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The report concludes: “Trump was the driving force at every turn as he orchestrated what would become an attempted political coup in the months leading up to Jan. 6, calling his supporters to Washington, encouraging the mob to march on the Capitol and freezing in place key federal agencies whose job it was to investigate and stop threats to national security.” It notes that the former president did not make any effort to stop the attacks until it was clear they wouldn’t succeed, and that lawmakers assumed he was backing the rioters.

Stop calling it an "insurrection." That word implies a popular uprising, undirected and unplanned, of people who are "mad as hell and not going to take any more."

It was an act of Treason. Treason! Treason, as defined in the Constitution:

Article III, Section 3, Clause 1: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

And I think there will be enough witnesses. Charge Trump with what he did: TREASON.

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The key is to call it what it is, TREASON, and get that word and the criminal activity by all who participated, in the mainstream news.

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If it got called what it is by MSM, we wouldn’t be in this mess

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They had difficulty calling his lies lies!

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Oh come on! Be nice, be a gentleman and call the lies "Untruths and mis-statements.) I hope you know what I mean. GOP lawyers may have even nicer word for those f'ing lies!

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Yes; why isn’t he in jail yet.

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Because those who hold the real power still find him to be a useful idiot.

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It’s scary that someone finds him useful. He is so toxic. What kind of people could think he is useful and what are they thinking

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The people who found trump useful are the 1 percenters, like the Greenwich Republics who funded Steve Bannon to be the kingmaker of trump for the 2016 election. Of course with nefarious ties to other world entities making active efforts to sow disinformation and chaos.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/11/how-greenwich-republicans-learned-to-love-trump

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"Do not believe the “corporatist globalist media” that was “crying and weeping” on election night and is still “dead wrong” about what the Trump administration is doing. Inside the White House," Mr. Bannon said," everything is going according to plan. The “deconstruction of the administrative state ”has just begun."

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/us/politics/cpac-stephen-bannon-reince-priebus.html

”has just begun." It is still underway. Notice that the SC has more or less allowed the GOP to go on with their plans to end our democracy. They will keep the chaos going until we put a stop to it.

"Crisis is the rallying cry of the tyrant."

James Madison

They will do all they can to see that we remain in a state of crisis, from the disturbances at school board meetings to GOP lawmakers spouting insurrection-like rhetoric in both chambers of the legislatures.

Let's use our right to vote while we can for whatever good we can do.

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...Greenwich Republicans..."

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If you examine the sources of financial support you will find Trump, Gop, white supremacists groups, and Christian nationalists are all supported by those wealthy capitalists in America as well as foreign nations. The Christian nationalists are active in just about all of the authoritarian governments in Europe and Asia.

Please don't take my word for it. Follow the money. That is what the FBI and CIA are doing.

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Mitch McConnell can answer that question.

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McConnell received several million dollars from Russian interests, but he was not alone in that. No Russian is involved in American politics and capitalist ventures without prior approval from Putin.

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More on Bannon and far right interests in Europe:

https://twitter.com/jennycohn1/status/1454668864046780424?s=21

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It may be they want to wait until the 38 remaining prisoners in Guantanamo have been moved away before they jail 45's crew with what America has done with so many they have put there -- no charges and keep them there with an undetermined time for a trial.

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I am just afraid they will wait till the midterms hit the news cycle and the GOP will accuse DEMS of politicizing and the DEMS will fold like a bunch of amateurs at a high stakes table

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Definitely. List all of those criminals on a Wall of Shame. Also, include any quotations by these people to be held in public display in perpetuity to illustrate how dumb/criminal/evil the high-level perpetrators are. For example, that Georgia Congressman who said the attempted overthrow was just "a normal tourist visit." These things must be saved in history books and acknowledged by Congress to show how we'd degenerated to accept that type of nonsense.

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This is really more like sedition.

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We all watched it, I’ve been calling it treason, and the MSM should as well. Thank you WaPo.

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We need those papers trump is hiding. That is where treason could possibly be proven. trump wanted to overthrow the election and the USA Government to stay in power. Who was whispering in his ear? Stephen Miller? Why didn't the Secret Service ferry the President to the bunker? What is their involvement?

