The Justice Dept. alleged Jan. 6 was a seditious conspiracy. Now will it investigate Trump?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-jan-6-investigation-garland/2022/01/15/e55a3ca2-7555-11ec-b202-b9b92330d4fa_story.html

The Justice Department’s decision to charge Oath Keepers with seditious conspiracy last week makes clear that prosecutors consider the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol part of an organized assault to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power.

But so far the department does not appear to be directly investigating the person whose desperate bid to stay in office motivated the mayhem — former president Donald Trump — either for potentially inciting a riot or for what some observers see as a related pressure campaign to overturn the results of the election.

The House select committee on Jan. 6 is investigating both matters, separate from the Justice Department, and has aggressively pursued information about Trump and those closest to him. But FBI agents have not, for example, sought to interview or gather materials from some of Trump’s most loyal lieutenants about their strategy sessions at the Willard hotel on how to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to participants in those meetings or their representatives.
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The department has not reached out to the Georgia secretary of state’s office about Trump urging its leader to “find” enough votes to reverse his defeat, a person familiar with the office said, even as a local district attorney investigates that matter.

The Trump campaign has not received requests for documents or interviews from the FBI or Justice Department related to Jan. 6 or the effort to overturn the election results, and federal prosecutors have not sought to interview those with knowledge of Trump’s consideration of a plan to install an attorney general more amenable to his unfounded claims of massive voter fraud, according to people familiar with the matter. The Justice Department inspector general is investigating the aborted plan and could ultimately ask prosecutors to consider whether crimes were committed.

[MLAA]

1. I read that article and was irritated as hell

We didn’t know the 11 oath creeper crooks would have their charges upgraded to sedition until it was announced by DOJ. I think DOJ is working right up the food chain.

[Karma13612]

3. Fingers crossed!....eom...

[MineralMan]

24. The author of that article has zero knowledge of what the DOJ

is investigating. It's all speculation on the author's part.

[MLAA]

25. Agree. That's exactly why I was so annoyed.

[Karma13612]

2. I think that after

The House has it’s open hearings and shows the American public all the horrible stuff that went on on Jan 6, the DOJ will become more vocal with their plans.

The public will be pretty annoyed if the DOJ decides NOT to pursue and prosecute.

We shall see! Exciting times and feeling more positive/hopeful by the day!

[Goodheart]

4. I doubt it.

[Buckeyeblue]

5. What is the penalty for sedition?

[Effete Snob]

7. The entire statue is one sentence.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2384

2384 - Seditious conspiracy


If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

[Buckeyeblue]

14. Thanks. 1.6.21 definitely is covered under that definition.

[Effete Snob]

15. If it isn't, then nothing is

[Fiendish Thingy]

12. Up to 20 years, however, some of them face terrorism sentencing enhancements

Which could raise the maximum sentence to 80 years.

I’d say that increases the chances of somebody flipping…

[Progressive Jones]

18. I think some flipping has already been done, and will continue.

These a-holes never saw this coming. They believe they're patriots, and they wouldn't be brought down.
Not enough harm can come their way, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm curious what will happen to the rest of these losers in the Oath Keepers.
I doubt if every one of them in the nation were there.
They'll crap their pants and run and hide, or they'll double down on the violence.

[Ohio Joe]

6. Well...

We did not know they were investigating the recently arrested seditionists until they were arrested so… Once again people are saying the DOJ are not continuing up the chain. In a week we’ll have people screaming for Garland to be fired because he is doing the investigation correctly. Following the evidence and creating a case that can be proven in court instead of being a lawless and partisan tool that tries to run kangaroo courts.

Meh… I’ll take doing the investigation correctly.

[Effete Snob]

8. Yes we did

If one was paying attention, then one knew that their lawyer, Kellye Sorelle, had her cell phone seized a while back.

You’ll also notice from the article that we know about the GA state investigation because the office of the Secretary of State is aware of who is asking it for records.

Investigations involve questioning witnesses and executing search warrants. Those leave a trail that is not “secret”.

[Ohio Joe]

10. I see...

And what makes you think that the DOJ is not working the seditionists and the same evidence they have against them to go after TFG? Seems to me that would be a core component of a case against him. In fact… Without such, I don’t think there can be a case.

[empedocles]

11. We need a very strong case

[empedocles]

13. We need a very strong case

[Effete Snob]

16. What makes you think you know what I think?

The same people in Georgia would have been contacted by the feds if they were working on the election interference in Georgia.

As to whatever it is you believe I think, I don’t see what that has to do with what I wrote.

[Ohio Joe]

17. Well...

It has to do with... If one was paying attention... That there are things that tell us there are investigations ongoing that do reach as high as TFG. You seem to think there are none... Or maybe not, you are not being clear.

For even more clues, see L. Coyote's excellent post here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216254218

[Effete Snob]

19. The premise was that the arrest of Oath Keepers for Seditious Conspiracy was a surprise...

...and that it is somehow "proof" of the general proposition that one cannot know what the DoJ is doing.

Do you see this HuffPost article dated from last SEPTEMBER:



It was obvious who they were investigating, for what, and why, if one was doing something as simple as reading HuffPost and having a memory.

