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☆ How Trump’s legacy became ‘pure poison’ for independents
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Among female independents, Trump’s ratings were even worse: just 23% favorable and 72% unfavorable, according to previously unpublished exit poll results provided by the CNN polling unit. Trump’s unfavorable rating hit a comparable 69% among independents with at least a four-year college degree. That was a significantly smaller advantage than the double-digit lead among independents Democrats enjoyed in both the 2020 presidential race and the 2018 contest for the House. While Democrats held the presidency, Republicans won independents by double-digits in House elections in the midterms of 2014, 2010 and 1994. Gretchen Whitmer won 59% of the independents with degrees and 56% of women independents.

☆ Guilty: Capitol rioter who breached Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office was convicted at trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A judge ordered Riley Williams detained ahead of her sentencing in February on January 6 charges. The jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on a charge Williams helped steal a laptop from Pelosi. In previous jury trials, Capitol rioters have been found guilty on all charges they faced, including obstruction of an official proceeding. Williams "led an army" to Pelosi's office suite, prosecutors said, where she encouraged fellow rioters to steal a laptop the speaker used for Zoom meetings. The trial featured images of rioters ransacking Pelosi's office, with some suggesting that they steal a pair of pink boxing gloves that the House speaker kept on a table.

☆ Capitol rioter who said he wanted Trump's 'approval' gets three years in Jan. 6 case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Dustin Thompson, a college-educated Ohio man who testified that he believed Trump's lies about the 2020 election, was convicted on six charges in April after he told jurors he was seeking Trump's "respect" and "approval" on Jan. 6. His prior attorney argued that Trump "authorized" the attack on the Capitol, and took advantage of "vulnerable" people like his client. Dustin Thompson at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Department of Justice"You didn't love America that day," Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton told Thompson while sentencing him on Friday. Walton said he didn't understand how "people can be gullible enough to accept a lie and act on that lie."

☆ A federal judge compared the January 6 mentality to 'Nazi Germany' at the sentencing of a Capitol rioter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Walton made the comment as he sentenced a Capitol rioter who blamed Trump for January 6. The rioter, Dustin Thompson, was sentenced to three years in federal prison. Judge Reggie Walton made the remark at the sentencing of Dustin Thompson, a Capitol rioter who blamed Trump for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Following Thompson's conviction, Walton and federal prosecutors accused him of lacking candor while testifying under oath. In his own remarks to Walton, Thompson said he was "deeply ashamed" and apologized to the Capitol Police and "everyone" in the United States.

☆ Newly released video shows Capitol rioters raiding Nancy Pelosi's office on Jan. 6
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — A video filmed by a man charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack shows rioters inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the insurrection. It was released to the media following a request by NBC News. In the video, rioters can be heard chanting, “Naaaancy, Naaaancy, Naaaancy" as they enter the speaker's suite, where staffers were huddled in a conference room, barricading themselves from the mob. The laptop was already gone by the time Lyons entered the conference room, the video shows. About 900 defendants have been charged in connection with the Capitol attack and more than 440 have pleaded guilty to various charges.

☆ Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman says he won't support Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential primary
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Blackstone CEO and GOP megadonor Steve Schwarzman says he won't support Donald Trump in 2024. Schwarzman and his wife donated $3 million to a Trump super PAC in 2020. The billionaire joins other prominent Republicans who say they will not support Trump's bid. Schwarzman and his wife, Christine Hearst Schwarzman, are Republican party megadonors. Schwarzman had previously criticized the January 6 Capitol rioters and did not support Trump's false claims that he had won the 2020 election.

☆ Jan. 6 committee staffers told preliminary plan for final report would focus largely on Trump, not on law enforcement failures, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

The final report — much like the committee’s hearings — seems to be shaping up to be “all-Trump,” one source said. The “blue team” examined the preparedness and response of law enforcement agencies. Some staffers remain hopeful that members of the Jan. 6 committee might push back on the current plan and incorporate their research into the final report. The committee needs to release its final report before a new Congress is seated in January. Congress has oversight over and controls the funding of federal law enforcement agencies.

