1/6 Insurrection Investigation

[Rick Plant]

MAGA rioter with 'extensive ties' to Pennsylvania GOP has testified before Jan. 6 committee four times



A Capitol rioter who is described by Politico as having "extensive ties" with the Pennsylvania Republican Party has testified four times before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attacks.

Annie Howell, who is facing sentencing next week after pleading guilty to breaching the Capitol on January 6th, has apparently given significant information to the House Select Committee.

Politico learned of Howell's cooperation after her attorney, Heather Shaner, wrote in a sentencing memorandum that her client deserved leniency because of the valuable testimony she provided.

“The information she provided was investigated, verified and found to be valuable,” Shaner wrote.

According to Politico, Howell's cooperation may prove to be incredibly valuable in aiding the committee's work.

"No defendants until Annie Howell have publicly described ties that extend beyond the Jan. 6 attack and reach deeper into GOP establishment circles," the publication writes. "She described selling pro-Trump bracelets on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, Md. in early 2020, which she parlayed into graphic design work for the PA GOP. She then began recruitment work with the party as a volunteer, which led her to be involved in a slew of events with prominent Republicans, saying she was 'surrounded by Congressman, Senators, even Trump advisers.'"

https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-riot-committee-2656787588/

[Rick Plant]

Jan. 6 select committee zeroes in on another Alex Jones associate
The panel has subpoenaed records for Annette Shroyer, the mother of Jones employee Owen Shroyer.

The Jan. 6 select committee has subpoenaed phone records connected to an employee of Alex Jones, the second time in recent weeks the panel has homed in on a Jones associate as it seeks to pinpoint the pro-Trump broadcaster’s role preceding the Capitol attack.

Court documents filed Sunday evening reveal the panel has subpoenaed records for Annette Shroyer, the mother of Jones employee Owen Shroyer, who was charged last year for his participation in the Jan. 6 breach of Capitol grounds. Annette Shroyer is asking a judge to let her join Jones’ pending lawsuit against the Jan. 6 select committee, claiming the subpoena is an abuse of the committee’s power.

According to a copy of the subpoena filed with the court, Annette Shroyer received notice of the subpoena on Feb. 10, and Verizon indicated it would provide her records to the select committee unless she filed suit by Feb. 28.

It’s unclear if the select committee has also sought Owen Shroyer’s phone records, or if the subpoena for his mother’s records is an indication that Owen Shroyer remains on a family plan — a scenario that has led to other witness’ family members receiving subpoenas. The select committee declined to comment on the subpoena or Annette Shroyer’s effort to join Jones’ suit.

In the court filing, Jones’ attorney Norman Pattis indicates that Owen Shroyer “will properly assert the Fifth Amendment” against attempts by the Select Committee to obtain his records.

Jones’ role in Jan. 6 events remains somewhat opaque.

He has claimed to be involved in fundraising for Donald Trump’s rally on the Ellipse, which preceded the Capitol attack. He also led thousands of Trump allies in a march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Although he’s later seen on video, with Owen Shroyer at his side, urging Trump allies to avoid confrontations with police, Justice Department prosecutors have faulted Jones’ entourage for refusing to leave Capitol grounds even after a police officer appeared to direct them away from the building.

Jones has already pleaded the Fifth during his own appearance before the select committee and refused to produce documents, citing multiple constitutional protections. And he sued in December to prevent the panel from obtaining his phone records from Verizon.

Owen Shroyer is one of the few people connected to Jones and other top Trump allies who is facing criminal charges for breaching Capitol grounds. Prosecutors charged Shroyer with a misdemeanor for crossing police lines amid the attack and egging on the crowd at the foot of the Capitol. Shroyer was charged, in part, because he had previously signed an agreement to refrain from protest activity on Capitol grounds after he disrupted a Trump impeachment hearing in late 2019.

Earlier this month, a Jones security guard, Tim Enlow, joined Jones’ suit against the select committee, claiming that a subpoena for his phone records was a backdoor attempt to glean more information about Jones. The case is pending before U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama nominee confirmed in 2014.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/27/jan6-committee-alex-jones-shroyer-00012200

[Rick Plant]

Donald Trump Had Several Calls With Lawyer on Jan. 6, Committee Says

The House Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection has subpoenaed a lawyer who had reportedly been in contact with then-President Donald Trump the same day a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The committee on Tuesday issued letters to six witnesses demanding documents and testimony for what it described as their roles seeking to overturn the election in the leadup to the insurrection. Since being formed last year, the committee has turned its attention in recent months to how efforts by Trump and his inner circle to stay in power allegedly played into the attack.

