I learned from @jenmercieca the 5 criteria the Greeks used to determine whether someone was a Truth Teller (parrhessiastes). Evaluate Hutchinson against them:
1. FRANKNESS: Saying all you know
2. TRUTH: Speaking what you know to be true
3. CRITICISM: Criticizing those in positions of power
4. DANGER: Speaking truth despite a risk to your safety
5. DUTY: Feeling obliged to tell the truth, despite the risk
• • •
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REFRESHER 🧵: Jeffrey Clark, who appears to have just had a search warrant executed on him, was trying to get DOJ to rubber stamp Eastman’s fake elector coup plot by falsely giving it DOJ cover. To wit:
2. Clark drafted a letter that would be sent to the state legislatures in Trump’s “disputed” states (see link), falsely claiming that DOJ had found voting irregularities there and instructing them to convene special legislative sessions documentcloud.org/documents/2108…
3. The letter further instructed the state legislatures that it was “in the normal interest” and constitutionally permissible to evaluate these “voting irregularities” and come up with a secondary slate of electors (for Trump)…which dovetails with Eastman’s plot wrt VP Pence
Indeed, the hearings have actually presented enough evidence, IMO, charge Trump with (incitement to) rebellion, 18 U.S.C. 2383, the criminal analog of what he was impeached for. The impeachment committee presented a circumstantial case, but now we have a causal link, to wit: 1/
We learned yesterday that Trump KNEW, by January 5, that Pence was *not* going to go along with the Eastman plan. But he released a statement to his supporters telling them that Pence was "on the same page" and ready to reject the slates of electors from several states 2/
This reveals not just an intention to pressure Pence, but also to psychologically prime his base -- especially the ones coming to D.C. -- and raise their expectations that Pence would overturn the election (knowing otherwise). 3/
Trump to Comey: I want you to publicly announce that I’m not under investigation
Trump to Zelensky: I want you to make an announcement that you are investigating the Biden’s
Trump to DOJ: Just say the election was rigged and leave the rest to me
Notice a pattern?
1/
Trump not only understands the facts and the truth, he understands that he has a credibility issue.
That’s why he looks for *credible third party sources* to substantiate his narratives.
This is called LEGITIMIZING PROPAGANDA
2/
The purpose of legitimizing propaganda is to have a seemingly independent third party claim something. Then HE points to that person and says, “See? He’s saying the same thing! It must be true!”
You can see how, in the examples in OT, it would have been a “story” if it worked 3/
Damn. Opening with video testimony of Bill Barr calling Trump’s claims of a rigged election “bullshit” 👀
Chairman Thompson off the bat compared those who justify Jan. 6 to those who justified slavery, the KKK, and lynchings. Characterized the attackers as “domestic enemies” of the Constitution
Cheney says testimony of Trump’s own staff will show that when they told him attackers were chanting to hang Mike Pence, he said, “Maybe they have the right idea. He deserves it.” 👀
One of the things the “war room” was trying to do up until the last minute was to stop the proceedings and “send the issue back to the States” for 10 days to look into allegations of “fraud”
Why send it back? Because by that point, the Trump legal clown car had convinced lawmakers in several states that they could “decertify” the returns for Biden. This was increasingly important as they realized Pence would not go along with Plan A (approve false slates/go to House)
Apparently, at least the GOP chair in AZ seemed unfazed by the insurrection — her main concern wasn’t lawmakers’ safety, but that now there was a reason to send the issue back to the states 🤔