Did Grassley give away the game?

[Flo Mingo]

It's pure speculation on my part but I do wonder if Grassley's statement on the 5th that he, not VP would certify the results of the election, had anything to do with Pence refusing to get into the SS car when they wanted to evacuate him from the Capitol.

Surely Pence would have been made aware of Grassley's statement. Whether Pence knew the ultimate goal for J5 or not, how did Grassley's statement influence VP's actions on J5?

[CrackityJones75]

1. Does anyone have the actual quote?

I want to see it.

Edit: nevermind that’s right he said “We don’t expect Pence to be there”

[csziggy]

19. Here is a contemporary article from the Iowa Capital Dispatch

Grassley suggests he may preside over Senate debate on Electoral College votes
By: Linh Ta - January 5, 2021 12:46 pm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During an exchange with reporters on Tuesday, Grassley was asked how he plans to vote.

“Well, first of all, I will be — if the Vice President isn’t there and we don’t expect him to be there, I will be presiding over the Senate,” according to a transcript of his remarks sent by a spokesperson.

Grassley serves as the president pro tempore of the Senate and will preside over any portion of the debate that Pence does not attend. But Grassley expects Pence to be present on Wednesday, according to his spokesperson.

https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2021/01/05/grassley-suggests-he-may-preside-over-senate-debate-on-electoral-college-votes/

(Emphasis added by me)

[Botany]

30. Grassley, "... if the Vice President isn't there and we don't expect him to be there ..."

Grassley was in on "it."

[AllyCat]

36. What? He said this J5?

OMG. Something has to be done about these traitors!

[AntiFascist]

48. Did you notice this part?

Both Grassley and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst have acknowledged Biden as the winner of the election, based on “the Constitution,” according to the Des Moines Register, but haven’t ruled out raising objections. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he acknowledges Biden as the winner of the election.

Grassley told reporters on Tuesday that any challenges to the election results are a “legitimate” move that Republicans are allowed to conduct, according to Radio Iowa.

“First of all, it’s a legal process under the law and under the Constitution, for these folks to do what they’re doing,” Grassley says. “It was done by the Democrats in 2004 and I think one other time. People that are finding fault with Republicans doing it shouldn’t do it when it’s done by Democrats.”

[csziggy]

49. Yep, if they had gotten Pence out of the Capitol and Grassley took over thing would be different

From the way Grassley worded that, he knew the arguments TGF's attorneys were given for over turning the election - even though the attorneys had been told it was not legitimate.

Grassley was in on the coup planning.

[kentuck]

2. He was not supposed to say that....

then he immediately corrected it.

[live love laugh]

47. They are so used to saying the quiet part out loud

because they know it’ll probably never be heard.

Even now this is not reaching as many as it should.

[SKKY]

3. As more comes out, the more unlikely it seems to me that we can genuinely...

...get to the honest truth about what happened without taking Mike Pence's deposition.

[BlueBloodedAmerican]

4. Wouldn't it be awesome if Pence is a surprise witness at the hearing today?

[Ohio Joe]

5. So... My thoughts on this...

I believe Grassley knew before hand much of what was going to happen. I've not seen evidence that would stand up in court but I think he absolutely knew.

We know for certain (and I believe will see evidence today) that Pence knew full well TFG wanted the count stopped. I have a feeling (but do not know for certain) that Pence was kept out of much of what was going to happen on 1/6 since they knew he was not going along with the plan. I don't think he knew the PB's/OK's were going to do their recon and then work to get the crowd flowing into the Capitol... Or even anything about the PB/OK involvement.

Once the Capitol was breached and Pence taken to the basement, I think he began putting things together. When the SS tried to get him out of there, (And I expect that was SOP and not that they were 'in on it' as I've seen suggested), I think he had a moment of clarity and decided he was not going to help TFG end American democracy.

[Flo Mingo]

9. Thanks for sharing

The earliest record I can find of Pence publicly stating he would ignore alternate electors was on the 6th, just prior to the 1pm start of congress convening to certify the election.

"Shortly before the 1 p.m. start of the joint session and even as Trump continued his verbal haranguing, Pence made clear in a three-page letter that he would follow the Constitution, not the commander in chief."

