Tag: january 6th
White Supremacist terrorist group

Historian: Trump's Third Term Yearning May Provoke 'January 6 Scenario'

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump once again flirted with the idea of running for a third term, not ruling it out entirely in an NBC News interview.

But on Monday, presidential historian Tim Naftali told CNN that after the ratification of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, term-limited presidents have no legal way to stay in power. He pointed out that short of the arduous process of amending the Constitution (which involves getting two-thirds support among state legislatures and two-thirds support from both chambers of Congress), Trump will have no choice but to leave the White House in January of 2029.

"President Trump does not have the Constitutional cards in this case," Naftali said. "There are only two scenarios by which you could constitutionally alter the the Constitution and allow him to run for a third term, and they both involve finding 38 states. Donald Trump knows that there aren't 38 red states."

CNN host Brianna Keilar then asked Naftali about the scenario in which Trump could mimic Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was prime minister under Dmitry Medvedev and ran the government behind the scenes before once again ascending to the presidency for yet another term. Keilar posited that Trump could run as Vice President JD Vance's running mate in 2028, only for Vance to then resign if elected and allow Trump to once again occupy the White House for four more years. However, Naftali threw cold water on that idea.

"The 12th amendment of our Constitution stipulates that no one can be a vice presidential candidate if they're not Constitutionally eligible to be president," he said. "That kind of Putin-Medvedev scenario is not possible in our country."

But the historian and New York University associate professor then pivoted to what he viewed as the most pressing question, which is: "Why is he talking this way?" Naftali explained that Trump "knows he doesn't have 38 states" and said that his talk of a third term has just three possible explanations. He added that the third option had particularly dark implications.

"One: Political theater. Donald Trump likes attention. He likes the fact we're talking about him right now. Maybe he's also hoping some people are going to say some things that are a little bit outrageous, which he can use to fundraise," he explained. "Number two, we're living in a in an increasingly evident culture of impunity. The president is using fear to get his way with universities, to get his way with law firms, to get his way with Congress, to get his way with Canada and Greenland and Panama and Ukraine. He's on a roll. And so why not talk about what he really wants, which is to stay in office as long as he can? The third is the January 6th scenario that the president, when he was in his first term, was capable of pushing for an unconstitutional and/or illegal way of staying in office. And maybe he is signaling to his supporters: 'Start thinking about ways we can stay through 2028 and 2029.'"

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Pardoned January 6 Defendant Wants His Child Porn Indictment Dismissed Too

Pardoned January 6 Defendant Wants His Child Porn Indictment Dismissed Too

One man granted clemency by President Donald Trump for laying siege to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 is now hoping that his pardon will be extended to a separate charge for possession of child pornography.

Politico legal correspondent Kyle Cheney tweeted Wednesday that the legal counsel for 37 year-old David Paul Daniel of North Carolina is now arguing in federal court that his client's child pornography charge should be thrown out based on what he admitted was an "unprecedented legal question."

In the 14-page filing submitted to U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, attorney William Terpening asserted that Trump's January 20 executive order pardoning the approximately 1,500 people charged in connection with January 6 also covers Daniel's alleged possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) due to how it was obtained by law enforcement.

According to Terpening, when police executed a search warrant on Daniel's property and subsequently found an iPhone and a laptop that contained images of a "nude minor female," they were doing so as part of the January 6 charge. He then posited that because Trump pardoned his client for the January 6 charge, the other "derivative" charges that were brought about as a result of the initial charge should be automatically dismissed.

"A pardon completely exonerates a person — it is as if the conviction that is pardoned was never prosecuted in the first instance," Terpening wrote. "The expansive effect of Trump’s Executive Order in erasing not only Mr. Daniel’s January 6 crime, but also any basis for prosecuting it in the first instance, is apparent from the Executive Order’s plain text, which describes the DC Case as 'a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years' ... The Order’s intent is undisputedly to convey that the DC Case had no legal basis."

Terpening further argued that the Trump administration's Department of Justice has intervened on behalf of other January 6 defendants facing separate charges that were brought about as a result of January 6-related search warrants. The filing noted that in the case of Capitol rioter Elias Costianes — who had illegal weapons seized at his home following the execution of the initial search warrant — the Trump DOJ clarified in federal court that Trump's pardon extended to the gun charge.

Additionally, January 6 defendant Jeremy Brown, who was convicted on both possession of illegal weapons and classified information from his time in the U.S. military, also had his other charges thrown out. Terpening also attempted to bolster his case by looping in the case of Daniel Ball, who was arrested on federal gun charges just one day after Trump handed down his pardon, but later had those charges dismissed by the DOJ.

