Liz Cheney's smug, self-satisfied con job: Don't fall for it - Salon

[erronis]

https://www.salon.com/2022/07/23/liz-cheneys-smug-self-satisfied-con-job-dont-fall-for-it/

Excellent rant by Lucian K. Truscott IV - thanks to Pippin's mom for the reference.

You don't even have to look for the tell. It's right there in the first thing they say after they "cooperate" with the Jan. 6 Committee: The Republican functionary witnesses sit there looking smug and self-satisfied as they tell what they know about what Trump did and the puny shit they did to try to stop him, and when they're finished they've been told they can smile and say, "but just look at his accomplishments."

That creation stamped out of a prep-mold in a suit and tie sitting at the witness stand on Thursday night with the last name Pottinger was a perfect example of the con job they're trying to run. Why, I was so horrified by what I saw when I got finished with my off-site meeting with India's ambassador to the United States that I resigned!

Then what does Pottinger tell us? A complete and utter crap-load of smarmy claptrap about how dedicated he is to "national security," and how proud he was that he served as deputy national security adviser, and how Trump got "tough" with China and put together some treaty in the Middle East that's not worth the paper it's written on.

Mr. Pottinger was at his desk in the National Security Council office when Trump was completely and utterly capitulating to Vladimir Putin at Helsinki. He was sitting there in the Executive Office Building working for John Bolton when Trump was putting a gun to the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and telling him he wanted the "favor" of trashing Joe Biden before Trump would release $400 million in military aid the Ukrainians needed in their fight against the Russian incursion into their territory. Pottinger sat there on his hands when Trump fired Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch on utterly spurious grounds, knowing that she had done nothing to deserve it and that Trump was just positioning himself to exploit Ukraine in his effort to get reelected.

...

Liz Cheney learned at her father's knee how the Republican Party works. It's who they are and who they have always been. As Gore Vidal used to call them, they are the "Owners." All the rest of this stuff, like screaming about transgender bathrooms and vaccine mandates and school choice and even their anti-abortion hallelujah chorus with fundamentalist Christians is crap. It's red meat for the rubes. Do you really think they care if their wife's or mistress' hairdresser marries his longtime partner? Do you think if a Cheney granddaughter got raped at college and got pregnant that she wouldn't be able to get an abortion? Do you think if a Cheney granddaughter just wanted an abortion because she broke up with the boyfriend who got her pregnant that she wouldn't be put aboard a biz-jet and flown across state borders to the best abortion doctor in the country?

Of course not. They'll always protect the Owners and their mansions and their yachts and their Gulfstreams and their ability to avail themselves of abortion services or even contraception if it comes to that. They'll always cut taxes for each other even if it means that poor people get poorer and that children don't get fed at lunchtime in public schools and migrants continue to die in tractor-trailers in Texas.

They don't give a shit about the poor. As Liz Cheney is at last admitting, they don't give a shit about Trump, either, so long as they've got their tax cuts and their millions and billions and they can keep the minimum wage at $7.25 an hour and maintain their control over red-state governments. Trump was just a hireling. He strayed off the reservation, and they grew tired of his gross lack of taste and slovenly appearance. So they're serving up a few schmucks with smug grins on their faces to tell us what a bad guy they suddenly discovered he is, after his usefulness to them came to an end.

It's a con job. Don't believe a word of it. They're just ridding themselves of a cancer they accidentally found growing on one of their legs so they can continue stomping on poor people and women and gay people and anybody they don't like and ensuring we stay in our place. They're Republicans. It's what they do.

Lucian K. Truscott IV, a graduate of West Point, has had a 50-year career as a journalist, novelist and screenwriter. He has covered stories such as Watergate, the Stonewall riots and wars in Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also the author of five bestselling novels and several unsuccessful motion pictures. He has three children, lives on the East End of Long Island and spends his time Worrying About the State of Our Nation and madly scribbling in a so-far fruitless attempt to Make Things Better. You can read his daily columns at luciantruscott.substack.com and follow him on Twitter @LucianKTruscott and on Facebook at Lucian K. Truscott IV.

[h2ebits]

1. Thanks for posting this. I watched "the show" and was absolutely appalled. . . .

at what Pottinger said with such great pride.

I will post this to Facebook in an attempt to share it with as many people as possible.

[NotHardly]

28. Shitty self-congratulating wanker is the only smug shite I see here ... guy's a wanker author.

[wnylib]

31. You mean the author of the OP article?

Does that mean that you thought the Pottinger praise if himself and Trump was admirable?

[dchill]

39. Sounds like it, doesn't it?

[wnylib]

44. Well, it comes from someone who is not regularly

on the boards, so the view is hard to place and understand without much context.

[dchill]

45. All I know for sure is that it's good policy to trust Liz...

...Cheney about as far as you can throw her.

[wnylib]

47. Agree.

[calimary]

146. She's a Republican. That's all you need to know.

I wouldn’t trust ANY Republican.

