Trump was told repeatedly the 2020 election was not 'stolen'
House passes 'red flag' bill on guns
The Jan. 6 committee starts to lay out its evidence. Evidently some Republicans in Congress wanted a pardon after Jan. 6. And Democrats pass another gun bill in the House - with little GOP support. This is “Regular Order” for June 10, 2022.
JANUARY 6. The special House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol opened a series of hearings last night, making it very clear they believe Donald Trump was responsible for the Jan. 6 riot. “January 6 was the culmination of an attempted coup,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS). “President Trump summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” said Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).
CAPITOL. In a lengthy opening statement, Cheney said no evidence has been found to show that Trump called anyone on Jan. 6 - whether the military, the FBI, the Justice Department, no one - to help Congress that day. “Trump did nothing to defend the Capitol,” Cheney said.
VIDEO. The panel used video snippets from closed door testimony to undermine Trump’s never-ending claims of 2020 election fraud. Former Attorney General Bill Barr said Trump’s belief that the election had been stolen was ‘bullshit.’ Top Trump aides told of how Trump was told repeatedly that there was no fraud. “Even Ivanka Trump knows the election wasn’t stolen,” said Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC).
LAWMAKERS. Maybe the biggest piece of news from the investigation was revealed by Cheney, who said ‘multiple’ GOP lawmakers had asked the White House - after the January 6 attack - for a pardon. She specifically named Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), who defied a subpoena from the committee for his testimony.
PARDONS. “Representative Perry contacted the White House in the weeks after January 6 to seek a presidential pardon,” Cheney said in her familiar monotone. “Multiple other Republican Congressmen also sought presidential pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election.”
DEMS. Democrats wasted no time seizing on that revelation. "If you did nothing illegal, why would you need a pardon?" asked Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA). "We just learned several of my Republican colleagues begged Trump for pardons," said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ). "I hope we learn why."
GOP. It wasn't immediately clear how many Republicans asked for a pardon - or whether those names would be made public. A Perry spokesman denied the Cheney claim. Earlier in the day, Perry had labeled the Jan. 6 hearings a 'Soviet-Style Show Trial."
ATTACK. The committee also released new video and police audio from the attack on the Capitol. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards called it a war zone in her testimony last night. "I was slipping in people's blood," she told lawmakers, using words like carnage, and ‘absolute war zone’ to describe the scene.
VIOLENCE. Watch this video. It’s a reminder that this was not an ordinary day on Capitol Hill. It was not a bunch of tourists at the Capitol. The video even showed workers in the office of House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy running for the exits. They weren’t going to lunch.
WHAT'S NEXT. The Jan. 6 committee will hold three more public hearings next week on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
GUNS. The House capped action this week on gun violence by approving a federal 'red flag' bill on Thursday, which would allow police to go to court to seize weapons from people deemed to be a threat. The vote was 224-202, and was mainly along party lines, as Republicans continue to strongly oppose any new gun restrictions.
DEBATE. A day after approving a package of seven gun bills, Democrats again said it was time to act. "We all understand that the murder of our children cannot continue," said Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA). “The Constitution does not require us to wait until lives are lost,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY).
DAILY DOUBLE. Five House Republicans voted for both gun bills this week - as the GOP overwhelmingly went against new gun laws. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Anthony Gonzales (R-OH), Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-NY), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) were the only GOP 'Yes' votes.
GOP FIVE. All five of those lawmakers are seen as more moderate Republicans. Only Fitzpatrick is running for re-election. Jacobs was just forced to abandon his 2022 bid because of a firestorm of GOP criticism over his support for gun restrictions after a mass shooting in Buffalo.
AGE 21. Five other Republicans voted this week to raise the minimum purchase age to 21 for an assault weapon. Rep. John Katko and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, Rep. Mike Turner of Dayton, Ohio, and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Miami. It's a reminder that Republicans in urban areas are more likely to support gun restrictions.
TALKS. Senators involved in talks about some gun violence compromise are still working on it - which is a good sign - but it’s not clear whether they are on the verge of a framework agreement, or how long it might take. The House and Senate are only in session for two more weeks before another break.
SCHUMER. “I hope that very soon we can see a deal come together,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said on Thursday, reporting ‘good progress’ in the talks. “We hope this time around, something will change at last.”
