Independent News
Impeach Trump IMMEDIATELY. He is a direct threat to U.S. national security and the republic itself
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Nearly 30 Democratic members of the House have expressed a desire to impeach Donald Trump a second time following his incitement Wednesday of an armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers attempted to certify the results of the November presidential election.
They are absolutely right. Trump is a direct threat to the sovereign. For more than two months, Trump has spewed a constant stream of disinformation about the election being stolen from him and his supporters being disenfranchised. On Wednesday morning, Trump spent some two hours urging his followers to storm the U.S. Capitol at a “Save America” rally. “We will never give up. We will never concede,” Trump told several thousand of his cultists who had gathered on the Ellipse to see him speak.
His supporters, hopped up on conspiracy and grievance, then marched over to the Capitol and staged a violent insurrection—pushing back Capitol police, shooting mace at them, threatening lawmakers and journalists, breaking windows, destroying property, and ultimately overtaking the building along with several others on the Capitol complex.
Several hours after images of the violent takeover had flooded new outlets and social media streams, Trump finally posted a video urging his cultists to go home peacefully. But even that video was riddled with more conspiracy and grievance-stoking by Trump.
“I know your pain. I know your hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side,” Trump falsely stated before telling his followers to go home. He then went straight back at it, lamenting, “There’s never been a time where such a thing happened, where they could take it away from all of us—from me, from you, from our country.” And finally, “So go home. We love you. You’re very special,” Trump concluded, offering a warm embrace to the terrorists who had stormed the Capitol to stage a coup attempt.
The unfathomable breakdown of law enforcement during this entire episode will be investigated and parsed for years to come. But what we do know is that it took hours for the D.C. National Guard to be called up to provide reinforcements, partly because it is not controlled by the D.C. mayor but rather the president. After D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi both sent a formal request to the Department of Defense to deploy the National Guard, Vice President Mike Pence finally approved the deployment, not Trump. Trump, still the commander in chief, apparently couldn’t be bothered to send in reinforcements to protect U.S. lawmakers, the Capitol complex, and all its denizens.
To recap, Trump spent months pumping his low-information voters full of crap; he then personally directed them to storm the Capitol on the day of congressional certification; when his supporters did storm the Capitol, he posted a video justifying their ire and lavishing praise on them while also declining to deploy troops in order to protect U.S. lawmakers and federal property. Many of those protesters, who were inexplicably allowed to exit the building on Wednesday evening without suffering any consequences, told journalists and others they planned to return at a later date with their guns.
And finally, once the worst of the occupation appeared to be over, Trump celebrated the seditious actions of his cultists. “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long,” Trump tweeted Wednesday evening. Twitter finally locked Trump’s account by day’s end, but lasting damage to the heart of our democracy had already been done.
What unfolds over the next 14 days between now and the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden remains entirely unclear. What is clear is that Trump’s cultists aren’t done yet, and Trump himself is perfectly happy to stoke their worst impulses while leaving the nation’s Capitol, along with our duly elected U.S. lawmakers, unprotected. Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to American democracy, our systems of government, and the republic itself. He must be impeached immediately after Congress finishes the business of certifying the Electoral College votes. As Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona told MSNBC Wednesday evening, “Democracy’s not safe right now. … I don’t trust this president.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota announced Wednesday afternoon that she was drafting articles of impeachment. Omar was among the first of several lawmakers to express support for impeaching Trump following his direct involvement in one of the most shameful episodes in our nation’s history. The effort has quickly attracted the backing of a diverse group of Democratic lawmakers, from progressive representatives like Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Pramila Jayapal of Washington to more moderate members like Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Jim Cooper of Tennessee.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi must take up the matter immediately following congressional certification. Few if any instances in American history have ever posed such an obvious and urgent existential threat to the United States of America.
Congress returns to certify Electoral College votes after mob stormed Capitol: Live coverage #2
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It was supposed to be a joint session of Congress for what was supposed to be the fairly perfunctory task of counting the electoral votes as certified by the states. The complication was supposed to be that some House and Senate Republicans were objecting to counting electoral votes from states Donald Trump wishes he hadn’t lost, which was supposed to take two hours of debate per state.
