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The House Select Committee investigating the attempt to overthrow Jan. 6 announced Monday afternoon that they were going to hold an impromptu hearing with a witness that they won't name.
Speculation has swirled throughout the afternoon with suspicions that it was Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), who announced last week that he would be willing to cooperate with the Jan. 6 committee. He made it clear "he would only testify about matters related to Jan. 6, 2021, and that he wanted to see copies of documents that he might be asked about beforehand," CNN reported.
"My basic requirement is it be in public so the public can see it – so they don’t get bits and pieces dribbled out," the Republican said.
But according to The Guardian's Hugo Lowell, Brooks said that he is not among those testifying.
In fact, Lowell explained to MSNBC's Joy Reid that former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone also isn't among those who will appear.
Cipollone was called out by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) last week after the day's proceedings.
“Our evidence shows that Pat Cipollone and his office tried to do what was right. They tried to stop a number of President Trump’s plans for Jan. 6,” Cheney, said last Tuesday in the fourth public hearing. "We think the American people deserve to hear from Mr. Cipollone personally. He should appear before this committee, and we are working to secure his testimony."
See the interview with Lowell below or at this link.
Who is the surprise witness before the Jan. 6 committee? youtu.be
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Josh Hawley longs to make states unlivable for Democrats so Republicans can maintain power forever: commentator
June 27, 2022
MSNBC producer Ja'han Jones wrote on Monday that it's clear Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) wants to make red states a hostile place for Democrats to live.
Writing on the MSNBC blog, Jones cited Hawley's comments, “I think we will see a major sorting out across the country that is already underway, as we speak, as states move to change their laws or adopt new laws in response to this decision."
He went on to say, “More and more red states, they’re going to become redder, and purple states are going to become red, and the blue states are going to get a lot bluer."
Jones wondered if the claim that purple states would get redder is coming from the idea of voter suppression. He thinks that the GOP will take over, however, and that liberals will be scared into other states as if Democratic voters all have the funding available to simply up and relocate themselves and their families.
He also explained that the "Electoral College that has historically given conservative states outsize power." So, states like Wyoming, which has a population 14 times less the size of New York City has as much power as the state of New York in the U.S. Senate and gets an automatic two Senators, one for every 290,000 citizens. Where New York gets two senators per nearly ever 10 million people.
“I would look for Republicans, as a result of this in time, to extend their strength in the Electoral College,” he said. “And that’s very good news for those of us who want to see Republican presidents elected, that want to see a Supreme Court that remains conservative.”
As Jones explained, "that’s fascism."
The idea that a red state would be so unlivable for non-conservatives just to take over political power is akin to a kind of legislative civil war.
'This isn’t the strategy of politicians who intend to live in a country where people make decisions of their own volition. This is an authoritarian plot to offer Americans three options: Comply, run or be crushed," Jones explained.
Hawley, he explained, is "flaunting" the GOP's war on American democracy. He closed by comparing it to Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts in Ukraine to terrorize them so much that they leave and his people can take over.
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MAGA rioting 'leader' who sprayed chemicals on cops faces only 4-to-5 years in prison — even after guilty plea
June 27, 2022
A Florida man described by the FBI as a “de facto leader” of the U.S. Capitol riot mob for his violent attacks on police has pleaded to multiple felony charges in connection with the January 6 attack.
Mitchell Todd Gardner II, 34, of Seffner, Florida, signed a plea agreement providing for a sentencing range of 46 to 57 months and fines ranging $20,000 to $200,000. That’s among the higher totals for defendants who have plead guilty to crimes related to the January 6 riot, but anticipates Gardner asking that fines not be imposed.
“Gardner was part of a mob just outside the Lower West Terrace Tunnel from approximately 3:45 p.m. until at least 4:05 p.m.,” according to a Department of Justice news release. “During that time, he shouted, among other things, “drag them out,” and “pull the cops out.”
“Gardner used a (police pepper spray) device against officers within the tunnel area. The contents hit one officer directly in the face shield and splattered onto two additional officers. This caused the officers to cough for an extended period and also burned their eyes.
“Gardner also urged other rioters to use a ladder to break into a window. When the ladder was not used, Gardner stood on a window ledge outside of a Senate Terrace Room and damaged the window with the Oleoresin Capsicum device. (While inside the Capitol), Gardner “waved other rioters to come closer or into the building. He also handed another rioter what looked to be a table/desk leg; that object was used to assault police officers.”
As reported last June by Raw Story, the prosecution described Gardner as having taken a "de facto leadership role" in the riots. He was seen on a ledge outside the Senate portion of the building, using a red canister in a black case to break a window, according to a statement of facts that accompanied a criminal complaint. DOJ stated today that the window took $2,900 to replace.
Gardner was also notable at the time because prosecutors described him as “as having a hefty monthly income through his job with a roofing company. He also owns a 2017 BMW, the government said.
"He got married last year but is in the process of separating from his wife and has been "staying in hotels, and essentially couch surfing with friends," the prosecutor said. He has no local family members."
Gardner admitted to a witness that he was at the Capitol and that "things got a little crazy," according to the report.
You can read the FBI criminal complaint against Gardner here.
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