Wouldn’t it be nice if this were true?
Every Congressperson screaming outrage over Trump’s indictment tonight…is wondering how much Mark Meadows has flipped and whether they’re next.
To be continued.
— Jack E. Smith ⚖️ (@7Veritas4) June 9, 2023
Hmm, let’s take a look. (screen captures below, so no engagement clicks for them!)
Boebert outrage, check.
Gaetz outrage, check.
Marge outrage, check.
So far so good! I hope he’s right about that!
Any other elected officials lining up with an enthusiastic defense of Trump? Hopefully Jack Smith is making a list and checking it twice.
Speaking of Mark Meadows, first I saw that he had pled guilty to several smaller offenses in return for “limited immunity”. Then we heard the attorney for Meadows say no deal had been made. Where do things start on that now?
Question for all of you. Is it too soon – or too optimistic – to add a category for Congressional indictments related to Jan 6?
Then, of course, there’s this.
Violent Rhetoric from Trump Supporters is Disturbing (gift link NYT)
The former president’s allies have portrayed the indictment as an act of war and called for retribution, which political violence experts say increases the risk of action.
The federal indictment of former President Donald J. Trump has unleashed a wave of calls by his supporters for violence and an uprising to defend him, disturbing observers and raising concerns of a dangerous atmosphere ahead of his court appearance in Miami on Tuesday.
In social media posts and public remarks, close allies of Mr. Trump — including a member of Congress — have portrayed the indictment as an act of war, called for retribution and highlighted the fact that much of his base carries weapons. The allies have painted Mr. Trump as a victim of a weaponized Justice Department controlled by President Biden, his potential opponent in the 2024 election.
The calls to action and threats have been amplified on right-wing media sites and have been met by supportive responses from social media users and cheers from crowds, who have become conditioned over several years by Mr. Trump and his allies to see any efforts to hold him accountable as assaults against him.
Experts on political violence warn that attacks against people or institutions become more likely when elected officials or prominent media figures are able to issue threats or calls for violence with impunity. The pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was drawn to Washington in part by a post on Twitter from Mr. Trump weeks earlier, promising that it would be “wild.”
The former president alerted the public to the indictment on Thursday evening in posts on his social media platform, attacking the Justice Department and calling the case “THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME.”“Eye for an eye,” wrote Representative Andy Biggs, Republican of Arizona, in a post on Twitter on Friday. His warning came shortly before the special counsel in the case, Jack Smith, spoke to the public for the first time since he took over the investigation of Mr. Trump’s retention of classified documents.
On Instagram, Mr. Trump’s eldest son’s fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, posted a photo of the former president with the words, “Retribution Is Coming,” in all capital letters.
Open thread.