Of the newly subpoenaed witnesses is Kurt Olsen, a lawyer who previously assisted with unsuccessful efforts to overturn President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. The committee's letter to Olsen states that he had "multiple telephone calls" with Trump on January 6 after previously providing legal assistance to help the then-president overturn the election.

Specifically, the letter points to Olsen's reported actions days before a mob seeking to block the certification of the 2020 election stormed the Capitol. Olsen, the letter states, contacted high-level U.S. Justice Department officials at Trump's direction to discuss bringing a last minute challenge to the election results based on a similar case already rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Additionally, Olsen reportedly drafted an executive order to be signed by Trump that would have directed the Justice Department "to take voter action," according to the letter. The letter does not explain what it means by the phrase.

During Trump's final days in office, Olsen's name appeared on a set of notes that MyPillow CEO and Trump ally Mike Lindell was photographed carrying after a White House meeting.

Newsweek could not reach Olsen for contact Tuesday afternoon.

The January 6 committee said in a statement that the most recent batch of subpoenas are directed at individuals "who promoted false claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and participated in, or encouraged, various actions based on those false claims."

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-had-several-calls-lawyer-jan-6-committee-says-1683900

[Rick Plant]

Jan. 6 panel increasingly focused on GOP lawmakers' coordination with Trump before insurrection



Recent court filings show the House select committee has been focused on investigating whether Republican lawmakers helped Donald Trump try to overturn his election loss.

The panel asked right-wing attorney John Eastman to prioritize turning over emails that included the names of 14 GOP lawmakers -- including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) -- and their staffs, although the committee's chairman Bennie Thompson expressed hope his colleagues would come forward voluntarily rather than possibly face subpoena, reported Politico.

“Why would you want to be noted in that light rather than explaining your side?” Thompson said. “It’s important, and that’s why we’ve asked them to come in voluntarily.”

The select committee is expected to obtain documents from the National Archives related to a December 2020 lawsuit filed by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) against then-vice president Mike Pence, and those documents could shed light on the Trump White House's involvement in the legal maneuver aimed at forcing Pence to reveal whether he would try to overturn the election.

Congressional investigators are also looking into Rudy Giuliani's contacts with lawmakers and trade adviser Peter Navarro's claims that members of Congress were recruited to delay the certification of Joe Biden's election win

They also want to know more about meetings between Trump and GOP lawmakers ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection, and a meeting described by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Steve Bannon's podcast that allegedly involved lawmakers pressuring Pence to delay or halt certification.

“We put forward arguments and affidavits and evidence. We showed him videos,” Gaetz told Bannon. ”We were in the Cabinet Room meeting with Mike Pence in the days leading up to Jan. 6, and I left quite disappointed that he was not motivated by our argument.”

Read more:

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/02/jan-6-probe-gop-donald-trump-00012960

[Rick Plant]

January 6 Committee says it believes Trump may have violated 'multiple' laws in attempt to overturn election



The House Select Committee investigating the January 6th riots on the United States Capitol now believes that former President Donald Trump violated "multiple laws" in his quest to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

In a court filing unveiled on Wednesday, the committee argued that notorious "coup memo" attorney John Eastman does not have the right to attorney-client privilege to avoid testifying before the committee on the grounds that he and others committed what the committee believes was illegal activity.

In the filing, the committee writes that it has "a good-faith belief that Mr. Trump and others may have engaged in criminal and/or fraudulent acts" in their attempts to overturn the election.

Among other things, the committee argues that it has enough evidence to justify "a good-faith basis for concluding that President Trump has violated section 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2)," which is obstructing an official act of Congress. What's more, writes the committee, it believes it can prove that Trump did so with corrupt intent.

The committee also writes that it has "a good-faith basis for concluding that the President and members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371."

The House Select Committee has been trying to secure Eastman's testimony about his efforts to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the results of the 2020 election.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-capitol-riot-commitee-2656830154/


January 6 Committee will seek to nullify attorney-client privilege between Trump and John Eastman: experts



On Wednesday, the House January 6 Committee released a bombshell court filing arguing that they have sufficient evidence to refer former President Donald Trump for criminal charges of obstruction of Congress and conspiracy to defraud the United States for his role in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

According to multiple legal experts, the report lays the groundwork to, among other things, persuade a court to nullify Trump's attorney-client privilege with attorney John Eastman, who drafted the memo laying out a plan to throw out presidential electors in states Joe Biden won, and who is currently under an ethics investigation by the State Bar of California.

Such a ruling would give House investigators wide latitude to subpoena communications between Trump and Eastman, possibly establishing further evidence for their criminal allegations.

@JoyceWhiteVance The crime fraud exception is used to obtain testimony even when there is an assertion of attorney-client privilege. You can’t hide your crimes by claiming the privilege. Big news.

