First, the person claims to have cooperated in good faith.
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Then, after totally cooperating, the person is "ambushed" to learn about a subpoena.
So, either:
🔹The committee is totally unreasonable and unfair OR
🔹Said person isn't really turning everything over, and in fact, is holding back key docs.
Which could it be? 🤔
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The timing of these letters indicates that the records have already been furnished to Congress (but nobody knows).
If it's too late and Congress will get these docs, what is the purpose of these lawsuits?
I have a clue from my email in-box . . .
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The people who write me lovely emails calling a stupid liberal are making the same exact arguments in these lawsuits.
In other words, the lawsuits are providing the talking points for right-wing media outlets.
So we need to be aware of them.
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But first, a clue from the lawsuit itself that Budowich wasn't truly cooperating and in fact, he thought he could hold back key documents: He argues that Congress isn't entitled to see the particular documents they are demanding in the subpoenas.
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They argue that they have a First Amendment right to hide the documents because the documents contain evidence of their political views and political associations.
It makes no sense.
He also says that he already gave the committee everything they asked for.
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This guy doesn't exactly hide his political views, and if he gave the committee everything responsive and if they won't learn anything new from these documents, why is he so twisted out of shape because the committee might see them?
They're bank records.
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He argues that the subpoena violates his 4th Amendment rights.
(He didn't mention the 5th. I guess he's not ready yet to go there. Usually, they claim 1st, 4th, and 5th Amendment violations.)
What he wants is a declaration from the court that these subpoenas are invalid.
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He also argues that the committee is not legitimate, and it doesn't serve a legitimate purpose so nobody has to comply with anything they demand
(So he's been complying in good faith "over his objections" for months with an illegal committee that nobody has to comply with?)
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An observation about why we should care about this committee.
The committee wants to expose the truth. They want to know every detail leading to the insurrection.
If anything will persuade people not to vote for the current Republican Party, it should be the truth.
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No pop quiz, but keep in mind that I'm reading, typing, thinking, and drinking caramel-vanilla flavored coffee all at the same time, which explains any typing errors.
(And of course, the mischief-making gremlins that hide in my keyboard)
The total shock and horror these guys exhibit when they learn of the subpoena suggests that they are shocked that the committee knew which documents to go after.
Nothing else really explains the language.
Mark Meadows was "blindsided."
Ah! Two things I should have added. The committee is interested in $200,000 from an undisclosed source.
Also, Taylor Budowich issued a public statement that democracy is threatened, not by the insurrectionists, but the select committee.
The prosecution has everyone confused because they are framing the case as "election fraud" and "election interference" so everyone is trying to connect the crimes we know about to "election fraud."
This would be clear: "It is election fraud. Here is how the evidence will support a charge of election fraud." Then show how the behavior supports election fraud.
For years I was perplexed by what I was seeing on left-leaning Twitter, political blogs, and partisan reporting.
I had the feeling that, in its way, what I was seeing was comparable to Fox: Lots of bad information and even unhinged conspiracy theories.
2terikanefield.com/invented-narra…
Of course, if I suggested that, I was blasted for "both-sidesing."
Then I discovered an area of scholarship: Communications and the overlap between communications and political science.
Another contradiction: when people demanded indictments RIGHT NOW (in 2021 and early 2022) the reason was, "Everyone knows he's guilty! Look at all the evidence!"
We saw the J6 committee findings.
Trump isn't saying "I didn't do it." He's saying, "I had the right to do it."
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We all know what he did. The question is, "Do people want a president who acts like Trump?"
A lot of people do.
People show me polls that a guilty finding would change minds.
I say rubbish. Use common sense. He lost in 2020 and he lost the popular vote in 2016. . .
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. . . because it is designed to keep people hooked. People need to stay glued to the screen for hour after hour.
But to hook people, you need to scare them. The Facebook whistleblower testified that content that produces strong emotions like anger gets more engagement.
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Fox does the same thing. There is a few minutes of news, but the facts get lost as commentators and TV personalities speculate and scare their audiences.
Before you yell at me for comparing MSNBC to FOX, read all of this:
If I write another blog post addressing the outrage cycle here on Twitter and in the MSNBC ecosystem, it will be to explore why so many people who believe they are liberal or progressive actually want a police state.
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Today alone, a handful of people who consider themselves liberal or progressive told me that the "traitors need to be arrested and prosecuted."
In 2019, back when I wore myself out tamping down misinformation, I explained the legal meaning of treason.
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Back then, I now realize, people asked politely: "Can Trump be prosecuted for treason (over the Russia election stuff).
I explained that wouldn't happen.
Now it's different. It's more like fascist chants.
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