Among those who have avoided being publicly connected to the 2020 election overthrow attempt are RNC chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel and several of the House and Senate lawmakers, the New York Times reported Thursday.
Former ethics czar and legal analyst Norm Eisen combined his research with the New York Times' digital and editorial experts to craft a kind of spider web map showing links to the plot and alleged unindicted co-conspirators.
Listed on the map as an "enabler" is McDaniel, who joined with "Trump campaign apparatchiks and allies, both official and unofficial." According to Eisen, McDaniel "notably helped coordinate the slates of alternative electors from her position at the Republican National Committee."
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McDaniel appeared before the House Select Committee investigating the 2020 election and made an appearance when the committee released its long-anticipated, 845-page report.
"I think the most damning (evidence) comes under the heading of the scheme to set up these false slate of electors, individuals from the GOP who would have been the electors if Trump had won those states, to certify that he had in fact won states that Biden had clearly won," explained legal analyst Ryan Goodman last year.
"That seems to just be a federal crime that is a very, very active part of the current special counsel's investigation. New evidence, brand new that we have not seen before that directs it right at Trump and Mark Meadows."
"For example, that one smoking gun so far is a call that Trump makes to the head of the RNC and he hands over the call to John Eastman to say, we want you to organize the false slate of electors," he continued. "That's all we had in the past. We now know she calls Donald Trump back soon after the call and says, I accept your request, which means it's about him, it's not about Eastman."
MSNBC's Ari Melber explained in January that McDaniel's testimony "under oath refers to Donald Trump's cover story, or what most prosecutors view as a crime, submitting false information, in this case elector material to the government. It's a type of fraud. It's a crime, illegal."
As for the lawmakers, Eisen lists off Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), as well as Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
"Congressional cowards (looking at you Ted Cruz and Josh 'First Salute' Hawley!) gave comfort to the insurrectionists, and some voted against certifying Joe Biden's victory — even after the sacking of the Capitol," writes Eisen.
The Pennsylvania Capital-Star detailed the "outsized" role Perry had that was revealed in text messages obtained from Mark Meadows.
Perry pushed the so-called "Italygate" conspiracy theory, which claimed Italian satellites remotely reprogrammed voting machines. CNN reporter Katelyn Polantz said that the Justice Department was attempting to access the data on Scott Perry's cell phone and that there was a seal over the court proceeding. When the court documents were unsealed in March, it showed Perry desperately worked to keep his communications secret. He claimed that they fell under his role as an official and were protected by the "speech and debate clause."
In four partially redacted opinions, federal Judge Beryl A. Howell wrote that the investigation’s “powerful public interest” outweighed the speech or debate clause. The investigation has been quiet since.
While Jordan was linked to Jan. 6, he's used his power to go after the Justice Department for its use of "Geofencing warrants" for the Jan. 6 attack. The DOJ asked tech companies like Google to turn over the data, which is a typical practice when a user is involved in a criminal investigation. He's now working to gain access to all of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' information obtained in her investigation. He tried the same thing unsuccessfully with New York DA Alvin Bragg.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) isn't on Eisen's list, but he's working to have Willis "defunded."
McDaniel and the GOP lawmakers are only a small section of those Eisen says are connected to the conspiracy, many of whom still have not been indicted.