That was bad enough. Now, Congress is trying to come back from an afternoon spent on lockdown and in hiding from a mob of Trump supporters that stormed the Capitol, breaking windows, breaking into Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, and more—all with suspiciously few arrests made. Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz have been under pressure to abandon their objections to counting all the votes, with Pelosi saying in a statement, “The night may still be long but we are hopeful for a shorter agenda, but our purpose will be accomplished.”
Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:13:50 AM +00:00
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Mark Sumner
If you had any doubt about the narrative that the right started building around today’s events even before they were over. This was all the fault of “a bus load of Antifa.” Apparently this was the bus equivalent of a clown car, capable of holding those hundreds or thousands of people who invaded the Capitol. And the disguises were excellent.
Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:18:57 AM +00:00
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Barbara Morrill
While neither Pence no McConnell mentioned Trump’s name in their opening remarks, soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Schumer isn’t having any problem calling out Trump for causing today’s terrorist attack, along with Trump’s enablers in the Republican Party.
Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:41:58 AM +00:00
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Joan McCarter
LOL. Loser Loeffler says what?
World leaders condemn attempted coup in U.S. Capitol
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World leaders are expressing alarm and issuing condemnation over the Trump-encouraged assault on Congress by his violent allies. Across the world, there is clarity in who is to blame for the violence and that it indeed constitutes an attack on democracy itself.
From Canada:
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson:
European Council President Charles Michel:
Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon:
Australian Prime Minster Scott Morrison:
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted that “Trump and his supporters should finally accept the decision of the American voters and stop trampling democracy.”
As Democrats gather support for second impeachment, more voices call for invoking 25th Amendment
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Impeachment and removal from office is what Donald Trump deserves. Of course, it was what Trump deserved a year ago when Republicans gave him a free ride through the Senate. Several of those—including Mitch McConnell—making loud noises today, were key to making sure that Trump sailed through without even having to face a single witness in a trial where they knew he was guilty.
Rep. Cori Bush has already drawn up new articles of impeachment based on Trump’s support for the insurrection taking place on Wednesday. Over a dozen other Democratic members of Congress have already signed on. However, it’s unclear how quickly action could be taken to both impeach Trump a second time and remove him from power. And that’s assuming Republicans do something they haven’t done in decades: place nation ahead of party. But others are calling for a Trump to be removed through other means. It begins with Mike Pence transmitting to both Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and, for the moment at least, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. That letter would express that Trump is no longer able to carry out the duties of his office under the 25th Amendment.
And there are some people who believe that action is already underway.
Calls for the application of the 25th Amendment aren’t new when it comes to Trump. His 26,000+ documented lies, his frequent lapses into lengthy conspiracy theories, and his refusal to admit an error even when it’s obvious have made Trump’s ability to carry out any reasonable action long open to challenge. But in the light of what happened on Wednesday, with Trump both encouraging an invasion of the U.S. Capitol, and then reassuring the insurrectionists that they are “very special” and he “loves” them, the idea of moving Trump out immediately through this action has reached a new level.
Conservative organizations like the National Association of Manufacturers have called for Pence to remove Trump by invoking the 25th Amendment. So have members of Congress and former officials.
But it goes beyond people calling for the 25th Amendment. Several people have wondered if that amendment has already been invoked. When the National Guard was finally authorized to come to D. C. and assist in regaining control of the Capitol building and surrounding area, it wasn’t Trump’s name on the order. It was Pence.
That has surprised a number of people, and led to some serious speculation. So have the statements about Pence that seem to be coming in from a number of Republicans.
Considering the frightening video that Trump put out on Wednesday afternoon, and the equally disturbing tweet he issued an hour later, this certainly seems justifiable. And it seems like even some of his staunchest Republican supporters might be finding that sticking with Trump is becoming more difficult.
If Pence has taken action … good. But that’s no reason to halt the efforts at impeachment. There is absolutely no law that says both actions can’t go be in the works at the same time.
Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 12:24:53 AM +00:00
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Mark Sumner
This makes it sound like Pence has taken over, but without invoking the amendment.
The terrorists won’t win: Congress is set to resume certification of Biden’s victory tonight
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has confirmed that Trump’s insurrectionists are not going to be allowed to win this day, and President-elect Joe Biden’s election will be certified. Tonight. “Today a shameful assault was made on our democracy,” she wrote to colleagues. “It was anointed at the highest level of government,” but “cannot, however, deter us from our responsibility to validate the election of Joe Biden.”
