I say YES. YOU say NO....Numero Tre! Enjoy!
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The inauguration should be held virtually like the convention with Biden/Harris at an undisclosed location.
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Can someone hide the phone chargers? Maybe his phone will die before he's let out of Twitter jail.
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Just to make it official on our Numero Tre thread:
Pence announces Biden's victory after Congress completes electoral count
Updated on: January 7, 2021 / 7:06 AM
By Melissa Quinn, Grace Segers, Kathryn Watson, Stefan Becket, Audrey McNamara, Caroline Linton
Washington —Vice President Mike Pence announced just after 3:40 a.m. Thursday that President-elect Joe Biden had won the presidency after Congress completed the counting of the Electoral College votes. What was largely seen as a perfunctory last step before Mr. Biden's inauguration had turned into a day of chaos after an angry mob of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to halt the process.
Congress had to recess for nearly six hours after the angry mob of President Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving four people dead in the melee and sending members of Congress fleeing from the floor during what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had earlier branded "the most important vote I've ever cast."
Earlier Wednesday, President Trump had encouraged his supporters to "walk over" to the U.S. Capitol as Congress counted the Electoral College votes, the largely ceremonial final step affirming President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Although Mr. Trump has lately been insisting Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to overturn the election results, Pence defied Mr. Trump on Wednesday and issued a lengthy statement saying he could not change the outcome.
Chaos erupted at the U.S. Capitol a few hours later as an angry mob of rioters — many waving Trump flags or carrying Trump gear — breached the building.
D.C. Metro police said one woman was shot and killed by police and three people died from medical emergencies. More than 52 people were arrested, with 47 of those arrested for curfew violations.
Mr. Biden gave a speech in Delaware denouncing the violence and called on Mr. Trump to address the nation. Mr. Trump then posted a one-minute video to Twitter, telling the rioters they are "special" but they "need to go home now."
Congress reconvened nearly six hours later after leaving the floor, taking up where it had left off in hearing the objection from Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Paul Gosar to Arizona's electoral results. The Senate rejected the objection 93-6, and the House rejected it 303-121.
Despite calls from more than a dozen senators who said they would support objections to electoral results in key states, no senators signed onto House members' objections to the results in Michigan and Nevada.
But Senator Josh Hawley followed through on his promise to object to Pennsylvania's results. The Senate rejected it 92-7, leaving the House to debate it for two hours before it was rejected after 3 a.m.
Since none of these objections have a majority, they had no chance of succeeding. Even if there was a majority on any of the objections, it would not change the outcome of the election. Mr. Biden will be sworn in on January 20.
4:16 AMTrump says he "totally disagrees" with results but there will be "orderly transition"
President Trump issued a statement early Thursday after Congress affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's victory and it was announced by Vice President Mike Pence. Mr. Trump said that while he "totally disagrees with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th." Mr. Trump also vowed to keep fighting to make America great again.
The statement was tweeted by White House senior official Dan Scanvio, since Mr. Trump has been restricted from Twitter after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
There were a number of resignations among White House staff on Wednesday, including deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger and first lady Melania Trump's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham. Republicans, including Vice President Mike Pence and some of President Trump's own Cabinet members, have been whispering about whether to move forward with formal proceedings to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office days before his term ends.
At 3:33 a.m., Mr. Biden received 270 electoral votes
. At 3:39, the count was finished. Klobuchar read the results - Mr. Biden's victory - to a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle.
The final results are 306-232 for Biden. Vice President Mike Pence completed his duties and announced Mr. Biden as the winner just after 3:40 a.m.
Senate Chaplain Barry Black closed out the session with a prayer in his sonorous tones.
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So if the 25th is implemented, what happens to orange shit? Take him to a padded room at Walter Reed? Put him on a plane to Russia with no phone?
4 dead from this riot, in addition to 330 plus from covid, is on his hands. A padded room is too good for him.
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NBC is reporting that one Senator - sorry, didn’t catch the name - said during yesterday’s electoral events, he had never seen Pence so angry. He said he had a long conversation with Pence in which Pence remarked something to the effect of “After all I’ve done for Trump....” apparently in response to Trump’s attacks on him.