[Demsrule86]

38. Please don't. The guy that wrote it is an idiot and it is not helpful...look into the background

first. Unrec

[louis-t]

79. I was also disgusted with him.

Don't forget what Cassidy Hutchinson said. She was so impressed with "all the wonderful things he did for our country" before being disgusted by his lack of action when the Capitol was being attacked.

[h2ebits]

82. Thanks. I noticed the comment and then it zipped back out of my brain.

[2naSalit]

85. I have heard...

At least one compliment for their former boss from almost every one of them.

[mrsadm]

87. Maybe this was deliberate by Cheney et al running the meeting

to shore up their case against Trump, to have as many Republicans, and Republicans who love him, to find him guilty, and thus be part of the strong case that might convince other Republicans to believe Trump as guilty.

[2naSalit]

88. I think it was a concensus...

The whole committee had to be on board with how it is conducted. I thought Liz looked pretty annoyed at the guy for his promo-pitch BS. He went there every time he spoke. But so did the others, remember Rusty from was it AZ? I think that the witnesses threw it in for protection from the trolls.

[barbaraann]

2. Pottinger was the worst at hiding the con.

He just couldn't tone down his belief in his own superiority.

[Ferrets are Cool]

23. This

[colorado_ufo]

59. Yes. I recall

throwing up in my mouth a little while listening to his crap. I expected to see his arm in a cast from patting himself on the back.

[OnDoutside]

3. I've no idea who this Truscott IV is preaching to, it isn't Republicans

and it sure as hell isn't Democrats. Trumpers will never vote for a Cheney or, if Trump is knifed by the GOP, they'll never vote for a Disantis or whoever. And Democrats will never vote for any of them (Sarandon etc excepted obviously).

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Definitely

That was the first thing i thought. Exactly who does he think is falling for this "con"?
We know who Cheney is. We know we loathe her politics, her economic philosophy, and her long history of voting for things that hurt the most number of people to help the least number of people.
So, exactly what is the con?

[comradebillyboy]

13. It's the standard bullshit from Salon, home of HA Goodman and

"The Liberal Case for Trump".

[OnDoutside]

97. 100% agree.

She's doing one good thing, and only for revenge. I've heard no one suggest otherwise.

[comradebillyboy]

12. Please don't insult Democrats by suggesting that Susan Sarandon is one of us.

[Demsrule86]

36. She is a traitor who wanted Trump to win both times and anything that falls from her lips is BS.

[OnDoutside]

96. I remember a time when many thought she was !

[grantcart]

18. He is a failed "journalist" who started out by writing right-wing LTE

that got published his letters as articles.

His lone claim to fame was that he witnessed the Stonewall Riots and got an article published with a headline that is unpublishable today.

Remarkable what gets posted here without checking backgrounds.

[OnDoutside]

95. Thanks for that, good to know.

[wnylib]

34. Trumpets will not vote for a Cheney,

but if Trump does not run, they will vote for DiSantis.

But the Republicans are trying to take the party back from Trump and Trumpists. The author is correct that they got from Trump what they wanted - a conservative SC, tax reductions, and most of all, preventing Clinton from winning in 2016. They are done with using Trump and want to dump him. For Republicans who are not Trumpists, the hearings are an attempt to remake the Republican Party image. Get rid of the obvious crazies and put the corporates back in charge.

[OnDoutside]

94. I agree but Trump won't be listening to them before deciding. And

that's the key, Trump's decision is for his benefit, not the GOP. I could see a rush of blood by the GOP to exclude him anyway, when he does announce, and then they'll be in an impossible situation. They've always wanted rid of him but they're cowards, and have only themselves to blame.

[wnylib]

98. Agree that they have only themselves to blame.

They were so damned eager to prevent Hillary from winning that they made a pact with the devil just to hold power. Now they are stuck with the consequences and, unfortunately, so is the rest if the country.

[OnDoutside]

149. Rick Wilson had an interesting thread on this today.

Link to tweet

?t=TRsQvySgD2qIku-ss-nuQA&s=19

1/ I find it amusing how few Republicans understand that Trump is a fundamentally vengeful and petty person.

They think shanking him now by stacking the deck for President Ron DeSantis and VP Stefanik will make him go away.

2/ Make no mistake, that is what is happening.

The titanic forces inside the gentry GOP, the money crowd, Fox, and the consultant class are have set their hearts on DeSantis and are telling all the other aspirants to "wait their turn."

It's not just that Trump...

3/ ...will run in the GOP primary and cause endless torture and chaos.

No, Trump's real vergeltungswaffen has the benefits of extending the grift, allowing him to play by no rules at all, and to keep the lidless eye of every camera on him.

4/ The worst case for the GOP is simple and awful, a bane they can't overcome if he does it.

Imagine for a moment that Trump declares he's running as an independent.

Play it through from there, and the ramifications are...spectacular.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

4. I have mixed feelings about this article. But K & R for the reminder to be wary of ALL Repubs!

[Walleye]

5. But it didn't play on Fox News so Republicans didn't even see it

[mucifer]

6. Kinzinger has conned a lot of people, too. He isn't running for re election. BUT

a lot of people here in Illinois falsely believe he's a moderate.

