# 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:** 72
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1426 "2021-03-24T13:04:25Z")
> **[DOJ refers former Capitol riot prosecutor for internal investigation after...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/23/politics/capitol-riot-michael-sherwin-60-minutes/index.html)** > > The Justice Department has referred former acting Washington US Attorney Michael Sherwin's unapproved interview with "60 Minutes" on Sunday about the Capitol riot cases to its Office of Professional Responsibility ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1427 "2021-03-25T13:22:11Z")
> **[DEA agent says he was wrongly fired and is now under investigation for being...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/25/politics/drug-enforcement-agent-capitol-riot-investigation/index.html)** > > A US Drug Enforcement Administration agent suspended for being at the US Capitol during the January 6 insurrection said Tuesday that he has since been fired from the agency and is now "the subject of a criminal investigation," even though he claims... ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1428 "2021-03-25T13:43:06Z")
> **[Ken Paxton refuses to release messages about attendance at pro-Trump rally...](https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/25/texas-ken-paxton-trump-insurrection/)** > > The Texas Tribune joined several other news organizations in an effort to obtain copies of emails and text messages that the Texas attorney general sent or received while in Washington for the rally. > The Texas attorney general’s office is attempting to withhold all messages [Ken Paxton](https://www.texastribune.org/directory/ken-paxton/) sent or received while in Washington for the pro-Donald Trump rally that devolved into a riot at the U.S. Capitol. > > … > > On Jan. 6, Paxton spoke at the pro-Trump rally in Washington. Appearing with his wife, state Sen. [Angela Paxton](https://www.texastribune.org/directory/angela-paxton/), R-McKinney, the attorney general touted his unsuccessful legal effort to overturn the presidential election. > > “What we have in President Trump is a fighter," Paxton [told the crowd of Trump supporters](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/Paxton-Trump-DC-rally-election-2020-georgia-15850073.php). "And I think that’s why we’re all here. We will not quit fighting. We’re Texans, we’re Americans, and the fight will go on.” > > Members of the crowd, stirred up by false claims of voter fraud, later stormed the Capitol, fought with riot police and threatened lawmakers. > > … > > Paxton later [falsely blamed the violence](https://www.texastribune.org/2021/01/07/texas-ken-paxton-trump-supporters/) on antifa, a left-wing, anti-fascist movement, and claimed Trump supporters weren’t responsible for the insurrection. Federal prosecutors have charged more than 300[people](https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/capitol-breach-cases) in connection with the riot and alleged that some have ties to white supremacy groups. FBI Director Christopher Wray said investigators found no evidence that members of antifa attacked the Capitol. > … The mind continues to be boggled. Ought to be used to it by now. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1429 "2021-03-25T14:15:15Z")
"[DEA agent] said in the interview that he was at the Capitol on January 6 because a “friend I served in Iraq with asked me to help him get there for documentation purposes and we were just spectators.” Yeah - right. Plays the vet card, and wants us to believe that an LEO thinks the middle of a riot/protest/insurrection is the best time to stroll up to the Capitol for innocuous reasons. And he flew from LA to DC just to help his friend. What the fuck are “documentation purposes?” Was he helping the friend obtain some personal documentation or were they “documenting” the protest.riot/insurrection? Just a couple of citizen media members… ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1430 "2021-03-25T15:01:38Z")
“Some people believe with great fervor preposterous things that just happen to coincide with their self-interest.” _Coleman v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue_ (7th Cir. 1986), 791 F.2d 68, 69. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1431 "2021-03-25T17:24:06Z")
Was he just in the crowd or did he enter the Capital? Just in the crowd out side, then yeah take away his gun and badge, but no criminal charges unless he did something else. ---
**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:** [March 25, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1432 "2021-03-25T17:56:44Z")
If he was just outside, why would they take away gun and badge? First Amendment would protect him, I would think. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1433 "2021-03-25T18:43:52Z")
If he was knowingly past the barricades … I wasn’t on the spot. But it would surprise me that any LEO would think they had any business being where the mob was milling about. I guess someone MIGHT try to make the case that they just happened to be strolling by, they saw the crowd, and they ambled over to see what was happening. Didn’t see any barricades or anything, didn’t hear any instructions to disperse. But I’d suspect that would be somewhat farfetched. That’s one thing that surprised me on 1/6. After the perimeter had been breached and as the crowd was milling about, I didn’t see/hear any efforts to tell/get them to disperse. Even after the curfew came and went. It just seemed as tho the LEOs would assume and enforce some perimeter - mostly silently, w/o interacting to the extent possible. Me, I wanted the NG to storm up and start busting heads. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1434 "2021-03-25T18:56:17Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I wasn’t on the spot. But it would surprise me that any LEO would think they had any business being where the mob was milling about. IMO a LEO who was a proper law enforcement officer would think and do as you say. One who was a RW authoritarian high on raging Trumpism would figure he has impunity. ---