Really, Pence? You thought Trump would have any loyalty at all to anyone on the face of the earth who went against him, regardless of what or how much they had ever done for him before? Thought you was special? Yer dumber than shit.
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Found an article- it was Senator Jim Inhofe who spoke about Pence:
Inhofe: "I've never seen Mike Pence as angry as he was today"
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ASSOCIATED PRESS file
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe has been in Congress 34 years and in politics more than 50. As mayor of Tulsa, he once had garbage dumped on his lawn by angry residents.
But it's unlikely anything matched what he experienced Wednesday when the U.S. Capitol was stormed by people apparently intent on keeping President Donald Trump in office.
"I'd say there were at least 1,000 people in the building," Inhofe said by telephone Wednesday evening.
Inhofe hedged on who he thought might be to blame for what happened, but he allowed that Trump did not do enough to stop it.
"He's only put out one statement that I'm aware of," Inhofe said. "This was really a riot. He should have shown more disdain for the rioters. I don't want to say he should have apologized — that's not exactly accurate — but he should have expressed more disdain."
Instead, Trump directed his disdain toward Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to do what Trump wanted him to do — illegally refuse to accept the final election results in his role as Senate president.
By doing so, he may have alienated one of his most steadfast allies.
"I've known Mike Pence forever," Inhofe said Tuesday night. "I've never seen Pence as angry as he was today.
"I had a long conversation with him," said Inhofe. "He said, 'After all the things I've done for (Trump).'"
Aside from Wednesday's attempted takeover of the Capitol, the past few days have been difficult for Inhofe because he refused to go along with protesting the Electoral College results.
"We've had calls. We've had threats. … I have many very, very close friends mad at me, when all I'm doing is upholding my oath," Inhofe said.
He and many other conservatives say the law and the Constitution do not give Congress the authority to challenge electoral votes certified by the various states and the District of Columbia.
He also doesn't think it's something Republicans should be doing.
"Republicans have always been for states' rights," Inhofe said. "Democrats are the ones who always tried to nationalize elections."
Inhofe said he never felt in danger Wednesday, but he said he was irritated to see someone rifling through his desk while he watched on television.
"They broke in on the House side and were coming toward (the Senate)" when senators were led outside to a nearby office building — although Inhofe broke away to go to his own office.
"My daughter is in town," he said. "I didn't want to leave her alone."
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What do you make of the different WH resignations yesterday, like Mel Mel's press secretary? They say there are more resignations on the way. It seems to me that the only thing left on Melania's to do list is pack, so her staff wouldn't be needed for much. Her hubby hasn't had anything on his schedule for weeks, so why would Melania, who didn't really care anyway, have anything either? Her staff is getting' out while the gettin's good. I also feel like they fear that what happened at the Capital yesterday could somehow spill out over into the WH west wing at some point during the next 13 days, that maybe security could be breached there as well and maybe they fear for their safety. After all, they have the inside scoop of what true chaos goes on behind the scenes and what could potentially happen with a demagogue madman at the helm. Plus, he's liable to hold people hostage before it comes down to prying that Oval Office desk out of his cold, dead (tiny) hands.
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Here are the women - Senate aides - who had the presence of mind and courage to protect, keep safe, and transport the electoral votes before fleeing the Senate - which was under siege by domestic terrorists.
"There will always be villains.
There will always be heroes."
- Glennon Doyle
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Heather Cox Richardson
January 6, 2021 (Wednesday)
Today the Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol.
This morning, results from the Georgia senatorial runoff elections showed that Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff had beaten their Republican opponents—both incumbents—by more than the threshold that would require a recount. The Senate is now split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, so the position of majority leader goes to a Democrat. Mitch McConnell, who has bent the government to his will since he took over the position of majority leader in 2007, will be replaced.
With the Democrats in control of both Congress and the Executive Branch, it is reasonable to expect we will see voting rights legislation, which will doom the current-day Republican Party, depending as it has on voter suppression to stay in power.
Trump Republicans and McConnell Republicans had just begun to blame each other for the debacle when Congress began to count the certified electoral votes from the states to establish that Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. The election was not close—Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes and the Electoral College by 306 to 232—but Trump contends that he won the election in a landslide and "fraud" made Biden the winner.
