The Biggest Mystery Of January 6 Remains Unsolved

[aroundthetable]

So much of the insurrection was a group effort, I assumed the suspect had assistance. And that the suspect is untouchable.

[citizen_able]

There’s at least some semi-serious consensus online that the bomber is a member of Congress…explaining appearance of the inaction on the part of the FBI and why she requested a pardon from the orange abomination.

A noted Mike Flynn tormenter on twitter claims definitively that the bomb-planter is Ivan Raiklin, a particularly odious and malignant fellow traveler with Flynn.

My horse-sense tells me they were planted as part of a plan to declare martial law in furtherance of the coup attempt. Congress reconvening later on January 6th scotched that.

[txlawyer]

It was definitely crowdsourced, but mostly organic. The PB’s seem to be the only ones with a pre-existing plan to incite the crowd to get violent. So I think the pipe bomber is very likely to have ties to them.

[txlawyer]

@citizen_able

My horse-sense tells me they were planted as part of a plan to declare martial law in furtherance of the coup attempt.

If that was trump’s plan, he would have actually invoked the Insurrection Act, which many in the mob (especially the OK’s) very much wanted him to do. So it’s likely that the perp was aiming at something like that, but probably not on the authority of trump or anyone else.

That the suspect’s identity is still not known suggests a solo actor. If the pipe bombs were known to others, they would have ratted him out in exchange for sentencing lenity.

[slimjim33]

I agree with points 1, 2, and 3, but I need more information before concluding that either militia group was involved. Maybe the FBI has some leads based on the technical design and/or source of the bombs’ components. Were the bombs assembled by a pro or an amateur?

[slimjim33]

You bring up a good point. The DOJ and FBI have avoided going after well-connected people undeniably involved with Jan 6.

[txlawyer]

@slimjim33

I agree with points 1, 2, and 3, but I need more information before concluding that either militia group was involved.

It was the militia set – and I forgot to mention the 3 Percenters – who preplanned for inciting the assault on the official proceeding. Somebody made and planted those bombs with premeditated intent. And it’s unlikely to have been anyone who did not know whether there was an assault in the works. So for me, that all points towards someone with ties to the militias, not just some random trump fan.

[sparrowhawk]

@txlawyer

@irasdad

You had me going there, right up until I remembered that – when it comes to Trump – the stoopidest explanation is usually the most plausible.

This is true of trump, but the suspect is somebody who had the capability to assemble two actual pipe bombs, planted them outside both major parties’ HQ’s, and elected not to set the timers, all on the eve of a pre-planned insurrection. Occam’s Razor does not suggest that this was a legitimate effort to blow up party HQ’s, so it was probably aimed at being something else.

ETA: And who plays around with making pipe bombs? Militia types, such as PB’s and OK’s.

There’s also the fact that four years on, there’s no sign that they’re about to be apprehended. So they knew enough about covering up their tracks/identity. No mugging for the camera on the way to the DNC or other acts of blithering stupidity. They knew at least the basics on avoiding attention.

The stupidest option does turn up again and again when working directly with Trump and his inner circle, but he does have some smarter people working around the margins who at least know how to plan an operation without shooting their own toes off. If they are attached to one of the “militia” groups, I agree that it was someone in the know, but who acted alone since the groups have been investigated pretty thoroughly by this point and no one has ratted them out.

[Hatmama]

Are you saying that it was Eliot Ness and the Untouchables? The Good Guys? Don’t tell me so.

[dave_mb]

@lastroth

was thinking more like trackers inserted in all of us.

What do you think smartphones are?

[sparrowhawk]

@dave_mb

@lastroth

was thinking more like trackers inserted in all of us.

What do you think smartphones are?

It’s so much easier when you convince people to track themselves.

“Look what I had for lunch! ”
“Aren’t these shoes adorable!? ”

[joce_m]

What kind of shoes was Ashley Babbitt (sp) wearing the next day?

ETA: only a coincidence that sparrowhawk also mentioned shoes…

[txlawyer]

Some of the militia types had fairly good OpSec when it came to their phones. And I have to assume that any unusual cell phone pings around that time would have been identified as such a long time ago. So yeah, the perp was probably not just a rank amateur.

[Hatmama]

You know, crazier things than that have been said, even here!

We have pretty crazy people who are seemingly joined at the hip with TCF and still working hard for him. And, it sure is not over. I hope we are ready for January 6 in 2025 – The 2025 Counting and Certification of Electoral Votes. I’m pretty sure Kamala is making a plan – in her spare time.

[euglena4056]

Why is the reward $490,000? Who took $10,000?
There’s a story there.

[irasdad]

@txlawyer

ETA: And who plays around with making pipe bombs?

My former boss’s nephew, just a high-school kid fooling around with his friends – no training, no rightwingery, no militia affiliations – who ended up accidentally killing himself.

(Any idiot can make one, even if they don’t blow up themselves and their buddies.)

[txlawyer]

@joce_m

What kind of shoes was Ashley Babbitt (sp) wearing the next day?

Brown high-tops of some sort, probably hiking or work boots to my eyes. Clearly not the famous Nike sneakers.

[joce_m]

@irasdad

just a high-school kid fooling around with his friends – no training, no rightwingery, no militia affiliations – who ended up accidentally killing himself.

That’s really sad.

[joce_m]

Wow - that’s some detail, tx!

(just a joke up there, though. If the ops were that well coordinated, the shoes would have disappeared, of course.)

[victor_seastrom]

Surveillance? That’s the least of our worries.

What this telegraphs to other sociopaths is that law enforcement is clueless and can’t stop you from doing the same.