From J6C's 221 pg. brief: "Plaintiff’s documents should be reviewed..by this Court for application of the crime/fraud exception..Although the investigation is continuing..sufficient information already exists to justify in camera review and likely rejection of those privileges."

@HugoLowell Hearing the Jan. 6 committee will reference in filing tonight Trump lawyer John Eastman was involved in a potential crime — in order to argue he cannot cite attorney-client privilege to withhold some docs from inquiry

As former Solicitor General Neal Katyal noted, another basis the committee lays out for rejecting attorney-client privilege claims between Trump and Eastman is that the "engagement letter" — the document outlining their legal relationship — appears to never have actually been signed, meaning Eastman's status as Trump's attorney may not even have been legally codified.





https://www.rawstory.com/trump-capitol-riot-commitee-2656830229/

[Rick Plant]

Oath Keeper says Stewart Rhodes told him to be ready to use 'lethal force' to stop Trump from being removed



On Wednesday, Josh James, one of the 11 Oath Keepers charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the January 6 Capitol insurrection, accepted a plea agreement in a major turning point for the criminal proceedings relating to the event.

But according to CBS News' Scott MacFarlane, the key reporter covering the January 6 cases, James' plea deal involves giving deeply incriminating evidence against Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, also charged in the conspiracy — including an allegation that he instructed his followers to be ready to kill anyone, even members of the Armed Forces, who sought to remove President Donald Trump from office.

"In the weeks leading up to January 6, 2021, Rhodes instructed James and other coconspirators to be prepared, if called upon, to report to the White House grounds to secure the perimeter and use lethal force if necessary against anyone who tried to remove President Trump from the White House, including the National Guard or other government actors who might be sent to remove President Trump as a result of the Presidential Election," said the plea deal signed by James.

@MacFarlaneNews Jan 6 defendant Josh James signs plea deal saying:

"(Stewart) Rhodes instructed James &..conspirators to be prepared, if called upon, to report to the White House grounds to secure the perimeter & use lethal force if necessary against anyone who tried to remove President Trump"



The Oath Keepers are a far-right paramilitary group consisting mainly of current and retired military and police officers, who swear to refuse to enforce any law or directive that conflicts with the group's extremist interpretation of the Constitution.

The group was active on the Capitol grounds during the January 6 attack, where they formed military "stacks" that charged into the building. They have claimed that the stacks were only activated in response to the shooting death of rioter Ashli Babbitt by Capitol Police, although time stamps prove they began their assault before the shooting occurred. A separate video shows Oath Keepers escorting Trump ally Roger Stone in D.C. earlier in the day, raising questions about how linked they are to members of the former president's inner circle.

Rhodes himself, who maintains his actions were not criminal, has been denied pretrial release after a judge determined he was a "clear danger." His estranged wife has testified against him, noting that he built "elaborate escape tunnels" in his backyard.

https://www.rawstory.com/oath-keeper-guilty-plea-2656830051/

[Rick Plant]

Photograph of *Roger Stone* on *JANUARY 6th* with Joshua James, who just pled to SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY and obstructing an official proceeding and is facing 7-9 years in prison as part of a full cooperation agreement.

This is going to get quite interesting.




Oath Keeper pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy in landmark Capitol riot legal development

Joshua James, a member of the Oath Keepers and a co-defendant of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, has pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy.

As CBS News' Scott MacFarlane reports, James's guilty plea is "a big win" for the United States Department of Justice and "potentially... problematic" for Rhodes, who has pleaded not guilty to seditious conspiracy charges.

According to MacFarlane, James is admitting that his actions at the Capitol were intended to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and that they were done as part of a plan concocted by Rhodes.

Additionally, James's plea deal is contingent upon his cooperation with prosecutors.

Although many Capitol rioters have been charged for their roles in breaching the Capitol and committing acts of violence, Rhodes and some of his fellow Oath Keepers are so far the only ones to face the very serious seditious conspiracy charges.

"The seditious conspiracy indictment alleges that, following the Nov. 3, 2020, presidential election, Rhodes conspired with his co-defendants and others to oppose by force the execution of the laws governing the transfer of presidential power by Jan. 20, 2021," the DOJ alleged in its indictment. "Beginning in late December 2020, via encrypted and private communications applications, Rhodes and various co-conspirators coordinated and planned to travel to Washington, D.C., on or around Jan. 6, 2021, the date of the certification of the electoral college vote, the indictment alleges. Rhodes and several co-conspirators made plans to bring weapons to the area to support the operation. The co-conspirators then traveled across the country to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area in early January 2021."

https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1499152592768806912

[Richard Smith]

Yawn.  How long can this go on?