s story to tell. Hutchinson had initially heard the story from Ornato, she told the Jan. 6 panel in one of the most stunning moments of her summer testimony.

“No, no, no, no, no. We don’t want to go there. We don’t want to talk about that,” Hutchinson said Passantino told her, according to the transcript.

At one point during her first round of depositions with the committee, Passantino encouraged her to say she didn’t recall entire events even if she was struggling to remember small details, Hutchinson states in the testimony released by the panel.

“I don’t want you to perjure yourself, but ‘I don’t recall’ isn’t perjury. They don’t know what you can and can’t recall,” Hutchinson said Passantino told her.

Reached for comment on Thursday, Passantino said, “As with all my clients during my 30 years of practice, I represented Ms. Hutchinson honorably, ethically, and fully consistent with her sole interests as she communicated them to me.”

Hutchinson also describes the anxiety she felt in taking Passantino’s services pro bono, relaying how she explained to her mother why she was not relieved to be getting free legal advice through the Trump network.

“I’m f—ed,” she told her mother. “I am completely indebted to these people. … They will ruin my life, Mom, if I do anything they don’t want me to do.”

She would go on to explain to the committee, “once you are looped in, especially financially with them, there’s no turning back,” according to the transcript.

Hutchinson says a Meadows aide, Ben Williamson, called her before her testimony, telling Hutchinson that Meadows “knows you’re loyal and knows you’ll do the right thing tomorrow and that you’re going to protect him and the boss,” according to the testimony released by the panel.

[easyrider16]

This conversation I'm sure has been had with many witnesses since 2016. The Mueller Report cites multiple instances of this sort of thing.

I think this really highlights Hutchinson as a person of character, though. She stood up to all that pressure. Remarkable for someone so young, and an example that suggests maybe GenZers are not as weak as they are often made out to be.

[easyrider16]

More convictions for seditious conspiracy, but you know, it was just a peaceful protest and these people are just being treated "very unfairly"

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/jury-con ... tol-breach

[XtremeJibber2001]

F.B.I. Revokes Security Clearances of 3 Agents Over Jan. 6 Issues
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/us/p ... jan-6.html

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has revoked the security clearances of three agents who either took part in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or later expressed views about it that placed into question their “allegiance to the United States,” the bureau said on Wednesday in a letter to congressional investigators.

The letter, written by a top official at the F.B.I., came one day before at least two of the agents — Marcus Allen and Stephen Friend — were set to testify in front of a House Judiciary subcommittee investigating what Republicans contend is the “weaponization” of the federal government against conservatives.

For several months, Republican lawmakers have been courting F.B.I. agents who they believe support their contentions that the bureau and other federal agencies have been turned against former President Donald J. Trump and his supporters both before and after the Capitol attack.

Some of the agents have come forward as self-described whistle-blowers and taken steps like writing a letter to the leaders of the F.B.I. complaining about ways in which the bureau has discriminated against conservatives.

The agents who had their security clearances revoked — Mr. Allen, Mr. Friend and a third man, Brett Gloss — have all been suspended by the F.B.I. as the bureau reviews their cases, according to congressional investigators.

Lawyers for Mr. Allen and Mr. Friend did not respond to messages seeking comment. A lawyer for Mr. Gloss could not immediately be reached.

[Bubba]

F.B.I. Revokes Security Clearances of 3 Agents Over Jan. 6 Issues
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/us/p ... jan-6.html

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has revoked the security clearances of three agents who either took part in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or later expressed views about it that placed into question their “allegiance to the United States,” the bureau said on Wednesday in a letter to congressional investigators.

The letter, written by a top official at the F.B.I., came one day before at least two of the agents — Marcus Allen and Stephen Friend — were set to testify in front of a House Judiciary subcommittee investigating what Republicans contend is the “weaponization” of the federal government against conservatives.

For several months, Republican lawmakers have been courting F.B.I. agents who they believe support their contentions that the bureau and other federal agencies have been turned against former President Donald J. Trump and his supporters both before and after the Capitol attack.

Some of the agents have come forward as self-described whistle-blowers and taken steps like writing a letter to the leaders of the F.B.I. complaining about ways in which the bureau has discriminated against conservatives.

The agents who had their security clearances revoked — Mr. Allen, Mr. Friend and a third man, Brett Gloss — have all been suspended by the F.B.I. as the bureau reviews their cases, according to congressional investigators.

Lawyers for Mr. Allen and Mr. Friend did not respond to messages seeking comment. A lawyer for Mr. Gloss could not immediately be reached.

To me, this looks like retaliation. Why wait until the day before the hearing? If they had issues with the agents, they had the past two years to take action.

