In the news today: Significant public movement in the investigation and prosecution of the Jan. 6 insurrection. The House select committee investigating the coup has now released numerous text messages and documents that make a mockery of Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows' claims of executive privilege—and show just how furiously Trump's allies were working to create pretexts for voiding the election—including using the military, if necessary.
In the courts, a federal judge has now sided with prosecutors in agreeing that it's plausible to believe the rioters on that day were attempting to "obstruct" Congress from performing its duties that day—a significant charge that may also be being considered for those in the White House who coordinated with that attempt. And the Washington, D.C., attorney general's office is now suing both the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers organizations for damages because of the injuries to law enforcement officers in attacks by dozens of their violent members. That's significant because it threatens to expose how the two organizations are funded and by whom—an approach previously used to help dismantle the Ku Klux Klan.
Here's some of what you may have missed:
• Texts show Fox hosts and Trump Jr. begging Mark Meadows to get Trump to stop the insurgency
• Jan. 6 prosecutions get a boost from judge’s ruling that ‘obstructing Congress’ charges are OK
• New lawsuit against Proud Boys and Oath Keepers could bankrupt them and unveil their funders
• The DOJ has warned them, but Trump supporters continue to go door-to-door demanding voter info
• There was voter fraud in 2020! It was committed by Republicans living in a Florida senior community
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