NYT reporter Luke Broadwater has released a Jan 4 memo alleged to have been sent from Trump-toady specially-appointed Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller to the Secretary of the Army regarding the DC National Guard.
The DC National Guard was under the authority of the Secretary of the Army. The DC Guard (DCNG) had requested additional authority to keep DC secure on the impending date of counting the Electoral College votes on Jan 6.
Miller is responding to that request.
2/13
According to this memo, Miller forbids the Army from approving a number of things, without Miller's own "personal authorization."
Here are the things DCNG is forbidden, unless Miller said otherwise:
3/13
1. DCNG may not be "issued weapons, ammunition, bayonets, batons, or ballistic protection equipment such as helmets and body armor"
... so they can't have any weapons or armor, which they might need in case of a riot.
4/13
2. DCNG would be allowed to "interact physically with protestors, except when necessary in self-defense or defense with others"
... so they would not be allow to prevent the insurrectionists from, say, storming the Capitol.
5/13
3. DCNG would not be allowed to "employe any riot control agents"
... so they'd get no pepper spray or water cannons or shields or rubber bullets.
6/13
4. DCNG would not be allowed "to share equipment with law enforcement agencies"
... so DCNG, which had armor and riot control agents it couldn't use, couldn't give any of that to DC police or Capitol police.
7/13
5. DCNG couldn't "use Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets" or "conduct ISR or Incident, Awareness, and Assessment activities"
... so they couldn't try to find out what was going on beyond what they could immediately see.
8/13
6. DCNG couldn't "employ helicopters or any other air assets"
... so, again, they couldn't get eyes above the city to see what was happening, or to move troops people rapidly around.
9/13
7. DCNG couldn't "conduct searches, seizures, arrests, or other similar direct law enforcement activity"
Military forces usually can't do law enforcement, but Miller's telling them they can't even detain insurrectionist terrorists. Have to just let them do what they do.
10/13
8. DCNG can't "seek support from any non-DCNG National Guard units"
... so they couldn't ask Maryland or Virginia National Guard (which didn't have these restrictions) to help them.
11/13
Now bear in mind, the FBI and other intelligence agencies had informed Acting Secretary of Defense Miller that right-wing terrorist organizations were planning to riot in DC on Jan 6. They may have told him these groups wanted to attack the Capitol.
12/13
If this Jan 4 memo is taken at face value, Acting Secretary of Defense Miller ORDERED THE DC NATIONAL GUARD TO DO NOTHING on Jan 6, and denied them any possibility of being able to respond to Trump's upcoming insurrection.
13/13
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They can now be forced to testify. No Fifth. No privileges. If they refuse, they're in contempt and can sit in jail until they talk. If they lie, that's a new crime that isn't pardoned.
Trump is screwing himself.
This applies to all federal investigations. (Not state investigations, where ALL of these people can still be charged with state crimes. Trump can't pardon those.)
Additionally, if they get charged with state crimes that are similar to the federal crimes for which they've been pardoned, the fact they were found guilty of the federal crimes will be taken as evidence that they are also guilty of the state crimes.
I'm damned tired of hearing people insisting "The Biden Administration MUST DO XXX!! or else ...."
I think few Americans understand the idea of a representative democracy, where we elect people who are supposed to make decisions--rather than having a plebiscite on each decision.
Of course you should be expressing your positions to elected officials. And of course you should be speaking out, and loudly.
There are good reasons they're elected officials and you're not. They also have access to information you don't.
I had spinal surgery six years ago. I found a doctor I trusted, and never once said, "You better DO IT THIS WAY OR ELSE!!"
Specialists are hired because they spend their lives learning something so I don't have to.
Republicans have spent four years wallowing in Trump's bullshit and smearing it all over their bodies. Watch them try to wash off the stink starting in January.
BUT: They will continue to produce the same shit (GIGO), and some will claim to be the Second Shitting of Trump.
1/8
The racist dung-beetles who feast on this stuff will stay in the cafeteria line and keep buying it. We won't be rid of Trumpian Fascism for a long time, since he's the Frankenstein's Offal which the Republican Party has been collecting since Nixon. Trump was intentional.
2/8
Trump is not the disease, he's just the plague-flea that carries it. The Republican Party consists of the rats that eagerly host the flea. Trump's failures, in what passes for a Republican "mind", are not his extremes, but his timing and his incompetence.
3/8
I gave up hope many years ago. Instead of hope, I make plans. If a plan works, I celebrate, take a breather, and make a new plan. If it fails, I morn, take a breather, and make a new plan.
Either way, I keep walking.
1/5
Tonight, for the first time in a very long time, I'm feeling hopeful.
Don't worry. It won't last.
But I think a confluence of events have caused this aberration.
We defeated Orange Hitler.
We elected a black woman for VP.
Jupiter is in close conjunction with Saturn.
2/5
Two vaccines have been approved against the #TrumpVirus.
This is the night of the Winter Solstice. The days grow longer now, the nights shorter, light returns to the world.
We defeated a fascist. Light returns to the world.
3/5
Saw an excellent presentation by some of Biden's legal people today.
Short version: Trump's legal challenges are nonsense and are going nowhere. Biden will be inaugurated on Jan 20. All this talk about somehow invalidating the election is nonsense.
Don't spread fear, guys.
The challenges brought in various states are all getting thrown out of court because the Trump Campaign has no evidence whatever supporting their conspiracy theories. No court is even entertaining them.
The idea that Republican legislatures can now, after-the-fact, create their own slate of electors that will do something other than what the voters of the states told them to do--that is also nonsense. Won't happen. Can't happen. No state is even considering that course.
A discussion is being had about how to unify the country after one of the most polarized periods in our history.
It's possible to overcome rancor. German, Italy and Japan are now our allies, after the most destructive war human civilization has ever seen.
1/6
To oversimplify a bit, what brought us together was the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after the War, and the equivalent effort to rebuild Japan.
America and our allies invested heavily in helping our devastated former enemies get back on their feet.
2/6
In modern America, red states are crumbling. They survive only from a massive influx of money from blue states. But red state governments mostly control where that money goes, and it's not really helping the people. It's just propping up red regimes.
3/6