US Rep Tim Ryan (D) On GOP Opposing Capitol Hill Commission
Trump supporters behaving like the bags of ass that they are
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Trump and GOP better be careful her father is basically a sith lord
New Batch
Still on the run
Remember the Nipsey impersonator?
Still on the run
Remember the Nipsey impersonator?
The GOP might try to shut it down in the Senate but that doesn’t stop the DOJ from doing it.
Alleged Capitol Rioter Tries The 'Tourist' Defense
Today is the preliminary hearing for alleged Capitol Hill rioter and self-described "tourist" Benjamin LaRocca.
Today is the preliminary hearing for alleged Capitol Hill rioter and self-described "tourist" Benjamin LaRocca.
As G.O.P. Blocks Inquiry, Questions on Jan. 6 Attack May Go Unanswered
The demise of an independent panel to investigate the riot means that the country is unlikely to get a definitive accounting for one of the most serious domestic attacks on the government in history.
A mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 after a rally where President Donald J. Trump spoke, urging supporters to reject the results of what he falsely claimed was a stolen election.
A mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 after a rally where President Donald J. Trump spoke, urging supporters to reject the results of what he falsely claimed was a stolen election.Credit...Jason Andrew for The New York Times
By Luke Broadwater
May 29, 2021, 11:51 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON — In blocking the formation of an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Republicans in Congress have all but closed off the possibility of a full and impartial accounting for one of the most serious assaults on American democracy in history, leaving unanswered critical questions with broad implications for politics, security and public trust.
Fearing political damage from any sustained scrutiny of the attack, Republicans united in large numbers against the inquiry, moving to shift an unwelcome spotlight away from former President Donald J. Trump, his election lies that fueled the attack, and the complicity of many G.O.P. lawmakers in amplifying his false claims of widespread voter fraud.
The result is that key details about a shocking act of domestic extremism against the United States government are likely to remain shrouded in mystery, and anything new that may be revealed about the assault at the Capitol will most likely be viewed through a partisan lens, with a substantial proportion of the country rejecting the reality of what transpired.
The public may never know precisely what Mr. Trump and members of his administration did or said as a throng of his supporters stormed the Capitol while Congress met to formalize President Biden’s victory, threatening the lives of lawmakers and the vice president. The full story may never be revealed of why security officials were so unprepared for the breach of the building, supposedly one of the most secure in the nation, despite ample warnings of potential violence. The extent of the role of Republican lawmakers closely allied with Mr. Trump in planning the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally that spiraled into a brutal onslaught may remain unexplored.
Despite its divisions, the United States formed fact-finding commissions after the attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The failure to do so in this case, said those involved in some of the inquiries, would further erode trust in the government, and deprive the public of the kinds of lessons that could prevent another such attack.
“After many of the national tragedies we’ve experienced over the last 50 or more years, the response was to have a bipartisan investigation that would lay out the facts in a way that would be definitive,” said Michael Chertoff, who served as homeland security secretary under President George W. Bush in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. “It builds trust. It shows the public at a time of crisis, we can all come together and put the good of the country ahead of partisan interests.”
ImageSenator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, united most members of his party in blocking the Jan. 6 commission, which he said Democrats would use to try to harm them politically.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, united most members of his party in blocking the Jan. 6 commission, which he said Democrats would use to try to harm them politically.Credit...Erin Scott for The New York Times
Mr. Chertoff and three other former homeland security secretaries who served presidents of both parties had lobbied Republicans to support the creation of a Jan. 6 commission, saying the nation needed a better understanding of “how the violent insurrection at the Capitol came together to ensure the peaceful transfer of power in our country is never so threatened again.”
“We need to get a definitive explanation of what actually happened,” Mr. Chertoff said in an interview after the vote.
Even as the Justice Department moves to prosecute the rioters, congressional committees hold hearings and inspectors general examine their agencies’ responses to the attack, there is no outside group of experts charged with getting to the bottom of the myriad failings that led to the deadliest assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812.
What has been uncovered about the attack has only raised more questions:
Why did it take hours for the D.C. National Guard to receive approval to deploy to the Capitol to fight off the mob? Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the D.C. National Guard commander at the time, has said he did not receive approval to mobilize troops until more than three hours after he had requested it. Defense Department and Capitol security officials have given conflicting statements about what happened.
What was Mr. Trump doing during the attack? He reportedly watched television as a mob stormed the Capitol, but later claimed that he had called in the National Guard, despite his defense secretary testifying that he never spoke to Mr. Trump that day. A Republican member of Congress said she was told that when Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, phoned Mr. Trump to ask him to call off the mob, he refused, siding with the rioters whom he said were evidently more upset about the election than Mr. McCarthy was.
What accounts for the lax precautions taken as right-wing extremists and militias openly planned to converge and wreak havoc on the Capitol that dark day? Leaders with the Capitol Police instructed officers to not to use their most forceful crowd control techniques and missed concerning intelligence reports. Security officials reportedly feared the “optics” of sending the National Guard to face off against supporters of Mr. Trump.
How much coordination was there among extremist groups, and to what extent were members of Congress involved in the planning of the rally that preceded the violence? An organizer of the “Stop the Steal” rally said three members of Congress “schemed up” the event with him, though two of the three have denied that claim.
Some on the right who support creating a commission have put forward their own questions, such as demanding more information about the shooting death of a protester, Ashli Babbitt, who was killed by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to force her way into a lobby just off the House floor where lawmakers were taking cover.
And perhaps most importantly, how can the country prevent another similar scenario from happening again?
For the United States, which holds itself out as a beacon of democracy, the rule of law and transparency, the death of the commission has also raised a more fundamental question: What happens when one political party effectively squelches any effort to look inward to assess government failings that have shaken the public’s faith in the nation’s institutions?
