By David M. Greenwald
We have seen a lot of words thrown around to describe Wednesday—riot, insurrection, but how about lynch mob? We have yet to have a full account of what happened, what went wrong, but the video and pictures emerging are far worse than what we initially saw in the live coverage.
The images broadcast in real time were not the most horrifying images of the day. Much of what we saw—silly costumes, selfies, some guy grabbing the Speaker’s lectern, were less threatening than some of the things we did not see in real time.
But things way darker were happening inside the rotunda. And it gives us a glimpse at aspects of the organization and intent of the 
crowd.
A Capitol police officer died after being struck with a fire extinguisher during a melee. That means that the US Capitol becomes the site of a homicide investigation. Depending on how laws are applied, a lot of people could actually potentially face murder charges here.
After all, the deaths were the result of the actions of a mob that were incited and directed by the President of the US. It is unclear his actual intent, but he apparently wanted them to intimidate or pressure members of the Congress to instate him rather than Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
Josh Hawley is now in hot water, along with Ted Cruz, from members of his own caucus in addition to from the Democrats. He walked by the protesters and was infamously photographed with his fist in the air. Former Missouri Senator John Danforth now calls supporting Hawley the biggest mistake he has made in his career.
When you start looking at some of this footage and the communications, this starts looking like a lynch mob.
Lin Wood, an attorney with the President’s Legal Team, tweeted, “They let them in.” Then said, “Get the firing squads ready. Pence goes FIRST.”
Jim Bourg with Routers tweeted, “I heard at least 3 different rioters at the Capitol say that they hoped to find Vice President Mike Pence and execute him by hanging him from a Capitol Hill tree as a traitor.”
There is a photo of a gallows with a noose right outside the Capitol. Other video footage depicts a large mob outside of the capitol chanting, “Hang Mike Pence.”
Pence had to be taken into protective custody as the result of the mob action.
There is also the photo of the guy who is wearing full tactical gear with a handful of zip ties used to secure people during riots and protests. He is in the Senate chamber.
One report in Slate noted, “The guys were carrying flex cuffs, the plastic double restraints often used by police in mass arrest situations.”
Dan Kois of Slate writes, “They went into the Capitol, as Congress was counting electoral votes, equipped to take hostages – to physically seize officials, and presumably to take lives.”
That at least opens the possibility that people in that mob planned to apprehend and potentially kill leaders in this country.
That is the scene that was set as a large group gathered outside of the Speaker’s office just outside of the House floor.
The death of Ashli Babbitt occurred and she others repeatedly battered down the doors just outside of the House Chambers where House members were huddled, sheltering in place.
As they breached the barrier, you can see people using sticks and other objects to bash in the doors, glass broken but still holding up.
In one video with the doors about to give way, the officer with gun drawn watching the progression of the mob, and as Babbitt jumps into the window about to cross the barrier and overrun that officer, a single shot is fired—and in the other video, you can see her struck, on the ground as people frantically attempt to get the attention of law enforcement.
Another video shows a throng of people attempting to force their way into the House or Senate and being met by a throng of police in riot and tactical gear. The police this time are able to hold the large mob out. Barely. Some are seen in serious distress, crushed in the door. Had they broken in at that point, hard to know what would have happened—we probably would be witnessing something far more catastrophic?
What would have happened had the police at that point not been able to hold off the crowd—would they have attempted to surge past them? What happens if they got to Pelosi, Schumer or Pence? We know from history what that looks like—these are US officials.
This of course was egged on by President Trump.
On December 19, he tweeted, “Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”
On Wednesday, Rudy Giuliani called on the crowd to settle the election “via a trial by combat.”
Mo Brooks, a congressman, said, “It’s time to start taking down names, and kicking ass.”
Then Donald Trump spoke.
“We’re going to have to fight much harder. Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn’t that will be a sad day for our country. We’re going to walk down to the capitol and we’re going to cheer on our brave Senators and Congressmen and women. And we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength and you have to be strong.”
He later tweeted, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”
Ben Sasse of Nebraska said that White House aides say Trump was “delighted” as the Capitol was stormed.
It is interesting that reports say that Pence is not in favor of removing Trump via the 25th Amendment. One has to wonder how much he knows about the apparent intent of the mob to lynch him.
For the first time, Republicans are turning against the President. And not just the four in the Senate that have been critical. Yesterday Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said, “I do think the president committed impeachable offenses.”
Can they get close to 17 Senators needed to remove the President from office? Probably not.