Trump has never had a case. His campaign filed and either lost or had dismissed 62 out of 63 lawsuits because it could produce no evidence for any of its wild accusations. Nonetheless, radical lawmakers courted Trump's base by echoing Trump's charges, then tried to argue that the fact voters no longer trusted the vote was reason to contest the certified votes.
More than 100 members of the House announced they would object to counting the votes of certain states. About 13 senators, led by Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), agreed to join them. The move would slow down the count as each chamber would have to debate and take a separate vote on whether to accept the state votes, but the objectors never had anywhere near the votes they needed to make their objections stick.
So Trump turned to pressuring Vice President Mike Pence, who would preside over the counting, to throw out the Biden votes. On Monday, Trump tweeted that "the Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors." This would throw the blame for the loss onto Pence, but the vice president has no constitutional power to do any such thing, and this morning he made that clear in a statement. Trump then tweeted that Pence "didn't have the courage to do what should have been done."
It seemed clear that the voting would be heated, but it was also clear that most of the lawmakers opposing the count were posturing to court Trump's base for future elections. Congress would count Biden's win.
But Trump had urged his supporters for weeks to descend on Washington, D.C., to stop what he insisted was the stealing of the election. They did so and, this morning, began to congregate near the Capitol, where the counting would take place. As he passed them on the east side of the Capitol, Hawley raised a power fist.
In the middle of the day, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani spoke to the crowd, telling them: "Let's have trial by combat." Trump followed, lying that he had won the election and saying "we are going to have to fight much harder." He warned that Pence had better "come through for us, and if he doesn't, that will be a sad day for our country." He warned that Chinese-driven socialists are taking over the country. And he told them to march on Congress to "save our democracy."
As rioters took Trump at his word, Congress was counting the votes alphabetically by state. When they got to Arizona, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) stood up to echo the rhetoric radicals had been using to discredit the certified votes, saying that public distrust in the election—created out of thin air by Republicans—justified an investigation.
Within an hour, a violent mob stormed the Capitol and Cruz, along with the rest of the lawmakers, was rushed to safety (four quick-thinking staffers brought along the electoral ballots, in their ceremonial boxes). As the rioters broke in, police shot and killed one of them: Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from San Diego, QAnon believer, and staunch Trump supporter. The insurrectionists broke into the Senate chamber, where one was photographed on the dais of the Senate, shirtless and wearing a bull costume that revealed a Ku Klux Klan tattoo on his abdomen. They roamed the Capitol looking for Pence and other lawmakers they considered enemies. Not finding them, they ransacked offices. One rioter photographed himself sitting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk with his feet on it.
They carried with them the Confederate flag.
Capitol police provided little obstruction, apparently eager to avoid confrontations that could be used as propaganda on social media. The intruders seemed a little surprised at their success, taking selfies and wandering around like tourists. One stole a lectern.
As the White House, the FBI, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security all remained silent, President-Elect Joe Biden spoke to cameras urging calm and calling on Trump to tell his supporters to go home. But CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins later reported that she spoke to White House officials who were "genuinely freaked… out" that Trump was "borderline enthusiastic" about the storming of the Capitol because "it meant the certification was being derailed."
At 4:17, Trump issued his own video, reiterating his false claims that he had been cheated of victory. Only then did he conclude with: "Go home, we love you, you're very special." Twitter immediately took the video down. By nighttime Trump's Twitter feed seemed to blame his enemies for the violence the president had incited (although the rhythm of the words did not sound to me like Trump's own usual cadence): "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!"
Twitter took down the tweet and banned the president for at least twelve hours for inciting violence; Facebook and Instagram followed suit.
As the afternoon wore on, police found two pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., as well as a truck full of weapons and ammunition, and mobs gathered at statehouses across the country, including in Kansas, Ohio, Minnesota, California, and Georgia.
By 5:00, acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller issued a statement saying he had conferred with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Vice President Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and had fully activated the D.C. National Guard.
He did not mention the president.
By late evening, Washington, D.C., police chief Robert J. Contee III announced that at least 52 people had been arrested and 14 law enforcement officers injured. A total of four people died, including one who died of a heart attack and one who tased themself.
