Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH
I just sent this to a media outlet that asked me to respond to today's "history" conference.

Passing it along.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Chairman Thompson:
"We settle our differences at the ballot box."
If something seems off we can challenge results & investigate"

You can protest.
You can organize.
You can get ready for the next election.
But you can't turn violent.
You can't get a victory thru force.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Thompson:

A real leader -- seeing things moving towards violence -- would work against it.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Cheney:

Today, we'll look at the calling of the mob -- and will hear from someone who answered that call, & how doing so altered his life.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Cheney:

Today, seems to be general realization that DJT lost -- & was told so.

So now, the defense changes. The latest strategy? He was fooled by his advisors. He was misled. DJT was "poorly served."

"This of course is nonsense."

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Cheney:

DJT is a grown man. It's nonsense to say that he someone didn't know he lost the election.

"No rational or sane man" could reach a different conclusion.

Well then.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Murphy and Raskin making statements.

Courts, justice department, campaign officials, closest advisors: ALL told DJT that he lost.

Yet he still claims so today.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Murphy: DJT pursued multiple interlocking ways to keep power, although he knew he lost.

That "interlocking" component is a big part of the hearings. Each hearing shows another link in that chain. Each new hearing reiterates that point and adds a new link.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Raskin: When the idea of seizing election machines was voted down by DJT advisors, he moved on to another strategy to cling to power & overturn the election: stoking a mob.

His 1:42 AM tweet galvanized supporters, esp. groups like the Proud Boys who were itching to fight.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Editorial: Some part of me *still* can't believe that the events of January 6 happened.

An attempted coup.
In our lifetime.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Hey! We get a reference to the storming of the press and murder of abolitionist editor Elijah Lovejoy.

Lincoln replied that mobs will push us to political tyranny.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Raskin notes social media has had a huge impact on this kind of mob-raising.

I've said this many times: democratic governance is basically a conversation bet. power-holders & the people who gave them power. Any technology that affects that conversation affects democracy.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Last week the Committee conducted an 8-hour interview w/White House Counsel Pat Cipollone. Will hear some today & more in the next hearing.

Now they play a clip. Cipollone: early December, McConnell went announced that the election was over. That was my view as well.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Playing clips, they show that former WH spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany and Ivanka Trump both felt at the time:

The election was over.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Clearly, they're setting up the clear purpose of DJT's tweet and calling of his followers to the Capitol.

Everyone told him the election was over.
He knew it.
So he went in a different election: rousing a mob.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Now they're reviewing Barr's testimony that claims of manipulated voting machines were "complete nonsense" & he told DJT that it was "crazy stuff" that was doing a grave disservice to the country; some people believed it.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

The committee is traveling down a runway towards exposing and then demonstrating the motive behind the calling of DJT's supporters to the Capitol.

It was his last hope to overturn the election.
It was a deliberate attempt to do so.

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Cipollone: Seizing voting machines? It's terrible for the country. We have no authority to do that.

"I don't know why I even have to tell you that it was a bad idea. It was a terrible idea."

Dr. Joanne Freeman
#hearings #HATH

Even Giuliani's own legal team admitted they had no evidence of fraud. They show a letter from him saying as much.