If one keeps an eye on this sort of thing, it was clear several months ago what was going to happen next in the Oath Keepers investigation, and what the charge was going to be.

[Beetwasher.]

20. By Your Own Standards, Apparently You're Not Paying Attention

There's this:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216254218

And, in your OWN post there's evidence that the TX Attorney was working as a volunteer for "Lawyers for TRUMP"!

PAY ATTENTION! OPEN YOUR EYES! If one keeps their eyes on this sort of thing, it's clear right now WHO THEY ARE REALLY INVESTIGATING.

But nah, you keep going on ahead and spreading bullshit that it looks like the DOJ is doing nothing.

Who do you think the Oath Keepers were working for? You think the DOJ doesn't know that? Open your eyes! Pay attention! LOL! Isn't it obvious who they are investigating? For what? And Why? If one does something as simple as reading their own posts and having a memory, it's clear.

[Effete Snob]

21. Kellye Sorelle is a known quantity

She has lent her name to a bunch of things. She is not Trump's lawyer. She is best known for the "Gondor has no king" lawsuit that was filed by Paul Davis (the guy who got fired from the insurance company where he worked, for his Jan. 6 activities), and which got some attention for its bizarre Lord of the Rings references:

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/pro-trump-lawsuits-seek-to-void-every-vote-cast-in-the-federal-election-good-luck-12023702

The other thing she is famous for is claiming that a TV crew's equipment van was ferrying stolen ballots:

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-video-journalist-detroit-ba/fact-check-video-shows-journalists-filming-gear-in-red-wagon-not-ballots-idUSKBN27L2UN

Now, she's calling herself "acting president" of the Oath Keepers:

https://www.kbtx.com/2022/01/14/north-texas-lawyer-says-she-is-now-acting-president-oath-keepers/

I realize you just heard of her this morning, but she's more of an attention-seeking crazy person than anything else. She is not a Trump associate.

[Beetwasher.]

22. I Realize You're Just Trying To Change The Subject

From the fact that she Volunteers for "Lawyers for Trump", so if you actually pay attention, it's clear what's going on and who they are investigating. By your own standards.

[Effete Snob]

27. "Lawyers for Trump" is a meaningless association

It has as much to do with Trump as her imaginary "Latinos for Trump" organization that was the plaintiff in her lawsuit.

The only thing that "Lawyers for Trump" was, was a campaign grift to have self-identified lawyers make a donation (or send a text to a donate-by-text number) and then "rally support for Trump" or "monitor and report election irregularities". She did that by watching a polling place, and reporting on social media that a TV camera van was transporting illegal ballots. I specifically addressed the extent of her involvement in people officiously calling themselves "Lawyers for Trump". It has all of the significance of someone who donated to "Women for Trump" or "Dingalings for Trump".

It was not some organization of lawyers actually working in any legal capacity for Trump. It was whackadoodles like this lady doing whatever crazy they felt like after being solicited for a donation. The problem is that you don't seem to understand that merely calling oneself a volunteer for "Lawyers for Trump" is something anyone could, and did, do.

Here's the one and only press release about it: https://www.rnla.org/lawyersfortrump

"You can join Lawyers for Trump by visiting lawyers.donaldjtrump.com or texting JUSTICE to 88022!"

Oh boy. Someone sent a text, was charged a couple of bucks, and now they are a lawyer for Trump! No.

I guess I'm still a member of the Banana Splits Fan Club, since it didn't expire.

What you said is this:

"We did not know they were investigating the recently arrested seditionists until they were arrested "

That's just not true. The Huffpost article from September 2021 says who they were investigating for what. You just had never heard about it.

Now you want to pretend that a (well known) crazy lady in Texas is some kind of Trump associate, and that it proves something that you were actually arguing against at the jumping off point of this subthread.

She's no more a Trump lawyer than Orly Taitz, the crazy Obama birth certificate lawyer from California. Yes, she supports a crazy theory that Trump promoted. No, she has no direct or indirect connection to Trump.

[Beetwasher.]

28. Uh Huh, You Keep Telling Yourself That In Order To Convince Yourself Trump is not Being Investigated

You seem very invested in trying to spread this bullshit. Uh huh, whatever you say Chester, "Lawyers for Trump" is not associated with Trump. Uh huh. LOL!

[spanone]

9. K&R

[MineralMan]

23. I'm pretty sure such an investigation is already underway at DOJ.

I can't imagine that it's not. It's just that there are no leaks coming from Garland's DOJ.

[greenjar_01]

26. The first sentence is doing a whole lot of (unsupported) work

The DOJ can consider just the several Oath Keepers to have been involved in a seditious conspiracy without viewing any other party as involved. The idea that the DOJ "considers the January 6 attack on the Capitol" in general to have been "part of an organized assault" is simply not supported by anything. The DOJ is saying only that these specific individuals were involved in a seditious conspiracy among themselves. That's it. Not the whole event, nor everyone committing their own offenses or in some way connected to it.

So, the premise falls, and everything else in the piece can be safely skipped. Now, of course it is possible that the DOJ sees a broader conspiracy, but that hasn't yet been borne out in any charges and is currently simply speculation.