Blog Post Date: Jan 10th, 2021
Blog Post Last Update: Jan 11th, 2021
Seth Abramson, Attorney, Professor, Journalist, NYT bestselling author.
26/ The obvious answer—indeed, the *only* answer—is that, as he's about to reveal, he is *well aware* (and was pre-speech) that the Save America March he paid for is a march on the Capitol to "stop" the certification, and that "we"/"us" will be making that march. And therefore...
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) January 9, 2021
1/ First, many don't realize that while the name of the *rally* was "Stop the Steal," Trump spoke flanked by banners that read "Save America March"—Save America being the PAC Trump has used since the election to scam voters out of more than $300 million for "election defense."
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) January 9, 2021
2/ It appears, therefore, that the link between Trump, his opposition to Biden's January 6 certification in Congress, and the insurrectionist march on the Capitol is one that comes, incredibly, with a paper trail—as it appears Trump *paid for* the seditious "Save America March."
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) January 9, 2021
3/ Seconds into his speech, Trump says, "These people are not going to take it any longer. They're not going to take it any longer...They came from all over our country. I just really want to see what they do." It's an astonishing admission he thinks something is going to happen.
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) January 9, 2021
4/ Trump then seems to catch himself, repeating the phrase "I just really want to see" but now adding "how they [media] cover it [the Save America March]." It's hard to know, therefore—perhaps deliberately—whether "what they do" means "what media does" or "what the marchers do."
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) January 9, 2021
5/ He then falsely says "media and Big Tech" together "rigged" the November 2020 election *and* the Georgia run-off, suggesting—in the context of past Trump remarks—that a combination of pre-vote polling and post-vote vote-manipulation explains GOP losses in those two elections.
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) January 9, 2021
Terry Bouton, Historian of the American Revolution.
My wife and I attended the “Stop the Steal” Trump Insurrection on Wednesday (as observers, NOT participants) and there are FIVE big take-aways from what we witnessed and heard outside the Capitol that I'd like to share. (We took all the pictures below). 1/22 pic.twitter.com/NTV7JTUXZa
— Terry Bouton (@TerryBoutonHist) January 10, 2021
2) There is no doubt the Capitol was left purposefully understaffed as far as law enforcement and there was no federal effort to provide support even as things turned very dark. This contrasts sharply with all of other major protests we have attended. 6/22 pic.twitter.com/vYolM394kR
— Terry Bouton (@TerryBoutonHist) January 10, 2021
Preppy looking "country club Republicans," well-dressed social conservatives, and white Evangelicals in Jesus caps were standing shoulder to shoulder with QAnon cultists, Second Amendment cosplay commandos, and doughy, hardcore white nationalists. 3/22 pic.twitter.com/gRH33PiHl0
— Terry Bouton (@TerryBoutonHist) January 10, 2021
I'm sure there were Republicans there who were horrified by what was happening. But the most common emotions we witnessed by nearly everyone were jubilation at the take over and anger at Democrats, Mike Pence, non-Trump supporting Republicans, and the Capitol Police. 5/22
— Terry Bouton (@TerryBoutonHist) January 10, 2021
3) The Trump rioters only supported law enforcement as long as they believed law enforcement was supporting them. Rioters, many carrying Thin Blue Line flags, seemed convinced that the Capitol Police would turn against the government and join them. 13/22
— Terry Bouton (@TerryBoutonHist) January 10, 2021
Numerous rioters shouted at the police, saying some version of “we had your back, now you need to have ours.” All of the Capitol officers we saw—Black, white, Latino, male, female—seemed alarmed by what was happening and continued to try to do their job faithfully. 14/22
— Terry Bouton (@TerryBoutonHist) January 10, 2021
The most alarming part to me was the matter-of-fact, causal ways that people from all walks of life were talking about violence and even the execution of “traitors” in private conversations, like this was something normal that happened every day. 21/22
— Terry Bouton (@TerryBoutonHist) January 10, 2021
I am convinced that if Congress doesn’t act to do something about this quickly, these people are going to keep going and the unrest and violence will get more widespread and more uncontrollable. This is a crisis. It’s real. It’s happening. It must be taken seriously. 22/22
— Terry Bouton (@TerryBoutonHist) January 10, 2021