**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:** [March 25, 2021, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1435 "2021-03-25T20:20:31Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > guess someone MIGHT try to make the case that they just happened to be strolling by, they saw the crowd, and they ambled over to see what was happening. Didn’t see any barricades or anything, didn’t hear any instructions to disperse. But I’d suspect that would be somewhat farfetched. Doesn’t have to be accidental presence. He could admit he intended to be on the grounds outside, and was there for the purpose of protesting. That would be protected conduct. And if thé barricades were down by the time he got there, and he wasn’t part of the mob, what offence had he committed? Depends if the prosecutors can put him amongst the actual riot outside, on the steps and terrace. But if he’s correct and never went into the Capitol itself, or up the steps, that could be a hard case to make. Will depend heavily on the facts. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1436 "2021-03-25T22:03:39Z")
It’s possible that being overwhelmed numerically (possibly due to the Pentagon delaying NG deployment) forced the Capitol police to strategically relax their enforcement of perimeters (which might have dovetailed with actions by pro-Trump traitors among the CP). ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1437 "2021-03-25T22:52:32Z")
Hey - I understand. And there is a difference between advancing a theory that MIGHT be successful in court, and everyone KNOWING that theory is really bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1438 "2021-03-26T00:41:47Z")
[https://www.axios.com/house-chamber-security-capitol-riot-ce48d95d-8379-4cac-abb8-3fbb5a7a3a8f.html](https://www.axios.com/house-chamber-security-capitol-riot-ce48d95d-8379-4cac-abb8-3fbb5a7a3a8f.html) > The House chamber is being transformed into a massive safe room for members with the addition of bulletproof doors. > > **Why it matters:** One of the most dramatic images from the Jan. 6 attack was Capitol Police officers inside the chamber holding protesters at bay by pointing their guns at them after they broke windows in the doors. The new doors will provide fresh fortification. > > **Details:** An Axios reporter leaving the Capitol on Wednesday night saw workers removing doors on one of the double-doored entrances to the gallery one level above the floor of the chamber. Some members huddled there on Jan. 6. > > - Workers revealed the new doors being installed would be fortified with kevlar — the same synthetic material used in bulletproof vests and military helmets. > … Well, this is obviously pure political theater, since those friendlies who crashed the capitol on Jan 6 were just exercising their right as patriotic citizens to tour the site of lawmaking in Washington. What’s the big deal anyway?? That weak-kneed wimp Nancy Pelosi must be behind this stupid idea. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1439 "2021-03-26T01:06:59Z")
LegalEagle has now commented on the Powell case: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/iETwWNociM8/maxresdefault.jpg "Sidney Powell's Ridiculous Defense (She Lied the Whole Time?)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iETwWNociM8) Among other things, he points out that this is a Motion for Dismissal, with an attempt to argue that her conduct does not meet the criteria for defamation. It’s not an uncommon ploy. As is arguing that the person actually believed what they were saying to be true. But it seems he thinks the main reason it will fail is that it starts to appeal to things outside the law, actually arguing facts. And that’s beyond the purview of a dismissal. A dismissal is based on assuming all facts will be decided in the favor of the opponent, saying that, even if everything they allege is true, there is no actual case to try. This seems unlikely to pass muster. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2021, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1440 "2021-03-26T13:06:00Z")
hugging and kissing… zero threat… good heavens, the delusion is strong with this one. [Trump says his supporters were ‘hugging and kissing the police’ during the ‘zero threat’ Jan. 6 Capitol siege (yahoo.com)](https://news.yahoo.com/trump-says-supporters-were-hugging-045400922.html) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1441 "2021-03-26T13:16:05Z")
Who hugged and kissed Officer Sicknick? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1442 "2021-03-26T13:19:26Z")
See, that was an accident. He got his neck hugged too hard. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1443 "2021-03-26T14:01:03Z")
They hugged them with flagstaffs and kissed them with metal fence posts. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1444 "2021-03-26T14:42:47Z")
I dunno why I clicked on that link, but it reminded me of how happy I am not to have to hear/think about that asshole any more. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020/1445 "2021-03-26T14:47:45Z")
Here’s some news: > **[Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims](https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-media-lawsuits-elections-912eea8e168f95d51dec02da78ac2760)** > > WASHINGTON (AP) — Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, arguing the cable news giant, in an effort to boost faltering ratings, falsely claimed that the voting company had rigged the 2020... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020.md?page=71) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-jan-2021-and-beyond-the-aftermath-of-the-storming-of-the-capitol/930020.md?page=73)