Today a grand jury in Washington, D.C, indicted former president Donald J. Trump for conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges stemmed from Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. A grand jury is made up of 23 ordinary citizens who weigh evidence of criminal activity and produce an indictment if 12 or more of them vote in favor.
We’ve been living through this horror for years now, But reading through the indictment point by point, in such order and detail, is chilling and stupefying. It is one of the worst offenses against this country and democracy in our history.
I am thinking of my grandfather on my Dad's side this evening. I never got to meet him, but he was deeply beloved by everyone in my Dad's family. He was a colonel in World War II in Africa, a JAG, who gave up promotion to General and a prosecutorial spot in the Nuremburg trials because he preferred to start his own practice and spend more time with his beloved wife and children. It was expected that each year, he would travel to D.C. for business. I hear tell somewhere there is a photo of my Aunt Susie sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, courtesy of a "tour" given in the President's absence from one of Grandpa's associates from "back when." (Obviously, this would never happen now.) My Ancestry-obsessed Mom found his obit in the LA Times recently; it listed him as an Assistant US Attorney General. My Dad tells of him as warm and loving, but very, very methodical and meticulous. Dad recalls him eating even a sandwich with a fork and knife, and being able to do so while playing with a baby... and getting not one tiny spot on his starched white dress shirt. Every button buttoned, nary a thread out of place.
People like Jack Smith and Merrick Garland strike me as these sorts of men: blessed holdovers from a time of all business and no drama. Idealists when it comes to the importance of the law, staunchly by-the-book when it comes to its application. Not political "stars," but total professionals one and all. Unflinching, but unhurried. Months ago, when people were gettin' grumpy and giving up hope DOJ would ever reach the arm of the law out to grab tfg, I just kept my mouth shut and sat tight. I thought to myself, "Oh, y'all just wait. These guys are a bunch of Grandpa Collmans. They'll get there when they get there, not a day earlier than fully prepared, and not a day later than fully effective." It appears, to my relief and satisfaction, that my choice to retain faith in the processes of our institutions to deliver - when run by true civil servants - is being vindicated. (Yay!)
We have so little patience in this world today, and so much anxiety. It is now time for the judge and jury to mete out the next step of justice to these traitors. Not being on that jury, I will be devoting my democracy-saving energy not to gloating over deserved downfalls, but to positively spreading the gospel of good governance that we are lucky to be seeing demonstrated for us again by the Biden Administration. We don't just need accountability to heal, we also need our aspiration back as a nation.
After a brilliant summary concerning the indictment by The United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, defendant, HCR ended today's Letter with Nancy Pelosi. The former House Speaker's decision to create the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection after a bipartisan bill to set up an outside commission was filibustered by Senate Republicans was pivotal in leading to this indictment.
Here's to 'Nancy Pelosi'!
The United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, defendant
A new day for the USA.
‘The Justice Department unveiled an indictment on Tuesday charging former President Donald J. Trump with four criminal counts. They relate to Mr. Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which culminated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.’
'1 count: Conspiracy to defraud the United States
The charge against Mr. Trump details the various methods he and co-conspirators used to try to overturn the results of the 2020 election.'
'2 counts: Related to efforts to obstruct the vote certification proceedings
Mr. Trump faces two charges involving the vote certification proceedings at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021: one of obstructing that process and one of conspiring to do so.'
'1 count: Conspiracy to violate civil rights
Related to Mr. Trump’s attempts to reverse election results in states with close elections in 2020.'(NYTimes)
Jack Smith, special prosecutor:
“The attack on our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy. As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies – lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”
Trump campaign:
“This is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election, in which President Trump is the undisputed frontrunner, and leading by substantial margins.”
I wish I could be a lark singing through this night because that is how absolutely happy I am that the lying, cruel, negligent, lethal, schmuck of a former president has been criminally indicted by the United States of America.
Simply the best, as always. HCR pulls it all together with her powerful, eloquent distillation of the facts behind the indictment. I so appreciate how she references the 23 people on the grand jury right at the beginning of this Letter. That is such an important element in this story. Jack Smith did not indict, he made the arguments, he laid our the evidence. Then a grand jury of 23 people, 23 peers, 23 ordinary Americans, indicted the former president.
Thank you for conveying the information you have on the indictment. I have, so far, gotten to page 12 of the indictment. Jack Smith explains the charges and why they are being made in a way that is easy to follow and understand. I hope many will read it.
The fact that Ronna McDaniel is involved shows how amoral the Republican Party has become. They have no love for democracy, only lust for power. From Lincoln to Trump--It is heartbreaking.
CRIME PAYS: that is the proposition we are looking at, both in the USA and Russia, not to forget a host of minor players in various corners of the world. And to this point it has worked. The question now is will the house come crashing down or will he become President and pardon himself and will his buddy then survive this war in the Ukraine (scratch my back and I scratch yours). Interesting that Pravda means Truth (remember that valuable source of long ago USSR news?). And now we have Truth Social. I feel as though I have entered some alternative reality and keep thinking it just cannot go on. Yet it does.