Image
Mr. Trump at the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6. The Justice Department’s investigation into the Capitol riot includes several defendants who claim they were merely following the orders of Mr. Trump.Credit...Pete Marovich for The New York Times
“This was not just a random event; it was existential in nature,” said Lee H. Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana who was vice chairman of the 9/11 commission. “How in the world could this happen in this country? It was unbelievable that this far along in a democracy, we could have this kind of an event occur. It needs exploration.”
Many Republicans in Congress, whose leaders initially supported the idea of an independent commission, have spent the months since the assault trying to rewrite its history and downplay its severity. Their efforts appear to be working; a recent Quinnipiac Poll found that while 55 percent of Americans said they viewed what happened on Jan. 6 as an attack on democracy that should never be forgotten, nearly three-quarters of Republicans said that too much was being made of it and it was time to move on.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, argued in advance of the vote that there was “no new fact about that day we need the Democrats’ extraneous commission to uncover.”
Mr. Hamilton said when he heard that, he thought to himself, “How does he know that?”
In the absence of a bipartisan commission, Democratic congressional leaders could create a select committee to investigate the attack, one with a broad mandate and subpoena power. Mr. Biden could also appoint a commission of his own, as some past presidents have done after national tragedies.
Alvin S. Felzenberg, a top aide and spokesman for the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, said there was a chance that such an inquiry could address some pressing questions, citing the Truman Committee that examined war profiteering in the 1940s and the Ervin committee that investigated Watergate in the 1970s. But an independent commission would have benefited from the full-time attention of the investigators, he argued, and its conclusions would have been more likely to be trusted by the public.
“Sitting members of Congress are pulled away from their work to address ongoing business before Congress,” Mr. Felzenberg said. “They also are starting to think about the next election. The 9/11 Commission and staff tended to nothing other than to their charge, spelled out in legislation.”
Former Gov. Bill Weld of Massachusetts, who worked as a lawyer on the Watergate inquiry, said the country was being denied “closure” by Republicans’ refusal to embrace a Jan. 6 commission. He said a select committee investigation would need buy-in from both parties to be seen as legitimate.
“It would have to be bipartisan to be credible,” Mr. Weld said. “Everybody’s got to be on board for it.”
Image
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, spoke out against members of her party that voted against creating the commission.Credit...Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times
Many of the Republicans who opposed the commission conceded there were a litany of unanswered questions about the events of Jan. 6, but they argued the independent commission’s work would be duplicative of several continuing investigations.
Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, said he favored inquires by Senate committees to explore “the many legitimate questions that remain to be answered” over what he viewed as a “political” commission.
Unlike the work being done by Senate committees, which are focused on security breakdowns, the commission — a panel of 10 experts, evenly split between Republican and Democratic appointees — would have had the broad authority to connect various threads of inquiry and compile a single comprehensive record for American history, as the 9/11 Commission did after those terrorist attacks.
Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney both testified before that commission, and supporters of a Jan. 6 commission were hopeful it could force testimony from Mr. Trump or at least those who spoke with him as the violence escalated, such as Mr. McCarthy.
“Is it going to reveal anything more than we would have gotten otherwise?” Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said before breaking with her party to vote to move ahead with the commission. “I don’t know and I guess now we’ll never know. But isn’t that part of the problem — that we’ll never know?”
The Justice Department’s investigation into Jan. 6 is, at this point, one of the largest criminal inquiries in U.S. history, with more than 400 defendants. In court filings, several of the defendants have said that they were merely following the orders of Mr. Trump, saying the former president urged them on to storm the Capitol. But none of those prosecutions are looking into security or governance breakdowns.
“We need to figure out who knew what when,” said Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, who was chosen by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead a security review of the Capitol in the aftermath of the riot, adding that an independent commission was still badly needed. “Our government did not work that day.”
Republican leaders, he said, had killed the commission because it “might make them look bad in the next election.”
“That’s a damn crying shame,” General Honoré said in an interview. “What a damning message this sends to the Capitol Police.”
Image
Officer Brian Sicknick’s mother, Gladys, made a last-ditch effort to lobby for an independent investigation, visiting Republican senators’ offices before the vote to urge them to drop their opposition.Credit...Erin Scott for The New York Times
About 140 officers were injured in the attack on the Capitol. Many were smashed in the head with baseball bats, flag poles and pipes. Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who was allegedly sprayed with bear spray, collapsed and died afterward, and two officers who clashed with the mob later took their own lives.
Officer Sicknick’s mother, Gladys, and a small group of officers who survived the assault made a last-ditch effort to lobby for an independent investigation, visiting Republican senators’ offices this week to urge them to drop their opposition.
“If Jan. 6 didn’t happen, Brian would still be here,” Harry Dunn, a Black Capitol Police officer who fought the mob as they hurled racial slurs at him, told reporters between visits.
But ultimately, Republicans rallied behind Mr. McConnell, who told his colleagues that Democrats would try to use the commission to hurt their party in the 2022 midterm elections, and urged them to block it.
The demise of an independent panel to investigate the riot means that the country is unlikely to get a definitive accounting for one of the most serious domestic attacks on the government in history.
A mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 after a rally where President Donald J. Trump spoke, urging supporters to reject the results of what he falsely claimed was a stolen election.
A mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 after a rally where President Donald J. Trump spoke, urging supporters to reject the results of what he falsely claimed was a stolen election.Credit...Jason Andrew for The New York Times
By Luke Broadwater
May 29, 2021, 11:51 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON — In blocking the formation of an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Republicans in Congress have all but closed off the possibility of a full and impartial accounting for one of the most serious assaults on American democracy in history, leaving unanswered critical questions with broad implications for politics, security and public trust.
Fearing political damage from any sustained scrutiny of the attack, Republicans united in large numbers against the inquiry, moving to shift an unwelcome spotlight away from former President Donald J. Trump, his election lies that fueled the attack, and the complicity of many G.O.P. lawmakers in amplifying his false claims of widespread voter fraud.