White House Counsel Pat Cipollone urged people to stay away from Trump to limit their chances of being prosecuted for treason under the Sedition Act. By midnight, four staffers had resigned, as well as Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger, with other, higher level officials also talking about leaving. Even Trump adviser Stephen Miller admitted it was a bad day. Quickly, pro-Trump media began to insist that the attack was a false-flag operation of "Antifa," despite the selfies and videos posted by known right-wing agitators, and the fact that Trump had invited, incited, and praised them.
Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis laid the blame for today's attack squarely at the feet of Trump himself: "Today's violent assault on our Capitol, and effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump. His use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice."
The attempted coup drew condemnation from all but the radical Trump supporters in government. Former President George W. Bush issued a statement "on insurrection at the Capitol," saying "it is a sickening and heartbreaking sight." "I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election," he said, and accused such leaders of enflaming the rioters with lies and false hopes. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) was more direct: "What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States."
Across the country tonight are calls for Trump's removal through the 25th amendment, impeachment, or resignation. The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have joined the chorus, writing to Pence urging him to invoke the 25th. Angry at Trump's sabotaging of the Georgia elections in addition to the attack on our democracy, prominent Republicans are rumored to be doing the same.
At 8:00, heavily armed guards escorted the lawmakers back to the Capitol, thoroughly scrubbed by janitors, where the senators and representatives resumed their counting of the certified votes. The events of the afternoon had broken some of the Republicans away from their determination to challenge the votes. Fourteen Republican senators had announced they would object to counting the certified votes from Arizona; in the evening count the number dropped to six: Cruz (R-TX), Hawley (R-MO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Kennedy (R-LA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
In the House, 121 Republicans, more than half the Republican caucus, voted to throw out Biden's electors from Arizona. As in the Senate, they lost when 303 Representatives voted in favor.
Six senators and more than half of the House Republicans backed an attempt to overthrow our government, in favor of a man caught on tape just four days ago trying to strong-arm a state election official into falsifying the election results.
Today the Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol.0 -
Incredible photo of the Senate aides carrying the electoral votes to safety, Ruth!
P.S., I'm a Glennon Doyle fan
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Kind words produce their own beautiful image in one's soul. Everyone knows the pleasure of receiving a kind look, a warm greeting, a hand held out in time of need. And such gestures can be made at so little expense, yet they bring such dividends to the investor. -The War Cry
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Wasn't much kindness yesterday from those who are Trumpers and Trump himself. I too think leaving him in place is a horrid idea. As much as I dislike Pence, and it bothered me to hear how hard he "looked" for a way to help Trump but the Constitutional permission just wasn't there. Some things happen for a reason and so Pence got to see first-hand how far Trump will go, how dis-loyal to anyone but himself, and how careless and perfidious you can look when you appear blasé to what in your heart and soul you know is wrong. Pence knew from day one but he signed on to be saved from being a 'loser' in Indiana which looked so likely to happen before he was taken on as a VP candidate for Trump.
Trump saved him and gave him the perfect opening for his own future presidential bid. That Pence did the right thing at the end was because he had too. There was nothing else by prescribed Constitutional law that he could do. So he sees himself that there is not much honor among thieves like Trump trying to subvert and steal what is not rightfully his and inciting many others to that same cause. I have been concerned for the Reps. party. We do need two viable parties. I've agonized over it but yesterday made me feel like " I really don't care, do you ? ". Let the Reps. party go. It is time to have opposition that is not so self centered, evil and disgusting. Yesterday represented something that benefits no one much. Out with the old if they cannot fruitfully getit together quickly and onto something with morals and principles that can give and take properly based on the Constitution.
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Ruthbru, I also read Heather's column this morning...very comforting to be able to hear the scope and details of what's been happening...not that I am happy about what has happened but at least someone is telling it how it really is.
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Lindsey Graham's speech was nothing more than a CYA moment. He really did not condemn trump or his actions nor did he take the high road. It was a moment of self-preservation and weaseling. He is as slippery as an eel and the term he used to describe trump was non-commital. I heard the speech as he made it and revisited online to make sure I heard right. He is a despicable human being and I was so hoping he would lose his seat in the senate. Perhaps he will lose power on the committees he either heads or serves on with the change in the guard?