His voting record is INSANELY right wing. That's what matters.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. One Quibble

Yes, he is right wing. Especially on economic and fiscal issues, as he is still a believer in the debunked supply side nonsense.
But, the difference is he is NOT insane. He's hard core conservative, but a frothing maniac, he's not.
Like you, i wouldn't vote for him if he was running unopposed. I'm write myself in or something.
But, he's gotten those death threats because he's not a kool-aid drinking nutjob.

[Ferrets are Cool]

24. Just another example of how far the party has gone to the insane side of right.

[ProfessorGAC]

33. Exactly!

I've spoken to him multiple times. He's a much nicer guy than I expected but he's definitely right wing.

[murielm99]

138. I can't agree with that.

I have tried to speak with him. So have several leaders from my county and the adjacent county. We have tried to invite him to events, only to have him laugh in our face. Literally. I witnessed his so-called town hall at Rock Valley College. The man is an opportunist and I will never trust him.

[ProfessorGAC]

139. Two Different Issues

His intransigence & politics being objectionable is different than him being insanely right wing.
I share your overall view of him as a politician, but this conversation started over the word usage of "insanely".
We have an enormous pile of evidence what right wing "crazy" looks like.
So, I'm only pushing back against the notion that he fits into the "insane" category.
Remember. I wouldn't vote for him either.
I think the limited access we have around here is because he lives around here. I can see him being the type to avoid driving 90 miles 5o get yelled at, even if he deserves to be.
But, he only lives 9 miles from here, so I can run into him more often. It's not inconvenient for him to get out & about around here.

[jaxexpat]

145. Could we agree, then, on the terms "functionally psycho-challenged"?

Personally, I recognize Republicanism and its cousin, conservatism, as personality disorders at the very least.

[ProfessorGAC]

148. I Can Live With That!

But, knowing him, I don't see a sociopaths. Just a severely malinformed guy.

[ProfessorGAC]

141. Two Different Issues

His intransigence & politics being objectionable is different than him being insanely right wing.
I share your overall view of him as a politician, but this conversation started over the word usage of "insanely".
We have an enormous pile of evidence what right wing "crazy" looks like.
So, I'm only pushing back against the notion that he fits into the "insane" category.
Remember. I wouldn't vote for him either.
I think the limited access we have around here is because he lives around here. I can see him being the type to avoid driving 90 miles to get yelled at, even if he deserves to be.
But, he only lives 9 miles from here, so I can run into him more often. It's not inconvenient for him to get out & about around here.

[jcgoldie]

8. K&R

Fuck Liz Cheney and the rest of them you don’t deserve a trophy for standing up for democracy after 4 years of supporting trump.

[moondust]

10. Did Pottinger help

TFG elevate and to some degree normalize the barbaric North Korean dictator?

Cringeworthy.

[Saoirse9]

11. I agree

Cheney is awful. I'm not certain what is motivating her to help democrats but it is hard to believe she really believes in the rule of law when she refused to impeach him for Zelensky. And when she told outrageous lies about democrats in order to pander to tfg's base.

Pottinger and Matthews may have walked because of the insurrection but they should have walked months earlier.

[azureblue]

15. pay attention to what

she has done in the 1/6 committee. If you are not certain that she has made decision to side with the Constitution and the rule of law, and rid America of the cancer that is Trump, at the expense of knowing it will be the end of her time in politics, then, dude, you just ain't paying attention.

[Saoirse9]

20. Oh I am paying attention

but I've seen her bald-faced lies and I can't square that with what she's doing now.

Look at this.

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=87qIzT0FS7zq92zOlN7tvQ

Look at this.

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=RhvLAWYAHcBcnFlqBuc0VA

I keep thinking this is like the frog and the scorpion story. Sooner or later she will bite and kill us even if it means mutually assured destruction.

I'm so grateful to her -- in the moment -- but there is more to her help than protecting the Constitution and the rule of law. I think she's also there to make sure Ginni Thomas isn't prosecuted, and Bill Barr faces no consequences.

She's a consummate liar.

Her presence on the J6 along with Kinzinger gives us a bi-partisan committee and that's wonderful. But sooner or later, if she hasn't done it already, she will absolutely bite us, and kill us if she can.

[Ferrets are Cool]

25. ...

[C Moon]

41. Cheney and some low-life scum for VP, too (probably tfg supporter). It will be a disgusting ticket.

[sop]

55. Liz is a guided missile, launched by the establishment corporate wing of the GOP to destroy

Trump and retake control of the Republican party. She's taking one for the team now, but she'll be back when the Trump fever breaks.

[hadEnuf]

80. You are absolutely correct, IMO.

She's a Cheney and this is a power struggle in the GOP. I guess the most we can say is that she's willing to clean up her own party's mess, but if successful it will ultimately put the power back into the status quo of the GOP.

[Saoirse9]

84. That's certainly true

I just don’t want her to misfire and shoot us.

I want to believe her intentions are entirely honorable but I just can’t.

[Ligyron]

66. Thank you for this.

Some of us tend to forget and others were never really aware.

She doesn't really believe any of that crap either, she's just saying it for the xian rubes. Like the nonsense about gay marriage where she sold out her own sister to score cheap political points.

