The Right Wing Media Wurlitzer Blew A Fuse Over The First Jan. 6 Hearing

Posted on by David Kurtz

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

Noise, Denialism, and False Equivalency:

Join me for a moment as we peruse the right-wing media treatment of the first hearing of the Jan. 6 select committee.

  • What hearing? OAN leads obliquely with Capitol security funding and tucks in a mention of GOP bellyaching about the committee (click for full view):

  • Fox News was in rare form all evening long, with Brit Hume calling Jan. 6 largely “peaceful”:

  • Tucker Carlson mocked any display of emotion, calling members of Congress “emotionally fragile” and “unstable.” Said Carlson: “They certainly cry a lot.”

  • Laura Ingraham handed out acting awards to the police officers who testified:

  • Sean Hannity’s 12-minute opening segment devoted a whopping 4 minutes to falsely equating Jan. 6 with the “violent riots” of the summer of 2020.
  • Fox News is fronting this morning with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the Pelosi-rejected wannabe committee member (click for full view):

What Really Happened?

For a quick recap on the emotionally charged, tightly orchestrated opening hearing:

Deranged

What officers are still enduring:

Big News Out Of DOJ

Two important new developments on the legal underpinnings for holding the Jan. 6 plotters to account:

  • The Justice Department formally took the position that Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) is not immune to the lawsuit filed by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) over Jan. 6.
    • Brooks spoke at the Jan. 6 rally immediately before the Capitol attack.
    • Tough language from DOJ that Brooks was at the rally campaigning, not acting in the scope of his role as a federal officeholder:

Inciting or conspiring to foment a violent attack on the United States Congress is not within the scope of employment of a Representative — or any federal employee.

  • DOJ has also cleared the way for Trump administration officials to testify to the committees investigating Jan. 6.
    •  The Jan. 6 investigations are “an exceptional situation in which the congressional need for information outweighs the Executive Branch’s interest in maintaining confidentiality,” DOJ wrote in a letter to former Trump administration officials.
    • Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL):

The Committee has been pushing DOJ for this waiver for months. Now that we have it, we’ll proceed to interview relevant witnesses ASAP so we can get to the bottom of this plot to enlist DOJ in Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump Thwarts CDC Message

The new mask guidance from the CDC set the former president off:

  • A new Trump statement defying the updated guidance:

We won’t go back. We won’t mask our children. Joe Biden and his Administration learned nothing from the last year. Brave Americans learned how to safely and responsibly live and fight back. Don’t surrender to COVID. Don’t go back! Why do Democrats distrust the science? Don’t let this happen to our children or our Country.

  • What Trump’s flock sees:

Trump-Endorsed Candidate Loses

Trump had endorsed the widow of Rep. Ron Wright (R-TX), who died of COVID-19, but she lost to Republican state Rep. Jake Ellzey in a special election in the Texas 6th.

Trump-Backed Candidate Allegedly Assaulted Trump Press Secretary

Max Miller, the former aide to President Trump now trying to unseat an Ohio congressman who voted for impeachment, allegedly assaulted former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, according to a new report in Politico. Miller strenuously denied the claim.

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‘Shameful’: Cheney Blasts Stefanik For Shifting Blame For Insurrection To Pelosi

Posted on by Summer Concepcion

Hours after the Jan. 6 House select committee held its first public hearing, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) on Tuesday called out Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) for falsely suggesting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) bears responsibility for the deadly Capitol insurrection. Continue reading “‘Shameful’: Cheney Blasts Stefanik For Shifting Blame For Insurrection To Pelosi” →

WH Issues Vaccine And Mask Requirements As Delta Variant Prompts COVID Surge

Posted on by Summer Concepcion

The White House on Tuesday moved to require vaccinations for all federal employees and contractors, as well as mask mandates for all visitors to the campus regardless of vaccination status as the Delta variant spreads nationwide causing a spike in COVID-19 infections, especially amongst the unvaccinated. Continue reading “WH Issues Vaccine And Mask Requirements As Delta Variant Prompts COVID Surge” →

Gohmert, Gaetz, Greene Rushed Out Of Their Jan 6 Side Show By Protesters

Posted on by Summer Concepcion

Just as the House select committee on Jan. 6 wrapped up its first hearing Thursday, a handful of Trump’s greatest Big Lie adherents attempted to hold a press conference outside the DOJ to call out the treatment of jailed insurrectionists, whom they deem “political prisoners.”

It didn’t last long. Continue reading “Gohmert, Gaetz, Greene Rushed Out Of Their Jan 6 Side Show By Protesters” →

Five Takeaways From The First Jan. 6 Committee Hearing

Posted on by Josh Kovensky

The House select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack had its first hearing on Tuesday, a surprisingly emotional event that featured officers who defended the Capitol that day demanding that Congress investigate former president Trump’s role in inciting the attack.

Continue reading “Five Takeaways From The First Jan. 6 Committee Hearing” →

Spokesperson For Arizona’s Sketchy Audit Unloads About Longstanding Problems

Posted on by Matt Shuham

The politicized “audit” of Maricopa County, Arizona’s 2020 election results has come under fire from an unexpected source: Ken Bennett, Arizona’s former Republican secretary of state and, now, the Republican-controlled Senate’s lead liaison to the audit. 

Continue reading “Spokesperson For Arizona’s Sketchy Audit Unloads About Longstanding Problems” →