#SeditionHunters - you may have read Steve Schmidt's bombshell thread tonight detailing Paul Manafort's long-term efforts to aid Russia's interests - first in the McCain campaign in 2008, then Trump's in 2016. So let's remember Manafort's connection to January 6, 2021 too. 1/
Paul Manafort's company ran the Ellipse rally where Trump spoke, that brought 1000s to DC. But rally planning was late and started a mess: Jan 6 was not green-lit til Dec. 19th early AM, and by the 21st it was tangled in a power grab by Cindy Chafian to put herself in charge. 2/
On Dec. 22d - 3 days after green-lighting Jan 6 - Trump pardoned 2016 campaign advisor George Papadopolous (convicted for lying about his Russia contacts), also Blackwater guys convicted of murder. On the 24th, he pardoned Roger Stone & former campaign chair Paul Manafort. 3/
By at least the 29th, Manafort's company Event Strategies had taken over rally planning. His impressively competent machine rolled in and made it happen. Here's Manafort employee Justin Caporale on the 31st, smoothly talking to NPS about developments in the last "several days" 4/
In less than a week Manafort's company produced a 15,000-person event: seating, a giant stage, crowd control, audio equipment, a press pen, overflow lots with video screens. Even industrial-scale matting to protect the lawn. The mob in DC was not possible without that work. 5/
AP wrote an article in Jan 2021 and interviewed Kim Fletcher, who ran the small Moms for America rally on the 5th. Her response suggests amazement at the scale of the production: "when I..saw the size of the stage.. I don't know who was in the background..." That was Manafort. 6/
There's no evidence - yet - that Manafort provided logistics beyond the Ellipse on Jan 6. While someone helped run an organized attack at the Capitol, we can't say who... But for managing the crowd in the AM, Manafort was the one who got it done. The pardon was not random. 7/
Our "lead-up and VIP" timeline details these events and links to sources, including the 1500 page FOIA of NPS emails about the rally. This summary is an effort by many #SeditionHunters working to understand January 6. Manafort is part of that story. 8/ docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
We owe much of our understanding of Jan 6 to the photos and videos taken that day. Photo credits here -
Tweet 5: Mark Peterson, Redux
Tweet 7: Jacquelyn Martin, AP
9/
Typo fix: Pardons for Paul Manafort and Roger Stone were issued on Dec. 23rd, not Dec. 24. The Capitol attack happened less than 2 weeks later. 10/ justice.gov/file/1349071/d…
There's a whole lot of January 6 in Trump's December pardons. Both Roger Stone and pardoned Blackwater contractor Paul Slough were in the VIP tent at Freedom Plaza the night before. Stone: "One million Americans are going to come here tomorrow." 11/
The pardoned Paul Slough also used his DC trip to meet up with his former Blackwater buddies, now working as bodyguards for InfoWars' Alex Jones - who climbed the Capitol steps during the attack and gave a speech to the mob. So many connections. 12/
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/
Why do politicians endorse Trump in lockstep? Because today's GOP controls its members via threats and kompromat. Consider Rep. Matt Rosendale: elected 2022, announced for Senate, withdrew after 6 days, now is leaving politics entirely: "death threats" and "defamatory rumors". 1/
The Hill mentions whispers about "impregnating a staff member", others suggest his interests swing another way. It doesn't matter which; this is how the GOP rolls. People with secrets are useful - and easily disposed of if they do not comply. 2/ thehill.com/homenews/house…
In a world of secrets, journalism is essential: exposing secrets removes their power. Rosendale is out but others are still in: Mike Johnson and Matt Gaetz with their "adopted sons". Elon Musk with his ever-shifting stories about his education. So many more. Who will report? 3/