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/read-pences-full-letter-saying-he-cant-claim-unilateral-authority-to-reject-electoral-votes

Grassley's statement was on the 5th.
Did others already know Pence's intent? Is that how the gallows were ready before the public knew what VPs intent was?

[Ohio Joe]

17. So... What do we know...

We know Pence talked to Quayle in December about if he could reject the electors:

Quayle was in some ways a proto-Pence. A vice president from Indiana, Quayle was a younger conservative brought onto the ticket to bolster the bona fides of a presidential candidate whose own record was less than impressive to some on the right. It makes sense that Pence called Quayle when deciding how to respond to Trump’s demands.

Costa and Woodward report that Pence rang up Quayle in late December to ask if there was any way he could give Trump want he wanted, according to the Washington Post:

Quayle was adamant, according to the authors. “Mike, you have no flexibility on this. None. Zero. Forget it. Put it away,” he said.

But Pence pressed him, the authors write, asking if there were any grounds to pause the certification because of ongoing legal challenges. Quayle was unmoved, and Pence ultimately agreed, according to the book.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/dan-quayle-talked-mike-pence-rejecting-trump-what-story-n1279406

So he knew then that TFG wanted him to do it.

We know Pence talked to Greg Jacob on 1/5 and Jacob told him to forget it:

A lawyer for former Vice President Mike Pence told him the day before the Capitol Riot that following former President Donald Trump's request to certify the election for him would eventually fail in court, according to a memo obtained by Politico.

https://news.yahoo.com/lawyer-pence-told-him-day-142757454.html

As for the gallows... My opinion is that they were for show only... See this pics here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216719811#post12

But yes, others 100% knew that Pence was not on board... See TFG's speech at the Ellipse on 1/6.

[Wednesdays]

20. As for that gallows prop...

it wasn't needed to "hang Mike Pence." There were a gazillion other ways the mob could have accomplished that.

[Ohio Joe]

22. Absolutely...

The mob was out for blood and certainly would have killed any rep/The VP/Aide/etc. they came across... No gallows needed.

[colorado_ufo]

23. Yes, the gallows were for intimidation purposes, but that is the point.

Everything was planned and intentional - no sudden riot. Nobody travels with a gallows in their car trunk along with a can of Fix-A-Flat and jumper cables, "just in case." Everything was planned, and Pence was the special target, per instructions from TFG.

[Ohio Joe]

26. I think most of the mob had no idea what was going to happen...

When I look at the fact that the PB's/OK's scouted the best way in based on the direction the crowd would be coming, and made sure to get the Capitol police blocking that route out of there... All timed to the end of TFG's speech where he intentionally sent them on the path... Yup, planned but the mob were tools. Things like the gallows, the people with megaphones egging them on, etc., I agree, pre-planned and part of the set up group who were part of the coup.

[LiberalFighter]

29. I wonder if the committee will have anything from Quayle?

[Ohio Joe]

34. I suspect not...

I'd not be shocked to see the quote presented but since there is no debate from anyone about the call or what was said... And since there is no reporting of them talking to him... I'm not expecting that to happen.

[sboatcar]

43. Some of those capitol rioters don't even know how lucky they got

That Mike Pence got down the hallway just very shortly before they did. Had they spotted him and started charging I imagine there would have been a LOT of bloodshed, and things would have gone sideways in a way that could have been very, very bad.

[Walleye]

6. If Grassley is innocent he can come in and testify to clear it all up

[Eyeball_Kid]

8. Grassley knew about the coup, obviously.

And he's one of a growing number of GOPers who should be indicted as co-conspirators. It's likely that over half of all GOPers in Congress were complicit, and therefore were co-conspirators. If Garland and the DOJ are true to their word, no one will be spared exposure and prosecutions.

[Walleye]

10. Yes. It seems they achieved some sort of critical mass in stupidity

[Flo Mingo]

15. In a perfect world

I have no idea how this will all turn out and who will be held accountable and who will escape unscathed. But I'm sure if R's control either house of Congress after midterms, it's much less likely that truth or justice will prevail.