The result is that key details about a shocking act of domestic extremism against the United States government are likely to remain shrouded in mystery, and anything new that may be revealed about the assault at the Capitol will most likely be viewed through a partisan lens, with a substantial proportion of the country rejecting the reality of what transpired.
The public may never know precisely what Mr. Trump and members of his administration did or said as a throng of his supporters stormed the Capitol while Congress met to formalize President Biden’s victory, threatening the lives of lawmakers and the vice president. The full story may never be revealed of why security officials were so unprepared for the breach of the building, supposedly one of the most secure in the nation, despite ample warnings of potential violence. The extent of the role of Republican lawmakers closely allied with Mr. Trump in planning the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally that spiraled into a brutal onslaught may remain unexplored.
Despite its divisions, the United States formed fact-finding commissions after the attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The failure to do so in this case, said those involved in some of the inquiries, would further erode trust in the government, and deprive the public of the kinds of lessons that could prevent another such attack.
“After many of the national tragedies we’ve experienced over the last 50 or more years, the response was to have a bipartisan investigation that would lay out the facts in a way that would be definitive,” said Michael Chertoff, who served as homeland security secretary under President George W. Bush in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. “It builds trust. It shows the public at a time of crisis, we can all come together and put the good of the country ahead of partisan interests.”
ImageSenator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, united most members of his party in blocking the Jan. 6 commission, which he said Democrats would use to try to harm them politically.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, united most members of his party in blocking the Jan. 6 commission, which he said Democrats would use to try to harm them politically.Credit...Erin Scott for The New York Times
Mr. Chertoff and three other former homeland security secretaries who served presidents of both parties had lobbied Republicans to support the creation of a Jan. 6 commission, saying the nation needed a better understanding of “how the violent insurrection at the Capitol came together to ensure the peaceful transfer of power in our country is never so threatened again.”
“We need to get a definitive explanation of what actually happened,” Mr. Chertoff said in an interview after the vote.
Even as the Justice Department moves to prosecute the rioters, congressional committees hold hearings and inspectors general examine their agencies’ responses to the attack, there is no outside group of experts charged with getting to the bottom of the myriad failings that led to the deadliest assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812.
What has been uncovered about the attack has only raised more questions:
Why did it take hours for the D.C. National Guard to receive approval to deploy to the Capitol to fight off the mob? Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the D.C. National Guard commander at the time, has said he did not receive approval to mobilize troops until more than three hours after he had requested it. Defense Department and Capitol security officials have given conflicting statements about what happened.
What was Mr. Trump doing during the attack? He reportedly watched television as a mob stormed the Capitol, but later claimed that he had called in the National Guard, despite his defense secretary testifying that he never spoke to Mr. Trump that day. A Republican member of Congress said she was told that when Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, phoned Mr. Trump to ask him to call off the mob, he refused, siding with the rioters whom he said were evidently more upset about the election than Mr. McCarthy was.
What accounts for the lax precautions taken as right-wing extremists and militias openly planned to converge and wreak havoc on the Capitol that dark day? Leaders with the Capitol Police instructed officers to not to use their most forceful crowd control techniques and missed concerning intelligence reports. Security officials reportedly feared the “optics” of sending the National Guard to face off against supporters of Mr. Trump.
How much coordination was there among extremist groups, and to what extent were members of Congress involved in the planning of the rally that preceded the violence? An organizer of the “Stop the Steal” rally said three members of Congress “schemed up” the event with him, though two of the three have denied that claim.
Some on the right who support creating a commission have put forward their own questions, such as demanding more information about the shooting death of a protester, Ashli Babbitt, who was killed by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to force her way into a lobby just off the House floor where lawmakers were taking cover.
And perhaps most importantly, how can the country prevent another similar scenario from happening again?
For the United States, which holds itself out as a beacon of democracy, the rule of law and transparency, the death of the commission has also raised a more fundamental question: What happens when one political party effectively squelches any effort to look inward to assess government failings that have shaken the public’s faith in the nation’s institutions?
Image
Mr. Trump at the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6. The Justice Department’s investigation into the Capitol riot includes several defendants who claim they were merely following the orders of Mr. Trump.Credit...Pete Marovich for The New York Times
“This was not just a random event; it was existential in nature,” said Lee H. Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana who was vice chairman of the 9/11 commission. “How in the world could this happen in this country? It was unbelievable that this far along in a democracy, we could have this kind of an event occur. It needs exploration.”
Many Republicans in Congress, whose leaders initially supported the idea of an independent commission, have spent the months since the assault trying to rewrite its history and downplay its severity. Their efforts appear to be working; a recent Quinnipiac Poll found that while 55 percent of Americans said they viewed what happened on Jan. 6 as an attack on democracy that should never be forgotten, nearly three-quarters of Republicans said that too much was being made of it and it was time to move on.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, argued in advance of the vote that there was “no new fact about that day we need the Democrats’ extraneous commission to uncover.”
Mr. Hamilton said when he heard that, he thought to himself, “How does he know that?”
In the absence of a bipartisan commission, Democratic congressional leaders could create a select committee to investigate the attack, one with a broad mandate and subpoena power. Mr. Biden could also appoint a commission of his own, as some past presidents have done after national tragedies.
Alvin S. Felzenberg, a top aide and spokesman for the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, said there was a chance that such an inquiry could address some pressing questions, citing the Truman Committee that examined war profiteering in the 1940s and the Ervin committee that investigated Watergate in the 1970s. But an independent commission would have benefited from the full-time attention of the investigators, he argued, and its conclusions would have been more likely to be trusted by the public.
“Sitting members of Congress are pulled away from their work to address ongoing business before Congress,” Mr. Felzenberg said. “They also are starting to think about the next election. The 9/11 Commission and staff tended to nothing other than to their charge, spelled out in legislation.”
Former Gov. Bill Weld of Massachusetts, who worked as a lawyer on the Watergate inquiry, said the country was being denied “closure” by Republicans’ refusal to embrace a Jan. 6 commission. He said a select committee investigation would need buy-in from both parties to be seen as legitimate.
