'Striking legal question': State court debates whether cops who rioted on Jan. 6 can hide

'Striking legal question': State court debates whether cops who rioted on Jan. 6 can hide
Capitol rioters on Jan. 6, 2021. (Shutterstock)

Justices on the Washington Supreme Court must decide whether police officers who attended former President Donald Trump's Jan. 6 "Stop the Steal" rally have a right to anonymity, according to a new report.

Six Seattle Police department officers — two of them fired months after the historic Capitol riots in 2021— who attended the riots are at the heart of a new case covered Wednesday by Law & Crime's Brandi Buchman.

"A striking legal question came before justices," she writes. "Must their names — and those results — be revealed to the public?"

Per the report, married former officers Caitlin Everett and Alexander Everett were in the area where rioters were scaling the walls and local police scrambled to fend them off.

"The SPD police chief in 2021, Adrian Diaz, ordered all officers to come forward if they were at the Capitol or attended any related events so they could present themselves for formal scrutiny by the Office of Police Accountability, or OPA," writes Buchman.

"Diaz resoundingly declared it 'absurd' of the couple to suggest that the evidence [Office of Police Accountability] amassed did not show them trespassing directly in a zone where 'they should not be amidst what was already a violent, criminal riot.'"

"It does not appear that any criminal federal charges have been filed against the couple at this time," noted the report. "As for the four other officers, who are all currently on active duty, OPA investigators determined in a final report that three did not violate department policy while a fourth officer’s conduct was deemed inconclusive."

A former law student named Sam Sueoka made public records requests to reveal the officers' identities and more information about them, which prompted the officers to tell courts that they should have a constitutional right to keep that information private.

Lower courts ruled against them, but an appeals court found OPA should consider whether these requests violate the officers' rights — namely, because they were not charged with a crime, but the disclosure of their identities could cause people to associate them with the January 6 rioters, causing harm to their reputations.

A number of people who were arrested for involvement in the Jan. 6 attack are current or former law enforcement, including a former FBI special agent who called for Capitol Police to be killed.

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A CNN panel erupted in laughter after they were shocked by what a MAGA pundit considered "cringe."

On Wednesday night, a panel hosted by CNN anchor Abby Phillip discussed how denying that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election seems to be a litmus test for winning a role in the Trump administration. Phillip started the segment by showing a clip of three Trump judicial nominees skirting around the question when asked who won the 2020 election.

The clip included Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) yelling "Be your own man!" as Adam Candeub, a nominee to be assistant antitrust attorney general, refused to answer yes or no to the question. It then showed John Cronan, nominee for the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and Gregory Cook, a nominee for U.S. judge for the Northern District of Alabama, doing the same.

"That's just silly," Phillip said as the segment returned to the panel. "It's kind of dumb. I'm not going to lie. Like, are we really going to do this?"

The panel included Caroline Sunshine, a former White House spokesperson for President Donald Trump. Sunshine was smiling and laughing like others on the panel, and the way her comments started, it seemed like she was about to agree with Phillip.

"It is so cringe watching these Democrats do this line of questioning," Sunshine said.

Immediately after she said that, the rest of the panel erupted in shock and mockery at where Sunshine was directing her "cringe" comment.

"That's what's cringe?" Phillip asked, before laughing. A cacophony of shouting surrounded Sunshine, with Democratic strategist Yemisi Egbewole yelling, "No, no, no, no!"

Sunshine said, "This is all you guys have," referring to the Democratic line of questioning about the 2020 election. Phillip, still smiling, turned to her and said, "Hey, Caroline, who won the 2020 election?"

"Joe Biden," Sunshine quickly shot back. "But it was rigged by big tech!"

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A group of veterans is sounding the alarm on how much President Donald Trump has spent on a Washington, D.C., crackdown.

In a Wednesday piece, the Trump administration's spending to deploy National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., was flagged by Janessa Goldbeck, the CEO of Vet Voice Foundation, a veterans advocacy nonprofit. The Pentagon has already spent more than $700 million to deploy troops in the nation's capital since last August, and their continued deployment is expected to cost another $1.43 billion, Goldbeck wrote, citing estimates from the Pentagon comptroller nominee.

"Two billion dollars is a staggering sum to spend making the exceptional feel routine," Goldbeck wrote. "The people best positioned to see that damage coming are the ones who wore the uniform and meant the oath. That is why we are among the loudest sounding the alarm."

According to Goldbeck, the bill "works out to roughly $51 million a month to keep somewhere around 2,500 soldiers standing post in the capital." She also noted that the Vet Voice Foundation signed an amicus brief in D.C.'s lawsuit against Trump for the deployment.

Goldbeck also warned about "the line" that is "moved a little further every month this continues," referring to how each additional month of deployment makes armed troops on American streets seem more normal.

She warned the Trump administration will keep pushing that line until there are "soldiers standing watch over an American city" so that it stops "looking as shocking as it is." She added, "A military asked to stand in adversarial posture against its own fellow citizens, in a fight that is transparently political, will over time lose the respect it has earned."

These deployments have already seen casualties, as well, Goldbeck noted. "In November, two Guard members were shot while patrolling blocks from the White House. One of them died," she pointed out.

"That is the reality of putting soldiers into a role built for police," she said. "On a mission whose purpose keeps shifting: the same troops sent to guard the Reflecting Pool and haul trash off city streets are the ones exposed to lethal risk."

Former MAGA Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene recently launched a new "endeavor" an ex-GOP operative flagged as a cash grab.

During an episode of the Bulwark Takes podcast, hosts Tim Miller, Sam Stein and Will Sommer revealed that Greene started an account on Cameo, where celebrities record short, personalized videos for a fee.

"This is Marjorie Taylor Greene, and I am excited to let you know I am now on Cameo," the former MAGA firebrand turned Trump critic said in a clip played in the episode. "So, if you have a special message for a friend or a loved one, I would love to deliver it for you or any other message for anyone."

"That's thrilling," Miller said. Meanwhile, Stein had a theory about why Greene started her Cameo just days after her high-profile wedding in Las Vegas.

"If you saw the wedding pics, she immediately went to the casino afterwards in her wedding dress," Stein said. "I don't know what games she was playing, but she was clearly gambling, and maybe she lost too much money."

Greene was photographed by TMZ hitting a Las Vegas craps table after her wedding to former Real America's Voice correspondent Brian Glenn. Sommer called the photo "iconic." Miller enjoyed the photo too, saying, "You want to throw some dice in your wedding dress after your Elvis marriage in Vegas? This is America, baby."

Other MAGA and GOP figures have opened Cameo accounts, including Lauren Boebert, Roger Stone, Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and expelled former GOP congressman George Santos. Boebert was reportedly charging $250 for personal advice videos for her fans on Cameo.

Stein also pitched the idea of Bulwark Takes paying for an MTG Cameo video if their video reached 500,000 views or a hundred new subscribers. "We would try to get her to say something a little salty," Miller agreed.

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks to reporters after a press conference to discuss the Epstein Files Transparency bill, directing the release of the remaining files related to the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 3, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks to reporters after a press conference to discuss the Epstein Files Transparency bill, directing the release of the remaining files related to the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 3, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks to reporters after a press conference to discuss the Epstein Files Transparency bill, directing the release of the remaining files related to the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 3, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

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