[easyrider16]

This story lacks the details about what these agents supposedly did to garner mistrust. I also agree with Bubba that it looks suspicious that they are doing it now.

On a somewhat unrelated note, Joe Rogan loved to talk about how there were FBI agents in the crowd on Jan 6. It'd be interesting to know if those FBI agents were there because they were Trump supporters or because of some scheme (which is a conspiracy theory that Rogan loves to talk about). From this article, it seems like the agents were there because they supported Trump.

[XtremeJibber2001]

This story lacks the details about what these agents supposedly did to garner mistrust. I also agree with Bubba that it looks suspicious that they are doing it now.

Nothing confirmed, but seems their clearances were pulled a while ago. FBI only had to make it public as part of information provided to Congress.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Always incredible these folks will sacrifice their careers for MAGA. Obstruction of justice in DC carries a 3-year mandatory jail sentance.

D.C. police lieutenant indicted with tipping off Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio about arrest
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justic ... -rcna85247

WASHINGTON — A Metropolitan Police Department lieutenant who supervised the intelligence branch of the Washington, D.C., police was indicted this week, charged with tipping off former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio about a pending warrant for his arrest just ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Tarrio, the former chair of the Proud Boys, was recently found guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol attack, along with other members of the far-right group. Tarrio was not in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 after his arrest in connection with the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner, as he was banned from the city by a judge the day before the attack.

Shane Lamond, 47, was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said Friday. A federal grand jury charged that Lamond obstructed the investigation into the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner on Dec. 12, 2020, when the Proud Boys were roaming the streets of Washington, D.C., for a pro-Trump event.

Between July 2019 and January 2021, Tarrio and Lamond communicated "at least 500 times using cloud-based messaging services, including Google Voice, Apple iMessages, and Telegram, an encrypted messaging application," the indictment said. They sent at least 145 messages using a secret chat function on Telegram that causes messages to disappear, the indictment charged.

[Bubba]

Always incredible these folks will sacrifice their careers for MAGA. Obstruction of justice in DC carries a 3-year mandatory jail sentance.

D.C. police lieutenant indicted with tipping off Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio about arrest
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justic ... -rcna85247

WASHINGTON — A Metropolitan Police Department lieutenant who supervised the intelligence branch of the Washington, D.C., police was indicted this week, charged with tipping off former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio about a pending warrant for his arrest just ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Tarrio, the former chair of the Proud Boys, was recently found guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol attack, along with other members of the far-right group. Tarrio was not in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 after his arrest in connection with the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner, as he was banned from the city by a judge the day before the attack.

Shane Lamond, 47, was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said Friday. A federal grand jury charged that Lamond obstructed the investigation into the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner on Dec. 12, 2020, when the Proud Boys were roaming the streets of Washington, D.C., for a pro-Trump event.

Between July 2019 and January 2021, Tarrio and Lamond communicated "at least 500 times using cloud-based messaging services, including Google Voice, Apple iMessages, and Telegram, an encrypted messaging application," the indictment said. They sent at least 145 messages using a secret chat function on Telegram that causes messages to disappear, the indictment charged.

When you have become convinced (sometimes by propaganda on TV and on-line) that the country is under threat from "the left", you will go to any lengths to protect that which you believe needs protection. That is one of the dangers of what Fox News, OAN, etc. promoted after the election.

[XtremeJibber2001]

4.5 years in prison.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/richard-ba ... entencing/

[deadheadskier]

All for Trump.

What an f'n moron.

Makes me wonder if when any of these idiots get out of jail that they seek retaliation against Trump.

[spanky]

All for Trump.

What an f'n moron.

Makes me wonder if when any of these idiots get out of jail that they seek retaliation against Trump.

After they get out of jail because Trump pardoned them? Why would they retaliate?

[daytripper]

All for Trump.

What an f'n moron.

Makes me wonder if when any of these idiots get out of jail that they seek retaliation against Trump.

After they get out of jail because Trump pardoned them? Why would they retaliate?

That would require trump winning an election which I don't see happening even with how bad Biden is.

[deadheadskier]

All for Trump.

What an f'n moron.

Makes me wonder if when any of these idiots get out of jail that they seek retaliation against Trump.

After they get out of jail because Trump pardoned them? Why would they retaliate?

My comment was made on the assumption that Trump doesn't win and have that ability to pardon. Yes, I recognize he very well might win.

If he does win and ends up pardoning all of these seditious traitors, then it wouldn't surprise me if he finds himself in the cross hairs of someone else. Trump pardoning these losers would be the most unamerican thing a US president has ever done. There would be many Americans who would want to take him out for doing that.