We are watching an attempt to destroy our way of government as occasioned by Mr. Trump. This attempt to destroy the US government has been building since the 1970s. Many saw this growing in real-time and tried to warn others. Now, these long consequences of power for power's sake are here, and it is just like the long consequences of climate change and life destruction for money and power. These are also here and we are living through the consequences now. I wish us luck and hard work getting through this intact. We will need it.
A SUGGESTION in light of today’s indictments, ESPECIALLY ‘ conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted.” ….located on page 2 of the 45 page Indictment, the third conspiracy charge against Trump was the citation of a major violation of federal law…..the constitutional right to vote (The Right to Vote 1512 U.S.C. 241. )
It is the particular conspiracy charge that makes me most angry ….my blood boil…that hideous President AND these horrible people were seriously messing with MY RIGHT TO VOTE and attempting TO TAKE AWAY MY VOTE for Biden AND if re-elected would take away our democracy.
I know it’s terribly important that everyone in the US ‘truly get it’ what’s at stake IN THIS NEXT ELECTION….and while I don’t think billboards and bumper stickers are the ‘be all or end all’ political advertising….I’m very seriously thinking of going online and ordering some bumper stickers that say “The Right to Vote 1512 U.S.C. 241….”
Also, I think that some billboards might want to express the same sentiment….perhaps with additional discussion of what was attempted….we need a national discussion on this …RIGHT NOW.
Every member of Congress who refused to vote to certify the vote, Republicans all, were co-conspirators as well, whether willing or duped. There is also the issue of those legislators, Republicans all, who gave capital “tours” to insurrectionists just prior to Jan. 6th.
And let us not forget the efforts of Washington gad-about Ginnie Thomas doing all she could to promote the Big Lie.
Did they all really believe they could pull it off?
It was Nancy Pelosi who impaneled a Select Committee of the House to investigate January 6, after Senate Republicans filibustered the creation of a non-partisan Congressional Committee to investigate January 6. Then she kept the miscreants like Jim Jordan off the Select Committee. Thank you Nancy. Without the awesome work of the Select Committee I fear the Biden-Garland DOJ would never have prosecuted Trump. Thank you Nancy. --
We’ve been living through this horror for years now, But reading through the indictment point by point, in such order and detail, is chilling and stupefying. It is one of the worst offenses against this country and democracy in our history.
I am thinking of my grandfather on my Dad's side this evening. I never got to meet him, but he was deeply beloved by everyone in my Dad's family. He was a colonel in World War II in Africa, a JAG, who gave up promotion to General and a prosecutorial spot in the Nuremburg trials because he preferred to start his own practice and spend more time with his beloved wife and children. It was expected that each year, he would travel to D.C. for business. I hear tell somewhere there is a photo of my Aunt Susie sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, courtesy of a "tour" given in the President's absence from one of Grandpa's associates from "back when." (Obviously, this would never happen now.) My Ancestry-obsessed Mom found his obit in the LA Times recently; it listed him as an Assistant US Attorney General. My Dad tells of him as warm and loving, but very, very methodical and meticulous. Dad recalls him eating even a sandwich with a fork and knife, and being able to do so while playing with a baby... and getting not one tiny spot on his starched white dress shirt. Every button buttoned, nary a thread out of place.
People like Jack Smith and Merrick Garland strike me as these sorts of men: blessed holdovers from a time of all business and no drama. Idealists when it comes to the importance of the law, staunchly by-the-book when it comes to its application. Not political "stars," but total professionals one and all. Unflinching, but unhurried. Months ago, when people were gettin' grumpy and giving up hope DOJ would ever reach the arm of the law out to grab tfg, I just kept my mouth shut and sat tight. I thought to myself, "Oh, y'all just wait. These guys are a bunch of Grandpa Collmans. They'll get there when they get there, not a day earlier than fully prepared, and not a day later than fully effective." It appears, to my relief and satisfaction, that my choice to retain faith in the processes of our institutions to deliver - when run by true civil servants - is being vindicated. (Yay!)
We have so little patience in this world today, and so much anxiety. It is now time for the judge and jury to mete out the next step of justice to these traitors. Not being on that jury, I will be devoting my democracy-saving energy not to gloating over deserved downfalls, but to positively spreading the gospel of good governance that we are lucky to be seeing demonstrated for us again by the Biden Administration. We don't just need accountability to heal, we also need our aspiration back as a nation.
A republic, if we can keep it.
'The grand jury indicted Trump for “conspiracy to defraud the United States"'
There it is.
After a brilliant summary concerning the indictment by The United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, defendant, HCR ended today's Letter with Nancy Pelosi. The former House Speaker's decision to create the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection after a bipartisan bill to set up an outside commission was filibustered by Senate Republicans was pivotal in leading to this indictment.
