Select Committee Hearing #7
The Select Committee held its seventh public hearing covering the time between December 14 after the election was officially over until the day of the attempted coup.
Footage of White House Counsel Pat Cipollone’s recorded testimony was played as well as live testimony from an insurrectionist and former militia group member.
The Trump Crazy Train team (which is never not off the rails,) caught fire in the Oval Office on the night of December 18 after the motley crew barged into the White House and made a scene until after midnight. Crew members were kraken attorney Sidney Powell (train conductor,) crackpot and soon to be disbarred attorney Rudy Giuliani (engineer,) disgraced 3 star general and Russian spy Mike Flynn ( train robber,) and CEO of Overstock.com, Patrick Byrne, a train hopping hobo plus several other bums who were along for the ride. Senior Advisor Eric Herschmann (baggage handler,) and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone (brakeman,) were thrown from the train for trying to get the train back on track. They fought so loud you could hear them from outside of the White House. Conductor Sidney Powell came prepared with two drafts of executive orders to declare martial law and seize voting machines. The plan was Trump would appoint her as special counsel and they’d issue the executive orders to stay in power. The President of the United States was planning on ordering the Secretary of Defense to seize voting machines, intending to appoint an insane person to special counsel to oversee criminal charges. Weirdos got waved into the White House like Hollywood party crashers. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows escorted Rudy to his car after midnight to make sure that he didn’t sneak back in. He’s done that before.
Soon after, Trump tweeted an invitation to the loonies to come to DC on January 6, the infamous “will be wild” tweet that united extremist groups. Pro-Trumper Cindy Chafian rescheduled her rally for Women for America to be on January 6, Ali Alexander registered wildprotest.com, Alex Jones and many other extreme right podcasters and youtubers started promoting January 6, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio created the MOSD encrypted chat and the Friends of Stone created their own encrypted chat so they could start planning the assault. Florida Oath Keeper leader Kelly Meggs declared an alliance between Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Trump brought all of the militia groups together for the first time in history to take over the government. Everybody fell in line as soon as that tweet came out to stop the steal.
Who did Trump talk to between the late night hobo scene in the Oval Office and the time he sent out his “be wild” tweet at 1:42 a.m.? Who encouraged him to call his cult to DC? It couldn’t have been his own idea.
A couple of days later, on December 21, members of congress met to discuss John Eastman’s plan to have Mike Pence stop the counting of the votes to give the election back to the states. Those in attendance were Andy Harris, Andy Biggs, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Louie Goehmert, Jim Jordan, Scott Perry, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Brian Babin, and Jody Hice.
On January 4, John Eastman met with Trump and Mike Pence. They wouldn’t let White House Counsel Pat Cipollone attend. He tried to sit in, but they wouldn’t let him in the room.
On January 5, Trump spoke to Steve Bannon. Afterwards, Steve Bannon told his podcast listeners about January 6 and said all hell was going to break loose.
Trump planned on sending the crowd over to the Capitol all along, and others knew it. The plan was to make it look spontaneous and off script.
Jason Van Tatenhove testified about his history as the public relations director of the Oath Keepers. He left the group when they started going after the Jews. “I spent a few years with the Oath Keepers and I can tell you that they may not like to call themselves a militia, but they are.” He warned people that if Trump is elected again, there will be violence in the streets. They brought a gallows to the Capitol. They’re serious.
Stephen Ayres put a face to the 800 insurrectionists who have been arrested so far — not too bright and easily manipulated with a longing to belong, he got sucked into the social media dark hole and believed everything Trump said. He felt “called” to DC which so far has cost him his job and his home. He will be sentenced in September and could go to jail for a year. He is one of the hundreds of rioters who has paid a price for their part in the attempted coup. Everybody else who planned, egged on, and encouraged the violence are still enjoying their freedom. Stephen Ayres had the unique opportunity to apologize to the officers in the room who were hurt by the mob, but time will tell if he will be forgiven.
A former Twitter employee testified in disguise that if Trump had been any other user he would’ve been suspended right away for inciting violence. Twitter knew he was using them to organize a riot at the Capitol and they didn’t stop him because they got off on it.
The three hour hearing ended with a warning for Trump. Liz Cheney revealed that Trump had tried to call a witness and threaten them and that that information has been turned over to the Department of Justice.
