Trump dead-ender Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel, is, according to CNN, considering resigning. "Cipollone's exit," reported Pamela Brown, "would add to a growing list of Trump administration officials, which now includes Cabinet members, who have resigned from their government roles since the Capitol siege. Cipollone defended the President during his first impeachment proceedings, but his potential exit raises questions about who would represent Trump if current impeachment talks pick up steam. Cipollone's participation is now highly unlikely... Since the election, he had considered multiple times but has been urged to stay for the good of the country by members of the Senate and the Cabinet." That mindset seems to have crumbed since the coup attempt on Wednesday and even some the worst suck-ups, like Nikki Haley are abandoning ship, running for their (careerist) lives. Trump's former U.N. ambassador "sharply criticized" him, wrote Alex Isenstadt, "telling RNC members in a closed-door speech Thursday evening that Trump’s actions 'will be judged harshly by history'... [S]he also said the GOP played a role, adding that 'if we are the party of personal responsibility, we need to take personal responsibility... We can and should talk about our major differences,' Haley said. 'But we must stop turning the American people against each other-- and this Republican Party must lead the way.'"
This morning Steve Schmidt tweeted that Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley "have utterly and irredeemably disgraced themselves, their states and the United States Senate. Since neither demagogic sociopath will resign, they should be expelled. Their demagogic conduct eclipses anything that Joe McCarthy ever did. Five people are dead and the Capitol of the United States fell to Confederate flag carrying extremists and vandals. The floors of the United States House and Senate were desecrated by people incited by Trump, Hawley and Cruz. All are unfit to serve in high office. They have earned their shame."
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) won't have to face the voters again for 6 years. He's never been comfortable with Trump but he voted against removing him from office last time was impeached. This time, he told CBS News he’d consider kicking his fat oranges out of the White House. "If they come together and have a process, I will definitely consider whatever articles they might move, because as I told you I believe the president has disregarded his oath of office."
And that brings us to Josh Hawley (R-MO)-- with Ted Cruz-- one of the two worst enablers who are responsible for the coup attempt. violence, death and destruction. The two big newspapers in his state want him to resign. This morning the editorial board of the Kansas City Star headlined their piece If Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley had a conscience, he’d resign. He’ll have to be removed. They wrote that if "Hawley had shown any evidence that there’s a conscience in there somewhere, underneath the ambition and the artifice and the uncommon combo of striving and laziness that he’s somehow made work for him, then we wouldn’t be where we are right now. We wouldn’t, that is, be wondering what to say to a man who, having so disgraced his office, and our state, must either resign or be removed from the U.S. Senate. Having led the parade to the edge of a cliff, Hawley pretends to be astonished by what happened next. And unlike those Republicans who sobered up after seeing the U.S. Capitol trashed, he continues to pretend that the election was stolen from President Donald Trump, who claimed widespread voter fraud even when he really did win, in 2016. Former Missouri Sen. John C. Danforth, an actual man of honor, told The Star that he blamed his former protégé for Wednesday’s riot. 'But for him it wouldn’t have happened. But for him the approval of the Electoral College votes would have been simply a formality. He made it into something that it was a specific way to express the view that the election was stolen. He was responsible.' We agree."
We can’t appeal to a sense of decency that doesn’t exist.
But we can say that Hawley, who gave a raised fist of encouragement to the likes of that proud lout who put his feet up on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk, cannot continue to be our man in Washington, and so will have to be expelled.
Those of you in the Senate who understand what he did, in full possession of the facts and the consequences of twisting them, must do more than censure his treasonous behavior.
He’ll still be the poster boy of the radical right, but if we’re going to keep our democracy, there has to be a penalty for being the ringleader of those encouraging overturning an election.
Newly sworn-in Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall also disgraced his office by objecting to the Electoral College results confirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Marshall is a follower, not a leader, and since he made no sense in his first speech on the Senate floor at least cannot be accused of misleading anyone.
...Josh Hawley has shown that he’ll be the last Trumper standing. In fact, he may finally have achieved his goal of out-Trumping Trump, since even the president finally conceded on Thursday and said the fight was over.
...Hawley said in a statement that he would “never apologize for giving voice to the millions of Missourians and Americans who have concerns about the integrity of our elections. That’s my job, and I will keep doing it.”
They have concerns because you and others told them lies. That you think it’s your job to keep telling them the lies that have already gotten four of them killed is inexcusable. And it’s why you don’t deserve to stay on our payroll.
