Will Trump’s Bid to Sabotage the January 6 Committee Fail?
"The Democrats don't matter. The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit." –Steve Bannon
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes & Steve ‘Rasputin’ Bannon have both made statements over the last few days about their willingness to testify before the January 6 Select Committee, with one proviso; that their testimony be public.
It’s a trap.
I’m hoping the committee can see through this attempt to disrupt their investigation. And I also think it means they’re getting close to some more testimony that the Trump camp will find distasteful.
The Republican strategy of turning a Congressional hearing into a clown circus succeeded with both attempts to impeach the former-President.
The impeachment hearings featured lots of theater –Congressmen storming into a classified briefing–, character assassination of witnesses – like U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman– and blatant distractions –Sen Lindsey Graham’s “press conference.” The occasional bleating about Benghazi and Hillary’s emails by the likes of Rep. Jim Jordan was icing on the cake..
As the Guardian noted during the first impeachment hearings:
Trump’s playbook when he faced special counsel Robert Mueller was to seek to discredit the investigation as a corrupt, partisan “witch-hunt” with no grounding in fact. He is pursuing a similar strategy now, with the help of young Republican members in Congress who recognize that the fastest route to building power – and fame, and perhaps even wealth – in today’s Washington is to be seen defending the president on TV.
Under this strategy, the substance of the impeachment inquiry does not matter; it only matters what the inquiry looks like to the American voters who stand behind the members of Congress in whose hands Trump’s fate lies. Each degree that Trump is able to move the conversation away from his alleged misdeeds and toward supposed flaws in the process or poison in the politics represents a success for him.
House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy (who likely acted on Trump's orders at the time) refused to seat any Republicans on the committee after Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana as potential disruptors.
“With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these Members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee,” she said at the time
So the Trumpy Republicans had nobody on the inside to keep them apprised of what evidence the January 6th committee was gathering and nobody on the dais to complain about Hunter Biden (or whatever) to distract from their focus.
Now Trump says McCarthy was foolish in backing out of GOP participation in the committee.
The public hearings on the January 6 insurrection have revealed a serious effort to put together a comprehensive account of the events of the day. Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony provided crucial insight into actions within the White House and was widely viewed by the public.
Former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone’s testimony behind closed doors on Friday was enough to trigger a Trump tantrum, so it’s likely the committee learned more details.
Just as the committee’s work is being taken seriously, Steve Bannon comes out from under whatever pile of dirty clothes he lives under and says now that former President Trump has waived executive privilege he is “now willing to testify, ideally at a public hearing.”
The executive privilege claim is malarkey. The D.C. Circuit court ruled (upheld by the Supreme Court) that executive privilege claims will fail when balanced against the committee’s need for information. And he ain’t getting a public hearing.
“I expect that we will be hearing from him and there are many questions that we have for him,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren , who’s on the House committee, told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Bannon’s deposition is not likely to be broadcast live for the public due to the length of such sessions as the committee tries to get all its questions answered, she added.
Among the things Bannon was subpoenaed for (and refused to honor) were his podcasts relating to the insurrection. He and his lawyer freely admitted those weren't privileged, but still refused to provide them.
Steve Bannon was subpoenaed in September 2021. He defied that subpoena and was indicted for contempt by a grand jury in November 2021. It’s a little late for trying to dictate the terms of providing testimony now.
And, besides, why would anybody want to trust a guy who has made statements over time that he wants to burn the government down?
***
Oath Keeper Stewart Rhodes has already testified to the committee for 6 hrs. There is no need for him to testify as they can always play the tape of Rhodes mostly invoking his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.
Now, he’s promising to waive his Fifth Amendment rights in return for a day in front of the committee. Riiiight….
From Politico:
Rhodes, who is currently incarcerated while awaiting trial on seditious conspiracy charges for his role in the breach of the Capitol, says he wants the committee to arrange with the U.S. Marshals Service to permit him to appear in person at the Capitol complex rather than testify from the jail, and to be permitted to have his legal counsel accompany him.
“He wants to confront them,” Rhodes’ attorney James Bright said in a phone interview.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that these offers of testimony are coming on the eve of a hearing expected to focus on the role of extremist groups in the January 6 attack.
The January 6 Committee does have an insider who’s offered to testify about the Oath Keeper’s radicalization, namely former associate Jason Van Tatenhove.
From Mother Jones:
Van Tatenhove is expected to detail how Oath Keepers’ founder Stewart Rhodes used conspiracy theories and extreme causes to increase the group’s membership and prominence.
Rhodes, along with 10 other members of his group, was charged in January of this year with seditious conspiracy in connection with the January 6 attack. Members of the group wearing fatigues and body armor—including several who employed what prosecutors have said is a special formation used to move through crowds—stormed the Capitol that day.
Prosecutors have alleged Rhodes, who did not enter the Capitol building, led a conspiracy aimed at interrupting Congress’ proceedings and helping Trump remain in office. Rhodes remains incarcerated and has pleaded not guilty. Five members of the neofascist Proud Boys also face sedition charges in connection with January 6.
Programming notes: The Tuesday hearing of the Jan 6th Committee has been moved to 10am PDT. Apparently somebody noticed that the original time of 7am was a tad early for Left Coasters.
Reuters has a story up saying there will be prime time hearing on Thursday, July 14.
Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com