But Republicans increasingly have a problem—they have a large and angry constituent base that is absolutely convinced that Trump won, that the election was stolen, and they are angry that a large number of Republican legislators voted to confirm Biden’s victory. Although it is interesting that it was 139 House Republicans that opposed certification on Wednesday versus just 7 in the Senate.
Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina told the New York Times she was confronted with constituents and, “It didn’t matter what I said… They didn’t believe it.
“Their hearts, minds and wallets were taken advantage of,” Mace said, her voice rising in fury. “Millions of people across the country who were lied to. These individuals, these hardworking Americans truly believe that the Congress can overturn the Electoral College.”
But the problem of course is that Republicans spoke out too late. And yes, many regret not speaking out sooner, but they fed this beast to the point where it may well consume them eventually. They need to all get up there and say in a press conference what Mace said to the New York Times—you were lied to, you were taken advantage of, there was no stolen election.
I don’t know what is going to happen, but the severity of this situation should not be underestimated.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
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Kudos to you David, even though I don’t agree with some of your suppositions here at least you didn’t inject racism into it.
So after the election
and the vote counting
and the challenge rejections by the judicial branch
and the election certification
and the appointment of electors
and the vote of the electoral college
the President and his followers thought they could prevent Joe Biden from becoming President by storming the Capitol.
How crazy do you have to be?
The intent of the crowd was mostly to protest the electoral college certification. Sure there were some outliers and/or extremists who had other intentions, but they didn’t represent the overall majority of the protesters. Here’s a comment from you David where you said this about the Portland protesters:
How do you know this?
He gets the newsletter…
Maybe the same way you knew this:
This is all tu quoque defense
The extremists organized this event at the Capitol. There is plenty of evidence for that. You have no evidence for your assertion.
Apple, Google and Amazon all have enough evidence of an organized violent event to put Parler either on probation or to completely ban it. There is no such clear evidence for the much more spontaneous disruptions that occurred at a small number of civil rights protests. In addition, as I have posted repeatedly, there is clear evidence that much of the violence at the civil rights demonstrations was incited by outside right wing and off duty law enforcement provocateurs.
In addition, those who participated in the mob are insulted by the right wing media that tried to claim that it was Antifa or BLM impersonators who led the assault.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mollyhensleyclancy/trump-rioters-online-aftermath
In addition there is more strong evidence of a premeditated assault.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/politics/us-capitol-riots-arrest-pelosi-desk/index.html
There is no moral equivalency between what happened this last summer and the attempted insurrection this week. It’s like comparing a slap in the face to get attention by a group that has been ignored versus cutting off a limb incited by our national leader. I question the basic morality of anyone who tries to claim some sort of equivalency.
Buzzfeednews and CNN?
I would start with an honest assessment of what happened on Wednesday – leaving out any attempts to both sides the issue.
1. How many people engaged in criminal conduct?
2. How many people entered the capitol illegally?
3. WHat was their specific intent?
4. Who is responsible for fanning these flames?
There are Republicans now – some speaking publicly and some speaking still shielded that acknowledge that things have gone too far – for whatever reason, you have not. Given that you claim not to like Trump particularly, I find that odd. I also wonder at what point you believe that the actions of Trump are more dangerous than the ideas (in your view) of Pelosi and whether you think that line has been crossed. Thanks.
Yeah, I don’t blame you for wanting to throw aside the both sides issue.
You made an assertion. What is your evidence for it? There is plenty of evidence otherwise in the online comments and calls to action by the leaders of this riot posted beforehand, so I wish to know how you support the statement that
Do you suppose that someone on trial for murder could invoke the BLM defense?
I notice you dodged ALL of my questions
Keith O
You have presented NO evidence whatsoever of equivalency between the actions of these two groups. You refusal to condemn traitorous actions brings us to the question of whether you should be censored from this site. That you appear to be completely incapable of any self reflection, just as the current President is.
[Moderator: edited]
Geez, Richard – chill.
Richard, please tell me what I’ve posted is false or a lie?
[Moderator: edited]
Just a few bad apples Keith? That is a pathetic argument.
Laugh out loud.
As for both sides Keith I bet you can’t find a single quote from me that seeks to justify violence anywhere.
You say this as if this intent is less benign than the intent of so-called extremists. The outcome sought by all was to disregard the outcome of a free and fair democratic election and hand the presidency to the loser of both the Electoral College and popular vote. This was an insurgency—an attempted coup—not a protest.
