The future of self governance is on the line As promised -UPDATED- Officers Hodges & Fanone written testimony NOW INCLUDED
The future of self governance is on the line As promised -UPDATED- Officers Hodges & Fanone written testimony NOW INCLUDED
There can be no moving on -until there’s accountability
by way of background -you might want to reread this previous publication, it was published early this morning in advance of today’s hearing. I also embedded numerous resources.
ICYMI -May 20th House Passes Emergency Security Supplemental
Congrats Fox News the USAO-DC July 8th message for you & Trump
Two California men indicted for plotting to blow up the Democratic Party’s HQ in the state capital
In the past I’ve recited this Washington Irving quote and it seems like a decent time to remind you that tears are not weak…
“…There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.”
Updated 5:40PM
As previously promised this article now includes each officer’s written testimony. Yes I know some of you hate my highlights (whispers come on deep down inside I know you secretly love them or at least that’s what I tell myself) and like I said I’m not a document hoarding Asshole -so the link below will take you to the House Document Repository- which now includes the written testimony of each officer that testified today:
https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=113969
this is what the landing page should look like - again I genuinely believe that my readers should have the same access as I do to the original documents
Also I firmly expect the Select Committee to immediately issue subpoenas and when they do - I’ll endeavor to push those documents to my substack —however in case you missed this -a few hours ago I published the following article with the actual letter(s) from the DAG to six former DOJ Employee - Executive Privilege has been removed but pay attention to the footnote on page 3 - it matters mote than you think
July 27th US Capitol Police Officers & MPD Testimony
USCP Officer Harry Dunn
USCP Officer Dunn’s written testimony can be found via this Scribd Link -
“…we can never again allow our democracy to be put in peril as it was on January 6. I thank the Members of this Select Committee for your commitment to determine what led to the disaster at the Capitol on January 6, what actually took place at the Capitol that day, and what steps should be taken to prevent such an attack on our democracy from ever happening again.”
MPD Officer Michael Fanone Testimony
Officer Fanone’s Law Enforcement Career started as a USCP Officer - every single American should watch his testimony. It’s like a repeated gut punch.
"I thought I had seen it all, many times over. Yet what I witnessed and experienced on January 6th, 2021, was unlike anything I had ever seen, anything I'd ever experienced or could have imagined in my country…I was grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country. I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm, as I heard chants of 'kill him with his own gun.' I could still hear those words in my head today," Fanone explained. "At some point during the fighting, I was dragged from the line of officers and into the crowd. I heard someone scream 'I got one!' as I was swarmed by a violent mob. They ripped off my badge, they grabbed and stripped me of my radio. They seized ammunition that was secured to my body. They began to beat me with their fists and with what felt like hard metal objects."
“the indifferent shown to my colleagues is disgraceful”
Simply put this moment and testimony from MPD Officer Fanone was one of the more powerful moments of this nearly 4 hour long hearing
“HOLD THE LINE”
As promised MPD Officer Fanone’s written testimony can be found via this Scribd link - He started his Law Enforcement career as a US Capitol Police Officer before moving on to MPD.
‘..I was just one of hundreds of local police who lined up to protect Congress even though we were not assigned to do that. Some have asked why we ran to help when we didn’t have to. I did that because I simply could not ignore what was happening. Like many other officers, I could not ignore the numerous calls for help coming from the Capitol Complex. I’m a plainclothes officer assigned to the First District Crime Suppression Team. But for the first time in nearly a decade, I put on my uniform”
Truly if you respect the men and women of Law Enforcement then you’ll watch their testimony and read their written testimony. I know it’s difficult for some but you need to understand this testimony articulates the long lasting impact law enforcement officers are still dealing with. The righteous indignation of MPD Officer Fanone is absolutely understandable. Because “the indifference is a disgrace” —this kind of bravery and patriotism is what makes these Police Officers actual heroes. They didn’t ignore the calls of their fellow law enforcement officers. Without any hesitation they ran towards the danger. They endured an hours long, brutal, heinous and barbaric attacks by Trump’s QANON-MAGA domestic terrorist. You want to heal this Country —then take these officers truth and respect them.