Too much attention is being paid to the crazy fools at the Capitol. Who in Government had treasonous intent.

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100%.

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100%

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I wondered about this use of words and found some definitions here: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/01/08/a-civilian-s-guide-to-insurrection-legalese

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My take after reading the Marshall Project guide to insurrection legalese is that, contrary to what TCinLA and other responders of 1-2 hours ago might hope, Treason would be a heavy lift for January 6 on the legal front.

I think that we should hope for a heavy dollop of seditious conspiracy charges and 20-year prison sentences for the chief conspirators. The rioters, all of them, should be charged under federal jurisdiction for crossing state lines to attend a protest that becomes violent, ***as many BLM protesters were charged*** under TFG's Dept of Justice.

That said, we can still call it Treason, especially here among friends.

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Personally, the claim that it can’t be treason because they carried US Flags is laughable. What better strategy to a successful coup? “To be guilty, you must have the specific intent to betray the U.S. on behalf of an enemy and then commit an overt act of such betrayal.” On behalf of an enemy. If a person intent on overthrowing a lawful election is not an enemy than who is? Surely it should be hard to prove, but it sure looks like a duck and should be held up to the light for what it is.

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Too bad we can’t post the hundreds of visuals of Xtian Nationalist Flags, Confederate Flags, and a host of visual codes of the Fascist Far Right. And yes there is the “false flag” gambit in all this stuff.

Good on you!

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It may look like a duck, but unless it quacks there are legal questions. Treason pertains to an enemy that we would be conducting a war against. This is not the case.

A group of citizens assaulted the seat of our government, armed, with the intention of preventing the government from functioning.

I have seen some mention of the CSA as an enemy of the state, which was true until 1865. Had the government hung those bastards we would not be having this problem today. The war was ended in May 1865 and before the year was out the KKK was in operation.

An attempted coup unpunished is an exercise.

Rick Wilson

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However, be sure there is no doubt that your recognizing it as an attempted coup is understood and wholeheartedly agreed with.

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Ha. Yes, just among friends!

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Thanks for posting! This is an important distinction: "To be guilty, (of treason) you must have the specific intent to betray the U.S. on behalf of an enemy and then commit an overt act of such betrayal. Given the prevalence of American flags on the Mall this week and the rioters’ chants of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”—however malicious their deeds—it would be nearly impossible for prosecutors to prove their goal was treasonous."

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There were plenty of confederate flags. I would argue the Confederacy was an enemy.

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In fact it was a vanquished enemy of the United States.

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Nov 1, 2021
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Aren’t those pro-police flags? Whom they attacked and maimed?

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Is it not treason just because you think it's for the good of country? I don't know. Is there a manslaughter version of treason? They we're trying to overthrow the government that day, hard stop. Abraham Lincoln did not charge the soldiers of the Confederacy with treason. They were trying to leave the Union and set up their own democracy not end the United States. These people were trying to end democracy by creating an error technicality...the time had run out to confirm so we just can't swear in Biden. Nobody talks about how really evil Eastman's solution was...he treats the peaceful transition of power like some sort of sporting event beholden to the tick tock of a clock. Congress missed the bus so sorry we just can't wait or go back even though we saw you getting mugged. These people really have no conscience.

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I love this concept of “leaving” There is no “succession” clause in the Constitution. Dividing a nation is an act of war and in point of fact the South used war to achieve succession. “Oh yes, does a house divided against itself” ring a bell?

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I think you will find "democracy" was that last thing on the agenda of the Confederate States of America, the independent nation that waged war on the United States of America.

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Thank you for providing this glossary. I will be keeping it and studying the terms until I know them by heart...and sharing with my friends.

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Every member of Congress and even Trump himself took an oath to defend the USA from all enemies "foreign and domestic." That was written specifically to refer to the CSA, which the current line of traitors obviously support.

It fits the Constitutional definition of treason, IMO.

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Thanks for this link. I learned a thing or two!

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Thank you, useful info

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THANK YOU for this link! Very clarifying, indeed.