“It would have to be bipartisan to be credible,” Mr. Weld said. “Everybody’s got to be on board for it.”
Image
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, spoke out against members of her party that voted against creating the commission.Credit...Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times
Many of the Republicans who opposed the commission conceded there were a litany of unanswered questions about the events of Jan. 6, but they argued the independent commission’s work would be duplicative of several continuing investigations.
Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, said he favored inquires by Senate committees to explore “the many legitimate questions that remain to be answered” over what he viewed as a “political” commission.
Unlike the work being done by Senate committees, which are focused on security breakdowns, the commission — a panel of 10 experts, evenly split between Republican and Democratic appointees — would have had the broad authority to connect various threads of inquiry and compile a single comprehensive record for American history, as the 9/11 Commission did after those terrorist attacks.
Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney both testified before that commission, and supporters of a Jan. 6 commission were hopeful it could force testimony from Mr. Trump or at least those who spoke with him as the violence escalated, such as Mr. McCarthy.
“Is it going to reveal anything more than we would have gotten otherwise?” Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said before breaking with her party to vote to move ahead with the commission. “I don’t know and I guess now we’ll never know. But isn’t that part of the problem — that we’ll never know?”
The Justice Department’s investigation into Jan. 6 is, at this point, one of the largest criminal inquiries in U.S. history, with more than 400 defendants. In court filings, several of the defendants have said that they were merely following the orders of Mr. Trump, saying the former president urged them on to storm the Capitol. But none of those prosecutions are looking into security or governance breakdowns.
“We need to figure out who knew what when,” said Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, who was chosen by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead a security review of the Capitol in the aftermath of the riot, adding that an independent commission was still badly needed. “Our government did not work that day.”
Republican leaders, he said, had killed the commission because it “might make them look bad in the next election.”
“That’s a damn crying shame,” General Honoré said in an interview. “What a damning message this sends to the Capitol Police.”
Image
Officer Brian Sicknick’s mother, Gladys, made a last-ditch effort to lobby for an independent investigation, visiting Republican senators’ offices before the vote to urge them to drop their opposition.Credit...Erin Scott for The New York Times
About 140 officers were injured in the attack on the Capitol. Many were smashed in the head with baseball bats, flag poles and pipes. Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who was allegedly sprayed with bear spray, collapsed and died afterward, and two officers who clashed with the mob later took their own lives.
Officer Sicknick’s mother, Gladys, and a small group of officers who survived the assault made a last-ditch effort to lobby for an independent investigation, visiting Republican senators’ offices this week to urge them to drop their opposition.
“If Jan. 6 didn’t happen, Brian would still be here,” Harry Dunn, a Black Capitol Police officer who fought the mob as they hurled racial slurs at him, told reporters between visits.
But ultimately, Republicans rallied behind Mr. McConnell, who told his colleagues that Democrats would try to use the commission to hurt their party in the 2022 midterm elections, and urged them to block it.
Alleged Capitol Rioter’s Massive Stomach Tattoo Aids Arrest
In one police bodycam video, McGrew lifted his shirt to wipe his eyes, putting the stomach tattoo on display, authorities said. The “KING JAMES” belly ink was on file from a booking photo from a 2012 arrest on unspecified charges.
McGrew aggressively confronted police officers during the Trump mob violence, shouting, “We’re coming in here, whether you like it or not,” and “Fight with us, not against us,” the affidavit said.
In one police bodycam video, McGrew lifted his shirt to wipe his eyes, putting the stomach tattoo on display, authorities said. The “KING JAMES” belly ink was on file from a booking photo from a 2012 arrest on unspecified charges.
McGrew aggressively confronted police officers during the Trump mob violence, shouting, “We’re coming in here, whether you like it or not,” and “Fight with us, not against us,” the affidavit said.
Trump and Giuliani ask judge to drop Capitol riot conspiracy case
Trump and Giuliani asked a judge to dismiss a suit accusing them of conspiring to incite the Capitol invasion, saying they are protected by the First Amendment.
Tampa man pleads guilty to felony in Jan. 6 Capitol riot; his recommended prison sentence could set bar for other cases
By Spencer S. Hsu and
Rachel Weiner
June 2, 2021 at 12:20 p.m. EDT
A Tampa man who carried a Trump flag into the well of the Senate on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of storming the Capitol to obstruct Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Paul Allard Hodgkins, 38, did not enter a cooperation deal with prosecutors, and he is not accused of any other wrongdoing or involvement with extremist groups.
In admitting to the stiffest felony count charged by prosecutors against individuals not otherwise accused of conspiracy or violence in the Capitol riot, Hodgkins faces a prison sentence of 15 to 21 months under federal guidelines. His sentencing is poised to become a test case watched by other defendants deciding whether to accept pleas, several defense lawyers said.
“I have decided that I will accept this plea offer, and I will plead guilty to charge one,” Hodgkins told U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss.
Hodgkins’s attorney, Patrick Leduc, said he would seek a lower sentence at a sentencing hearing as soon as July 19, and he asked the judge to waive a $7,500 to $75,000 fine because his client also agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution for his share of riot damage to the Capitol.
Prosecutor Mona Sedky estimated damage to the Capitol at $1.5 million — the first time prosecutors have given a public cost estimate.
“There’s no justification for January 6th. That’s why he is standing up and entering a plea of guilty. He acknowledges what he did was wrong, and there’s no excuses for it,” Leduc said afterward.
“Paul is an Eagle Scout with no prior record, a working Joe who is a crane operator at a steel processing plant,” who spent 15 minutes inside the Capitol, Leduc said.
Leduc added that he agreed with the government’s standard for prosecuting disruptions of Congress, “and we hope they maintain it in the future.”
Prosecutors agreed to drop four misdemeanor counts of trespassing and disorderly conduct in the restricted Capitol building and grounds. They also agreed to give Hodgkins credit for accepting responsibility, pleading in a timely manner and paying compensation.