USCP Officer Aquilino Gonell Testimony
He served our Country in two active war zones, yet on Jan6th he and hundreds of other Law Enforcement Officers were savagely and brutally beaten by Trump’s QANON-MAGA Mob… his written testimony can be viewed via this Scribd Link
“this is how I’m going to die, trampled defending this entrance”
His full testimony can be viewed below
Excerpt from USCP Officer Aquilino a. Gonell Written Testimony July 27th;
“Even though there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including hours and hours of video and photographic coverage, there is a continuous and shocking attempt to ignore or try to destroy the truth of what truly happened that day, and to whitewash the facts into something other than what they unmistakably reveal: An attack on our democracy by violent domestic extremists, and a stain on our history and our moral standing here at home and abroad…”
This part of USCP Officer Gonell’s testimony is just heartbreaking but you should watch it. USCP Sgt courage and bravery and that of other law enforcement officers truly represent the very best of Americans. And their unflinching strength in holding the line. The debt of gratitude we owe them can never be repaid and the best way to show our respect and gratitude is letting the Select Committee engage in a thorough and exhaustive investigation.
MPD Officer Hodges Testimony
“A man attempted to rip the baton from my hands & we wrestled for control. I retained my weapon. After I pushed him back, he yelled at me, 'you're on the wrong team!'...another [shouted], 'you will die on your knees!'"..When we were marching up through the crowd, they were all shouting at us, calling us traitors, telling us to remember our oath, stuff like that…”…They attacked us. Fists, trying to steal our equipment, pushing, hitting, kicking, that kind of thing."
“It was clear the terrorists perceive themselves to be Christians. I saw the Christian flag directly to my front. Another read ‘Jesus is my Savior. Trump is my president.’ Another ‘Jesus is King.’”…“My perpetual confusion, I saw the thin blue line flag, a symbol of support for law enforcement more than once being carried by the terrorists as they ignored our commands and continued to assault us,”
18 U.S.C. United States Code, 2009 Edition
Title 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 113B - TERRORISM 1
Sec. 2331 - Definitions;
5) the term “domestic terrorism” means activities that—
(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
(B) appear to be intended—
(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
MPD Officer Hodge’s written testimony reads in part:
“…I monitored the crowd and the radio. Over the radio I heard our Gun Recovery Unit working constantly, monitoring those in the crowd suspected of carrying firearms and making arrests and seizures when possible. Multiple gun arrests were made from January 5th through the 7th against those attending, planning to attend, or had attended Donald Trump's gathering. Unfortunately due to the course of events that day we will likely never know exactly how many were carrying firearms and other lethal weapons”
It is truly hard to comprehend - when the now viral video was released it was difficult to watch. But hearing the human toll and the impact on Officers like MPD Officer Hodges is just soul crushingly painful to read. These are real people, they have families, they returned to the hours long hand-to-hand combat even though many had sustained injuries. I know much will be made of today’s testimony but you need (even if you have to force yourself) to read these Police Officers accounts. If you truly respect and back the blue —then you need to listen to their testimony and then read their written testimony. ,
I can’t find his or Officer Fanone’s written testimony but once I do, I’ll update this article but to remind you of what happened to Officer Hodges -see FBI video
In the interim I would urge you to watch Rep Adam Kinzinger’s Statement - this was a powerful and moving part of today’s historic hearing.
“There is a difference between breaking the law and rejecting the rule of law.”
“Democracies are not defined by our bad days. We're defined by how we come back from bad days."
—Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R. Ill.)
Because this is how their own Party has reacted and it is clear Kevin QANON-MAGA McCarthy has fully embraced the Trump rage, Trump gaslighting and Trump’s dangerous conspiracy theories.