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Thank you. Very helpful!

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very interesting … thank you for sharing this !

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Good explanation on how definitions are set.

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So, guilty of all of the above, and more.

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Very helpful. Thank you.

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100% Let’s go. ❤️🤍💙

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TREASON !

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I believe that insurrection against the government and the Constitution is a treasonous act. Aaron Burr was accused of treason when he sought to split off part of the United States and rule it separately. The case was heard by Chief Justice John Marshall in his capacity as circuit judge. Burr was acquitted in the absence of a second sworn witness. Here we have a multitude of witnesses, perpetrators, documents, and videos. Hammer to the slammer.

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Keith, this was an interesting read on the Burr case. I’m interested in what your opinion of this analysis would be.

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artIII_S3_C1_1_2/

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Christy Thankfully I am not a lawyer. I have also given away my two detailed volumes on constitutional interpretations. What I recall is that Marshall and Jefferson were pissed at one another. This was at the core of Marbury vs. Madison, on which Marshall should have recused himself, since he was the Secretary of State who had signed the document in question. My impression was that Marshall was not inclined to convict Burr, who was Jefferson's vice president, on a spotty judicial determination.

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Thank you so much for adding this perspective. Your history knowledge, like Heather’s, is such a gift for the rest of us. 🙏

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A problem with “Treason” as opposed to Seditious Conspiracy, is that the former relies on an “external” foreign power and/or the internal (5th Column) support in league with that power.

Seditious Conspiracy is what Trump and his Republican minions are doing. HINT: Whenever Fascists Republicans accuse us of something they actually do, in psychological parlance “Projection”, that is what they are or will do to us.

That’s why the spew ad-nauseam the memes of a Biden “takeover of government) - that is what they are in the midst of doing to us.

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Treason is giving aid or comfort to the enemy in a time of war. Nobody could possibly be convicted of treason in this case. I encourage you to see the definition of insurrection. The events of January 6, 2016, were an act of insurrection. And if you are paying attention to daily news, the act continues.

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This conversation, and especially those suggesting that the Treason charge is a bridge too far, led me to this. Curious about the “Advocating the Overthrow of the Government Charge”. Looks like it’s been added more recently so there is less history with use of it? https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title18/part1/chapter115&edition=prelim

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Christy, I'm plowing through this without total comprehension, but as usual, irrelevant details jump out at me. I learned a new word: surplusage!

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My brain really struggles with legalese. I have to go over repeatedly breaking it down and putting it back together. What I can understand is usually eye opening but it’s always nice to have an expert to translate 😁 I missed that “surplusage”, will have to check it out.

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Rantings of a lunatic lacking understanding of the words "insurrection" and "treason"

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He quoted the Constitution of the United States of America to you, traitor. But thanks for the solid demonstration of projection. You fascists can't seem to help it, can you?

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Mommie want her computer back, little boy.

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Will this work?

There are only two ways to commit this offense, they said: “levying war” against America or “giving aid and comfort” to one of the nation’s enemies—typically a foreign adversary.

the Supreme Court and Congress have further narrowed the scope of what constitutes treason: To be guilty, you must have the specific intent to betray the U.S. on behalf of an enemy and then commit an overt act of such betrayal.

So, argue with the Supreme Court and Congressional Rulings.

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So long as Rupert declares that the cult is patriotic, they get a pass??? They are the most insidious of America’s enemies, ever, despite that MAGA bs. Propaganda works better than bullets. Putin, Murdoch, and trump know that, are they the only ones…

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I think I understand where you are going. The 1/6/21 attackers were guilty of Seditious Conspiracy - that is they were not in direct league with a foreign power to overthrow the U.S.

Seditious conspiracy is to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

So, on Jan 6th there was a conspiratorial group that sought to stop the legal validation of a nationwide election and install their ruler.

Was there (and is there likely to be) Russian involvement in activities aimed at the overthrow of the U.S.? I’d say absolutely true, but even if we have the smoking gun proof proving coordinated effort would be next to impossible.

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I have a pic of trump and Putin at Helsinki which makes me sure that he conspired with a foreign power

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Absolutely.

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