[madaboutharry]

7. Grassley is a corrupt hack.

No one should doubt he at the very least was willing to go along with the plot.

[Frustratedlady]

12. I think Grassley couldn't pass up the chance to show how important he was...

He was more interested in letting people know he would step into the position instead of Pence and complete the certification.

He has a problem with importance and power. Being a wimp at heart, he has to work harder than most.

[Flo Mingo]

18. This is probably the most spot-on analysis of Grassley I've read n/t

[calimary]

21. Sounds about right.

[rockfordfile]

13. I agree

[JustAnotherGen]

11. I don't know

But until it's proven that I am incorrect:

Mike Pence saved his life that day.

[PCIntern]

14. Anything is quite possible...

Nothing can surprise me with this crowd.

[bucolic_frolic]

16. The coup was engineered so that everyone knew but no one was responsible

[Ford_Prefect]

24. IMHO Grassley thought he was a Player in this and his ego got tweaked.

Whatever they had planned to do with Pence the VP already knew they were up to illegal moves and had gone on the record against it. Mike knew that if he left the building Congress could not complete the count. He had that detailed report from his lawyer explaining what was viable, what was not and what was clearly illegal. He'd heard Judge Luton's opinion. Mike may be just a notch above Dan Qualye on the IQ scale but he understood that there are rules by which government works and there is a structure and a sequence to them.

There are times when the role thrust upon you makes you do what must be done. I don't view Pence as a hero but I think he figured out there was only one way to stop Trump and his gang of thieves. He may well have understood that if Trump wasn't stopped it would be bad not only for the country but for the future of Mike Pence, too.

[Joinfortmill]

37. yup. He made the right decision, for whatever reasons.

[NoMoreRepugs]

25. Other than Kinzinger and Cheney are there any Repugs who aren't Insurrectionists??

[BumRushDaShow]

33. "Other than Kinzinger and Cheney are there any Repugs who aren't Insurrectionists??"

In the House, there were a total of 147 repukes (8 Senate/138 House) who objected to PA's certification and that included 8 of the 9 GOP Congressnuts from here in PA. The lone one among that group of PA's GOP seditionists who didn't was Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), who is in a swing district, where the minute he goes loon, he'll be thrown out.

There were 197 Republicans in the House before the 2020 election, so with the 138 who signed on as insurrectionists, that left 59 who didn't vote that way.

[NoMoreRepugs]

41. Wonder how many of the 59 have moved into the Insurrectionist camp for fear of being primaried?

My guess is retire - 'convert' or DIE at election time.

[BumRushDaShow]

42. I expect a bunch weren't running again

and I believe that almost 1/2 of those were part of a group of consistent "moderate" Republicans who were in swing districts (around 25 or so).

[Schmice3]

27. Game, Set, and Match

[LymphocyteLover]

28. Yes, and I hope the Jan 6th committee gets into this-- so important

[keithbvadu2]

31. 1+

[FakeNoose]

32. Well, Chump gave away the game when he told Mike Pence everything

He probably told Bill Barr everything too - and they both refused to go along with it.

So how's come neither of those guys opened their mouths? They just kept quiet and went about their business, as if a coup of the US Government wasn't about to happen.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

51. Too bad they can't be jailed for failing to expose the plot.

Instead, they want to be congratulated as heroes.

[Joinfortmill]

35. Could be. It was a very wise decision.

[czarjak]

38. Coup-Coup for for fascism?

[Emile]

39. Grassley is old as dirt, he probably had a slip of tongue.

[Handler]

40. I think VP Pence dodged a bullet

Trump would have sacrificed him in a second to get what he wanted.

[Emile]

44. K&R

[Emile]

45. Grassley is 88 years old, anything is possible.

[ymetca]

46. Doddering old Grassley

...someone should be checking his bank accounts.

What puzzles me more is who planted those pipe bombs the night before? I wouldn't be surprised if Flynn was behind that. He knows people, I'm sure.

Planned chaos, so TFG could declare "Marshall Law", a la MTG. A bunch of ex-mil gun nuts throwing in as the "legitimate militia".

Chaos was the last ditch effort to stay in power.

It will be wild!

Sickening. All of it.

[demtenjeep]

50. yup

.