She said in consultation with House Leadership, “the Pentagon, the Justice Department and the Vice President” the Congress will continue tonight with the certification of the vote as soon as the Capitol is cleared for use. “We always knew this responsibility would take us into the night. The night may still be long but we are hopeful for a shorter agenda, but our purpose will be accomplished.” That “shorter agenda” is likely the issue under discussion in meeting of the Senate, where the insurrectionist senators are likely under extreme pressure to lift their objections to state certifications. The Senate is expected to resume at 8:00 PM ET.
Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 12:09:03 AM +00:00
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Joan McCarter
Finally.
He’ll be in Twitter jail for 12 hours and they say “Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.”
Here’s a rundown of the double standards between Trump’s domestic terrorism and the BLM movement
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By now you have seen and/or heard about the attempted coup d’etat taking place in our nation’s Capitol. The conspiracy-laden, evidence-free, faketriot bullshit of the last decade from the right-wing and far-right wing of the country has finally been exposed for what it is: a fascistic mob of the few, who want to reverse course on our country’s Constitution to become some kind of pedestrian oligarchy.
The images are shocking but not surprising. The fact that Black Lives Matter protests, which called for the defunding and redistribution of law enforcement funds, racial justice, and reform were met with a full military presence while this band of terrorists who have been calling for the overthrow of our democracy was met with non-riot geared police, made this possible. The Republican Party has hundreds of representatives who have been willing to go along with the charade that there are real questions concerning the results of the 2020 elections. There aren’t. The president of the United States has repeatedly called our democracy “rigged,” and has called for people to stop the certification of votes.
That’s what is happening today. It could be seen as far back as 2015.
Let’s first point out that news outlets continue to say things like “no one was prepared for this,” and “no one saw this coming.” A lot of people did. In fact, they knew this was the real issue of blood in the streets, not peaceful Black Lives Matter protests.
Let’s see some people come around to it.
There are other people to blame and maybe charge?
Freedom of speech is very important in our country. But so is ridding our country of dictators and people that want to overthrow our democracy.
I wonder how the law and order patriots are going to see this.
And while we are here. Remember how we are in a pandemic and some of us have kids at home?
I just had to explain what “fascism” was to my 5-year-old (true story). But to be clear, what we are seeing right now is the most telling example of what law enforcement really means to the state.
And while Oregon begged federal law enforcement agents to leave their cities during protests, our nation’s Capitol, under attack, has been trying for over two hours to get help. Strange, right?
And it’s interesting to see news outlets very clearly identify them as “protesters,” while folks in a Target parking lot are rioters. Just saying.
And forget whether or not you care about racial justice for a second. Say, in fact, you are a blindingly fearful racist who just wants people of color, in all shapes and sizes, kept far away from you. Answer this:
And maybe we need to spend our money better.
And remind yourself how people you know (maybe even you yourself) respond when you see some kid with a TV set in some “riot” image. Think about what frequently happens to Black kids and adults who aren’t even doing anything wrong.
And here’s a shoutout!
And here’s a throwback!
Also important to remember. What’s happening today is “patriotic,” while someone taking a knee during the playing of a song is … disrespecting the troops?
And this, unlike whatever the hell Giuliani, Powell, Trump, Wood, et. al, have, is evidence of an attempt to overthrow the government to install a non-democratically elected bag of shit.
And here’s one of these QAnon pricks who hides behind child-sex trafficking while supporting a guy that was best friends with child sex traffickers.
And there are many people who have brought this to you.
Yup.
That’s a fact.
But remember this.
And this.
But most importantly, remember this.
Trump incited the storming of the Capitol. Racist policing enabled it
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At every moment of the Trumpist assault on the U.S. Capitol, differences have been glaringly visible between how these overwhelmingly white, far-right people have been treated and how protesters for racial justice have been treated over the past year by the very same law enforcement agencies. From the fact that the Capitol prepared for Black Lives Matter protests with ranks of heavily armed officers while claiming to have been simply caught unawares by an assault on the Capitol that had been telegraphed in advance, to the violence meted out to racial justice protesters while members of the crowd that violently stormed the Capitol were “gently walked … down the stairs,” as CNN reported, it’s impossible not to see. (If you’re honest.)
But the moments keep piling up—on video for all of us to see—showing just how welcoming the police were to this insurrectionist mob. Like this one:
Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021 · 11:06:07 PM +00:00
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David Nir
Trump just tweeted further incitement. Twitter needs to ban his account immediately, before more people get killed.