"Although the crimes with which Costianes, Ball, and Brown were charged in Maryland and Florida were unrelated to their January 6 charges, the government concluded that the Executive Order required their dismissal because they were based on information discovered by the government during January 6 related searches," Terpening wrote. "Mr. Daniel’s pardon in the DC Case requires dismissal of the unrelated charges in this case because the evidence allegedly supporting the instant charges was discovered during a January 6 related search."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Police Unions Enraged By Trump's January 6 Pardons As Republicans Defend Them

Police Unions Enraged By Trump's January 6 Pardons As Republicans Defend Them

House Republicans are at odds with the nation’s two largest public safety unions over President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon violent rioters who assaulted police officers.

Trump granted clemency on Jan. 21 to all 1,500 rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Capitol police officers were beaten and tased during the attack. Some were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) issued a joint statement shortly after Trump announced the pardons.

“Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety — they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law,” the statement said. “Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families.”

The IACP and FOP combined represent more than 410,000 law enforcement professionals. The FOP endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), meanwhile, defended Trump’s decision.

“We believe in redemption, we believe in second chances,” Johnson said. “You could argue that those people didn’t pay that heavy penalty, having been incarcerated and all of that. That’s up to you. But the president made a decision. We move forward. There are better days ahead of us.”

Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) told ABC News that voters wanted Trump to pardon the rioters.

“[Trump] did exactly what he campaigned on,” Emmer said. “He said what he was going to do when elected and he was elected by an overwhelming group of Americans. Seventy-seven million Americans gave Donald Trump a mandate.”

Republican Policy Committee Chair Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) voiced a similar sentiment.

“Only in politics do you get criticized for doing the things that you say you’re going to do,” Hern said. “That's what President Trump ran on — that he was going to pardon many if not all of the January 6 people that were convicted.”

Some of the pardoned rioters have committed other crimes.

Andrew Taake of Texas was convicted of assaulting Capitol police officers with a metal whip and bear spray. He is currently wanted by Harris County police for sexually soliciting a minor online.

David Daneil of North Carolina was convicted of using a barricade to trample a police officer. He was charged with producing and possessing child pornography in October 2024.

Emily Hernandez of Missouri was charged with stealing federal property during the riot. She was arrested last month for killing someone while driving drunk.

An AP-NORC poll from January found that only 20 percent of voters supported pardoning the rioters.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Vance Botches Attempt

Facing Backlash, Vance Defends Trump Pardon Of Violent J6 Criminals

Over the weekend, Democrats and Republicans responded very differently to President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally grant pardons to more than 1,500 people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in his name.

Republican leaders struggled to defend him:

Vice President JD Vance appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation, and was asked about the pardons handed out to one offender who used a stun gun to electroshock Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone, and another who hit an officer while wearing brass knuckles.

“Is violence against a police officer ever justified?” host Margaret Brennan asked.

Vance responded, “Violence against a police officer is not justified, but that doesn’t mean that you should have Merrick Garland’s weaponized Department of Justice expose you to an incredibly unfair process.”

On NBC’s Meet the Press, longtime Trump ally and booster Sen. Lindsey Graham was more blunt when asked about Trump’s boost to convicted criminals.

“Pardoning the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently, I think was a mistake, because it seems to suggest that’s an okay thing to do,” Graham admitted.

Republicans will face more pressure to answer for Trump’s actions with a resolution that is being introduced by Senate Democrats condemning the pardons. The text of the document says: “Resolved, That the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.”

Nearly every member of the Senate Democratic caucus has signed on sponsoring the resolution, including all of the members in leadership positions. New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, who was on the scene as a member of the House during the attack, explained to CBS News why Democrats objected to the pardons.

“It gives the stamp of approval now to political violence, saying that if you conduct political violence, and it's in favor of Donald Trump, for the next four years that you'll be okay,” he said.

A few days after the pardons were first issued, Trump tried to defend his actions in an interview with Fox News. He lied and claimed the convictions were for “very minor incidents.”

Trump on January 6 insurrectionists who assaulted police: "They were very minor incidents."

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 23, 2025 at 2:48 AM

Contrary to this falsehood, the convictions were given out in response to violence committed in the act of attempting to overturn a presidential election. In the case of pardoned Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio, he was convicted in federal court of seditious conspiracy against the United States.

In the hours following the pardons former Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell, who was severely injured in the attack, said in a statement “I feel betrayed. Despite what we all witnessed four years ago, the American people voted [Trump] back in office, and one of the first things that he does is pardon the criminals who nearly took my life. It’s a desecration to our service and the sacrifices made to keep everyone safe.”

Yet during the same period where Trump handed out a gift to hundreds of convicted criminals, his administration started a mass deportation anti-immigration initiative that detained a military veteran.

In the first week of his presidency, Trump is already showing that under his leadership the innocent will find trouble, while those who commit violence on his behalf will get a pass.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

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