Octopus Overlords

Holman wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 7:52 pmI'd say Gym Jordan is almost a certainty, as he is the top House attack dog. MTG or Gaetz would be unproductive distractions.

The other Republicans will be reliable Freedom Caucus extremists who carry no baggage because we never hear from them.

Politico wrote:In the days after the deadly Capitol attack on Jan. 6, tension among House Republicans was so high that one of them privately suggested some GOP colleagues be punished for their roles in encouraging the riot.

This GOP lawmaker drafted a list of about half a dozen fellow Republicans who had cheered on the pro-Donald Trump rally that turned violent that day, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the maneuver. The sources said Reps. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) were on the list but declined to identify its author — a sign that the scars from the insurrection remain deeply painful for members of both parties.

But the fact that the list even made the rounds, in hindsight, shows how sharply the political winds have turned for Republicans reckoning with Trump's legacy and future. Only 10 House Republicans voted to impeach the former president for his role in the Jan. 6 riot, and most have said little since on the matter. There is close to zero appetite within their party now to break with Trump.


And Trump is once again the GOP's undisputed kingmaker, holding rallies and flexing his grassroots fundraising might as he seeks to influence Republican primary campaigns. House Democrats are likely to take full advantage of that political reality as they move ahead with a select committee to examine the siege on Congress.

Which leaves Republicans with a big challenge: how to discredit and distance themselves from that investigation — which moderates and conservatives alike are criticizing as a partisan setup — and retake the House in 2022, a tantalizingly close possibility that would doom President Joe Biden's domestic agenda.

“Unfortunately, right now, it seems like we're incapable of having the serious or the real conversations about these things because everybody's trying to utilize it for electoral gain one way or the other,” Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said in an interview.

Trump allies, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, are already preparing for the Jan. 6 committee to turn into a partisan cage match. McCarthy has yet to indicate whether he plans to name Republicans to the panel, saying Monday night that he wants to hear more details before deciding.

malchior wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:45 am Gosar directly appeared at a event where he was followed by a white supremacist -- *THIS YEAR*. Oy vey.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:29 am

malchior wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:45 am Gosar directly appeared at a event where he was followed by a white supremacist -- *THIS YEAR*. Oy vey.

Not just an appearance this year. He's actively setting up a fundraiser with noted white supremacist Nick Fuentes right now.

Today all but two GOP members of Congress chose to side with the insurrectionists.

So far Kinzinger and Cheney are the lone two YES votes among Republicans on the House select committee vote

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 3:27 pm The bottom video is interesting as they discovered 8 breaches via reconstructed public video.

A conservative YouTuber who participated in the January 6 riot accompanied Republican members of Congress on a trip to the border Tuesday night, serving as a translator at times.

Anthony Aguero, a close ally of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene can be seen in videos and photos with Republican members of Congress who traveled to a route along the border frequented by migrants on Tuesday night. CNN's KFile previously reported that Aguero went into the Capitol during the January 6 riot and cheered and justified the break-in.

During his livestream of the Tuesday visit, Aguero interviewed and chatted with Reps. Tom. Tiffany of Wisconsin, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Chris Jacobs of New York, Michael Cloud of Texas, John Rose of Tennessee, Ronny Jackson of Texas, and Mary Miller of Illinois.

"Hi guys, Congressman Hawthorn is behind me," Aguero tells viewers during his livestream, mispronouncing Cawthorn's last name. "That is freaking awesome. That is freaking awesome. I'll tell you that."

Aguero has not been charged for unlawful entry at the US Capitol on January 6. After chanting "heave-ho" as rioters attempted to break in, he entered the Capitol Rotunda and later chanted "our house" on the Capitol steps. In a livestream one day after the Capitol riot, he attacked those who condemned the ransacking of the Capitol. The FBI previously declined to comment on whether it was investigating Aguero in an email to CNN.

...

It's not clear how Aguero joined the group Tuesday night, as he was not at the press briefing prior to the trip that was attended by reporters, according to a photo and a CNN reporter present. He was already in the area as the members of Congress arrived.

Buckley Carlson, the RSC's deputy communications director, said Aguero's presence at the border was "purely incidental."