“But the problem of course is that Republicans spoke out too late…They need to all get up there and say in a press conference what Mace said to the New York Times—you were lied to, you were taken advantage of, there was no stolen election.”
As one commenter here so consistently demonstrates, they have neither the will or moral capacity to do so. The continued lies propagated by right-wing anarchists to justify the uprising at the Capitol where at least five lives were lost, where they threatened to lynch members of congress, their lack of accountability or remorse and their disloyalty to fellow citizens is enough for the charge of Treason to be leveled.
I believe that the vast majority of the mob did not intend it to go so far along with the ‘storm troopers’, and definitely were “enablers” (accomplices?), before, during, and after the fact… before, by participating in the march… during by not dispersing, not trying to convince others to “knock it off!”… after, by not coming forward to authorities to help identify the berserkers, or speaking out publically to condemn the berserkers’ behavior…
What’s the famous quote? Something about, all it takes for evil thrive is for good folk to do nothing, or something like that?
“What’s the famous quote? ”
“We spend $750B dollars on defense and the center of democracy fell in two hours to the guys from Duck Dynasty and a creep in a Chewbacca bikini!”
John
LOL!
If the little people would have just protested like they did in Seattle and Portland this wouldn’t be an issue but when they take the party to Washington DC and pissed their fish bowl then it becomes a big issue. Granted they should have never stole any furniture they never left notes on Nancy pelosi’s desk that pretty stupid you don’t do those kind of things and you don’t go around killing cops.
I find it kind of funny that we want to defund the cops everywhere else in the United States except in Washington DC why is that could it be they’re afraid of the little people could it be that Nancy pelosi is afraid she’s going to have her head on a stick. ?
You mean when they bust into the capitol screaming hang the Vice President arumed and with zipties and tactical gear and attempt to force their way into the house and senate chambers, people start to take notice? Yeah, kind of.
Armed with Zip ties?
One guy?
There’s only evidence for one guy SO FAR on the zip ties. There’s increasing amount of evidence of others prepared for violent actions. I posted a link showing a list of more preparation.
Chris G, you completely misinterpret the poorly-named “defund” movement. That is about creating more effective community safety through different means that simply arresting people. As for protection of the Capitol, the event showed how vulnerable it is to potential attack by terrorists, both domestic and foreign. That’s not a real risk anywhere else.
“Yeah, I don’t blame you for wanting to throw aside the both sides issue.”
There is a single fact with relevance to the “both sides” issue that cannot be denied. Only one side has tried through multiple venues to overturn the results of an election that has been determined in all of these multiple venues to be a free and fair election.
Only one side, having had their Big Lie rejected in all of these venues then decided to resort to violence as multiple reports have confirmed. Only one side had its leader speak to what would soon turn into a terrorist mob ( like the one that attacked in Benghazi), addressed them, specifically exhorted them to march to the Capitol to “Stop the Steal”lying to them yet again telling them “I will be with you” when what he did was retreat to a pavilion to watch the action on big-screen TVs while “Gloria” blared in the background.
Only one side Keith. Trumpists backed by the Republican Party.
Tia’s point is critical.
But another critical aspect is whether the aim was disruption or something far worse.
” The FBI is reportedly investigating whether any rioters who entered the Capitol this week sought to go beyond disrupting Congress’s certification of the Electoral College results and intended to harm lawmakers or their staffs.”
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/fbi/533484-fbi-investigating-whether-capitol-suspects-sought-to-harm-lawmakers
A general comment about an issue I cannot understand. We have commenters who have often excoriated the entire group of BLM protestors for the destruction of property and have sought the toughest of penalties for the actions of only a small number those groups involved in illegal activities and yet are presenting defenses for those who were in the group of terrorists attacking not with the intent of only vandalizing but with the stated intent of murder.
This I will never understand.
I agree Tia… but the majority, by not condemning, interifying the few, means they were/are ‘enablers’, at best… they have at least moral culpability in that, if not legal or civil…
Tia, as David would say:
Actually you don’t appear to know what that phrase means.
Indeed, as David would or might say, the Republicans and their recently crazed base seem to always see in others what they secretly know they are guilty of like voter suppression and attempts to steal elections by preventing legal, presumably non-Republican voters from voting. They are often convinced that people “on the left” are more violent, etc. Quoting some kid who I can’t remember from the playground in second grade “What you say is what you are.”
