After Senate Republicans killed bipartisan efforts to create an independent January 6 commission, congressional committees have continued their disparate efforts to answer the many questions still lingering from that day.
Are those testifying under oath? Not that it would matter to a Flynn…
Every time the subject of hearings comes up I comment some of those called to testify will just tell the various Congressional committees to go pound sand. Then a reply comes “If they’re subpoenaed by Congress THEY HAVE TO APPEAR, or they’ll be in contempt!”
Is this true? And if it is, and we read in this article those with direct knowledge of events leading up to Jan 6th are being brought in to testify, why hasn’t one of these committees subpoenaed Trump to come testify? Allegedly he can’t refuse, correct?
The Trump Administration’s blatant disregard of Congress has opened the door to ignor Congressional Subpeona’s as compelling. Not sure if the Acting Chief was subpeonaed or just invited, but the door swings both ways. My guess is the Acting Chief had already coordinated her schedule with Speaker Pelosi.
I suspect if the GOP retakes the House in 2022, the Biden Administration will duly ignor anything Speaker McCarthy or Trump have to say or any toothless Subpeona’s they may produce. These people are not serious and are not patriots. The American public should regard them as pathetic, seditious clowns IMHO.
He’ll just claim executive privilege, appeal it endlessly, and, if that fails, invoke his Fifth Amendment right against being called to testify against himself. And they obviously would not grant him immunity to get around the Fifth. So it’s a waste of time.
If he testified “Mo Brooks told me he was going to give a speech that got the crowd so worked up they’d surely march on the Capitol” is that testifying against himself? Does everything thing that Trump knows represent information that is self incriminating, even what he knows about the actions, plans and conduct of others?
Invoking the Fifth is not a concession of liability. It can be invoked by anyone claiming to be at risk of criminal prosecution. Trump certainly has that risk over the events of Jan. 6.
(Note that invoking the Fifth can be used against the witness in a civil lawsuit.)
I guess my question is can you invoke the fifth when subpoenaed to testify about matters unrelated to your personal culpability? Say a bank is robbed. Five customers are in the bank and witness it all. They’re all called to testify about what they saw, in an effort to convict the perp. What is the court’s reaction if one of the witnesses invokes the 5th? Are you ever even asked why you’re invoking it? You can invoke it in any circumstance regardless your role in an event? How is anyone ever charged with contempt if invoking the 5th gets them out of having to open their mouth?
The testimony would have to relate to the potential criminal liability, but any Trump testimony on the subject matter of the insurrection would obviously meet that test. And the witness may asked to confirm that they are invoking the Fifth because their testimony could be used to incriminate them in a crime, but nothing beyond that clarification. Of course, claiming that privilege against testifying in circumstances where no criminal liability would be expected is a huge tell to the investigatory authorities. The Fifth should not be invoked lightly.
Interesting and predictable opening by ranking member Comer. These jerks have no depths to which they will not sink.
and Capitol Police inspector general Michael Bolton
A police inspector named Michael Bolton… the mind wibbles.
Recent supreme court actions say no, because congressional subpoenae expire every two years, and this supreme court can’t scratch its ass in such an absurdly short time frame, unless it really wants to,
Just the summary of what Comer said makes it clear that Republicans have no intent towards figuring out why Jan 6th happened or trying to investigate the greatest attack on the Capitol since it burned 208 years ago. It’s absolutely shameful, especially since they try so hard to wrap themselves in the flag. The party really should be punished for what they are becoming, it’s an open question if that will happen or if they will get away with their bad behavior.
Democrats need to continue with the investigations, more is coming out that makes clear what happened, and how bad it was, and how close we came to having a despot installed as our leader. We really just missed falling into a dictatorship, and it’s an easy thing to have happen if we aren’t diligent…and I’m just hoping that the middle of the road Americans understand that and actually come out and vote in 2022 and 2024 to shut down this whole Republican authoritarian push.
I bet he has great hair, but I wouldn’t want to hear him sing.
Well, invoking the 5th does have the side effect of informing relevant prosecutors that there may be gold in them thar hills.
“saying that domestic terrorists battling for “superiority of the white race” are the country’s greatest threat.”
Which of course includes every GQPer in Congress.
He eventually meandered back to Jan. 6, calling the hearing political theater.
Irony is so way past dead.
Sitting on the crock of the day…
(I will say no more)
“A police inspector named Michael Bolton… the mind wibbles…”
That’s the trouble with wibbles. Https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0708480/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
“Capitol police IG Michael Bolton plans to testify that Jan. 6 rioters stole 12 ballistic helmets and 12 ballistic shields while officers were overrun.”
Looking at a shield and helmet that he had brought along, Bolton plaintively asked, “How was I supposed to live without you?”