"Chairman (Jim) Banks never spoke to the individual in question, the Republican Study Committee was unaware of his identity and whereabouts on January 6, and he did not travel with our group to the border," Carlson said in a statement to CNN.

Aguero, who told members of Congress he was there as an "independent journalist" with Border Network News, posted a lengthy livestream on his YouTube channel in which he is seen interviewing and sometimes translating conversations with migrants for Reps. Boebert, Tiffany, August Pfluger of Texas, and Randy Weber of Texas.

In one instance, Aguero drove Weber in his truck after the congressman missed his van.

"Come right in the front, Congressman," said Aguero, chuckling. "You can ride in the front with me." Aguero also posed for a photo with Boebert at the end of his broadcast.

...

The videographer, who sometimes goes by the moniker "Conservative Anthony" online, frequently documents migrants along the US-Mexico border and the activities of right-wing activists and militias, including the Guardian Patriots, the border militia group formerly known as the United Constitutional Patriots, and the Proud Boys.

In one disturbing clip filmed by Aguero in April 2019 that appears in the PBS documentary "Targeting El Paso," Aguero can be heard screaming at migrants crossing the border and seen shining a light on migrants' faces. In the clip, Aguero tells a group of migrants they "come out like roaches, out of everywhere." According to PBS, the clip was viewed 160,000 times before Aguero deleted it from Facebook.

He also has a history of criminal violence, according to online court records. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor family violence assault causing serious bodily injury. In 2015, he was convicted of felony vehicular assault while intoxicated and sentenced to two years in Texas state prison.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:15 pm Trump is mentally ill and needs help. There's all this dancing around the issue "Look at what he said!" and "OMG can you believe this?"

Yes, yes I can believe it. He's sick. He needs professional assistance. And that isn't a joke or an insult or an offhand remark. The guy genuinely needs medical treatment.

malchior wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 12:29 pm The first felony conviction for the capitol riot was scheduled today. The prosecutors asked for 18 months, the guidelines indicated 15 months prison, and the judge imposed...8 months, a $100 fine, and 24 months supervised release if the accounts are accurate. Well that'll teach them for trying to overthrow our government.

FWIW Fed isn't unsurprised by it but this isn't the strongest message for law and order I've ever seen. It is going to be misinterpreted.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:00 pm Not to mention the felony on the record, especially if it’s a violent one. His employability just tanked. All he’ll have left is politics.

malchior wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:05 pm I agree it is no joke but it isn't just about perception. We have a country in the midst of a series of major crises and risk of violence and we are going easy on people adjacent to the worst excesses of it. I do not think we are being very realistic about the risks here. There is a line between too light and too harsh and this too light IMO. It also amplifies the fact that the DOJ is completely whiffing on accountability for those responsible for instigating 1/6.

The perception and practice is that the ringleaders get off scot free, the middle managers might get hit a bit hard, and all these schlubs...we are going to slap them on the wrist compared to what they did. This guy - even if not tied to violence directly - tried to overthrow our government. It's corrosive and it will absolutely happen again and again in some shape or form.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:00 pm Not to mention the felony on the record, especially if it’s a violent one. His employability just tanked. All he’ll have left is politics.

Fair enough though his employability was pretty suspect based on his photos.

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 1:26 pm Maybe there’s nothing that can be done at this point though, or the D’s lack the political power/mandate to act effectively on it. I suspect the latter.

malchior wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:12 pm Trump responds and says there'd be no way I'd pick this loser to help me run this coup. This is a beyond the pale, dangerous statement.



Edit: Ken's take

Welp, A DEA special agent was arrested related to Jan 6

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 3:01 pm

Welp, A DEA special agent was arrested related to Jan 6

“It’s unprecedented, it’s never happened before in the history of select committees,” Jordan tells me of Pelosis decision to veto his membership.

He’s headed to meet with McCarthy now

“Monday evening, the Minority Leader recommended 5 Members to serve on the Select Committee. I have spoken with him this morning about the objections raised about Representatives Jim Banks and Jim Jordan and the impact their appointments may have on the integrity of the investigation. I also informed him that I was prepared to appoint Representatives Rodney Davis, Kelly Armstrong and Troy Nehls, and requested that he recommend two other Members.

“With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these Members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee.

“The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision.”