Trump Defends Deranged ‘Hang Pence’ Chants: ‘People Were Very Angry’

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.

Very Fine People

Trump fully stands by his supporters shouting “Hang Pence!” as they were storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, new audio of his interview with reporter Jonathan Karl reveals.

• “Well, the people were very angry,” the ex-president told Karl in an interview for his upcoming book, “Betrayal.”
• Trump argued that the mob’s anger was justified because it was common sense for Pence to have halted the count due to voter fraud (for the millionth time, there was no evidence of fraud in the 2020 election).
• Trump said that he wasn’t worried about Pence during the insurrection because the vice president was “well protected.”

Far-Right Extremist Runs To Court In Fear Of Antifascist’s Tweets

Adam Kiefer, a California man documented marching with Proud Boys, wearing Proud Boys regalia and throwing punches at far-right protests, got a temporary restraining order against an antifascist who tweeted visual evidence that appeared to show him at the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

• Kiefer denies being at the insurrection and being a Proud Boy, and he claims the antifascist is harassing him by tweeting about him.
• But Kiefer’s gambit looks like it could backfire spectacularly: The antifascist is fighting back with a motion accusing him of abusing the courts as a censorship tool, and if the antifascist is successfully, Kiefer could get saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Jan. 6 Panel Fires Warning Shot After Meadows Signals Defiance

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the chair of the House Jan. 6 select committee, sent a letter to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ lawyer yesterday demanding he comply with the panel’s subpoena.

• Thompson rejected Meadows’ claims of executive privilege and asserted Meadows must still appear in front of the panel Friday at 10:00 a.m. ET and provide the requested documents.
• Meadows’ continued refusal to cooperate with the committee would be interpreted as “willful non-compliance,” Thompson warned, and the panel would thus consider slapping Meadows with contempt charges.

GOP Ohio Senate Candidate Digs Heels In Rank Anti-Semitism

Mark Pukita, a Republican Senate candidate in Ohio, doubled down yesterday on a campaign radio ad that questioned primary frontrunner Josh Mandel’s Jewish faith for courting Christian evangelicals.

• The ad accused Mandel of being a “phony caricature.”
• Pukita defended the ad, arguing that all he did was point out that his opponent was Jewish. “Everybody should know that though, right?” he asked.

Defense In Ahmaud Arbery Case Complains About Black Pastors At Trial

A defense attorney for one of the three white vigilantes who allegedly murdered Ahmaud Arbery, who was Black, got upset that Rev. Al Sharpton showed up at the criminal trial on Thursday. The lawyer said that he didn’t want “any more Black pastors” to sit with Arbery’s family, claiming their presence would be “intimidating.”

Must-Reads

“For a 96-Year-Old Veteran, the Parade Came to Him” – The New York Times

“An Air Force sergeant killed himself on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The note he left is heartbreaking.” – The Washington Post

Murkowski’s Running For Reelection

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced her reelection plans this morning.

• Trump has vowed revenge against Murkowski for voting to convict him during his second impeachment trial and also for criticizing him in general. In June last year, he pledged to endorse any potential primary challenger with a “pulse” who runs against Murkowski.
• The Alaska Republican Party has dutifully followed Trump’s lead. It passed a resolution to censure the senator and has endorsed a challenger, former state commissioner Kelly Tshibaka.
• The National Republican Senatorial Committee is still backing Murkowski.

What Is Happening Here?

The former president went an extra mile while cosplaying as president yesterday, announcing that he sent his former acting DNI Ric Grenell to the Kosovo-Serbia border as “my Envoy Ambassador.”

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