Must run in the family, remember Darth Vader and his WMD's? Nest of snakes except for maybe the gay sister.

[Saoirse9]

83. Yep nest of snakes

I hope she doesn’t bite us before all this is over.

We’ve seen she’ll lie about us.

[Raven123]

29. Cheney isn't trying to help Democrats. She is among the few GOPers who agree with Dems about J6

Democrats air their internal grievances publicly so regularly, that their message gets muddled all to often. The GOP marches in lockstep with such predictability that people are stunned when one of them steps out and agrees with Dems on something important. Until J6, nearly the entire party tolerated TFG because they made a deal with the devil, got every policy they wanted and 3 SCOTUS appointments. On J6, he went too far for the few, like Cheney. I think she is more pi$$ed because she thinks he lost the House and Senate than because he lost the presidency.

I agree with you. They ALL should have walked away from TFG along time ago. What we are seeing from Cheney is a release of that suppressed awareness that she and her party were enablers, and an acknowledgment (which differentiates her from most) that he is dangerous. Duh.

I think this is one Cheney has been the most eloquent speaker On TFG’s role in the J6 insurrection. What has bothered me a bit, is the emphasis on him and not the other enablers/conspirators. Certainly she despises him. It may be that “the dam has broken” in terms of those willing to provide information and now we will get a more complete picture.

[BumRushDaShow]

35. THIS

A Republican is a Republican and they will always trash-talk Democrats forever. That's a given.

But politics requires that you "don't look a gift horse in the mouth" and instead accept it to advance your agenda. This means that you still know the nature of the one who gave it to you, but assume it was probably a one-off gesture, and you move on.

[Joinfortmill]

118. Amen

[wnylib]

42. She is not motivated to help Democrats.

She is motivated to take back the Republican party from the the crazy Trumpists. She is just as far right, but wants to present a sane image and spread the benefits of ultra right politics around among the 1%. Trump does everything for himself only.

[azureblue]

14. change title to:

Truscott's smug, self-satisfied con job: Don't fall for it.
More of Salon's BS - the article is a smear piece from the beginning, with nothing of substance - just a collection of trigger words. And definitely no reference to teh undeniable fact that right now, she is saving America from Trump, his cult and the corrupt GOP.

[LudwigPastorius]

43. "she is saving America"

What she's actually doing is trying to wrest control of her party away from the MAGAts.

Acknowledging that Trump is a fascist traitor who should be in jail just happens to be part of that.

[AnrothElf]

58. I'm not going to pretend she's something she's not.

She's doing the right thing NOW, but that's brand new.

I'm in Wyoming which has one party rule, and so I have just registered as a RINO to vote for her in the primary. She will lose.

I will never get the chance to vote against her in the general, because she won't be in it after she inevitably loses the primary. Instead, I will do what I have always done: vote Blue no matter who.

[packman]

16. Don't know how to react -

I admire Liz for her standing in the pit and feel her words may have some effect on those Repukes watching. But, wonder if the hearings have had any impact on her core Republican heart of hearts.

I don't trust any Repuke or Conservative and that is a shame that politics have done that to the American psyche.

[LakeArenal]

17. Right now they are telling the truth.

If they have their own political agenda, it’s not surprising.

All politicians have a political agenda of their own.

We just don’t happen to have the same.

[BannonsLiver]

19. Zero fucks to give about any of that.

Her job with the committee is one thing. The rest of her political beliefs are another. I don’t need Salon to point that out to me.

[pazzyanne]

49. + 1 nt

[Silent3]

54. Regardless of whether I fully trust Cheney's motives she is a very useful and powerful ally for now

If some attempts to polish the turd that is the Republican agenda come along for the ride that's a small price to pay for the service she's providing the country.

Is she acting out of conviction, taking a principled stand for shared values about democracy and integrity?

Or is she playing a long game, motivated by ambition, taking a risk that she can rise to prominence in a new conservative party that might rise from the ashes of the corrupt mess that is the current Republican party?

I don't know, I won't pretend to know, and as long as I remain cautious about her in the future, I don't even need to know right now.

[Joinfortmill]

119. Exactly and it could be both.

[jalan48]

21. K&R

[3Hotdogs]

22. To me, that's the key of it. All of these assholes, from Cohen to Pottenger,

suddenly, they figure out what Trump is.

[SheltieLover]

26. She's doing a great job on committee, but she is a qpuke. Never forget that!

And Darth's spawn.

[nolabear]

27. This is true, but if we're smart they can be useful.

The GOP is divided and the Cheney branch is doing just what they have to in order to take tfg and his minions down. Our job is to unite and keep them from gaining unassailable power under the guise of, well, not being batshit crazy.

[llashram]

30. All on the

RW of American politics is changed. Compromise is BS. Confrontation is them. They have no morals, integrity or principles of decency since Nixon and trump just solidified all negative traits in a narcissistic political party. They are extremely dangerous to our democracy with their 'brownshirts' turning community, school board meetings and public hearings into a shamble of fascist bullshit.

This post is gold.

