On Wednesday, the House impeachment managers began laying out the case against Donald Trump. While we complained about the time frame post-insurrection, it’s quite clear that the nine House impeachment managers – Jamie Raskin, Joaquin Castro, David Cicilline, Madeleine Dean, Diana DeGette, Ted Lieu, Joe Neguse, Stacey Plaskett and Eric Swalwell – used the past five weeks to build a comprehensive, airtight case against Trump for inciting an insurrection. All nine managers are lawyers and they are a f–king legal dream team as far as I’m concerned. They’ve built such a smart case, using Trump’s own public statements and tweets to show a pattern of inciting, encouraging and praising violent acts against his enemies (real or imagined). Here are just some clips of what went down yesterday:
As the prosecution laid out the case for incitement of an insurrection, they detailed specific instances of the terrorists violently assaulting Capitol Police officers as the terrorists surged past barricades and began breaking into the Capitol. Again, these terrorists murdered a police officer and left some-odd 140 Capitol Police officers injured, with broken ribs, head injuries, burns, cuts and injuries from explosives and projectiles. The prosecution has also made it abundantly clear that the terrorists were there to murder Democrats AND Republicans, and even more specifically, to murder Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi, the first and second people in the line of succession for the continuity of government. And that entire time, Senator Josh Hawley sat in the Senate Gallery, with his feet up, reading other materials.
Senator Josh Hawley, a bellwether of Donald Trump’s “stop the steal” movement to overturn the 2020 election results, was watching the second day of impeachment proceedings against the former president from the gallery above the chamber. The Trump loyalist, a first-term Missouri Republican, was seen at various points with his legs crossed, his feet propped up on the chair in front of him, and reviewing some sort of paperwork in a manila folder, according to several reporters with a view of the room from their seats in the press gallery.
All other 99 senators were seated at their desks on the Senate floor, except for Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the president pro tempore of the chamber who is presiding over the trial from the top perch atop the dais.
Mr Hawley later explained his decision to sit in the gallery instead of at his desk in a brief interview with NBC. “The gallery is — I feel had a little bit better view,” he said. “Where I sit over in the Senate chamber is kind of in the corner. So, here you can sit head on. I can also space out a little bit more and it’s just not quite as crowded.”
He elaborated to Fox News. “It’s a better viewpoint because I can look right at the impeachment managers and see them in the face. When I’m sitting in the chamber, I kinda look at the back of their head,” he said.
Josh Hawley is a coward, a traitor and an idiot. He didn’t even have the stones to sit there and fulfill the barest duties of his oath of office, which is simply to listen in good faith to the impeachment proceedings. Josh Hawley doesn’t care about cops being murdered. Josh Hawley didn’t care about an armed mob hunting for the Vice President and Speaker. Piece of sh-t.
New on @MSNBC: Republican Josh Hawley wasn't paying attention for parts of the trial. He was sitting with his legs up on the seat in front of him, reading unrelated materials, according to @GarrettHaake.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 10, 2021
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
I believe there will be a balancing in the universe.
lol right. at this point it’s above me now.
Or below us! 😉
Watching the impeachment yesterday and seeing previously unreleased footage, I was shocked. I knew it was bad but I didn’t realize just *how* bad. For Josh Hawley to ignore the proceedings simply reinforces what a garbage human he is.
Correct. I was nauseated watching it because it drove home what happened and how bad it was. Putting it together in a time line and showing Trump and what was happening drove home the point. And Hawley is trash. No doubt about it. I mean to act the way he is shows he doesn’t even care. Act professionally not like a spoiled child. If I were to go into a meeting where I didn’t agree with the direction of the company and acted this way, there would be disciplinary actions or I would be fired.
Several years ago one of the teachers was before our board of education because of a false accusation by a student. One of the board members was nodding off during the testimony. I made a comment afterwards to another teacher on how wrong that was. The board member heard me and said he was on pain meds that made him sleepy. I told him that he should not be there if he couldn’t stay awake because the teachers carrer was on the line and deserved everyone’s full attention. Does not surprise me Hawley did what he did.
Do we really expect this scum bag to do anything but act like what he really is? Make no mistake, he is not an idiot. He is bright and that is what scares me. It’s individuals like him that are taking notes and will use the weakness of the system to exploit for his benefit.
On a side note, I had the trail on all day (yes, I need help) and De. Plaskett is fierce. She is articulate and eloquent and blew everyone out of the water.
Seraphina- no, Hawley is not bright. None of these treasonous Trump supporters are. We all need to stop crediting these fools with brains. They are morons with stances and arguments any basic critical thinking student can tear down.
I will respectfully disagree with you Rapunzel. He is not like a typical Trumper. He is supporting Trump for his own gain. Sometimes, there are those who are too bright for their own good and bring about their own demise – and he fits the bill. Make no mistake, he has a plan and is taking notes. Underestimating him would be a huge blunder on our part.
Yeah, add me to the chorus that the Democrats will ignore Josh Hawley at their own peril. He’s a disrespectful little fascist but he still has a job and almost no one in the GOP has tried to censure him (or Cruz or anyone else who was cheering the traitors on) and that’s because he’s the future of the party and he knows it.
He’s a a younger, fitter, calmer more “rational”version of 45 and you can bet that he will be front and center at the next election if 45 doesn’t run again (or possibly he’ll be the VP pick). He’s dangerous.
