Daily thread - United States 2021 transition of power - January 19

Was unaware of this happening last night :
‘Field of Flags' on National Mall Represents Americans Unable to Attend Inauguration

So this seems like it has been under-reported so far, but our Park Police were also overwhelmed by rioters on the 6th as well.

• Park Police Officers Worried That Chronic Understaffing Could Endanger The Public. Then The Capitol Riot Happened.

A few hours before hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, a group of about 150 people breached a barrier around the base of the Washington Monument. Vastly outnumbered by the agitated throng, a clutch of US Park Police officers on the scene retreated into the visitor center at the towering obelisk’s base, locking the door behind them as the loud mob furiously beat on the plate glass windows.

Huddled inside with a man they had arrested, the dozen or so officers were eventually rescued by another group of Park Police who arrived on horseback and let them out a back door. Soon thereafter, as the unsettled cops were regrouping outside, an urgent call came in to send reinforcements to the Capitol building, where the crowd was building up with alarming speed and volatility.

The Park Police quickly complied, but officers on hand that day said the department was only able to send a small group to the Capitol — certainly not enough, they claim, to have made a measurable difference in the disastrous events that followed.

• Two Army National Guard members removed from inauguration duty

Two Army National Guard members were removed from inauguration duty as part of the security vetting process to ensure troops do not have ties to extremist groups, a defense official confirmed to CNN.

I am sure this is just the tip of the iceberg since white supremacist groups have been actively infiltrating the military for years and years for training and access to weapons.

Texas man at Capitol riot allegedly threatened to kill his kids if they turned him in

Two days after Guy Reffitt joined the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, federal officials said, he returned home to Wylie, Tex., and proudly told his family of his escapade. But by Jan. 11, when Reffitt learned the FBI was on to him, he changed his tune, according to an affidavit.

“If you turn me in, you’re a traitor and you know what happens to traitors … traitors get shot,” Reffitt, 48, said to his son and daughter, according to his wife, who recounted the conversation to the FBI, which did not name the relatives.

Building on the update from last week on the suspicion that the attack on January 6th was an inside job, possibly including some members of Congress, two Democratic Representatives has now accused GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert specifically of giving Capitol tours to a large group the day before the riots.

• GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert gave Capitol tour to ‘large’ group before the riots, Democratic lawmaker says

Now, two Democratic lawmakers say they personally saw one Republican — Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado — with a “large” group in a tunnel connected to the Capitol days before the attempted insurrection that left four rioters and one police officer dead.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said on Monday that he and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) had both seen Boebert in the tunnel outside the Cannon House Office Building with a group sometime in the three days before the riots. He said he didn’t know who was in the group or if anyone with Boebert later participated in the attack.

During senate confirmation hearing of Avril Haines , nominee for Director of National Intelligence , in response to Sen. Dianne Feinstein question about domestic terrorism, Haines confirms international connections to white nationalist.
Live hearing Link

Feinstein: The world has seen firsthand the radicalization of significant numbers of Americans, who believe that the election was rigged and some have sought to reverse its legitimate results by force. I for one am concerned about the threat in DC and across the country how would you, if confirmed, approach the issue of right wing domestic terrorism

Haines: Thank you senator...recognized that this is a major issue for the country. The intelligence community, of course, would not be on the lead on an issue such as (solely) domestic terrorism. That this is something I would expect the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to be focused on, but the intelligence community can provide them with support with these issues, critical support I hope, support both in terms of identifying connections between domestic terrorist and international terrorist actors. In the context of White Nationalism for example as you pointed out we have seen, as I understand it, some connections... , I need, if confirmed, to get in the job and actually get better informed based on classified information that is available on these questions. but ahh, I do understand that there are some international connections and this is an area we can provide some support to them on.

Twitter thread:

Good afternoon, followers of frivolous election litigation. There's a last-minute entry in the competition for dumbest pre-inauguration lawsuit - a totally loony effort to apparently leave the entire USA without a government.

Link to the lawsuit in question (54 page pdf)

Boils down to "the entire election violated the 2002 Help America Vote Act, therefore the entire election needs a do-over".