[dlk]

32. Republicans haven't just recently morphed into their current iteration

This is what they have been for the past 100 years. Leopards don’t ordinarily change their spots. However, in times of crisis, former adversaries can unite against a common enemy.

[paleotn]

37. She's an enemy. Just not THE enemy.

Lucian Truscott IV. His granddad, General Lucian Truscott Jr., had a hell of a career. One of only 2 American officers to command a division, a corp and finally a field army in WWII. Dad knew guys who served in Truscott's 3rd Division in Sicily and Italy. They thought very well of him. Grandson is a chip off the old block.

[Farmer-Rick]

52. Lucian K. Truscott IV got an other than honorable discharge from the Army

He never finished his commission after getting a free college education from West Point.

Not so sure I would trust this guy.

[paleotn]

63. A lot more to it than that.

You merely brushed the surface.

By the way, he's a decedent of Thomas Jefferson and invited Sally Heming's decedents to the Jefferson family reunion in 2000. Something that had never been done before.

[Farmer-Rick]

69. Yeah, no one's all good or bad

Except for maybe Trump and his pals

But other than honorable is usually not a good sign.

[gulliver]

40. It's really helpful to Cheney for some on the "lefter" side to attack her.

So, I'm Ok with it. I see her role as a defender of democracy as superseding her role as a political opponent. Hopefully she can use this Salon (I was one of their first subscribers back in the day) article to help bolster her cred in her party.

[Mr. Ected]

46. This isn't helpful. The J6 isn't about politics, it isn't about Democrat vs. Republican

It's about Democrat and Republican against fascism, against Trumpism, against the fall of democracy.

We have nothing in common with Liz Cheney other than a desire to wrest power away from those that deem even other Republicans as enemies to their cause.

We can continue destroying Liz politically when the smoke clears. But for now, we're playing on the same team, at least as to the most important issue that Americans are currently confronted with.

[pazzyanne]

50. Exactly! nt

[Joinfortmill]

122. 👍

[ShazzieB]

129. Amen to this.

[secondwind]

48. GOD BLESS LIZ CHENEY!

That is all I have to say..............

[Rstrstx]

90. I agree

I can put aside her politics (which Salon seems unable to do) and admire her for the fact that she is doing the right thing, unlike most of the rest of the spineless Republicans who fell in line.

And I would hate Trump’s guts too if he tried to have anyone killed, myself included, if it got in his way of a brazen power grab.

[Pepsidog]

51. Universal truths about all republicans.

[diane in sf]

53. Cheney is doing well at clearing out the tRumpistas, but she is awful in the rest of her beliefs.

She’s useful now, but not to be trusted down the line.

[jgmiller]

56. The enemy of my enemy is my friend

We don't have to agree with Cheney's politics to agree that she is doing the right thing. Right now she is a friend, in some future she won't be a friend but at that same time she won't be a Trump either.

Politics work in the US when both sides can work together, that doesn't happen anymore and that's when things like Trump can come in. Cheney is trying to clean house and defend the constitution and for that she should be applauded. We need to work together to right the ship. Once that's done we can go back to arguing over policy.

As a side note I think Cheney's long game on this is once the GOP completely implodes over this she will rebuild it from the ashes and either be speaker or president one day.

[BlueMTexpat]

114. This ...

with careful wariness!

[Joinfortmill]

123. Agree

[gibraltar72]

57. I have always been aware she will turn

back to being a POS Cheney soon.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

60. Salon ...

Unrec .

[Just A Box Of Rain]

68. +1

[Kaleva]

62. I doubt anyone here is voting for her. Ergo, none of us are conned.

[Beringia]

64. I thought Cheney was rude to Pat Cipollone

when she first asked if any staff wanted the mob to stay in the capitol and then changed it to in the White House. Pat Cipollone did not hear her correct herself and say The White House and then she said to him, I said White House and he overtly apologized.

It just struck me how he Cipollone didn't need to grovel to her.

But I agree with most people on this thread, why were these people working for Trump in the first place, you can see he is devoid of morals and honor from miles away.

[ShazzieB]

134. Well, being willing to work for him shows that they weren't the most perceptive bunch, lol.

And since they were dumb enough to go to work for him in the first place, it shouldn't be too surprising that they approve of some of the things he did (up until he tried to overthrow the government) and chose to say so when they testified. When you think about it, all of those things are pretty consistent with each other.

[Iggo]

65. Sense.

Just remember who Liz Cheney was before January 6th. She’s still that person.

[pressbox69]

67. I like what she is doing now but

I don't trust her as far as I can throw her old man.

[Bettie]

70. We just have to remember

that she is our temporary ally in this one thing.

She is still not on our side in any other way, but on this ONE thing, she's doing the right thing.

She's still a Cheney.