Hodgkins is one of about 450 defendants federally charged in the riot, which authorities said contributed to five deaths, assaults on nearly 140 police officers and the evacuation of a joint session of Congress.
Nearly half the defendants face only misdemeanor charges likely to carry no prison time for first offenders. However, about 200 are charged with obstructing an official proceeding of Congress and are accused of intending to impede or interfere with Congress’s confirmation of the electoral vote count. The charge carries a maximum 20-year prison term.
The threat of heavy jail time led to the first guilty plea stemming from Jan. 6 by Jon Ryan Schaffer, described in court documents as a founding member of the Oath Keepers. Schaffer agreed on April 16 to cooperate fully with prosecutors and is among at least 19 members of the right-wing group whose members or associates have been charged with planning for violence in the Capitol attack.
Schaffer, 53, a guitarist and songwriter for the heavy metal band Iced Earth, could face roughly four years in prison, although if his cooperation is valuable to prosecutors in other cases, he might be able to shave a significant amount of time off that sentence.
Hodgkins was arrested Feb. 16 after FBI agents said they identified him in photos and video footage taken of rioters inside the Capitol building.
The FBI cited closed-circuit Senate video and other video published by the New Yorker magazine showing Hodgkins in the Senate chamber holding a red, white and blue “Trump 2020” flag and wearing a dark Trump T-shirt as he stood next to the Senate dais.
Hodgkins admitted that he “corruptly endeavored to influence, obstruct, or impede” Congress, according to a signed statement of offense read by prosecutors in court. Reading from the statement, Sedky said Hodgkins was holding the flag with other people while they “shout, cheer and say prayers” from the elevated platform and desk in the Senate well. They included a shirtless man using a bullhorn and wearing face paint at the vice president’s chair. Hodgkins wore eye goggles at one point and pulled latex gloves on and off in a bid to aid another rioter, Sedky said.
In charging papers, the FBI said Hodgkins told investigators he took a bus to Washington by himself and saw rioters break windows and engage in a knife fight. But he said he did not participate in violence or vandalism or know those who did. He has been released on conditions including a curfew and GPS monitoring.
Separately Wednesday, a judge dismissed all charges against a suburban New York City man, Christopher M. Kelly, marking the first time prosecutors abandoned a case against a Jan. 6 defendant. Prosecutors said dropping Kelly’s case “serves the interest of justice” based on facts now known to the government.
The government motion to drop four pending counts, including a felony obstruction of Congress charge, did not elaborate on why the matter was dismissed. However, Kelly’s attorney Edward MacMahon said in a statement: “I am pleased that the government has dropped all charges against Mr. Kelly. He never entered the Capitol on January 6th and that is precisely what he told the government before he was arrested.”
Kelly’s case was dropped once prosecutors determined that a photo inside the Capitol that he posted to Facebook was not taken by him and did not show him inside the building, according to two people familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The decision was consistent with a policy in which thousands of people who were on Capitol grounds but did not enter the building have not been charged absent aggravating factors such as assaulting or interfering with police, they said.
Defense lawyers said the episode raised the question of whether the FBI and Justice Department rushed to charge defendants before looking at evidence establishing they did not enter the Capitol, based on evidence such as information from their or other rioters’ phones and officers’ body-worn cameras. U.S. officials have said they raced to arrest and charge people after the Capitol riot, citing national security concerns over the potential for further political violence, defense attorneys representing rioters have said.
A video still from CCTV inside the Senate chamber shows Paul Allard Hodgkins, wearing a Trump shirt, during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
By Spencer S. Hsu and
Rachel Weiner
June 2, 2021 at 12:20 p.m. EDT
A Tampa man who carried a Trump flag into the well of the Senate on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of storming the Capitol to obstruct Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Paul Allard Hodgkins, 38, did not enter a cooperation deal with prosecutors, and he is not accused of any other wrongdoing or involvement with extremist groups.
In admitting to the stiffest felony count charged by prosecutors against individuals not otherwise accused of conspiracy or violence in the Capitol riot, Hodgkins faces a prison sentence of 15 to 21 months under federal guidelines. His sentencing is poised to become a test case watched by other defendants deciding whether to accept pleas, several defense lawyers said.
“I have decided that I will accept this plea offer, and I will plead guilty to charge one,” Hodgkins told U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss.
Hodgkins’s attorney, Patrick Leduc, said he would seek a lower sentence at a sentencing hearing as soon as July 19, and he asked the judge to waive a $7,500 to $75,000 fine because his client also agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution for his share of riot damage to the Capitol.
Prosecutor Mona Sedky estimated damage to the Capitol at $1.5 million — the first time prosecutors have given a public cost estimate.
“There’s no justification for January 6th. That’s why he is standing up and entering a plea of guilty. He acknowledges what he did was wrong, and there’s no excuses for it,” Leduc said afterward.
“Paul is an Eagle Scout with no prior record, a working Joe who is a crane operator at a steel processing plant,” who spent 15 minutes inside the Capitol, Leduc said.
Leduc added that he agreed with the government’s standard for prosecuting disruptions of Congress, “and we hope they maintain it in the future.”
Prosecutors agreed to drop four misdemeanor counts of trespassing and disorderly conduct in the restricted Capitol building and grounds. They also agreed to give Hodgkins credit for accepting responsibility, pleading in a timely manner and paying compensation.
Hodgkins is one of about 450 defendants federally charged in the riot, which authorities said contributed to five deaths, assaults on nearly 140 police officers and the evacuation of a joint session of Congress.
Nearly half the defendants face only misdemeanor charges likely to carry no prison time for first offenders. However, about 200 are charged with obstructing an official proceeding of Congress and are accused of intending to impede or interfere with Congress’s confirmation of the electoral vote count. The charge carries a maximum 20-year prison term.