Here's to 'Nancy Pelosi'!
The United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, defendant
A new day for the USA.
‘The Justice Department unveiled an indictment on Tuesday charging former President Donald J. Trump with four criminal counts. They relate to Mr. Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which culminated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.’
'1 count: Conspiracy to defraud the United States
The charge against Mr. Trump details the various methods he and co-conspirators used to try to overturn the results of the 2020 election.'
'2 counts: Related to efforts to obstruct the vote certification proceedings
Mr. Trump faces two charges involving the vote certification proceedings at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021: one of obstructing that process and one of conspiring to do so.'
'1 count: Conspiracy to violate civil rights
Related to Mr. Trump’s attempts to reverse election results in states with close elections in 2020.'(NYTimes)
Jack Smith, special prosecutor:
“The attack on our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy. As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies – lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”
Trump campaign:
“This is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election, in which President Trump is the undisputed frontrunner, and leading by substantial margins.”
I wish I could be a lark singing through this night because that is how absolutely happy I am that the lying, cruel, negligent, lethal, schmuck of a former president has been criminally indicted by the United States of America.
Thank you Heather. It should not stop with the six co-conspirators. The indictments should also involve all who acted as accessories after the fact.
Simply the best, as always. HCR pulls it all together with her powerful, eloquent distillation of the facts behind the indictment. I so appreciate how she references the 23 people on the grand jury right at the beginning of this Letter. That is such an important element in this story. Jack Smith did not indict, he made the arguments, he laid our the evidence. Then a grand jury of 23 people, 23 peers, 23 ordinary Americans, indicted the former president.
Thank you for conveying the information you have on the indictment. I have, so far, gotten to page 12 of the indictment. Jack Smith explains the charges and why they are being made in a way that is easy to follow and understand. I hope many will read it.
The fact that Ronna McDaniel is involved shows how amoral the Republican Party has become. They have no love for democracy, only lust for power. From Lincoln to Trump--It is heartbreaking.
CRIME PAYS: that is the proposition we are looking at, both in the USA and Russia, not to forget a host of minor players in various corners of the world. And to this point it has worked. The question now is will the house come crashing down or will he become President and pardon himself and will his buddy then survive this war in the Ukraine (scratch my back and I scratch yours). Interesting that Pravda means Truth (remember that valuable source of long ago USSR news?). And now we have Truth Social. I feel as though I have entered some alternative reality and keep thinking it just cannot go on. Yet it does.
We are watching an attempt to destroy our way of government as occasioned by Mr. Trump. This attempt to destroy the US government has been building since the 1970s. Many saw this growing in real-time and tried to warn others. Now, these long consequences of power for power's sake are here, and it is just like the long consequences of climate change and life destruction for money and power. These are also here and we are living through the consequences now. I wish us luck and hard work getting through this intact. We will need it.
A SUGGESTION in light of today’s indictments, ESPECIALLY ‘ conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted.” ….located on page 2 of the 45 page Indictment, the third conspiracy charge against Trump was the citation of a major violation of federal law…..the constitutional right to vote (The Right to Vote 1512 U.S.C. 241. )
It is the particular conspiracy charge that makes me most angry ….my blood boil…that hideous President AND these horrible people were seriously messing with MY RIGHT TO VOTE and attempting TO TAKE AWAY MY VOTE for Biden AND if re-elected would take away our democracy.
I know it’s terribly important that everyone in the US ‘truly get it’ what’s at stake IN THIS NEXT ELECTION….and while I don’t think billboards and bumper stickers are the ‘be all or end all’ political advertising….I’m very seriously thinking of going online and ordering some bumper stickers that say “The Right to Vote 1512 U.S.C. 241….”
Also, I think that some billboards might want to express the same sentiment….perhaps with additional discussion of what was attempted….we need a national discussion on this …RIGHT NOW.
If I could possess 1% of Jack Smith's dignity, I would be a much better man, and a much better American.
Every member of Congress who refused to vote to certify the vote, Republicans all, were co-conspirators as well, whether willing or duped. There is also the issue of those legislators, Republicans all, who gave capital “tours” to insurrectionists just prior to Jan. 6th.
And let us not forget the efforts of Washington gad-about Ginnie Thomas doing all she could to promote the Big Lie.
Did they all really believe they could pull it off?
I just hope justice prevails. I have a good feeling about this Judge that president Obama appointed. I hope she overrules Trumps lawyers demends.
Excellent summary! and so quickly just hours after the announcement. Thank you!!
Thanks brilliantly told May justice and democracy prevail
It was Nancy Pelosi who impaneled a Select Committee of the House to investigate January 6, after Senate Republicans filibustered the creation of a non-partisan Congressional Committee to investigate January 6. Then she kept the miscreants like Jim Jordan off the Select Committee. Thank you Nancy. Without the awesome work of the Select Committee I fear the Biden-Garland DOJ would never have prosecuted Trump. Thank you Nancy. --