#SeditionHunters - one of the first Capitol perps hashtagged in January was finally arrested today - #ProudBoyCowboy, not just a fighter but an organizer. Charging docs (link to follow) suggest FBI is working out how to charge perps who assisted the attack in more subtle ways. 1/
#ProudBoyCowboy is Joshua Portlock of TN, identified in April by a co-worker - but #SeditionHunters helped detail his many activities. Portlock fought on the Plaza - bodycam shows him helping #BullhornLady pull barricades, & pushing police with plywood. 2/ justice.gov/usao-dc/case-m…
Besides new views from bodycam, charging docs show insight in describing Portlock's activities at the tunnel. As one of first to enter, he was at the front of police lines, where his cowboy hat got knocked off, revealing his Proud Boy beanie. But he's not the most violent.. 3/
Like most organizers, he let "normies" do the dirty work. So FBI carefully describe other ways he contributed: "his continued presence allowed other rioters to fight" and "precluded MPD Officers from closing the second set of doors"; he "leans in with his body weight..pushing" 4/
Charging docs note that #ProudBoyCowboy exited after the initial tunnel push failed, but remained at the scene and got mixed up in BOTH officer draggings, over an hour apart - not a coincidence. A key for the attack to succeed was keeping violence just enough in check... 5/
Other attackers are also involved in both officer incidents - for example #SilverSoOverIt races to intercept Fanone, shouts "make way", then also appears in Officer Miller's rescue 1 hour later. Watch in multicam video. #ProudBoyCowboy is 1 min later... 6/
After Fanone is returned, #ProudBoyCowboy arrives to get an update from officers. Many around him in this picture are also playing an org. role. Experts tell us: a hallmark of a 'hybrid warfare' attack is to seize a building without deaths, to keep the public on one's side. 7/
#ProudBoyCowboy's actions don't mean he's a nice guy - they mean he stayed at a violent attack for 1.5 hours and acted responsible for regulating it. FBI seems to know this, describe these interactions to show his authority.
For early tunnel, see also 8/
Fascinating how the lawmakers upset about a 2024 New York fraud case are the same who helped Trump's coup in 2020. Mike Lee's hysterical letter today is signed by those Senators ranking #2, 4, 5, 7, 14 in the Senate Insurrection Index, plus the top 3 for post-Jan 6 actions... 1/
Here's the Senate Insurrection Index; screenshot has the signers of Mike Lee's letter marked. Leaders #1 Ted Cruz and #3 Josh Hawley (both Peter Thiel proteges) didn't sign it, but they were busy yesterday evening reciting their Trump talking points. 2/ docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
Josh Hawley (#3) might be the first Senator to trash America's legal system after Trump's conviction, 4 Tweets in 12 minutes: "prosecuting political opponents", "complete and total sham", "CRIMINALIZE..political opposition", "If you thought it couldn't happen in America.." 3/
As Israel's Netanyahu hysterically calls US campuses "horrific..German[y] in the 1930s", remember who took him to power: the divisive US operative Arthur Finkelstein, who also gave us autocrat Viktor Orban, antisemitic conspiracy theories, and indirectly, Donald Trump. 1/
From 1970, Finkelstein changed politics in the US and around the world with virulently negative campaigns that pushed fear & division ("rejectionist voting"), microtargeted messaging, 3rd party spoilers, and a complete disregard for truth and values. 2/ nytimes.com/2017/08/19/us/…
Finkelstein, who was both Jewish and gay, won races for homophobic candidates with antisemitic messaging. It's beyond twisted. He got Bibi elected in 1996; Bibi referred him to Viktor Orban - and to help Orban win he created the George Soros conspiracy. 2/ buzzfeednews.com/article/hnsgra…
Tonight the Ukraine aid bill finally passed. That vote lets us ask: does being "anti-Ukraine" correlate with "pro-insurrection"? Answer: it sure does, especially in the Senate. The 18 Senators who voted no tonight (or didn't vote) all lie in the top 22 of Senate Jan 6 scores. 1/
None of the 8 Senators most culpable in supporting Trump's attempt to seize power Jan 6 voted for Ukraine aid. That's Cruz (TX), Tuberville (AL), Hawley (MO), Marshall (KS), Johnson (WI), Blackburn (TN), Lee (UT), and Paul (KY). 2/ docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
Of the other 8 Senators who did something measurable in support of Trump's Jan 6 coup, half voted against aiding Ukraine. One of the yeses is Steve Daines, who earlier today voted against breaking the filibuster at all. (Another is Lankford who wrote the aid bill.) 3/
The newly-released transcript of Walt Nauta's 2022 FBI interview is interesting for what it says about the investigation: FBI talked to him just four days after he started moving boxes at Mar-a-Lago. A week later, Nauta helped load boxes into an SUV to be taken to Bedminster. 1/
Trump was subpoenaed for documents "bearing classified markings" on May 11, 2022. Evan Corcoran warned him Mar-a-Lago might be searched; box-moving started May 22 and went to June 2. By June 19 Trump seemed to prep a defense that he'd declassified them. 2/ docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
On June 19 Trump designated new representatives to the National Archives, including Kash Patel. On June 22 Patel started a PR binge about declassification, the same day Trump got a subpoena for security cam footage that would have shown Nauta. Events were moving very fast. 3/
The week that was, the world we're in: terrorists attacked Moscow and Russia's friends blamed Ukraine. Elon Musk and friends tried to squash free speech. JFK Jr. picked Musk's ex-lover as VP. The religious right (note the Ted Cruz-Josh Hawley axis) tried to ban mifepristone. 1/
Note how the mifepristone case went through a 3-judge chain: first Matthew Kacsmaryk, sworn in by James Ho, whose wife got payments from ADF, which brought the suit. Then to Ho, sworn in by Clarence Thomas, whose wife got payments from Harland Crow, who hosted the ceremony. 2/
This case shows the creeping influence of "religious liberty" legal advocacy groups. Matthew Kacsmaryk and James Ho both worked for First Liberty; so did Mike Johnson, briefly, before he went to ADF, which hired Josh Hawley's wife, who argued the suit. 3/ firstliberty.org/news/taking-th…
Several former military officers filed a brief in Trump's immunity case today. One is Keith Kellogg; that name matters! Kellogg was with Trump all morning on Jan 6. Kellogg, part of Trump's inner circle since 2016, was also on the call that led to Trump's 1st impeachment. 1/
Here's Keith Kellogg in the Oval Office with Trump on Jan. 6 morning. He was there when Trump called Mike Pence, threatened him, called him a 'pussy'. Any filing by Kellogg is intended to help Trump. 2/
In 2016, when Trump named a council of 5 foreign policy advisors, pundits were baffled: why these guys? Keith Kellogg, Carter Page, George Papadopoulos, Joseph Schmitz, and Walid Phares, all obscure - but all are now tied to Russia and/or to Jan. 6. 3/