The threat of heavy jail time led to the first guilty plea stemming from Jan. 6 by Jon Ryan Schaffer, described in court documents as a founding member of the Oath Keepers. Schaffer agreed on April 16 to cooperate fully with prosecutors and is among at least 19 members of the right-wing group whose members or associates have been charged with planning for violence in the Capitol attack.
Schaffer, 53, a guitarist and songwriter for the heavy metal band Iced Earth, could face roughly four years in prison, although if his cooperation is valuable to prosecutors in other cases, he might be able to shave a significant amount of time off that sentence.
Hodgkins was arrested Feb. 16 after FBI agents said they identified him in photos and video footage taken of rioters inside the Capitol building.
The FBI cited closed-circuit Senate video and other video published by the New Yorker magazine showing Hodgkins in the Senate chamber holding a red, white and blue “Trump 2020” flag and wearing a dark Trump T-shirt as he stood next to the Senate dais.
Hodgkins admitted that he “corruptly endeavored to influence, obstruct, or impede” Congress, according to a signed statement of offense read by prosecutors in court. Reading from the statement, Sedky said Hodgkins was holding the flag with other people while they “shout, cheer and say prayers” from the elevated platform and desk in the Senate well. They included a shirtless man using a bullhorn and wearing face paint at the vice president’s chair. Hodgkins wore eye goggles at one point and pulled latex gloves on and off in a bid to aid another rioter, Sedky said.
In charging papers, the FBI said Hodgkins told investigators he took a bus to Washington by himself and saw rioters break windows and engage in a knife fight. But he said he did not participate in violence or vandalism or know those who did. He has been released on conditions including a curfew and GPS monitoring.
Separately Wednesday, a judge dismissed all charges against a suburban New York City man, Christopher M. Kelly, marking the first time prosecutors abandoned a case against a Jan. 6 defendant. Prosecutors said dropping Kelly’s case “serves the interest of justice” based on facts now known to the government.
The government motion to drop four pending counts, including a felony obstruction of Congress charge, did not elaborate on why the matter was dismissed. However, Kelly’s attorney Edward MacMahon said in a statement: “I am pleased that the government has dropped all charges against Mr. Kelly. He never entered the Capitol on January 6th and that is precisely what he told the government before he was arrested.”
Kelly’s case was dropped once prosecutors determined that a photo inside the Capitol that he posted to Facebook was not taken by him and did not show him inside the building, according to two people familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The decision was consistent with a policy in which thousands of people who were on Capitol grounds but did not enter the building have not been charged absent aggravating factors such as assaulting or interfering with police, they said.
Defense lawyers said the episode raised the question of whether the FBI and Justice Department rushed to charge defendants before looking at evidence establishing they did not enter the Capitol, based on evidence such as information from their or other rioters’ phones and officers’ body-worn cameras. U.S. officials have said they raced to arrest and charge people after the Capitol riot, citing national security concerns over the potential for further political violence, defense attorneys representing rioters have said.
A video still from CCTV inside the Senate chamber shows Paul Allard Hodgkins, wearing a Trump shirt, during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
This Cac is snitching like a MFTampa man pleads guilty to felony in Jan. 6 Capitol riot; his recommended prison sentence could set bar for other cases
By Spencer S. Hsu and
Rachel Weiner
June 2, 2021 at 12:20 p.m. EDT
A Tampa man who carried a Trump flag into the well of the Senate on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of storming the Capitol to obstruct Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Paul Allard Hodgkins, 38, did not enter a cooperation deal with prosecutors, and he is not accused of any other wrongdoing or involvement with extremist groups.
In admitting to the stiffest felony count charged by prosecutors against individuals not otherwise accused of conspiracy or violence in the Capitol riot, Hodgkins faces a prison sentence of 15 to 21 months under federal guidelines. His sentencing is poised to become a test case watched by other defendants deciding whether to accept pleas, several defense lawyers said.
“I have decided that I will accept this plea offer, and I will plead guilty to charge one,” Hodgkins told U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss.
Hodgkins’s attorney, Patrick Leduc, said he would seek a lower sentence at a sentencing hearing as soon as July 19, and he asked the judge to waive a $7,500 to $75,000 fine because his client also agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution for his share of riot damage to the Capitol.
Prosecutor Mona Sedky estimated damage to the Capitol at $1.5 million — the first time prosecutors have given a public cost estimate.
“There’s no justification for January 6th. That’s why he is standing up and entering a plea of guilty. He acknowledges what he did was wrong, and there’s no excuses for it,” Leduc said afterward.
“Paul is an Eagle Scout with no prior record, a working Joe who is a crane operator at a steel processing plant,” who spent 15 minutes inside the Capitol, Leduc said.
Leduc added that he agreed with the government’s standard for prosecuting disruptions of Congress, “and we hope they maintain it in the future.”
Prosecutors agreed to drop four misdemeanor counts of trespassing and disorderly conduct in the restricted Capitol building and grounds. They also agreed to give Hodgkins credit for accepting responsibility, pleading in a timely manner and paying compensation.
Hodgkins is one of about 450 defendants federally charged in the riot, which authorities said contributed to five deaths, assaults on nearly 140 police officers and the evacuation of a joint session of Congress.
Nearly half the defendants face only misdemeanor charges likely to carry no prison time for first offenders. However, about 200 are charged with obstructing an official proceeding of Congress and are accused of intending to impede or interfere with Congress’s confirmation of the electoral vote count. The charge carries a maximum 20-year prison term.
The threat of heavy jail time led to the first guilty plea stemming from Jan. 6 by Jon Ryan Schaffer, described in court documents as a founding member of the Oath Keepers. Schaffer agreed on April 16 to cooperate fully with prosecutors and is among at least 19 members of the right-wing group whose members or associates have been charged with planning for violence in the Capitol attack.
Schaffer, 53, a guitarist and songwriter for the heavy metal band Iced Earth, could face roughly four years in prison, although if his cooperation is valuable to prosecutors in other cases, he might be able to shave a significant amount of time off that sentence.
