Yes, this. I’m basing the following opinion on my vast legal knowledge acquired through watching (and owning) every episode of the original Law & Order, but it seems to me that it’s a real advantage that this is wholly expository and not adversarial. Everything is out and on the table. IOW the committee is calling people to testify and then allowing them to testify without the Other Side jumping up and objecting on procedural grounds or demanding that testimony be suppressed. I guess if the Republicans had been smart enough to put some trumpy people on the committee, we might be seeing some objections. Oh well. Their bad.
It was such an egregious oversight by McCarthy that I sometimes idly speculate that he did it on purpose as a backdoor way of getting rid of Trump without getting his hands dirty in an obvious way.
But then I remember the incandescent intellect demonstrated by McCarthy over the course of his legislative career, and I come back to the reality: “Nah. He really is that dumb.”
Lucky us.
Dats right! And I hear Mr. McCarthy is taking some heat from Dear Leader about that, and his much desired Speakership of the House may be in jeopardy should Dear Leader sneeze the wrong way on this.
My jaw dropped after hearing Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony. It’s terrifying to realize someone this unhinged was President.
Something has to be done to make certain he can’t legally run in 2024. I know Georgia is considering election fraud charges.
Hopefully the Jan 6 hearings will result in recommending Federal charges.
A useful guide to the Fifth Amendment
Including discussion of selective use of Fifth Amendment
As I understand it technically ship sailed about 18 months ago when the Senate failed to convict or disqualify him from public office. There isn’t actually anything in federal law or the US Constitution preventing a convicted felon from running for office. Eugene Debs even ran for President from this cell. Granted in this particular case this the 14th Amendment would apply, but if things got that far the constitutional crisis would trigger a civil war.
Apologies if this was covered upthread, but I’m wondering about Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential limo to steer it to the Capitol. From what I’ve seen of depictions of the inside of the presidential limo, the president is quite far from the driver’s seat and I think there is a hard barrier between the passenger compartment and the front seats. So is this plausible?
That makes these hearings even more important. Trump’s major financial backers need to realize they need to distance themselves because of what’s uncovered.
They can quietly drop support without saying anything publicly.
Murdoch has figured that Trump’s usefulness is over. Fox has turned on him. The GOP will be over him soon. Now we just need him to start another party.
I remember the limo configuration being discussed when Trump took his little Covid ride, and there is not a hard barrier between the President and the driver.
The footage of the incident had some pretty good views of the inside of the limo, and there was no barrier.
I respect your confidence. But even after today’s testimony, If Trump is ever charged with anything more serious than looking too directly at an eclipse, I will figuratively eat my hat.
That depends on whether the felony constitutes “insurrection or rebellion” against the United States (Fourteenth Amendment, section 3).
A source close to the Secret Service tells me both Bobby Engel, the lead agent, and the presidential limousine/SUV driver are prepared to testify under oath that neither man was assaulted and that Mr. Trump never lunged for the steering wheel.” / TwitterYes. It’s not only terrifying to realize, but it’s also astounding that it is realized at later dates for some late realizers.
That was complete hearsay testimony, and I’m surprised it was included. I heard Jamie Raskin interviewed after, and all he could say was that nothing disproved it. That’s some weak sauce.
Trump’s little COVID ride wasn’t in the Beast, it was in a similarly armoured Chevy Suburban SUV. From what I can find, the Beast does have a glass partition, but the president controls a button that can lower it. There is quite a distance between the back seat and the driver, but I can easily see an aggressive orange ape-like creature forcing itself forward to grab the wheel.
I think that was a big-ass SUV, though, rather than the Cadillac Presidential Limousine known as ‘The Beast:’
Which I would guess has a partition between the driving compartment and the back – a partition that can be raised/lowered.
[ETA: Ninja’d]
She testified that she was told it so if it didn’t happen that impugns Ornato’s credibility, not hers.
Also, probably the least relevant thing she said all day.
I get it. I do. And I understand how it looks so bleak, given what we endured over the past 5 years and the complete failure of Republicans to step up and do their jobs in this situation.
And while they were failing to do their jobs, they very deliberately stacked the SCOTUS with partisan jerks, stuffed as many partisan judges into positions of power as possible, weakened our standing on the global stage, withheld critical aid to Ukraine at a time when it might have helped them a lot while simultaneously attempting to smear Joe and Hunter Biden, hollowed out many of our most important institutions (DOJ, FBI, Departments of State, Energy, Interior, etc., CIA, Office of Legal Counsel, etc. etc.), fired seasoned Ambassadors, broke hard-won crucial treaties and agreements (Iran Nuclear, Climate Change Accord), tried to provoke a war with Iran, worked to skew the Census that determines new legislative districts, gerrymandered like mad things, implanted as many MAGA local elections officials as they possibly could, propagandized the military with constant Fox “News” blaring from every tee vee within sight, rigged the US Mail by sticking DeJoy in there, failed to address a global pandemic when it really mattered and gawd, so much more. (Hey, Joe! Can you fix this in the next 10 minutes?)
But I couldn’t help noticing you have enough confidence in my confidence to add the word, “figuratively,” to your pronouncement. 
So thank you.
The stuff about grabbing the wheel of the limo was hearsay, though I’m sure Hutchinson was truthfully relaying what she had been told. However, the numerous other examples of Trump being unhinged, such as throwing ketchup-laden lunch dishes at the wall, were observed first-hand. He’s not going to be prosecuted for any of that stuff, anyway; it’s just further corroboration of what we already knew, that we’re dealing with a crazy person.