Or this:
After hours of rioters occupying the Capitol, police had reportedly made just 13 arrests. And it’s not just Black Lives Matter protesters this is a sharp contrast with.
Advocates for immigrants report similarly aggressive policing when they went to lobby Congress or protest. As do advocates for people with disabilities. The group that got special treatment was the group that actually breached the Capitol to stop Congress from doing its duty of counting the electoral votes as part of the peaceful transfer of power. And this special treatment didn’t just come from individual officers. It was inherent in the lack of preparation for a violent mob—the staffing decisions that had these rioters met by small numbers of cops in windbreakers and bike helmets came from the top. Law enforcement is complicit in this, whether intentionally or by a racist inability to see white people as a threat. The leadership of these agencies has to answer for that.
Trumpists intended to take members of Congress hostage, hold show trials, conduct executions
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Approaching four hours after the Capitol Building was overrun by Trumpist insurrectionists, police are finally beginning to move in force, backed by National Guard forces from both D.C. and Virginia. However, at least one improvised explosive device has been located, and many of those currently occupying the halls of Congress are thought to be armed. So it may be some time before the full crowd can be safely removed, and those who invaded the Capitol arrested. Of course, none of this might have been necessary had the Capital Police taken action to halt the terrorists, rather than opening doors for them and sticking around to take selfies with them while making no move to arrest, or even impede, their invasion.
After a year in which police repeatedly treated Black Lives Matter protesters with extreme action, to say these Trump supporters were treated with kid gloves doesn’t come close. Police didn’t even bother to gear up for what they knew would be a large event including members of militia and white supremacist organizations.
And it’s not like the insurrectionists were doing anything bad, like peacefully protesting on a street. They were only attempting to overthrow the U.S. government, take members of Congress hostage, and conduct show trials on the National Mall.
If you wondered how large numbers of terrorists got past the temporary fence police erected on the Capitol steps, here is the answer—they were allowed in.
And if there are questions about how the terrorists were allowed to reach all areas of the Capitol, including the Senate chamber and doors of the House, without being detained, and certainly without being disarmed; there’s also an answer for that. The police played along with them.
Not only did these invaders disrupt the count of the Electoral College vote, disrupting the transition of government, it’s clear they had other intentions. They came prepared to take hostages.
And they had plans for what to do with those hostages when they had them.
The idea of capturing members of Congress and executing them as “traitors” for failing to recognize Trump as the rightful ruler, has been widespread on far right sites since the election. It’s absolutely clear that these people came to the capital with not just the intention of overturning the results of the election, but of conducting show trials and executing those they found inadequate supporters of Trump.
The definition of treason in the U.S. Constitution is constrained to only a few meanings. This easily meets that definition.
Watch: Trump’s violent MAGA army storms Capitol, invades building
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Today’s invasion of the Capitol was witnessed by dozens of videographers, some of them sympathizers, who posted their work to social media. Collectively, they tell a breathtaking story of a seditious mob intent on attacking the nation’s democratic institutions.
We collected some of these videos into a single piece that tells this story. What we’ve gathered so far only covers the siege from its beginnings through the moments when rioters breached security barriers and invaded the Capitol building and attempted to enter the chambers themselves.
No doubt, there will be more as the day continues, as well as when night descends on Washington, D.C., and we will post it here.
Biden: ‘This is not a protest, this an insurrection’
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President-elect Joe Biden briefly addressed the nation while Donald Trump’s coup continued at the Capitol. “This is not a protest, this is an insurrection” Biden said. “Democracy is fragile and to preserve it requires people of good will.” He called on Trump directly “to go on national television now to fulfill his oath, defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege.”
“At this hour,” Biden said, “our democracy is under unprecedented assault unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times.” He went on: “Let me be very clear, the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect the true America, do not represent who we are. What we’re seeing are a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. This is not dissent, it’s disorder, it’s chaos. It borders on sedition. And it must end. Now. I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy go forward.” He called the certification of the Electoral College vote, which the protesters disrupted and which many Republicans had unprecedentedly planned to vote against, a “sacred ritual.”
“This God-awful display today is bringing home to every Republican and Democrat and independent in the nation that we must step up,” he said, adding: “So, President Trump, step up.”
Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021 · 9:55:36 PM +00:00
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Joan McCarter
The terrorists were better prepared than the cops.