Trump Allies Pushing New Riot Defense Don't Get How Phones Work

[SheltieLover]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-allies-new-riot-defense-banks-on-people-not-understanding-how-cellphones-work

As the Senate prepares for Donald Trump’s impeachment trial over the Capitol riot, the ex-president’s allies in the right-wing media remain hard at work creating a range of defenses that absolve him from the violence triggered by months of lies and deception.

In the logic of an argument that’s been embraced by pro-Trump cable networks, it was impossible for the first wave of rioters to hear Trump’s speech on the White House Ellipse in person because they started attacking before he was finished speaking. Therefore, Trump couldn’t have incited them to attack the Capitol.

Unless, that is, everyone carries cellphones that can livestream speeches as they happen.

“The people who were storming the Capitol could not have been the people in front of the president when he was speaking,” Newsmax host Greg Kelly said in an interview with Steve Bannon associate Raheem Kassam on Jan. 12, in a typical statement of the argument.

More at link.

[Laelth]

1. Wow! They're desperate. That's a serious stretch. n/t

-Laelth

[BusyBeingBest]

2. Aside from the fact that the crowd at the Capitol could live stream the speech, I also

believe there were militia types and others staged in place who weren't in DC for the speech at all, but were at the Capitol instead with all their gear, ready to go. They knew what was supposed to happen, and were waiting for the rally goers to show up and create chaos. Either way, all of this was because of Donald Trump. It's an inescapable conclusion.

[dalton99a]

3. Nothing can travel faster than Donald Trump, including cellphone signals

[Midnightwalk]

4. The lies about the election being stolen are the start

I agree with the point about phones streaming the speech.

Telling his supporters that the election was stolen with zero evidence is why they were there to begin with.

The comical court cases weren’t intended to win. Then got coverage for the lies. They were used to tell supporters that the system was rigged.

That’s what is so pernicious about republicans not admitting Biden won a fair election. That fuels an ongoing insurrection. They are still inciting insurrection and won’t stop until confronted by the law. Let their evidence be their defense in criminal cases.

[nykym]

5. Gee Whiz

I remember seeing video of the so called patriots way in the back at the Ellipse shouting storm the capital and other fine statements. SO there goes that excuse.