. . . a women being shot in the neck and bleeding out …
A friend of Mike Pence said he had never seen Pence so mad, or so mad at Trump. That sounds like a serious understatement 😐 I quite imagine Trump put a target on Pence’s back, and his family, that isn’t going to vanish. He may become a target of both right and left wing crazies, emboldened by this further step forward in political violence becoming the norm in America.
Yeah Trump shot himself in the foot or a big muscular part, (starting with gluteus), when he did that… if Trump resigns a day early, realizing that pardoning himself won’t “cut it”, and expects Pence to pardon him as Ford did with Nixon…
Am thinking that won’t be a happening thing… ‘hoisted by his own pitard’, ‘logical consequences’, pick your metaphor… Pence came to the plate, late, but he batted well Wed., and early Thurs…
We all increasingly have a problem, and its name is political violence.
I am going to make a confession here to God and to Davis . . . before I do let me make it clear I never supported Trump, I’ve always believed he’s a major blowhard and an arsehole, and never voted for him . . . having said that, I never believed he was capable of becoming so bu*t-hurt, delusional and megalomaniacal that he would attempt to assemble a mob to take back power by force. Those of you who always said he could – you were right, I was wrong. Confession complete.
Everything is relative. I was stunned to learn reading a book last year on the Weather Underground for instance when their bomb went off at the US Senate in 1971 – that was one of no less than 2000 bombs that went off in the US that year. So yeah, I have a concern about political violence, particularly if it escalates, but we have forgotten the history of political violence in this country.
I out soaking in a hot spring far off the pavement in central Nevada in the mid-90’s. I got to talking to a man who claimed to have been in a group that seemed quite similar to the Weather Underground in beliefs and tactics, and based in Palo Alto, my home town (at a time I lived there).
He claimed they built a pipe bomb in the basement of a house on University Ave north of downtown, and detonated it in front of the Palo Alto Times, a prominent local newspaper, long gone, during the late Vietnam War. I seemed to have remembered the bombing, but wasn’t sure.
I later went by the house (he gave me the address and it was as described. I also went by the Palo Alto Times (it was still being published, but under a larger banner newspaper) and asked about the bombing. No one there knew of it, but they also said the entire staff from that era was gone, except maybe one guy who wasn’t in the office that day.
The guy oddly gave me his full name and address to keep in touch. He seemed kind of proud of the bombing, and I also wondered if he was confessing wanted to be punished. I asked about the potential that they could have killed someone. He said they did it late at night when no one worked there. I said, “What about a janitor, or someone walking by?” He seemed satisfied that no one was killed.
I have never been able to confirm that a bomb went off at the Palo Alto Times office. If anyone has any knowledge of this or is better at deep searches, please let me know.
Alan
Thank you for admitting error. This is always important in having constructive discussion.
If I had a hara kiri knife, I would slice my abdomen [Alan Miller dark humor emoticon]
Or would that be suicide by cultural appropriation?
Accepted.
Accepted? Who are you, “Chuckie” from “Sons of Anarchy” ? Since I doubt you watch that show, since people are murdered a lot and you probably don’t find that entertaining, “Chuckie” would always say, “Accepted” or “I can accept that”.
So, you are accepting my suicide by hara kiri ? That’s an odd thing to accept. Do you want me dead that badly?
[comment moderated]
For some reason dark humor is not appreciated here. I don’t understand that – this is a blog of adults. But I will make the same point without humor (even though that is much less fun):
Usually right-wing mobs and nooses are associated with white people lynching people of color – in this case some in the right-wing mob was looking to hang a white person. While the incident on Capitol Hill has been labeled ‘racist’ (and I believe there are some aspects that were in how the Capitol Police responded), this one intended act was not.
Guys wearing Auschwitz T-shirts are racists.
I saw another: “6MWE” Six million wasn’t enough.
I’ll agree with that 😐
Out of tens of thousands of protesters I’ve seen a pic of one guy wearing that t-shirt.
One is too many. Also saw a clip of seditionists chanting “Blood and Iron.”
Also saw a t-shirt with 6mwe on it.
One is too many. But I’ll sure defend his right to wear that shirt. It makes it real easy to spot the Jew haters. These people paint “Idiot” on themselves like a bullseye.
Well, that settles it. KO, watching on TV, saw only one Auschwitz t-shirt among a mob of 10,000. That proves there were only a handful of openly Jew-hating seditionists taking part. Persisting in referring to these terrorists as “protesters” is revealing.
“Out of tens of thousands of protesters I’ve seen a pic of one guy wearing that t-shirt.”
And he gets the Year Book and Newsletter, folks.
