# 7 Jan 2021 and beyond - the aftermath of the storming of the Capitol **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 8, 2021, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020 "2021-01-08T10:28:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 143
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2849 "2022-01-22T20:05:04Z")
Seriously. This whole “only pay attention to subpoenas we feel like” has gotten out of hand, and a few people need to spend time behind bars. As an example. Heads on pikes work better, but might be a tad extreme. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2850 "2022-01-22T20:16:19Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Heads on pikes work better, but might be a tad extreme. Aw, but I just spend half an hour practicing the little finger wave! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2851 "2022-01-22T20:27:30Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > [John McNaughton](https://jonmcnaughton.com/solitary-confinement-16x20-giclee-canvas-print-signed-and-numbered-edition-100/) honors the insurrection in oils. Just seeing this, thanks. It is the feel-good image of the week. (Though I’d prefer oubliettes with webcams.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2852 "2022-01-22T21:39:09Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Heads on pikes work better, but might be a tad extreme. I don’t know about that. But it would be messier. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2853 "2022-01-22T21:48:17Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Heads on pikes work better, but might be a tad extreme. Sure, it sounds good, but it’s all a conspiracy by Big Pike. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2854 "2022-01-22T21:49:12Z")
Better them than Big Head. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2855 "2022-01-22T21:50:58Z")
Some favors come with too high a price. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2022, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2856 "2022-01-23T11:10:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > A group in North Carolina is [challenging](https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/nc-14.3-complaint-cawthorn-final-2022-01-10.pdf) the re-election candidacy of North Carolina Representative Madison Cawthorn on the basis of section three of the Fourteenth Amendment Discussed also in this post: > [@What is the minimum offense to prohibit one from holding US office?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-minimum-offense-to-prohibit-one-from-holding-us-office/958204/4): > > Insurrectionists cannot be a member of Congress. The 14th Amendment, Section 3 states: A movement is afoot to challenge Madison Cawthorn from running for re-election because of this. They hope to expand the movement to challenge all the other members of Congress who participated in the insurrection. The challenges for them will be (a) defining exactly what behaviors constitute insurrection for purposes of this, and then (b) figuring out just what degree of proof is needed to nix a candidate… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2857 "2022-01-24T10:27:02Z")
Don’t want this news about one of the NARA documents just released to pass by unnoticed. As summarized by [Heather Cox Richardson](https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-21-2022): > [@](#): > > It was an unsigned executive order dated December 16, 2020, just two days after the false Trump electors in seven states executed documents falsely saying Trump had won the election in their states. The executive order charges that there is “evidence of international and foreign interference in the November 3, 2020, election.” It went on to echo the lies that the campaign peddled after Trump’s loss. > > Those complaints were used to justify using the National Guard to seize the nation’s election machines (ironically, the most intrusive possible federal interference in state elections from the leader of a party that just killed a voting rights bill on the alleged grounds it was federal overreach). > > The order told the secretary of defense to “seize, collect, retain and analyze all machines, equipment, electronically stored information, and material records” from the election. It gave the defense secretary power to call up the National Guard to support him and told the assistant secretary of defense for homeland security to provide support from the Department of Homeland Security. > > The secretary of defense had 60 days to provide an assessment to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, suggesting that the process would continue after Inauguration Day. > > The executive order also provided for “[t]he appointment of a Special Counsel to oversee this operation and institute all criminal and civil proceedings as appropriate based on the evidence collected and provided all resources necessary to carry out her duties consistent with federal laws and the Constitution.” Holy. Fuck. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2858 "2022-01-24T11:12:01Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > The executive order also provided for “[t]he appointment of a Special Counsel to oversee this operation > […] > to carry out **her** duties consistent with federal laws and the Constitution.” Notice the female pronoun there? That was not a case of being politically correct, something I would not ever expect from a Republican Admin. Instead, I understand that they’d already selected Sidney Powell as Special Counsel if the order had been issued. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2859 "2022-01-24T15:00:15Z")