[AntiFascist]

71. I still think there needs to be more focus on the role of Flynn and his associates...

as summarized here pretty clearly:

Reuters reported in December 2021 that Flynn and associated military-intelligence veterans played a central role in spreading false information alleging the 2020 election had been stolen from Trump. Phil Waldron, a psychological operations expert, said he worked with Flynn on secret projects during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and worked in clandestine services under Flynn at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Waldron had distributed a 38-page PowerPoint presentation detailing an elaborate theory that China and Venezuela had taken control of voting machines — a theory also promoted by Trump and Flynn attorney Sidney Powell. Waldron said he had conveyed his theory to congressman Louie Gohmert who immediately called Trump. Waldron soon met with Powell and Rudy Giuliani before attending a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office. Waldron said he spoke with Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows several times and discussed his theory with several members of Congress. The presentation recommended that Trump declare a national security emergency to delay the January 6 certification of electors, reject all ballots cast by machine, and have paper ballots secured by U.S. marshals and National Guard troops to conduct a recount. Flynn also worked with Ivan Raiklin, a former special forces officer who presented himself as a constitutional attorney, though Reuters could not find evidence he had such expertise. Raiklin promoted conspiracy theories involving Pence, intelligence agencies, big tech, China and the postal service. On December 22, he tweeted to Trump a two-page memo entitled, "Operation Pence Card," describing how the vice president might reject electors from states Biden won and in which Trump alleged fraud. Trump retweeted the Raiklin tweet. Seth Keshel, a former Army intelligence officer, conducted a statistical analysis that falsely[307] claimed to prove the 2020 election results were fraudulent; he told Reuters he contacted Flynn and they began collaborating. Shortly after the election, Flynn, Powell, Keshel and others gathered for days of strategy sessions at the South Carolina estate of Lin Wood. Also present was Doug Logan, the CEO of Cyber Ninjas, which managed the controversial election audit in Maricopa County, Arizona after Waldron recommended him to Arizona Senate president Karen Fann. A Flynn fundraising organization provided most of the $5.7 million funding for that audit, which ultimately affirmed Biden's victory in Arizona without proving fraud.[308][309][310]

Flynn was subpoenaed for testimony and documents by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack in November 2021; he appeared before the committee in March 2022 but exercised his Fifth Amendment right to decline to answer questions.[311]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Flynn

[Joinfortmill]

124. Flynn needs to be stripped of his rank.

[andym]

72. This analysis truly misses the point that the GOP is now a neo-fascist party

Last edited Sat Jul 23, 2022, 10:38 PM - Edit history (1)

willing to keep power by any means necessary. Republicans like Liz Cheney who support all of their policies-- the adults in the room-- will never take back their party. Why? because Republicans have seen they have a winning strategy with their culture wars etc and that they remain as minority in the country, so they are more than happy to act anti-democratically. So, the Liz Cheney's of that party will never get a chance to take the GOP back: it's the second generation Trumpers like DeSantis and Abbott who will lead that party forward.

[Joinfortmill]

73. 'The enemy of my enemy' and all that implies is where were at right now.

[Merlot]

74. Every word of this:

It's a con job. Don't believe a word of it. They're just ridding themselves of a cancer they accidentally found growing on one of their legs so they can continue stomping on poor people and women and gay people and anybody they don't like and ensuring we stay in our place. They're Republicans. It's what they do.

I've suspected that these hearings with all the "concerned" republicans is a way to normalize the politics of trump, while at the same time getting rid of trump himself.

[JI7]

76. There is no Con Job. These people seem upset she is going after Trump

[Straw Man]

77. The author misses a major point ...

... which is that Cheney may stand for social values that we find abhorrent, but her opposition in the Republican Party stands for those same values plus a dedication to removing the populace's choice in the matter by destroying the framework of our democracy. When given a choice between a conservative opposition and full-blown fascism, which one would you prefer?

[Novara]

81. She is doing a service. Doesn't mean she doesn't hold despicable political positions.

Look, Cheney is not the sole person on the J6 committee making decisions regarding witnesses. She is not the only person making sure most of the witnesses are Republicans. Does this author think she is railroading Bennie Thompson? Adam Schiff? Jamie Raskin? Zoe Lofgren?

The reason they're putting on so many Republicans is to get the attention of Republicans. Duh. It makes the message seem less like a "partisan witch hunt."

I've got news for this writer if he thinks any ONE of those witnesses will start their public testimony by saying, "I thought from the start that the entire administration was shit and that's why I stayed for four years and quit on January 6." C'mon. They were all loyal pieces of crap happily participating in the most corrupt administration in history. Until they reached a limit and quit. And yes, I do think that some of them found their spines far too late, but they found their spines and they gave informative testimony.

Once again so that the writer of that article can hear clearly: IT'S OK TO APPRECIATE THE JOB CHENEY IS DOING AND DISAGREE WITH HER ON EVERYTHING SHE STANDS FOR. Fuck help us if we're all such simpletons that we can't hold competing thoughts at the same time. We can despise the Pottingers of the world and be disgusted with the praise he gave the corrupt regime while also understanding that even he reached a breaking point and was willing to testify. Doesn't mean he is our new hero. Fuck no.

Life isn't all black and all white. And we can appreciate some things while despising others - in the same person! People are not simple. Anybody does themselves a disservice if they only think of someone in simplistic terms.

And I have one last bit of news for that writer: of COURSE the Republicans want their party back. Holy fuck, did he think they were all going to curl up in a ball and slither away forever?

