If you followed any or all of today’s Jan. 6 Committee hearing, you’ll know it was stuffed with some damning revelations about how things went down behind the scenes at the White House and in Trump’s inner circle during the Jan. 6 insurrection and in the days leading up to it.
Continue reading “Where Things Stand: Meadows Shrugged Off Capitol Violence. He Then Asked For A Pardon”Takeaway #2
A number of you have written in to say about the hearings, “No, that wasn’t the big deal. This other thing was the big deal!” In almost every case I find myself agreeing with you. What it comes down to is there was just a huge amount of critical new detail in Hutchinson’s testimony. And it was a challenge to evaluate the significance of it all in real time or organize it on a rank of significance. So TPM Reader KB notes that all the stuff about a war room at the Willard with Rudy and the top crazies starts appearing in a very, very different light if the plan was that Trump was going to go to the Capitol to in some sense lead the confrontation. It definitely seems like that wasn’t just a possibility or something that was discussed but rather definitely Trump’s plan and, one would imagine, what Rudy and his crew thought was going to happen.
Continue reading “Takeaway #2”Aides Dissuaded Trump From Making Jan. 6 So Much Worse
Cassidy Hutchinson made one thing very clear in her testimony.
Were it not for civil servants, lawyers, and longtime federal employees, former President Trump would have made Jan. 6 far, far worse.
Continue reading “Aides Dissuaded Trump From Making Jan. 6 So Much Worse”The Craziest Moments Of Cassidy Hutchinson’s Account Of Jan. 6
The Jan. 6 Committee just finished a groundbreaking hearing with Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows who interacted with top White House and Trump campaign figures in the days leading up to the Capitol attack, and during the attack itself.
Continue reading “The Craziest Moments Of Cassidy Hutchinson’s Account Of Jan. 6”Meadows’ Closest Aide Testifies Publicly During Surprise Jan. 6 Hearing
The Jan. 6 Select Committee announced a surprise public hearing Monday, and, last night, news broke that today’s hearing will feature Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Hutchinson has previously provided testimony to the committee behind closed doors, but this will be her first public testimony. The committee has also said the hearing is in response to new evidence.
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Your Thoughts
From TPM Reader KB …
For me, the really significant testimony from today was that Trump WANTED and EXPECTED to go to the Capitol with the mob. The part about the drama in the limo is wild and also Trumpian silly, but up until now, I always assumed that he was just lying to the crowd, like he often did, or speaking metaphorically when he said he’d be right there with them. Or, I assumed that he wimped out. But the fact that he knew the mob was armed and STILL planned to march with them – and was royally pissed when he was prevented from doing so – shows his clear intent to lead the insurrection.
A Rundown Of Trump’s Tantrums On And Before Jan. 6, According To Ex-Meadows Aide
Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as a top aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, offered damning testimony as the witness during the Jan. 6 Select Committee’s public hearing on Tuesday.
Continue reading “A Rundown Of Trump’s Tantrums On And Before Jan. 6, According To Ex-Meadows Aide”Takeaway
Just a few thoughts on today’s rather stunning testimony. The crazy drama in the presidential limousine is certainly the wildest and most explosive part. Legally, the most important is what seems to me like very specific evidence that the former President is guilty of seditious conspiracy, among numerous other crimes. That detail about the magnetometers is key. According to this witness, the President knew the crowd was heavily armed and prepared for violence. He continued to exhort them to march on the Capitol. He specifically said that he didn’t want federal authorities to try to disarm the rioters because they weren’t there to hurt him.
Continue reading “Takeaway”The Big Picture
Probably the best, most important way to understand today’s testimony is to realize that all of this and likely much more has been known to numerous high level officials from the beginning. Some of them are purported “good guys,” Vice President Pence, the White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, etc. They all knew all of it from the very beginning. They knew it during the impeachment trial. They knew it during the initial efforts to set up a Jan. 6th Commission. And yet they’ve spent 18 months using every legal and extra-legal means to keep this all secret. Indeed, virtually all of them are refusing to testify down until today.
Who Is Cassidy Hutchinson? And Why Is She A Key Witness?
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows whose video-taped testimony has been repeatedly cited by the Jan. 6 Committee, is set to testify publicly Tuesday in a surprise committee hearing that was announced only the day before.
Continue reading “Who Is Cassidy Hutchinson? And Why Is She A Key Witness? “