On the other side of the state, the St Louis Post Dispatch editorial board added that "Americans have had enough of Trumpism and the two-faced, lying, populist politicians who embraced it. Hawley’s presidential aspirations have been flushed down the toilet because of his role in instigating Wednesday’s assault on democracy. He should do Missourians and the rest of the country a big favor and resign now. Trumpism must die before it morphs into Hitlerism. Defenders like Hawley deserve to be cast into political purgatory for having promoted it... There no longer is such a thing as a neutral zone when it comes to Trumpism. Either Parson, Blunt, Wagner and, yes, Hawley, condemn it loudly and consistently, or they become part of the problem that Missouri voters must eradicate once and for all."
George Will came up with an interesting way of discussing Hawley's fate: The Scarlet S. "The Trump-Hawley-Cruz insurrection against constitutional government," he wrote, "will be an indelible stain on the nation. They, however, will not be so permanent. In 14 days, one of them will be removed from office by the constitutional processes he neither fathoms nor favors. It will take longer to scrub the other two from public life. Until that hygienic outcome is accomplished, from this day forward, everything they say or do or advocate should be disregarded as patent attempts to distract attention from the lurid fact of what they have become. Each will wear a scarlet 'S' as a seditionist."
David Humphreys, one of Hawley's top donors, called on the Senate to censure him "for provoking [the] riots in our nation’s capital," referring to him as an anti-democracy populist and a "political opportunist" who used "irresponsible, inflammatory, and dangerous tactics" to incite the rioting that took over the U.S. Capitol Building. And Simon & Schuster shit-canned plans to publish Hawley's book, The Tyranny of Big Tech, scheduled for release in June. "We did not come to this decision lightly. As a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints: At the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat."
Hawley, who worked to violently overthrow American democracy, was whining on Twitter that Simon & Schuster's action violate his First Amendment right, calling it "Orwellian" and trying to blame the rioting on all Missourans. "We'll see you in court."
And then there was this, from the Anchorage Daily News this afternoon:
Pramila, today:
"January 6, 2021 is a date which will forever live in infamy. This was the most violent, deadly, and destructive assault on the U.S. Capitol since the War of 1812. The insurrectionists were domestic terrorists, many armed and many associated with white nationalist groups. This was a planned and coordinated attack with an intent to overthrow a free and fair election, and included live bombs both on the Capitol grounds and outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters.
"These insurrectionists were called to action, incited, fueled, and assisted in their attack on our democracy and our Capitol by Donald J. Trump, the sitting President of the United States, who has used every opportunity to build his own following at the expense of our country and our Constitution and with the express intent to fuel and promote hate and violence as a political tool.
"I was one of a dozen Representatives trapped in the gallery above the House floor as this occurred. We pulled out gas masks from under the seats because tear gas was being used and we had to get down on the ground for cover. Capitol Police barricaded the doors with furniture and had their guns drawn. We were eventually told that we had to quickly exit and took flights of stairs down to a safer location. As we did, we passed insurrectionists who had been trying to break into the very gallery that we had been trapped in. They were being held-- spread-eagled on the floor and at gunpoint-- by Capitol Police.
"We knew that the first thing we had to do was to finish the work of certifying the election, to make it crystal clear to these insurrectionists-- led by Trump and his enablers-- that we would do our Constitutional duty and listen to the will of the people who voted and made their voices clear in delivering both a popular vote and Electoral College vote victory to President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. In the wake of the violence wrought on the Capitol, it was even more disgusting that some Republican colleagues continued their baseless objections to the Electoral College certification, even spinning more lies and conspiracy theories on the House floor and shockingly defending the insurrectionists. Nevertheless, at 3:45 AM on January 7, 2021, we completed the process and certified the election in both the House and the Senate. There is absolutely no question that on January 20, Joe Biden will be our new president.
"However, our work is far from done. Congress must reconvene right now so we can have immediate accountability in three specific ways.