Hodgkins was arrested Feb. 16 after FBI agents said they identified him in photos and video footage taken of rioters inside the Capitol building.
The FBI cited closed-circuit Senate video and other video published by the New Yorker magazine showing Hodgkins in the Senate chamber holding a red, white and blue “Trump 2020” flag and wearing a dark Trump T-shirt as he stood next to the Senate dais.
Hodgkins admitted that he “corruptly endeavored to influence, obstruct, or impede” Congress, according to a signed statement of offense read by prosecutors in court. Reading from the statement, Sedky said Hodgkins was holding the flag with other people while they “shout, cheer and say prayers” from the elevated platform and desk in the Senate well. They included a shirtless man using a bullhorn and wearing face paint at the vice president’s chair. Hodgkins wore eye goggles at one point and pulled latex gloves on and off in a bid to aid another rioter, Sedky said.
In charging papers, the FBI said Hodgkins told investigators he took a bus to Washington by himself and saw rioters break windows and engage in a knife fight. But he said he did not participate in violence or vandalism or know those who did. He has been released on conditions including a curfew and GPS monitoring.
Separately Wednesday, a judge dismissed all charges against a suburban New York City man, Christopher M. Kelly, marking the first time prosecutors abandoned a case against a Jan. 6 defendant. Prosecutors said dropping Kelly’s case “serves the interest of justice” based on facts now known to the government.
The government motion to drop four pending counts, including a felony obstruction of Congress charge, did not elaborate on why the matter was dismissed. However, Kelly’s attorney Edward MacMahon said in a statement: “I am pleased that the government has dropped all charges against Mr. Kelly. He never entered the Capitol on January 6th and that is precisely what he told the government before he was arrested.”
Kelly’s case was dropped once prosecutors determined that a photo inside the Capitol that he posted to Facebook was not taken by him and did not show him inside the building, according to two people familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The decision was consistent with a policy in which thousands of people who were on Capitol grounds but did not enter the building have not been charged absent aggravating factors such as assaulting or interfering with police, they said.
Defense lawyers said the episode raised the question of whether the FBI and Justice Department rushed to charge defendants before looking at evidence establishing they did not enter the Capitol, based on evidence such as information from their or other rioters’ phones and officers’ body-worn cameras. U.S. officials have said they raced to arrest and charge people after the Capitol riot, citing national security concerns over the potential for further political violence, defense attorneys representing rioters have said.
A video still from CCTV inside the Senate chamber shows Paul Allard Hodgkins, wearing a Trump shirt, during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
guess he ain't about that life anymore.
Cacs will return a 38 year old, grown white man to his childhood in order to paint him as good.
But will villainize a Black child who hasn't even reached adulthood in order to protect some trigger-happy cac officer or civilian.
Demons.
The bullshit is well documented as well
And seeing the ways in which black boys get treated differently in the criminal justice system, for instance, that black boys are 18 times more likely to be tried as an adult than are white boys.
Are the people who tried to break into the hall of the house where Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed will they be charged with felony murder since she was killed while they were committing a felony?
Not sure, but I doubt it. She was killed by the cops while invading.
If she had killed someone herself, then they would be accessories to her crime.
Fuck that bitch and her evil ass daddy...they created the perfect storm for tRump to come to power
Are you sure? because when there is a home invasion and the home owner kills one of the assailants the other folks get charged with that person's murder.
No one is a criminal...until they are.
Are the people who tried to break into the hall of the house where Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed will they be charged with felony murder since she was killed while they were committing a felony?
They're white.....
They only do shit like that to ruin black folks lives and maintain the cycle of white supremacy......
But you're correct they all were committing a felony and she died while a felony was committed......
They should be charged with her murder.....hell some egged her on and none of them tried to stop her
The US Capitol has NEVER in its history been breached by ANY invading forces...these traitorous mfkrs did what no outside force has ever done in 400 years....and yet they want to equate that with mostly peaceful protests that typically turned violent because of police interference......?!
Not a fucking chance!!
Get the entire fuck out of here with this bullshit....
The US Capitol is not a fucking Target or Wal-Mart....it stands for something and is regarded as cherished US Monument....fuck all of them!
Republican served with lawsuit related to Capitol insurrection
Alabama GOP Rep. Mo Brooks was served with a lawsuit filed by California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell seeking to hold him partially accountable for the January 6 insurrection, according to a tweet from Brooks and an attorney for Swalwell.
"Well, Swalwell FINALLY did his job, served complaint (on my WIFE). HORRIBLE Swalwell's team committed a CRIME by unlawfully sneaking INTO MY HOUSE & accosting my wife!" Brooks wrote on Twitter.
Swalwell's legal team had had difficulty serving Brooks and hired a private investigator to give him the papers, according to court filings. Swalwell's attorney, Matthew Kaiser, told CNN Sunday that a private investigator had left the papers with Brooks' wife at their home in Alabama.
CNN is unable to corroborate Brooks' claim that Swalwell's team committed a crime. CNN has reached out to the offices of both Brooks and Swalwell for comment.
The Swalwell legal team has not formally notified the court that Brooks has been served, but that likely will be coming soon. The process server will have to provide a sworn affidavit to the court, as is typical in this procedural phase of a lawsuit. Serving the papers is important because it starts a clock in court for Brooks, the defendant, to respond to Swalwell's accusations, which seek to hold him, ex-President Donald Trump and others liable for the January 6 attack on Congress.
If Brooks doesn't believe he was properly served, he will have the opportunity to contest it in court.
Video appears to show GOP state lawmaker telling protesters how to breach Oregon Capitol
An Oregon state lawmaker who has been charged after he allegedly allowed protesters into the closed state Capitol building during a debate over Covid-19 restrictions is seen in new video appearing to give insights into how to access the Capitol, which led to a scuffle between protesters and police.