☆ GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert shared a meme and said 'Jesus is Lord' as she trails her race for reelection by just 64 votes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert is locked in a razor-tight race for her political survival, trailing her opponent by just 64 votes. Meanwhile, Boebert shared a meme on Twitter on Thursday and said 'Jesus is Lord.' Frisch, who is a businessman and former city councilman, leads Boebert by a mere 64 votes, according to data from Insider's elections partner Decision Desk HQ. ET Wednesday night, the most recent update, Frisch leading Boebert by just .01%. But we need resources to get the ballots cured, get us through to the end, and defeat Lauren Boebert."

☆ A Capitol rioter pleaded guilty to assaulting police with a skateboard despite yelling, 'We will not concede,' on January 6
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Feds said the son hit a police officer with a skateboard emblazoned with the words "White Fang." The father was charged with fighting a police officer over a baton at the Capitol doors. Prosecutors alleged Grady Owens struck a police officer with a skateboard on the west lawn of the Capitol. Owens' father was arrested two weeks after, on April 16, in Austin, Texas, according to court records. Grady and Jason Owens each face a maximum sentence of 8 years in prison, according to the US attorney's office in Washington, DC.

☆ Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger says she sought out Liz Cheney's endorsement in her nail-biter race against Yesli Vega
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger told Insider she sought out GOP Rep. Liz Cheney's endorsement. Spanberger faces a tight race against Yesli Vega, who has sympathized with January 6 rioters. "People are enthusiastic about it," Spanberger said of the high-profile endorsement in a phone interview with Insider on Saturday. In her statement announcing the Spanberger endorsement, Cheney said Vega was "promoting conspiracy theories, denying election outcomes she disagrees with, and defending the indefensible." "I have spent almost my entire adult life in service to this nation," Spanberger told the crowd of volunteers.

☆ Capitol rioter who bragged about destroying media equipment and told his friend he wanted to 'get busted' pleads guilty to Jan. 6 charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Virginia man who destroyed media equipment on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty to two felonies on Friday. More than 900 people have pleaded guilty in connection to the riot thus far. On Friday, Haynes pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding and one felony count of destruction of property. Photographs from the scene show Haynes among a group of rioters who damaged tens of thousands of dollars worth of media equipment, including cameras, tripods, and lights, prosecutors said. In text messages to friends throughout the day, Haynes boasted about breaking "lotsa stuff" and kicking "the fake news ass."

☆ Fox News' Jesse Watters criticized the police response to Pelosi's husband being attacked
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Fox News host claimed the police response to the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband was harsher than usual. Jesse Watters referenced right-wing talking points accusing the Democratic party of being soft on crime. The assailant broke into Pelosi's San Francisco home on Friday and "violently" attacked her 82-year-old husband, Paul Pelosi with a hammer, leading to him being hospitalized, authorities said. "The Democrats in the media have been ignoring the crime wave and only cover it when Nancy Pelosi's husband's attacked," he said. Watters said he "wanted to see the alleged perpetrator being treated the same as if he attacked anyone else."

☆ Attack on Pelosi's husband echoes threats pro-Trump rioters made on Jan. 6 while stalking the Capitol's halls
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

after breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home. Paul Pelosi was hospitalized; Speaker Pelosi was in Washington, DC, with a security detail. "Where's Nancy Pelosi?" as he confronted the House speaker's husband, Paul, who was hospitalized following the violent attack. Testifying against Capitol rioter Guy Reffitt, the witness specifically remembered joking about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's head hitting the stairs on the way out of the building.