My point was that showing one guy wearing a symbol, in this case a t-shirt, doesn’t make the whole crowd a bunch of Nazis or antisemitic as the press will try to portray them.
Alan
How dark humor is presented in print where almost all of the nonverbal cues that are required are lost is key to how it is received. I have found that a misunderstanding is almost always the fault of the individual communicating in the presentation or failing to account for the context or even being sure that the recipient is paying enough attention. Adding cues in this context (e.g., emojis) is critical if you want something to be taken humorously.
Well, that’ll have to do as I refuse to talk to actual people in person (no emoji)
Strange, I always find the fault is the person not listening (no emoji)
I believe it had one, but I’ll never know since it was vaporized, as if with a Star Trek phaser.
The perfect emoji for dark humor, the “Alan Miller Dark Humor Face”, was not accepted by the International Emoji Council, much to my chagrin. It was a snail being crucified on a cross with the cross inverted and fitting into the 3rd slot on the Menorah with a lampshade over the top with a picture of a green frog on it on a lillypad all riding on the roof of an ambulance with red lights flashing all setting in the Pacific off the coast of Sonoma County in place of the sun.
BTW, several people have stopped my over the years to tell me the only reason they read the DV is for my humor. What the h*ll is wrong with those people? (no emoji)
Alan, here’s my dark humor emoji:
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/09/10/article-1054101-029A7F1200000578-189_468x597.jpg
KO, I had low hopes for 2021, but you have made my year!
You would do well to read up on the Jim Crow era and note how many white people were also lynched by Confederate Lost Causers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Granted, not as many as black people, but whites who showed to much sympathy or solidarity or protection were not safe. Seeing the Confederate flag in the Capitol and who they were after was not lost on me.
Second police officer dies – this one apparent suicide
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/10/second-capitol-police-officer-dies-457072
The link you gave says nothing of suicide, only “U.S. Capitol Police did not link Howard Liebengood’s death while off duty to Wednesday’s deadly insurrection on Capitol Hill.”
What is interesting from that link:
The U.S. Capitol is flying its flags at half-staff in Sicknick’s [first officer killed] honor, which the White House has so far refused to do.
Coverage from Channel 5 in Washington DC: https://www.fox5dc.com/news/capitol-police-officer-dead-by-suicide-after-responding-to-capitol-riot
Cool, thanks!
Nancy Mace rocks. I saw her interviewed on the BBC, and the moderator was relentless is trying to trip her up on policy issues and try to equate that with what happened. She was unfazed, stating her beliefs solidly, condemning Trump with passion, knowing exactly where to draw her line, and telling it like it is.
I want Nancy Mace as our next President; I want her to run. I looked at her site, and as examples, she opposes offshore drilling and supports shutdowns when necessary to control the spread of coronavirus — yeah, as a Republican. If she were the new face of the Repubilican Party, I maybe, just maybe, could join a party again after quitting the Dems nearly 40 years ago . . . . . . nah . . . well . . . nah . . . Of course there’s the small problem of the spectacular splintering of that party and the insane wing led by their delusional duck.
Well you can’t blame Nancy Mace, she was seated for office 7 days ago 🙂
And she, like most (all?) Republicans running in the House election, is aware that she probably would have lost her election if she criticized DT too strongly if at all. I will take that back only if she is on record as being opposed to the Trump administration as part of her campaign message.
” condemning Trump with passion, knowing exactly where to draw her line, and telling it like it is.”
Not so much.
“These individuals, these hardworking Americans truly believe that the Congress can overturn the Electoral College.”
They insurrectionists, intent on thwarting the will of their fellow Americans by violence. Stop excusing them.
You took that out of context. That isn’t even close.
Hadn’t seen it
OK, apologies then. To paraphrase the old saying about great minds: DG & MSNBC think alike.
What a minute, hadn’t seen WHAT?
Where is my comment that you are responding to? OK, that’s just weird. Your comment is just hanging out there like a flaccid eggplant. I withdraw my apology. Not to you, DG, but I refuse to make an apology immortalized in digital memory that doesn’t have an antecedent. I’ll be glad to re-apologize once the original reason for my apology magically reappears – otherwise the alien anthropologists analyzing the digital fossil record may take both my and DG’s comments out of context, and we can’t have that 😐
Zip tie guy arrested per NPR: “Eric Gavelek Munchel, referred to as the “zip tie guy,” was arrested in Nashville on Sunday. Photos appear to show Munchel carrying plastic zip ties commonly used as restraints by law enforcement.”
Awesome.