Rep. Mike Nearman, a Republican, appears in a 78-minute video in which he is speaking to an unidentified audience about steps to take to set up "Operation Hall Pass," according to a clip reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting that is posted on YouTube and says it was streamed on December 16, 2020.
It is unclear if he is aware he's being recorded. At the beginning of the video, Nearman tells the people in attendance this will allow them to "develop some kinds of tools as far as knowing what the legislature is doing and how to participate in what the legislature is doing."
Later in the video, the Oregon state representative and the audience were discussing people not being able to access the Capitol because of Covid-19 restrictions. He then begins to detail how to possibly get access into the building and whom to call. Early this year, in a statement reported by The Oregonian, Nearman said he was subjected to "mob justice," does not condone violence and said the Capitol building is constitutionally required to remain open to the public.
His lawyer, Jason Short, tells CNN that he appeared at the arraignment on Nearman's behalf. No plea has been entered, he said. His lawyer also did not have a comment about the video.
An Oregon state lawmaker who has been charged after he allegedly allowed protesters into the closed state Capitol building during a debate over Covid-19 restrictions is seen in new video appearing to give insights into how to access the Capitol, which led to a scuffle between protesters and police.
Rep. Mike Nearman, a Republican, appears in a 78-minute video in which he is speaking to an unidentified audience about steps to take to set up "Operation Hall Pass," according to a clip reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting that is posted on YouTube and says it was streamed on December 16, 2020.
It is unclear if he is aware he's being recorded. At the beginning of the video, Nearman tells the people in attendance this will allow them to "develop some kinds of tools as far as knowing what the legislature is doing and how to participate in what the legislature is doing."
Later in the video, the Oregon state representative and the audience were discussing people not being able to access the Capitol because of Covid-19 restrictions. He then begins to detail how to possibly get access into the building and whom to call. Early this year, in a statement reported by The Oregonian, Nearman said he was subjected to "mob justice," does not condone violence and said the Capitol building is constitutionally required to remain open to the public.
His lawyer, Jason Short, tells CNN that he appeared at the arraignment on Nearman's behalf. No plea has been entered, he said. His lawyer also did not have a comment about the video.
Brian Sicknick’s family says Trump never reached out after his death
The mother of the fallen Capitol cop believes Donald Trump is “uncaring” after he didn’t contact the officer’s loved ones to express his condolences.
By Sweenie Saint-Vil on June 1, 2021 2:19 pm
www.google.com
The family of fallen Capitol officer Brian Sicknick called out Donald Trump for his failure to reach out to them in the wake of his death, CBS News reported.
The cop — according to the his mother, Gladys Sicknick, and his longtime partner, Sandra Garza — was a proud Trump supporter who even had the former president’s personal plane as his background picture on Twitter. Despite his loyalty, however, Trump didn’t contact the family or express his condolences.
“He just watched it on television like it was a soap opera,” said Sicknick. “I don’t understand it. How can you be so uncaring?”
“He knew that Brian was devoted to him, and he did not once reach out to me, to Gladys, he didn’t even send a letter of condolences,” added Garza. “He did absolutely nothing. And so, you know, it’s very upsetting, you know, that he’s not — and I would meet with him, actually. I would. I would meet with him.”
“I would ask him why he failed all law enforcement that day,” she continued. “You know, he has an opportunity to turn this around. You know, if he’s really going to back the blue, then back it up with your actions.”
Garza and Sicknick also believe Trump is to blame for the recent blockage of the Jan. 6 commission. As REVOLT previously reported, Senate Republicans voted against the bill, which calls for further investigation in the Capitol riots, where the late officer was attacked with chemical spray hours before he collapsed.
“I’m disgusted that the Republican senators, that decided to vote no,” Garza said. “It’s a spit in the face to Brian, it’s a spit in the face to all the officers that were there that day.”
Garza said she is “not interested” in taking legal action against Trump, but noted she and Sicknick will continue to meet with lawmakers in hopes to get the commission passed.
The mother of the fallen Capitol cop believes Donald Trump is “uncaring” after he didn’t contact the officer’s loved ones to express his condolences.
By Sweenie Saint-Vil on June 1, 2021 2:19 pm
Brian Sicknick’s family says Trump never reached out after his death
The mother of the fallen Capitol cop believes Donald Trump is "uncaring" after he didn’t contact the officer’s loved ones to express his condolences.
www.google.com
The family of fallen Capitol officer Brian Sicknick called out Donald Trump for his failure to reach out to them in the wake of his death, CBS News reported.
The cop — according to the his mother, Gladys Sicknick, and his longtime partner, Sandra Garza — was a proud Trump supporter who even had the former president’s personal plane as his background picture on Twitter. Despite his loyalty, however, Trump didn’t contact the family or express his condolences.
“He just watched it on television like it was a soap opera,” said Sicknick. “I don’t understand it. How can you be so uncaring?”
“He knew that Brian was devoted to him, and he did not once reach out to me, to Gladys, he didn’t even send a letter of condolences,” added Garza. “He did absolutely nothing. And so, you know, it’s very upsetting, you know, that he’s not — and I would meet with him, actually. I would. I would meet with him.”
“I would ask him why he failed all law enforcement that day,” she continued. “You know, he has an opportunity to turn this around. You know, if he’s really going to back the blue, then back it up with your actions.”
Garza and Sicknick also believe Trump is to blame for the recent blockage of the Jan. 6 commission. As REVOLT previously reported, Senate Republicans voted against the bill, which calls for further investigation in the Capitol riots, where the late officer was attacked with chemical spray hours before he collapsed.
“I’m disgusted that the Republican senators, that decided to vote no,” Garza said. “It’s a spit in the face to Brian, it’s a spit in the face to all the officers that were there that day.”
Garza said she is “not interested” in taking legal action against Trump, but noted she and Sicknick will continue to meet with lawmakers in hopes to get the commission passed.
