DC Unrest Megathread

[JA]

Trump may have lost the office of the Presidency and the powers it bestows, but he'll still have his fascistic mob. The only good thing about them, so far, is that Trump's completely incompetent and has no real long-term plans; he just makes sh*t up as he goes. Like I said in 2016, it's people like Cruz who worry me much more, especially people like Hawley and him who are deliberately stoking the flames and seeking to manipulate the MAGA crowd for their own ambitions. This is only the beginning, mark my words.

[JA]

Trump is supporting the coup.

https://twitter.com/byaaroncdavis/status/1346908166030766080?s=20

What did you expect? This is what Trump & Co. want. They thrive in this chaos. They aren't going to deploy troops against their own.

[JA]

Fascism is turning colonialism/imperialism inward, designating in/out-groups, and employing violence to restore the privileges/"dignity" of the in-group. White supremacists, (some) Evangelicals, anti-feminists, xenophobes, homophobes, and other all assorted bigots who feel like their privileged status is being subverted by simultaneously dangerous, yet weak, "fifth columns" and "degenerates" are drawn to the deliberately (and proudly) illogical ideology and rhetorical appeals of Fascism. It's a cult of grievance, paranoia, and insecurity that's heavily armed, unpersuadable by reason, and desperate for a strongman (who both praises and panders to them while secretly looking upon his ability to dominate them with disgust) to lead them in a perpetual war to restore their "god-given privileges rights."

Hmmm... sounds familiar, eh?

[JA]

Oath Keeper claims she was VIP security at Trump rally before riot and says she met with Secret Service agents

A leader in an alleged Oath Keepers conspiracy in the US Capitol insurrection claims she was given a VIP pass to the pro-Trump rally on January 6, had met with Secret Service agents and was providing security for legislators and others, including in their march to the Capitol, according to a new court filing.

[…]

"On January 5 and 6, Ms. Watkins was present not as an insurrectionist, but to provide security to the speakers at the rally, to provide escort for the legislators and others to march to the Capitol as directed by the then-President, and to safely escort protestors away from the Capitol to their vehicles and cars at the conclusion of the protest," the court filing said on Saturday. "She was given a VIP pass to the rally. She met with Secret Service agents. She was within 50 feet of the stage during the rally to provide security for the speakers. At the time the Capitol was breached, she was still at the site of the initial rally where she had provided security."

[…]

Prosecutors previously said Watkins had waited for direction from Trump -- and believed she had received it before she joined the siege, allegedly leading several others into the Capitol building to fight against Congress' certification of the Electoral College vote.

Watkins' defense attorney, Michelle Peterson, wrote on Saturday that her client and other supporters of Trump had believed the then-President would invoke the Insurrection Act to use the military to overturn what he falsely said was the fraudulent election of Joe Biden. And Watkins and others believed "they would have a role if this were to happen," the filing said.

[…]

The attorney also noted that Watkins now faces risks in jail, because of the coronavirus and because she is transgender.