GUNS. On tough issues - like guns - Congress moves slowly, often, very slowly. So, it shouldn't be any surprise that it seems like nothing is getting done on the issue of gun violence. Even a gut-wrenching hearing this week did nothing to spur any action on Capitol Hill. That’s my column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
GUN MARCHES. Saturday will see several hundred marches around the nation in support of new gun controls. The largest is expected to be here in Washington, D.C., organized by a group of students who survived the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
LOBBYING. Activists led by David Hogg have been all over Capitol Hill in recent days. "If our government can’t do anything after 19 kids are slaughtered and several decapitated it’s time to change who’s in government," Hogg tweeted on Thursday.
ALASKA. Saturday is primary day in Alaska in a special election to replace the late Rep. Don Young (R-AK), who died earlier this year. 48 candidates from all parties are on the nonpartisan ballot - as the top four primary finishers will then move on to the final election for Congress in August.
SYSTEM. This 'Top Four' primary was approved in 2020 by Alaska voters as a way to improve the election system. Washington State and California already use a 'Top Two' primary - Alaska is the first to expand it to 'Top Four.'
CANDIDATES. Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R) is the best known person on the ballot - though there is a candidate named Santa Claus. The hopefuls include 16 Republicans, 6 Democrats, 2 Libertarians, and the rest are non-partisan or independents.
ALL MAIL. This primary is being conducted entirely by mail - the first time Alaska has ever done that. Ballots must be returned in person by Saturday, or postmarked and mailed by Saturday.
RICK SCOTT. Under increasing fire from Democrats - and members of his own party - Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) has quietly altered his 11-point "Rescue America" campaign plan because of continuing bipartisan opposition to his idea to raise taxes on millions of low-income and elderly Americans.
VIDEO. I told you earlier this week about Scott's odd video alluding to criticism of his tax plan. But now on his website, Scott has quietly added an extra 12th point on cutting taxes: "Nothing in this plan has ever, or will ever, advocate or propose, any tax increases, at all."
CHANGES. Originally, Scott said all Americans should have ‘skin in the game’ - complaining that 'over half of Americans pay no income tax.' Now he says - "Able bodied Americans under 60, who do not have young children or incapacitated dependents, should work."
CAMPAIGN. This whole episode continues to be an ongoing unforced political error by Scott. I learned a long time ago that when you have to repeatedly explain what you are proposing - then you are losing. Scott is just digging a deeper hole.
HONORS. The Senate this week officially renamed two rooms on the first floor of the Capitol for a pair of famous women Senators. S-115 will be named for Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, and S-124 for Sen. Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.
HISTORY. In an otherwise boilerplate news release sent to reporters, this sentence stands out like a sore thumb. "Out of more than 540 rooms in the Capitol, these two rooms are the first to be named after women Senators."
MCCARTHYISM. Margaret Chase Smith may be best remembered for her searing Senate floor speech against Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. McCarthy called her ‘Snow White.’
FREE STATE. Mikulski is the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress - 10 years in the House and 30 years in the Senate. I met her in 1986 when I covered her campaign for Senate.
SENIORITY. The ceremony for Mikulski got me thinking about seniority on Capitol Hill. We’re down to only four members of the House and four members of the Senate who have been in office on Capitol Hill longer than I have worked there. Consider a daily subscription to support my independent reporting about Congress. Or as my daughter says, give the 'gift of straight news' to someone you know!
MUSE OF HISTORY. June 10, 1964. On this date - after three months of debate, the Senate voted to force final action on what would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Opponents denounced the move, which was the first time a filibuster had been broken on a civil rights measure. Sen. Richard Russell of Georgia said the Senate was being placed under a 'gag rule' - an ironic choice of phrase, given that was used to describe how petitions against slavery were not allowed to be discussed in Congress before the Civil War. The vote to end debate was 71-29. Both Democratic Senators from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas voted to filibuster the bill.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House meets again on Monday.
The Senate returns on Monday.
President Biden’s daily schedule link.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree. Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
The Jan. 6 news is doubly depressing. It's amazing to hear that it was even worse than I thought. And then to know that Trump will have exactly zero consequences, as usual.
Let's not forget that the House and the Senate are doing what all of the people in their district or state want. (The realist in me knows they do what the people who voted for them want. The cynic believes they do what is best for themselves.) Anyway... the best way for people to get what they want from government is to campaign and vote for people who will represent their wishes.