This was the scheme pushed by Flynn and Powell in the heated December Oval Office meeting, so yes, the “Special Counsel” in mind was likely Powell. > **[Heated Oval Office meeting included talk of special counsel, martial law as...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/19/politics/trump-oval-office-meeting-special-counsel-martial-law/index.html)** > > President Donald Trump convened a heated meeting in the Oval Office on Friday, including lawyer Sidney Powell and her client, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, two people familiar with the matter said, describing a session that began as... > **[Michael Flynn: Trump could deploy military to “swing states” to “rerun” the...](https://www.salon.com/2020/12/18/michael-flynn-says-trump-could-seize-every-voting-machine-across-the-country-and-rerun-election/)** > > Flynn insisted he was not calling for martial law as he touted how many times it has been invoked in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2860 "2022-01-24T15:31:10Z")
So why didn’t Trump sign the executive order? (Is there any evidence he even saw it?) I wonder who in his camp decided it was bridge too far. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2861 "2022-01-24T15:44:36Z")
Maybe it was on his desk, some Anonymous staffer sneaked it off, and he didn’t notice. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2862 "2022-01-24T15:51:21Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Maybe it was on his desk, some Anonymous staffer sneaked it off, and he didn’t notice. 🙄 - Someone forgot to put his picture on it. Or left it off on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2863 "2022-01-24T16:01:00Z")
They were waiting for the paper with the “Trump Won!” watermark and time just ran out. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2864 "2022-01-24T16:30:40Z")
Patrick Byrne’s insider account of that meeting is really pretentious and wordy….but hysterical and, in light of the latest news, informative. > **[How DJT Lost the White House, Chapter 3: Crashing the White House (December...](https://www.deepcapture.com/2021/02/how-djt-lost-the-white-house-chapter-3-crashing-the-white-house-december-18/)** The weren’t invited to the White House on December 18th 2020. They, in their own words, crashed. They were allowed in by subversive White House employees who used a multi-step process to get them into the Oval Office. In the article, Byrne compares —at long length- the effort to climbing Everest……really. According to Byrne, Trump actually appointed Sidney Powell as Special Counsel during the meeting. They could never get any follow-up, though. They also refer to bringing something for Trump to sign. I’m thinking it was the EO. And after the meeting, they all went back to the White House Residence where Trump served them mini-meatballs made from an old family recipe. It was apparently the high point of Byrne’s meteoric rise from successful internet CEO to slavish lackey to a crazy lawyer and even crazier disgraced military general. But Trump didn’t sign the EO. He didn’t sign anything appointing Sidney Powell as Special Counsel, even though he made the appointment verbally. And when Powell and Byrne tried to crash Mar-a-Largo at Christmas ( another unreported tidbit) they were escorted off the property. Byrne made it very clear that the security guard that escorted him off the property thanked him for all his work and allowed him to call an Uber, which he saw as a sign of respect. Even though Trump denigrated Mike Pence for “not having the courage to do what needed to be done”, Trump was ultimately too chickenshit to sign the EO. Because courage is for other people, I guess. If Byrne weren’t such a wordy pretentious fuckbucket, people might actually be reading his stuff and this investigation might be moving a little faster. Because he has described a couple of events - like a trip to Georgia to meet someone that promised unauthorized access to voting machines - that I haven’t seen reported yet. And for some reason I skimmed the chapter containing Byrne’s “evidence” that voting machines connected to the Internet and transmitted data overseas and really all it proves is that Dominion Voting has a website. He has all sorts of technobabble “evidence” with lists of IP address and errors, etc……but they all relate to Dominions commercial website. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2865 "2022-01-24T18:50:22Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Trump was ultimately too chickenshit to sign the EO. Thanks for the background (and saving me from having to read Byrne). Since Trump seems to believe consequences are things that happen to other people, however, I still wonder what he might have been afraid of – or who might have persuaded him that signing the EO would not have been in his best interests. Also wondering … of what value regarding eventual prosecution is an unsigned EO that originated from other parties? Could it actually help him to claim he refused to sign it? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2866 "2022-01-24T20:37:34Z")
by not signing it, he can state under oath that “i don’t recall/remember”. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2867 "2022-01-24T20:39:02Z")
Perhaps even Donald Trump recognized that issuing an order to the military is just going too far? I’m trying to imagine what the consequences of that would be, aside from the end of the American experiment. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/2868 "2022-01-24T20:51:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Perhaps even Donald Trump recognized that issuing an order to the military is just going too far? I’m trying to imagine what the consequences of that would be, aside from the end of the American experiment. I don’t think scruples was the problem, but rather the old mob-boss rule of “don’t put anything in writing”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020.md?page=142) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020.md?page=144)