Select Committee Hearing #4

The theme of the fourth public Select Committee hearing was about Trump’s personal involvement in the attempted coup and the threats he made towards state election workers from as high up as secretary of state to low level poll workers.

Witnesses were Brad Raffensberger, Secretary of State in Georgia, Gabriel Sterling, COO of the Secretary of State in Georgia, Rusty Bowers, Speaker of the House in Arizona, Shaye Moss, election worker in Fulton County, Georgia, and her mother Ruby Freeman. The first three had three major things in common; white men, die hard Republicans, and they had the guts to tell Trump no. All of the other Republicans who have testified so far played some sort of role in enabling Trump but were either forced to appear by subpoena or showed up to save their own asses. Shaye and her mother are Black women from Georgia who did not vote for Trump. Congressman Adam Schiff presided over the hearing.

Three Republicans did the right thing when others would not. Trump retaliated by tweeting out their personal contact information to millions of people and directed his followers to go to their homes, offices, and call and text them to demand that they stop the steal. They all testified about how Trump tried to cajole them into breaking the law for him and how their lives were turned upside down because they didn’t go along with Trump’s plan.

Rusty Bowers read from his journal which had passages about friends and colleagues who had turned on him. He is a devout Christian conservative who believes the Constitution was divinely inspired so there is no way he would ever do anything to betray his country. MAGAs harassed him and his family at his home day and night. Some brought guns. Others showed up with trucks that projected video of him being accused of being a pedophile. His adult daughter was inside the house during this time, dying of a terminal illness. Brad Raffensberger got the same treatement as well as his daughter in law. She’s a widow with kids. MAGAs broke into her house. Brad Raffensberger’s wife received sexualized threats.

Lindsey Graham’s name didn’t come up even though he called Brad Raffensberger, too.

Shaye Moss had been an election worker in Georgia for 10 years and loved it because she got to be of service to seniors who weren’t tech savvy. On top of her regular duties, she would deliver absentee ballots to shut ins and give rides to seniors who couldn’t drive. Her grandmother had always impressed upon her how important voting was because members of their family had been denied that right for hundreds of years. Her mom loved to work on election day and was well known for her enthusiasm and service. Trump and Rudy Giuliani targeted the two of them by name and accused them of election fraud. Fox took that story and ran with it. MAGAs terrorized them. Someone from the Trump campaign tried to talk them into confessing to election fraud before they got arrested and offered to transport them to a safe location. Ruby had to move out of her house for two months per the FBI’s recommendation. MAGAs terrorized Shaye’s grandmother too by barging into her house to threaten her with a citizen’s arrest. Shaye Moss stopped working her election job after 10 years, gained 60 pounds and won’t leave her house. Ruby lost her small business and her reputation. Trump singled them out and destroyed their lives. By putting themselves out their by testifying they’ll surely get more threats.

“The President of the United States is supposed to represent every American, not to target one. But he targeted me, Lady Ruby, a small business owner, a mother, a proud American citizen who stood up to help Fulton County run an election in the middle of the pandemic.” — Ruby Freeman

All of the election workers in Fulton County quit because they were bullied by MAGAs. Now those empty positions will be filled by MAGAs.

In Michigan, the Secretary of State was threatened at home. Fake electors plotted to sneak into the state capital to spend the night to beat the real electors on the day they were supposed to show up to present themselves.

Trump’s mob and the Proud Boys stormed the Arizona capital and called Rusty Bowers out by name.

RNC chair Ronna McDaniel admitted that the RNC helped John Eastman and Trump with their fake elective plot.

Arizona congressman Andy Biggs was mentioned by name. He lost his primary last night but he lost to the candidate that Trump endorsed.

Text messages between Senator Ron Johnson’s staff and Mike Pence’s staff saying that Ron Johnson was going to hand deliver fake elector votes to Pence from Wisconsin and Michigan were mentioned in the hearing. Pence’s staffer texted, “Do not give that to him.” When reporters tried to ask Ron Johnson about it, he pretended to be on his phone. The reporter busted him. “No, you’re not. I can see your screen!”

The Select Committee has shown in four presentations that the attempted coup was a month long conspiracy and Trump was involved in all of it. He used threats and force. Everything was premeditated.

Tomorrow is the fifth hearing and Republican Adam Kinzinger will preside. He too has been getting death threats but he’s undeterred. He believes the public hearings are just as much for history as they are for the public good now. He’s a new dad and doesn’t want his son to learn about conspiracy theories in school when he learns about January 6.