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FB has blocked Trump indefinitely. Shopify shut down his online store. Twitter will give him one last chance to behave before permanent shutdown. They finally shutdown Lin Wood's account after repeated tweets calling for violence.
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Oh my, Serenity, that is great to hear about the social media platforms.
And then, Jennifer Palmieri’s comment puts it all in to perspective!
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What is wrong with these people? He is doing his very best to destroy both the Republican party and this county... and they cheer him? Are they really that dumb? Are they even human?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/07...
Trump greeted with cheers as he calls in to Republican National Committee meeting
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A FB post from the group “Christianity Without the Insanity”:
To those on the right claiming "it wasn't us yesterday, it was Antifa" or some other excuse...
No.
You don't get to do that.
You don't get to spend months or years saying "we have all the guns, we're ready for a new Civil War"
and then when all else fails threaten "just wait for January 6th"
And then when you actually DO what you threatened and it blows up in your face you don't get to pretend like you're a toddler with crumbs on your face asked if you got into the cookie jar and say "it wasn't me".
No.
Own your shit.
You stood out there on the streets of Washington, you heard Trump speak, he told you to march up to the Capitol and that's what you did.
Own it. Be proud of what you did.
Don't change the narrative now that the National Guard showed up and shut down your little "revolution" in about 5 minutes after the police let you run amok.
Own it.
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Graham will be in the minority and will have zero power once the new Senate is sworn in. Though I hope we get someone more competent to head the judiciary committees than Feinstein. She is way past her sell by date. There are rumors she's suffering from Alzheimers.
Was it just me or did Graham look drunk? I think he may have gotten into a secret stash while hunkered down in his office. That speech bordered on the incoherent.
I've gone from so angry I could spit, to incredibly sad about what transpired yesterday. The fact that none of those seditious traitors were arrested on the spot makes me weep for what our country has become. One rule of law for white, anti-American Trump supporters and quite a different one for social justice supporters. How far we've fallen.
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MAGAts are I insane to claim they were infiltrated by 'antifa'. They had sweatshirts made for the day declaring MAGA Civil War! They took selfies and videos where known MAGAts were in the Capitol doing their insurrection with smiles on their faces. They had zip cuffs and built gallows. There needs to be consequences!
On Lady G:
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Trishyla: I echo your sentiments about what transpired yesterday. It was sickening.
Knowing what was coming, why were the capital police so undermanned? The show of force for the BLM's rally was much more than what was available yesterday and I do not think the BLM group stated that they would be armed whereas the trump supporters said they would be! I am hoping there is a major investigation into the poor defense of the Capital building.
Meanwhile I will be drafting a letter to send to the 8 traitorous state reps from PA who supported his rhetoric of a stolen election and their contributions to what happened.
Am trying to distract myself from the craziness by painting my powder room. Was originally planning to let a pro do the job but need to feel a sense of accomplishment and it is not a challenge considering I once wallpapered it while my family slept. Imagine their surprise when they awoke. Ceiling is done but need to address the walls now.
Can't wait for the inauguration and I hope the plan for protecting Biden and Harris is better than what we witnessed yesterday. I am concerned about more retaliation from the trumps.
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The insufficient security needs investigation. I've read that before the rally the mayor was promised the national guard would be there. Foreign security specialists who have trained with US counterparts state that common security protocols were not followed.
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Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called on Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to immediately remove President Donald Trump from office following the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol.
"If the vice president and the Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment," Pelosi said.
Pelosi joined a growing number of lawmakers in demanding the end to Trump's presidency, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, either through the 25th Amendment or impeachment despite Trump having less than two weeks left in office.
Democrats and many Republicans have blamed Trump for inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol Wednesday in a failed effort to block certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
Read more: https://politi.co/2JUgWsT
I don't know if we can 25th. him out of office, but a second quick impeachment is fine as well. What an inglorious way to leave office however, no one ever ask for it more than Trump.
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Merrick Garland for AG!
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/biden-to-tap-merrick-garland-for-attorney-general-455410
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Pelosi also called for the chief of Capitol Police to resign.
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All the misfits of society and then some -- just perfect matches for someone like Trump.
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