What a stupid editorial. Shit.

[appmanga]

101. Thank you...

...I will likely not agree with Liz Cheney on much, and that's not just how politics works, that's how the world works. Just like I would stand with conservatives and Republicans to fight if an enemy invaded this country, I'm good with standing with them to fight this enemy. Is Liz Cheney happy about Trump's appointments to the Supreme Court? I'd bet she damned sure is. Is she happy with his tax cuts? I'd bet she damned sure is. If insurrection is her line in the sand, and she's willing to give up a position of power in her caucus and probably lose her seat, I have no problem giving her a bit of admiration for the one time we're on the same side.

[Novara]

142. It makes me nuts when ...

... people can't understand that it's OK to admire and despise the same person. Cheney is doing a service to America and possibly tanking her career for it. That garners respect - or at least it should.

Her political positions are every single thing I work against and I have no respect for her from a political standpoint; however, her patriotism and service to the country should be respected. The fact that she won't have much of a political career to salvage is all right with me as well. Idealogues like her are dangerous for Americans. The job she is now doing is good for America the country, but her political positions make her bad for Americans, the people.

I tend to rail against binary thinking. She isn't all good or all bad. She is both. Yet at the same time I can see not one redeeming feature in the orange fuck. I DO see him as all bad, all the time. Some people are just wastrels.

[betsuni]

150. +1

[Joinfortmill]

126. Amen

[Kid Berwyn]

86. Truscott is a great American and spot-on!

He is a descendant of Thomas Jefferson. He saw to it that the Family Association should also recognize Jefferson’s descendants through his relationship with Sally Hemings, a woman enslaved by the third President.

[czarjak]

89. Klannyanne is not too proud to not pat herself on the back for a job well-done either.

[Wolf Frankula]

91. She's a right wing Republican who's

a Never Ever Trumper. I have to say I agree with her being a Never Ever Trumper.

Wolf

[Progressive dog]

92. It was obvious why they had Trump loyalists testifying.

They were the only people there while Trump was planning and watching the insurrection. That's usually the way it works.

[ShazzieB]

135. Exactly.

[Six117]

93. The absolute TRUTH!

[H2O Man]

99. I think that 99.9%

of us know exactly who she is, and what her stands on every issue other than Trump are.

Obviously, she would be getting republican witnesses to talk. That shouldn't need to be pointed out, since the only witnesses other than those who were attacked were those associated with Trump, including his administration.

Alsp, having republicans testify against Trump is a good thing, since the hearings are entirely about reaching an audience that does not include those who already knew Trump was guilty as sin.

[Hotler]

100. She's there to protect neocon interest. If the fascist take control they stand a chance of

losing a lot. Their plan to take over the Mideast has not gone away, just on hold.

[orangecrush]

102. I support the January 6th committee

PERIOD.


And to me this comes off as a division sowing hit piece with the intention of undermining Democratic faith in the committee.

[Joinfortmill]

127. Me too.

[kentuck]

103. I don't think it is a "con-job"...

Yes, we all understand how Republicans operate, but in this instance, I think Liz Cheney is being sincere in her attempt to hold Trump accountable for his attack upon our democracy.

Also, we understand that she is running in a primary in August, which she is expected to lose. She is trying to appeal to the women vote and crossover Democrats, in hopes they can pull her thru.

We know her Daddy is Dick Cheney.

But what she is doing is more important than either the Democratic or the Republican Party. She is attempting to save our country from a fascist takeover.

It is a disservice, in my opinion, to try and make this about something it is not, at this time.

[Joinfortmill]

128. Exactly

[DFW]

104. She'll do anything for Reagan. But she won't do that.

She risked her seat to do this. No one is under any illusion about her views on anything else, but if she has enough of a spine to do this, the one thing it does prove is that she can be talked to. She could have gone over to the dark side, and made her re-election a lock. She chose not to. That indicates to me that it is at least worthwhile to keep the lines of communication open. If she wants to sever them once this is over, it's on her.

[orangecrush]

105. Well spoken.

[SouthernDem4ever]

106. Cheney knows full well that if our democracy is threatened

so is their lifestyle. When anarchy happens, the rich can go down with the poor just as quickly.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

107. Cui Bono?

She's going to lose her seat. How does she benefit?

[madaboutharry]

108. This is a nasty article written by someone very impressed with himself.

Liz Cheney has always been a deeply conservative person. What else is new.

She is going to lose her seat over having voted to impeach Trump and her participation on the J6 committee.

I don’t have time for people who think every adult in the country should be a progressive democrat. What bullshit. A functioning nation requires those with differing political views. That is the definition of a democracy. The problem is when lunatic authoritarians seek to undermine the fabric of democracy.

We should thank Liz Cheney for the stand she has taken and calling out these criminals and nut jobs.

[betsuni]

110. +1

[JI7]

112. When I see things like this I feel like they are angry that she is going after Trump

Remember how people use to think and some still think or try to claim that Glenn Greenwald was a liberal and he was upset with democrats for not being left enough .

But he was always a piece of shit that supported right wing trash .