☆ Attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband prompts Republicans, including many who defied the 2020 election results after Capitol rioters hunted her on Jan. 6, to denounce political violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Rep. Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked during an early Friday break-in, police said. Several GOP lawmakers, including some who spread lies about the 2020 election, have since condemned the attack. Sen. Ted CruzThe Texas senator acknowledged his and Nancy Pelosi's "political differences," while calling the attack on her husband "horrific." —Congresswoman Kat Cammack (@RepKatCammack) October 28, 2022Rep. Chuck FleischmannThe Tennessee Republican wrote that any politically motivated violence "must be strongly condemned." Rep. Rodney DavisThe Illinois Republican wrote that the Pelosi attack strikes at the heart of every lawmaker, decrying it as "an attack on all of Congress."

☆ Guilty: A former Capitol police officer was convicted on a charge he obstructed the January 6 investigation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A jury found former Capitol police officer Michael Riley guilty Friday of obstructing the investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on the charge related to his urging the rioter to remove posts. During the weeklong trial, prosecutors presented multiple messages Riley exchanged with Hiles beginning on January 7. In the first message, Riley introduced himself as a Capitol police officer and warned Hiles to delete social media posts placing him inside the Capitol on January 6. "Hey Jake, im a capitol police officer who agrees with your political stance," Riley wrote to Hiles.

☆ Capitol Rioter Gets 7-1/2 Years in Prison for Assault on Officer Michael Fanone
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Jan Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

About 140 police officers were assaulted during the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the Justice Department. WASHINGTON—A Tennessee man received a 7-1/2-year prison sentence for dragging a police officer into a mob of rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, the second-most severe punishment handed down for a defendant linked to that day’s attack on the Capitol. Calling him one of the “most serious offenders” during the Capitol riot, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson imposed the 90-month sentence on Albuquerque Cosper Head during an emotional court hearing Thursday in the District of Columbia.

☆ A judge sentenced a Capitol rioter to more than 7 years in prison, saying he'd assaulted Officer Michael Fanone like 'he was your prey'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Calling him one of the "most serious offenders," a federal judge on Thursday sentenced Capitol rioter Albuquerque Head to more than 7 years in prison for pulling then-police Officer Michael Fanone into the pro-Trump mob during the January 6, 2021 attack. Prosecutors alleged that Head grabbed hold of a riot shield during the January 6 attack and used it against police officers protecting the Capitol. In the aftermath of the January 6 attack, Fanone has emerged as one of the highest-profile police officers who protected the Capitol that day. Ahead of Head's sentencing, prosecutors recommended that he receive an 8-year prison term. Prosecutors showed scarring on Michael Fannone's neck in a court filing recommending an 8-year prison term for Albuquerque Head.

☆ 'Loudmouth' Capitol rioter who said elected officials were 'all going to be executed' sentenced to 4 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Memphis man who filmed himself inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Matthew Bledsoe was convicted by a jury in July on several Capitol riot charges. More than 900 people have been arrested on Capitol riot charges, and more than 400 have pleaded guilty. On Friday, US District Judge Beryl Howell sentenced Bledsoe to four years in prison on the obstruction charge, as well as multiple 12- and six-month terms on the other counts. More than 900 people have been arrested on Capitol riot charges and more than 400 have pleaded guilty thus far.

☆ January 6 trial: Ex-Capitol police officer 'betrayed' his oath by warning a rioter to delete Facebook posts, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Prosecutors accused a former Capitol police officer of telling a January 6 rioter to delete evidence. But the following day, prosecutors say, Riley messaged Hiles directly over Facebook to urge him to remove posts — including selfies and videos — admitting his presence inside the Capitol. Kicking off Riley's trial on Tuesday, Dohrmann displayed several messages Riley exchanged with Hiles over Facebook in the weeks after January 6. "You see, the defendant never wanted these Facebook messages to see the light of day," she said. Despite Riley's encouragement to delete his Facebook messages, Hiles never removed them, allowing them to be used as evidence against the former Capitol police officer, Dohrmann said.

