The gobsmacking audacity of the alleged scheme to keep Trump in office

[babylonsister]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/21/opinions/january-6-hearing-election-officials-testimony-dent/index.html


Opinion: The gobsmacking audacity of the alleged scheme to keep Trump in office
Opinion by Charlie Dent
Updated 10:08 PM ET, Tue June 21, 2022
"Charlie Dent is a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania who served as chair of the House Ethics Committee from 2015 until 2017 and chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies from 2015 until 2018. He is a CNN political commentator. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN."

snip//

If any other federal elected official would attempt to strong arm a state or county election official in a phone call to deliver votes overturning an election in which he was a candidate — and were such a conversation recorded and publicly revealed — that official would be on the receiving end of a criminal investigation by federal and state law enforcement. Full stop.

snip//

Trump and his minions believed fervently that they could overturn state certified elections by having GOP controlled state legislatures offer alternative slates of presidential electors who would then vote for Trump in state capitols across America, and then deliver those results to the National Archives.

According to this tall tale, Congress would then certify these fake electoral votes, and Donald Trump would be re-elected. The gobsmacking audacity of this alleged scheme is breathtaking in its insanity, and possible illegality, unconstitutionality, and possible criminality. Perhaps Trump and his campaign thought no one would notice.

The bottom line from Tuesday's hearing is these three state officials provided compelling testimony and evidence of a possible criminal attempt to steal the presidential election in the states of Georgia and Arizona.

The big question is what will the Department of Justice do with this information? Will anyone other than those who physically attacked the Capitol be held to account? Will the president be held accountable for inciting his supporters to attack Congress, in a hideous attempt to hold onto power? Will those who orchestrated the events leading up to January 6th be given a pass for their malign actions?

Absent prosecution of those responsible for organizing the conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election and for inciting the violent mob on January 6, a future unscrupulous president might try again and succeed in a naked power grab to subvert the constitutional order and prevent the peaceful transfer of power.

[sop]

1. Trump's $250M wire fraud crime alone should be enough to send him to jail.

Trump took $250 million in donations from supporters, money he said would go to an "election defense fund to pay for legal fees to overturn the 2020 presidential election results." The election defense fund was never created. Instead, the money went to the "Save America PAC," and from there to several pro-Trump organizations headed by former officials close to Donald Trump's inner circle.

[2naSalit]

2. +1

[Traildogbob]

5. Reports

Are now saying that number has climbed up to around $380 million and still rising (Hartmann 2022).

[Eyeball_Kid]

3. IMO, the DOJ should hit Trump with an onslaught of indictments.

Hit him (and his MAGA worshippers) like a tsunami. Don't nit-pik. Hit him with at least a half dozen indictments, then follow those up with another wave of indictments. The DOJ ought to nail his ass to the wall from the get-go. Don't let him minimize DOJ's actions with "poor me" or "they're unfair" or "they're trying to ruin me by charging me with petty crimes." Jump on his head.

[kairos12]

4. I like your thinking.

Chump always overwhelmed people with lawsuits and lawyers. Time to reverse the table on him. I don't think he has more lawyers than the DOJ.

[KS Toronado]

9. I agree

Garland said no one is above the law and the DOJ is investigating,
hoping indictments come before the midterms.

[sop]

10. +1

[Bucky]

6. Some gobs need smacking

The bottom line, by the way, is that there were fake elector certificates from all seven of the contested states. That demonstrates a criminal conspiracy to defraud. Every one of those fake electors has put their signature to a criminal document, an act of fraud and forgery.

That makes them patsies, albeit willing patsies. They can and they should name who put them up to it, who orchestrated the conspiracy, or they should do maximum time.

Now, the kind of people who become presidential electors in the United States are usually honored and respected party leaders and fundraisers. My dad was an elector for Hillary Clinton back in 2016, although we live in Texas so it didn't matter. But he's been active in the Democratic Party for 50 years.

It's time to start getting the little fish to flip on the big fish. I suppose, to some extent, that's what the J6 committee's been doing. I love those people

[Snackshack]

7. Guaranteed.

If Garland the Dems and President Biden take the easy way out and give us the “we need to look forward instead of backwards” speech once the hearings are done and it’s time for Garland to act…


There will be another “unscrupulous” person/group attempt at overthrowing our gov by GOP.

[wryter2000]

8. I have two more questions

In how many other states did Eastman, Trump, et al. attempt this coup?

How many congress people helped? We heard about Johnson and Biggs yesterday. IIRC, Lindsey Graham also called GA.