The truth of the allegations set forth herein compels the shocking conclusion that every member of currently-seated 117th U.S. Congress and the President-Elect, who is scheduled to be sworn in this coming Wednesday, January 20th, were not legitimately elected because the People of the United States were given ballots that were patently illegal under federal law, namely HAVA. Therefore, the entire 117th Congress is illegitimate and all actions taken since January 3, 2021, including the counting of the Electoral College votes and confirmation of Joseph Biden as President-Elect and the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump are null and void.

Somehow Mark Zuckerberg is named as a defendant, along with the usual suspects (Pelosi, Schumer, McConnell). Also...every member of Congress and the state governors of multiple states.

A huge portion of the lawsuit is simply copy-pasted from Ballotpedia's summary of what states changed in response to voting under covid conditions

Kevin McCarthy warning Republican lawmakers to not call out other legislators (Republican or Democrat) for fear of inciting violence against them

“Later after this call, I’m going to get another briefing from the FBI. and it doesn’t matter which side of the position you were -- I respect it, I respect why you did what you did. But what we’re saying on television when we say a member’s name … everybody has done something. This is not the moment in time to do it. The briefings that I’m getting, you can incite something else. … I get these reports on a weekly basis, I’ve seen something I haven’t seen before. … Do not raise another members’ name on television, even if they are in a different position or not. …

“What you say matters. Let’s not put other people in danger. Let’s watch what words we’re using and let’s definitely not be using other members’ names in any media.”

Daniel Dale: Reflections on four weird years fact checking every word from Donald Trump

Riley June Williams arrested: Allegedly stole Pelosi’s laptop, planned to sell it to Russia

Riley June Williams was arrested Monday, according to a Justice Department official. It’s not yet known when her initial court appearance will be.

The FBI said in an arrest warrant Sunday that Williams hasn’t been charged with theft but only with illegally entering the Capitol and with disorderly conduct.

FBI officials said a caller claiming to be an ex of Williams said friends of hers showed him a video of her taking a laptop computer or hard drive from Pelosi’s office. The caller alleged that she intended to send the device to a friend in Russia who planned to sell it to that country’s foreign intelligence service, but that plan fell through and she either has the device or destroyed it. The FBI says the matter remains under investigation.

Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, confirmed Jan. 8 that a laptop was taken from a conference room but said “it was a laptop that was only used for presentations.”

Williams’ mother told local law enforcement that her daughter packed a bag and left before she was arrested, saying she would be gone for a couple of weeks. She also changed her phone number and deleted a number of social media accounts, the FBI said. Court documents don’t list an attorney for her.

cc: @spit-evil-olive-tips, since you posted the initial report yesterday

Biden's public schedule for inauguration day, via Daniel Dale on Twitter. I have to admit, I found it rather calming to read this. It almost looks ... normal.

House security chief said lawmaker wariness of military at Capitol drove his resistance to early request for National Guard

“There’s a reality there — the leaders of the House and the Senate don’t want the military up there. They don’t want to show they can’t control their own turf,” said Bill Pickle, who served as the Senate sergeant-at-arms from 2003 to 2007 and spoke to The Washington Post at Irving’s request.

Pickle confirmed the account of former Capitol Police chief Steven Sund, who previously told The Post that when he suggested bringing in the Guard, Irving responded that he was concerned about the “optics” of such a move. Irving did not consult first with his boss, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), but thought he was reflecting her likely response, Pickle said.

[...]

Past attempts by congressional security chiefs to bolster the Capitol’s defenses were shot down by members of Congress who did not want to restrict access to the seat of American democracy.

[...]

Irving and Stenger were surprised, Pickle said, when they issued an urgent request for the National Guard as rioters lay siege to the building and the Defense Department did not immediately approve the request.

[...]

Pentagon officials have said that congressional officials did not formally request military assistance in advance and that they moved as quickly as possible that day, noting that the National Guard is not designed to be a rapid-response unit.

Buzzfeed listicle, but: 82 Stupid Things From The Trump Era You Probably Forgot About

Georgia lawyer said he kicked in Pelosi's door, she could've been 'torn into little pieces'

Can the 20th thread be posted earlier? This thread pops up at noon where I live at -3 (or 9 AM UTC), but Biden's inauguration is at noon at -5 (or 7AM UTC), a full 2 hours before the megathread.