"First, we must immediately remove the President from office. I have called on Vice President Pence and the Cabinet to put this country first and uphold their constitutional duty to invoke the 25th Amendment. I have also signed on to once again impeach Donald Trump. He is a direct threat to our democracy, with complete control over the military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies. It cannot be an accident that the federal government was not properly prepared for the threats associated with Wednesday’s assault, which were being publicly broadcast over social media. Additionally, Donald Trump did not authorize the full securing of the US Capitol. In fact, French Intelligence experts have stated that they believe the President may have been involved in a coup attempt-- explicitly or implicitly with his actions. It is inconceivable that Congress would allow him to remain in office in these final critical days leading to President-elect Biden’s inauguration, or that we would not clearly send a message to our country and the world that insurrection and sedition will not be tolerated.
"In addition, the Department of Justice must ruthlessly investigate Trump and hold him fully accountable for his dangerous crimes and corruption against the American people with every tool in the toolbox. To those who say we should simply move on, I remind you that his crimes without consequences would only enable him and any others who follow in his dangerous mold to do the same. I also remind everyone that for Black, Brown and Indigenous people across our country who have been met with violence while peacefully protesting, this rapid march towards a rising of the Confederacy-- with a noose on Capitol grounds and a Confederate flag planted at the Capitol as others were waved inside-- without any consequences is a re-traumatization and an unacceptable outcome in any march towards justice. It simply cannot be.
"Second, we must immediately, quickly, and thoroughly investigate what happened that allowed insurrectionists to overtake the Capitol on Wednesday. The United States has the most powerful law enforcement, intelligence, and military agencies in the world. To my chagrin, we spend $750 billion on defense, and yet we were unable to protect our own Capitol and democracy. We need to know what happened and what did not happen, and there must be accountability for that. We also need to know that our Capitol is safe now, that the inauguration will be safe, and that our law enforcement agencies are working for our democracy and not for insurrectionists. Those who were part and parcel of any breaches of Capitol security, or any delays that prevented the Capitol from being fully secured as we took on the Constitutional responsibility of certifying the Electoral College must be held accountable.
"Finally, we absolutely must reckon with the racism and white supremacy that was so clearly and painfully on display with the storming of the Capitol. Over one year ago, during my opening remarks for the Judiciary Committee’s impeachment hearings, I said this: 'Donald Trump is the smoking gun. It is reloaded and whether or not it goes off again is up to us.' Then last summer, I grilled Attorney General Bill Barr on the Department of Justice’s disparate treatment of white, armed militia who stormed the Michigan State Capitol with absolutely no accountability and the unforgivable, violent treatment of Black Lives Matter protestors who were protesting the systematic and regular murder of Black people throughout our history, brought fully to the forefront by the murder of George Floyd.
"We know that peaceful Black and Brown protestors would never have been allowed even remotely close to the Capitol. And yet, there were no barricades and no law enforcement to stop the insurrectionists who overtook our Capitol-- and even videos and pictures of those people being allowed in, barriers being opened up, and the insurrectionists posing for selfies with law enforcement inside the Capitol. This is the deep injustice and violence of our law enforcement agencies over the course of our history that have led to the powerful calls for justice in policing. No progress in America is possible unless we address the racism, white supremacy, and anti-Blackness that has plagued our country for far too long."
After today's virtual House Democratic caucus meeting, Pelosi issued a statement that said, in part, "It is the hope of Members that the President will immediately resign. But if he does not, I have instructed the Rules Committee to be prepared to move forward with Congressman Jamie Raskin’s 25th Amendment legislation and a motion for impeachment. Accordingly, the House will preserve every option-- including the 25th Amendment, a motion to impeach or a privileged resolution for impeachment."
