I remember during the leadup to the 6th hoping that no counter protestors showed up. That we needed to just let this crazy crowd be crazy. They wanted a fight, so do not give it to them.
Thank goodness that’s how it turned out. I remember watching it unfold thinking that this is the moment that MAGA is jumping the shark.
I think the planners, collaborators, and supporters took it for granted that Antifa would show up like flies to honey, which is why they were so persistent about Antifa causing the violence. They wrote the script ahead of time and read from it based on that assumption. It’s like being in a play where the other actor in a scene doesn’t show up, but you continue your lines anyway as if they were there.
That goes a long way to explain what the messaging was around the time of the attack and immediately after.
I doubt he really expected that to happen. IMHO it was typical pressure applied to someone when he wants something, I think he was hoping the threat of violence to Pence would be enough to make him cave and do what the TFG wanted him to do. However, as we all know now, even if Pence did that, it would not have mattered anyway (of course, TFG would have thought that would help his flailing cause).
I agree with the rest of your thesis, except I am not sure TFG and his enablers were expecting a large counter-riot they way you describe, with widespread violence around DC. You are giving him and his team too much credit. I think sending the mob over to the Capitol to disrupt things enough to clamp-down on the whole process was as far as TFG can think, then he’d just do what comes naturally; bloviate and posture and delay things as long as possible until someone on his team found some way he could remain in power, akin to “Just find me some votes, and I will do the rest!” (which, of course, was never going to happen).
I’m not sure about that at all. It shouldn’t have mattered. But if they could have just sent the election to the House, Trump would have won there and who would have been able to unwind that?
Yah, maybe that was the goal.
I’m still wondering who Pence borrowed the backbone from.
From Mother, of course.
That’s what I remember being utterly frightened of…in case of disputed electoral college outcome, the election is sent to the House, where each state gets one vote. Since more than 25 states have a GOP majority of representatives, Trump would have won a legal election.
Trump, being president, would have access to comms which, by January 6, would have shown him conclusively that there was no counter protests planned.
On Resistance Twitter, the crescendo to STAY AWAY was rather deafening.
'Bout time to court-martial Flynn.
This assumes that he would both read those comms and believe them. If they didn’t say what he thought was going to happen he would have dismissed them as wrong.
One of the flaws in their plan is that actual “Antifa” is about 5% of what it is in their heads.
Isn’t he retired? Wouldn’t they have to put him back on active duty and then court-martial him?
Hmmm… where have I heard that idea before…?
That’s the procedure aiui.
Also AIUI, even court-martialing his traitor ass and throwing him into Leavenworth until the Sun grows cold, we’d still have to pay him his pension.
I’d love to be corrected by someone who knows the UCMJ better than I do.
His brother Charles was in the room during the calls for the guard to go to the capitol. He was deputy chief of staff of the army at the time.
I probably don’t, since I don’t really know any of it. But I do know Google! 
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11762
Title 38 of the U.S. Code governs VA benefits for veterans and their dependents. Under Sections 6104 and 6105, veterans and other individuals receiving VA benefits who commit mutiny or treason or who are convicted of “subversive activities,” as listed in Section 6105(b), forfeit their right to VA benefits, including health care, disability compensation, educational benefits, and burial benefits. In
addition, individuals who forfeit their VA benefits because they are convicted of engaging in subversive activities also forfeit their dependents’ entitlement to VA benefits, including dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), educational benefits, and burial benefits
And…
Being incarcerated could affect your VA benefits. If you are convicted of a crime and imprisoned for more than 60 days, your retirement benefits (including your pensions, disability compensation, and education benefits) may be stopped or reduced. The payments will typically be resumed upon your release.
However, this will depend on the type of crime you are charged with – whether it is a misdemeanor or a felony – and the type of benefit you were getting. In most cases, imprisonment will not have a major impact on your pension, unless of course your conviction involved criminal disloyalty to the US – for example, treason, espionage, sabotage, etc.
Whew! That’s more like it. Of course with a sedition charge they could always just shoot him.
Hang. The military considers that less honorable for some reason.
Death by firing squad involves military personnel and weapons, analogous to combat. Hanging is a humiliating death suited to criminals.