Thursday, June 16, 2022

Bigger Than Nixon

The third public hearing of the committee looking into the Trump insurrection takes place today. Liz Cheney has provided a preview of what's to come. Greg Sargent writes:

Cheney reminded us the committee has convincingly demonstrated that Trump was extensively informed he’d lost. Cheney then said Thursday’s hearing will focus on Trump’s relentless pressure on Pence to subvert the electoral count in Congress.

“President Trump had no factual basis for what he was doing, and he had been told it was illegal,” Cheney continued. Despite this, she added, Trump “plotted” with Eastman and others to overturn the election on Jan. 6, 2021.

A crucial hint there is that Trump had been told this was illegal. This suggests the committee might furnish new evidence that Trump had been warned that such pressure — which constituted an effort to push Pence into violating his official duty — could violate the law.

A source close to Cheney tells me the committee is very likely to present such evidence. When Cheney says such things, the source says, it’s “based on information the committee knows.”

Trump’s pressure on Pence to abuse his role as president of the Senate by delaying the election’s conclusion is the key that unlocks this whole scandal. Eastman concocted a bogus legal justification for Pence to secure this delay, which would allow states to revisit the voting, find it fraudulent and certify sham electors for Trump, overturning his loss.

But also critical is that Trump was told this would be illegal on Pence’s part. What’s more, Trump appears to have been told his pressure on Pence to do that might also be illegal.

We know Pence’s counsel drafted a memo forcefully informing Trump that if Pence carried out his scheme, he’d be in violation of the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which governs how Congress counts presidential electors.

Trump has never claimed, as Richard Nixon did, that he is "not a crook." But it's becoming abundantly clear that he is -- a much bigger crook than Nixon.

Image: You Tube

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Trump was made possible by the failure to hold Nixon accountable. Nixon should have been impeached after he resigned to prevent him ever running again and then been criminally charged. Instead, Ford couldn't pardon him quickly enough.

That set the precedent for the lawless presidencies that followed. The current congressional hearings underline how there have been no real consequences for any of the ringleaders of what was a carefully planned coup plot. With Watergate, at least some of the underlings went to jail. The US has given up even pretending that nobody is above the law.

Cap

Danneau said...

The whole Watergate hearings show was meant to be a prophylactic against a repeat performance, an object lesson to all who would suborn the democratic process. Then we collectively dusted off our hands and went back to sleep. The Trump cabal drew a different lesson, that being that he who would be king must act more boldly and on a grander scale. I'm not convinced that we're entirely awake enough to complete the righting of the ship.

Owen Gray said...

Exactly, Cap. There are those that the law can't touch.

Owen Gray said...

Unless Trump goes to prison, Danneau, the ship will go under.

Trailblazer said...

Trump. Nixon, Bush , Blair; do you really expect any of them to go to prison for their crimes of inhumanity?
Do you expect those exposed in the Panama papers to pay their fair share of taxes whilst countries cannot balance or meet budget requirements for lack of revenue?
Do you believe the Cullen report on money laundering in BC absolves the crookedness and greed of British Columbia's real estate industry?

We see the rich, famous and well connected enrich themselves daily .
We see it in our popular culture which promotes the ideals of the the Lord of the manor as being a benevolent character who wishes the best from his trickle down economics.

We are delusional ..

TB






the salamander said...

.. We’re deep into the ‘modern era’ of ‘the Attention Industry’
Perhaps we should be grateful ? With ethical pondscum like Alex Jones & Donald Trump, we’ve gotten past the Kardashian fashion frenzy of mere ‘personalities’ & into ‘The Real Dirt’

The spotlights of The Attention Industry spill some light onto the ‘fringe players’ too.. thus the enablers are revealed.. somewhat. We’re familiarized with the Bad & the Good, The Quick & the Dead, the Frog & the Scorpion

In Canada we may now identify or recognize the corrupt, the fixers, the wannabe, the manipulators or the bagmen. Not just the Big Fish. Same in the USA, Land of the Free ? Home of the Not So Brave.. and finally, the Apex Partisan Political PARASITES.

Trump is being stripped bare - The Stark Naked Emperor.. & we can gawk at Ivana, Barr, Giuliani, McConnell, de Santis, Hannity, Tucker Carlson - In Canada we see backroom creeps like Jenni Byrne saddling up Poilievre, and Jason Nixon the hulking Albertan ‘muscle’ for Jason Kenney. Doug Ford of course had Charles McVety as his religious front man.. until he had a Provincial toehold & dumped him .. and the heavyweight champ had to be Stephen Harper & his evangel sidekicks Ray Novak & Holier Than Thou Arthur Hamilton

I find it all fascinating Owen.. This is the era where Self Anointed pop star Political Parasites are above The Law.. Special & Exalted ‘gods’ & media darlings. Whether corrupt, toxic, ethically bankrupt.. so what ? They’re the Newsmakers ! All bow down.. and give these creeps two terms - eight years of absurd empowerment, entitlement & megawealth.. and we are but paltry peons & expected to please tithe respectfully & please pass the collection basket.. thankee !

Owen Gray said...

Indeed, we are, TB. And the wealthy continue to get their way.

Owen Gray said...

I like the phrase "Attention Industry," sal. What is paramount is attention. Good or Bad -- it doesn't matter.