☆ The far-right Oath Keepers appeared to be energized by Donald Trump's tweet about a 'wild' protest on January 6, jury hears
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A jury was told that Trump's tweets encouraged the far-right Oath Keepers to storm the Capitol. One Oath Keeper later said, "He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Kelly Meggs, an Oath Keepers leader from Dunnellon, Florida, wrote to other group members, "He wants us to make it WILD. William Campbell/Corbis via Getty ImagesThe indictment against the Oath Keepers details how the group planned to bring weapons to Washington DC on January 6, after hosting "unconventional warfare" training. Defense lawyers for Rhodes plan to argue that the Oath Keepers founder is not guilty because he believed Trump was poised to invoke the Insurrection Act.

☆ FBI official was warned after Jan. 6 that some in the bureau were 'sympathetic' to the Capitol rioters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The next month, he was named deputy director, the highest-ranking official under FBI Director Christopher Wray. But sources close to the investigation have told NBC News that there have been some special agents in the country who have resisted Jan. 6 cases. Many special agents have been very proactive, while others in various field offices have engaged in half-hearted investigative efforts and seem content to let things peter out, the sources said. After receiving support from 30 former FBI special agents, Friend joined Trump’s Truth Social platform this week, where he was welcomed by Kyle Seraphin, another suspended FBI special agent who joined Truth Social and did an interview with conservative firebrand Dan Bongino after his suspension. A tip the FBI received about the Proud Boys ahead of Jan. 6, highlighted by the committee, was even starker.

☆ An Oath Keeper admitted the group stockpiled a stash of guns in a Virginia hotel room before the Capitol riot
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cummings told the jury the stash of guns in that room rivaled what he saw in the military. Cummings told the jury he kept the gun in a collective Oath Keepers' weapons stash at a Virginia hotel room instead of bringing it into DC. Prosecutors say the gun stash was part of the Oath Keepers' plan to arm a "quick reaction force," per NBC News. Several other Oath Keepers — including Brian Ulrich, Joshua James, and William Todd Wilson — have pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy. The Oath Keepers initially branded its members as defenders of the Constitution.

☆ A cop put on a MAGA hat to save fellow officers on Jan. 6 – and an Oath Keeper helped
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +18 min

“Escorted!”The man escorting them, with the bullhorn in the Eddie Bauer jacket, was a member of the far-right Oath Keepers organization. Three other Oath Keepers — Joshua James, Brian Ulrich and William Todd Wilson — have already pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy. Johnson wasn’t aware that Nichols was an Oath Keeper, nor of who the Oath Keepers were, his lawyer said. ‘They’re being scapegoated’The Oath Keepers charged in the seditious conspiracy, according to the government’s evidence, came prepared on Jan. 6. The judge overseeing the Oath Keepers case said that the evidence can be introduced only if the defendants witnessed it directly.

☆ Capitol rioter accused of bringing the stun gun that was used on cop Michael Fanone was given one of the harshest sentences yet
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Capitol rioter was given one of the longest sentences so far, 86 months in prison. Kyle Young, 38, is accused of bringing the stun gun that was used on DC Police Officer Michael Fanone. She said that Young brought the stun gun that another rioter used on then-Officer Michael Fanone, and that he had shown the rioter how to use it. Jackson told the court on Tuesday that Young brought a taser, and that same stun gun was used to tase Fanone, CNN reported. The same stun gun was then used by a rioter on Fanone, the Post reported.

☆ A judge rebuked Republicans over warnings of violence if an investigation into Trump 'doesn't go his way'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A federal judge said patriotism is not standing up for a man "who knows full well that he lost." Judge Amy Berman Jackson noted the recent increase in threats to law enforcement officials. Her comments came as she sentenced a Capitol rioter to more than seven years in prison. For one federal judge, that rhetoric merited a message of deterrence on Tuesday. At the sentencing of a Capitol rioter, Judge Amy Berman Jackson rebuked Republican leaders for "cagily predicting or even outright calling for violence in the streets if one of the multiple investigations doesn't go his way."

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