And it’s clear some Trump-Republicans are running on the platform of QANON-MAGA Violent Domestic Terrorism…
And the propagandist like this one - how Cassandra hasn’t been indicted for violating FARA is lost on me… she’s a loathsome individual
Also Jack - you are a garbage dumpster fire of a human being - go pound sand you petulant little “drummer” boy…how have you not been suspended from Twitter.
Again when I finally locate the written testimony of MPD Officers Fanone and Hodges I will update accordingly. Today is just the start of a long marathon. Pace yourself. My unsolicited remarks,
we, as patriotic Americans need to start listening to each other - no one party has a monopoly on Patriotism. This Select Committee’s charter is clear:
follow the facts,
shout the facts from the highest mountain in our Country.
This select committee is laser focused on “getting to the heart of how and who facilitated Jan 6th” —these violent domestic terrorist attacked the heart of our Democracy. They assaulted hundreds of Police Officers. They are domestic terrorist. They engaged in numerous acts of domestic terrorism. Period. Full Stop.
See previous article below - because earlier today CNN reported Attorney General Garland apparently has waived executive privilege
The Justice Department formally declined to assert executive privilege for potential testimony of at least some witnesses related to the January 6 Capitol attack, a person briefed on the matter said.
Rosen and other Justice officials were at the center of a pressure campaign by Trump and other White House officials to back his claims of vote fraud. Frustrated that the Justice Department didn't find evidence of fraud, Trump contemplated replacing Rosen with Jeffrey Clark, another Justice Department official who signaled support for the fraud claims. Rosen and a group of top Justice officials prepared to resign if Clark were made acting attorney general.
MINUTE ORDER granting in part and denying in part 31 Motion to Set Briefing Schedule. Defendants may file their reply briefs up to and until August 16, 2021. Those reply briefs may also incorporate replies to amicus briefs. However, the replies shall not to exceed 35 pages in length. Signed by Judge Amit P. Mehta on 7/18/2021
This is entirely binary choice;
…either you support Domestic Terrorist or you don’t. The Trump-Republicans clearly support Domestic Terrorist. Period. Full Stop.
So make a choice, but choose wisely. For now I need to get back to my job and process the facts and first hand accounts from today’s witnesses. But truthfully I need to distract myself from today’s hearing. Below are a few questions I have
who financed the buses
who coordinated with these groups
who gave these domestic terrorist the blue prints to the US Capitol tunnels and directions to some members of Congress’ auxiliary offices
”who hired the hitman”
I hope this is helpful and informative because facts actually do matter. Conversely I really do need to get back to my actual J-O-B which does not include live tweeting/blogging —shocker I know (snort) -Filey
February 26, 2021 - Was the Jan 6th Insurrection, an act of Domestic Terrorism? Why have there been zero charges for “Domestic Terrorism”
March 2, 2021 - FBI Director Wray Senate Hearing was the insurrection an Act of Domestic Terrorism? YES - ABSOLUTELY
March 3, 2021 DC - National Guard Major General William Walker’s damning testimony - HERE IT IS - What some of us said would happen - THREE HOURS AND NINETEEN MINUTE DELAY FROM THE PENTAGON but Gen Charles Flynn and his brother’s Qanon oath?
March 18, 2021 -ODNI, DOJ and DHS Release Unclassified Summary of Assessment on Domestic Violent Extremism...newly declassified REPORT
March 28, 2021 - Zach Rehl-March 27, 2021 Case Update domestic terrorism invoked. FINALLY.
Your dedication to doing good by providing the facts, documents and commentary are gratefully acknowledged. You inspire me to stick to the facts and not the glitzy tweets. I know you foot the bill for this and the work hours are many and for free. I hope you somehow, sometime you compile this into a book. I’d sure buy it. Thank you seems small but it’s sincere.
Thank you, Filey. Cried like a baby during their testimonies. What has happened to our country?