Late this afternoon, 159 congressmmbers-- all Democrats-- has signed on as co-sponsors of the Ted Lieu-Jamie Raskin-David Cicciline impeachment resolution:
Alma Adams NC-12
Pete Aguilar CA-31
Jake Auchincloss MA-04
Cindy Axne IA-03
Nanette Diaz Barragán CA-44
Joyce Beatty OH-03
Ami Bera, M.D. CA-7
Donald S. Beyer Jr. VA-08
Earl Blumenauer OR-03
Lisa Blunt Rochester DE-AL
Suzanne Bonamici OR-01
Carolyn Bourdeaux GA-07
Brendan Boyle PA-02
Anthony Brown MD-04
Cori Bush MO-01
Salud O. Carbajal CA-24
Tony Cárdenas CA-29
André Carson IN-07
Sean Casten IL-06
Kathy Castor FL-14
Joaquin Castro TX-20
Judy Chu CA-27
Yvette D. Clarke NY-09
Emanuel Cleaver MO-05
Steve Cohen TN-09
Gerry Connolly VA-11
Jim Cooper TN-05
Lou Correa CA-46
Angie Craig MN-02
Charlie Crist FL-13
Jason Crow CO-06
Sharice L. Davids KS-03
Danny K. Davis IL-07
Madeleine Dean PA-04
Peter DeFazio OR-04
Diana DeGette CO-01
Rosa DeLauro CT-03
Suzan DelBene WA-01
Mark DeSaulnier CA-11
Ted Deutch FL-22
Lloyd Doggett TX-35
Mike Doyle PA-18
Veronica Escobar TX-16
Adriano Espaillat NY-13
Dwight Evans PA-03
Lizzie Fletcher TX-07
Lois Frankel FL-21
Ruben Gallego AZ-07
John Garamendi CA-03
Sylvia R. Garcia TX-29
Jesús G. “Chuy” García IL-04
Jimmy Gomez CA-34
Vicente González TX-15
Al Green TX-09
Raul Grijalva AZ-03
Alcee L. Hastings FL-20
Jahana Hayes CT-05
Brian Higgins NY-26
Steven Horsford NV-04
Chrissy Houlahan PA-06
Jared Huffman CA-02
Sara Jacobs CA-53
Pramila Jayapal WA-07
Hank Johnson GA-04
Mondaire Jones NY-17
Kai Kahele HI-02
Marcy Kaptur OH-09
William R. Keating MA-09
Robin Kelly IL-02
Ro Khanna CA-17
Dan Kildee MI
Ann Kirkpatrick AZ-02
Jim Langevin RI-02
Rick Larsen WA-02
Brenda L. Lawrence MI-14
Al Lawson FL-05
Barbara Lee CA-13
Teresa Leger Fernandez NM-03
Andy Levin MI-09
Mike Levin CA-49
Ted Lieu CA-33
Alan Lowenthal CA-47
Elaine Luria VA-02
Stephen F. Lynch MA-08
Tom Malinowski NJ-07
Carolyn Maloney NY-12
Sean Patrick Maloney NY-18
Manning Kathy Manning NC-06
Doris Matsui CA-06
Betty McCollum MN-04
Donald McEachin VA-04
James P. McGovern MA-02
Jerry McNerney CA-09
Gregory Meeks NY-05
Grace Meng NY-06
Kweisi Mfume MD-07
Gwen Moore WI-04
Morelle Joseph D. Morelle NY-25
Seth Moulton MA-06
Jerrold Nadler NY-10
Grace F. Napolitano CA-32
Richard Neal MA-01
Joe Neguse CO-02
Marie Newman IL-03
Eleanor Holmes Norton DC-AL
AOC NY-14
Ilhan Omar MN-05
Frank Pallone, Jr. NJ-06
Jimmy Panetta CA-20
Donald M. Payne NJ-10
Dean Phillips MN-03
Chellie Pingree ME-01
Mark Pocan WI-02
Katie Porter CA-45
David Price NC-04
Jamie Raskin MD-08
Deborah Ross NC-02
Raul Ruiz CA-36
Dutch Ruppersberger MD-02
Bobby L. Rush IL-01
Tim Ryan OH-13
Michael F.Q San Nicolas Guam
Linda T. Sánchez CA-38
Mary Gay Scanlon PA-05
Jan Schakowsky IL-09
Bradley S. Schneider IL-10
Bobby Scott VA-03
David Scott GA-13
Brad Sherman CA-30
Mikie Sherrill NJ-11
Albio Sires NJ-08
Adam Smith WA-09
Darren Soto FL-09
Speier Jackie Speier CA-14
Greg Stanton AZ-09
Marilyn Strickland WA-10
Tom Suozzi NY-03
Eric Swalwell CA-15
Mark Takano CA-41
Bennie Thompson MS-02
Mike Thompson CA-05
Rashida Tlaib MI-13
Tonko Paul D. Tonko NY-20
Norma J. Torres CA-35
Ritchie Torres NY-15
Lori Trahan MA-03
David Trone MD-06
Lauren Underwood IL-14
Juan Vargas CA-51
Filemon Vela TX-34
Nydia M. Velázquez NY-07
Debbie Wasserman Schultz FL-23
Bonnie Watson Coleman NJ-12
Peter Welch VT-AL
Jennifer Wexton VA-10
Nikema Williams GA-05
John Yarmuth KY-03
Julia Brownley CA-26