[betsuni]

116. +1

[CosimoR]

113. A functioning democracy?

Actually, in a functioning democracy, every adult should respect every other adult's right to bodily autonomy, to equal freedom to love and marry whom they choose, and-- most important of all-- to equal participation in voting. Adults can disagree on economic policy, foreign policy, etc. If they can restrict other adults' participation in society, then we don't have a functioning democracy.

I'm grateful to the few Republicans who have gone out on a limb to call out Trump's abuses. But how many of them support the equal participation of all citizens in democracy? How many of them will support voting rights, women's rights, racial justice, LGBTQ equality? I think the answer is, none. "Functioning democracy," to them, doesn't include equal participation of all citizens. For Cheney and her fellow travelers, democracy is functioning properly when money determines all the outcomes.

[Joinfortmill]

130. Yes, yes and yes.

[ShazzieB]

137. Yes totally of this!

[cstanleytech]

109. My bet is she is trying to position herself for a run at the Senate in a few years as a moderate.

[JI7]

115. That makes no sense

[betsuni]

117. +1

[CosimoR]

111. A historical analogy

Stalin enabled Hitler as long as it seemed to suit his interests, and only realized his mistake when Hitler invaded the USSR and mortally threatened Stalin's own power.

Then Stalin joined in the patriotic war against fascism. The USA did the right thing in joining forces with him in that cause. But anyone who thought that Stalin could be trusted any further than this was totally wrong.

Trump's attack on the Constitution was a step too far for Cheney, like Hitler's step beyond the partition of Poland that he and Stalin had agreed upon. Cheney was fine with attacks on the constitutional rights of women, LGBTQ people, and voters of all races, sexual orientations, and religions. She may aid us in getting Republicans to see Trump for what he is. Beyond that, we can trust her to stick to her anti-democratic dispositions.

[betsuni]

120. What an emotional article. We aren't five years old.

[JohnSJ]

121. What I remember about Salon is article after article bashing Hillary every chance they could get

in 2016.

There is no “con job” being done here, except perhaps by Truscott, who fails to grasp what the purpose of the January 6th committee is, and that is to determine who were part of the conspiracy and insurrection to overthrow our government.

This has nothing to do with the ideological differences between republicans and Democrats, but with trying to prevent another January 6th from happening, and informing the public, so hopefully the DOJ will indict those responsible.

The fact that it is republicans who are testifying, makes this not a political circus, and credible.

Truscott is a political commentator and author, not a legislator, or part of the DOJ.

What would he want the January 6th committee to do? kick Cheney off the committee, and only want testimony from those who were opposed to trump and his thugs from the beginning?

[betsuni]

125. +1

[Joinfortmill]

133. Exactly

[ShazzieB]

136. Well stated!

[DonCoquixote]

140. do not let the rats leaving a sinking ship get on board to mutiny

As much as Trump was worse than Bush, we can't allow ourselves to forget two things.

ONE: Bush, Reagan, Bush Jr. were all very very bad, causing a lot of lost lives. They aimed right at Social Security, and also wanted to let the Church gain a dominant hand. In some ways, the one silver lining (albeit a tinfoil one) was that Trump exposed how ugly the GOP really is, we do not need another "compassionate conservative" to mix saccharine and cyanide.

TWO: the minute these people are allowed and forgiven, they will always try to tilt things rightward. They will all put on the "centrist" act, hoping we forget that centrism is not balanced when the billionaires and churches are pressing their thumbs on the scale. Mitt, Cheney, you may have said some nice insults to trump, which is kind of like admitting two and two do make four. Do not think you deserve praise for admitting WE WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG.

[usaf-vet]

143. I have one question. Are Cheney and Kinzinger helping the credibility of the committee over.....

.... the short run, or are they hindering the hearings?

I, for one, see them both as an asset to the J6 committee. With no republicans on the committee, it would have NO credibility at all.

MSM would report it with the same both sides do it attitude.

Imagine if it were any of the following Gym Jordan, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Boebert, and Cawthron on the committee.

When you are drowning in a sea of lies and corruption, don't shun the hand that reaches out to help.

None of those mentioned above people will ever get my vote, but in this case, Cheney and Kinzinger get a thank you for doing your part to expose the cultists.

[Nixie]

144. What a bunch of naive hooey. This piece is completely clueless

as to the “smug, self-satisfied con job” that’s been perpetrated on our own party by so-called allies, and it keeps going on and on and on as we’re told that the “criticism” is really doing us a favor. What a joke.

It’s specifically because Liz Cheney is who she is that is making this so effective. I don’t see her siding with Trumper MAGAs and passing them off as “working class” left behind by Democrats. She is focused on Trump and ridding our country of his scourge. Thank God!

[betsuni]

151. +1000000000000000000000000

[Montauk6]

147. I'm there more as a fan of the TRUE Avengers

Big Bennie Thompson
Joltin' Jamie Raskin
No Excuses Elaine Luria
Absolute Adam Schiff
Zoe the Zenith Lofgren

[Samrob]

152. She has yet to say "no" to a Presidential run. You know how much she despised HRC, nt