I’m terrified he’ll run in 2024. He could win, especially against Joe Biden. The ageism is strong in this country, and Trump was able to push that line even though he’s only 4 years younger than Biden. Imagine what this fxxxwad could do
Plaskett is a dynamic force.
She was amazing. Midway through I started to preemptively get annoyed with her because I generally am not a fan of when people compare things to 9/11 or make analogies. They’re usually crass and not appropriate. But her comments were so appropriate and moving that even cynical me, who is always suspicious when someone mentions 9/11 to try to make a point, was moved to tears.
The strength of the House managers isn’t just their attention to detail and laying everything out in a way that is so easy to follow, as important as including all the facts, they are doing it in a way that is so compelling. Anyone who is not intentionally ignoring them can’t help but be engrossed in their presentation. I only wanted to check in for a few minutes and hours later I still couldn’t turn it off.
@seraphina Yes to all of this. Hawley is Trump with actual intelligence and that makes him all the more dangerous, and that should not be ignored. He’s making a very pointed statement with his disrespectful actions.
I was in my car headed home from work, listening to NPR’s coverage when De. Plaskett had the floor. I wound up detouring, taking the scenic route home so I could keep listening to her lay out so superbly all of that damning evidence.
she also has great style. I loved what she was wearing.
Plaskett was amazing! She is indeed a force and I can’t wait to see what her future holds.
Tom Cotton is no slouch in the “potential Hitler” department either. And he’s just smart enough to be truly dangerous.
He truly believes he will be the shiny new MAGA bigot. He won’t be. They are already losing interest and turning on Trump. They are all crying in court that they were there because “Trump told them to be” The Q Shaman idiot was bemoaning the fact that his savior Trump did’t pardon him. Apparently not realizing that a President can’t pardon someone who was involved in the action that got him impeached.
Hawley has lost his donors, every paper in Missouri is asking for his resignation. He will be a footnote in history. He is a traitor, a seditionist and a small little idiot. These people are writing the attack ads for their opponents the next time they run, if they dare.
That’s what I was going to say—he is NOT an idiot, which is scary.
And he was being performative for the MAGA crew…he’s slime but he’s smart slime. He needs to be defeated, soon.
And this immature bigoted asshole was elected and wanted as a representative?? OMFG!
I hope those reporters took pictures and continue to document his (and other GOP members’) abhorrent behavior and that those photos are use in EVERY campaign ad until they are voted out.
That would be poetic justice that they ALL deserve!! They should be splashing the pictures now and continue to do so everyday!! Make no mistake about calling out these useless and shameless actions!! They have to go as they are not fit to serve!!
I am stuck in Greene County, Missouri until I am vaccinated and can travel. Every day I am shocked and horrified by the willful ignorance and entitlement I see here. People still have Trump election signs on their lawns and bumper stickers that read “another Republican working hard so you don’t have to.” The so-called churches here run everything.
Hawley = No!
So, everyone is expected to do the job the are paid to do. Except this guy?
Get out! I am fed up with these gov’t. workers acting like angry 4 year olds.
Vote this entitled child out at the first chance.
Dock his paycheck a days pay too.
And I mean to call him exactly what he is a gov’t. employee, zero respect for him.
Good grief some of these current gov’t. workers are really pushing my buttons.
Mitt Romney is actually behaving as an Adult.
Are Mitt Romney and Tom Brady truly “what still works” in America lately?
While the others were in their seats, I’m not sure they were paying attention. There were reports of several reading unrelated materials, including comic books. During the impeachment trial last year, Marsha Blackburn hung out in the cloakroom, gave interviews in the corridor during the hearing, and openly read a novel while in her seat. Yesterday, she was posting videos on Twitter claiming the impeachment is a waste of time and unconstitutional. The videos were notable for the big smudge of black makeup over one eye and the stripe of white makeup under the other. I doubt Marsha was paying attention while in her seat
And yet they continue to hold office and represent their populace. What does this say about those who voted them into office. Again, what would happen to the average person if we acted this way at work. And I am not conducting business that is setting precedence for future POTUS nor are any meetings I attend going down in the history books. And yet I am held to a higher standard then these people.
… and his support only dropped 3 points here in Mo. I’m actively looking for a valid campaign that has a chance to unseat him in the primary, but it’s 4 years away.
Surprised it didn’t go up. I did not vote for him and hopefully will get rid of him next time. I won’t hold my breath.
Oh, yeah, well. There’s nothing like a politician taking a very serious matter very seriously… Bellwether? More like bell end. Sorry to say, and I truly hope to be proved wrong, but I fear trump is going to beat this.
Nice one, @Annakist! I love wordplay and yours was excellent here!
Looks like I need to call The NY Times’ Primal Scream Line today
This is the first I’ve heard of this — it’s great 🙂 Thank you!
Once again, the guy I went to high school with who now works for Hawley was bloviating yesterday about how very proud he is to stand behind him on Facebook. Maybe one or two commenters were like “tell your f-cking boss to put his feet down and do his job,” and he parroted Hawley’s line about how this is all a waste of the Senate’s time. And the vast majority of people on Facebook agreed with this and praised Hawley’s “hard work.” Then the aide posted about something something media bias and ties to China, and then unironically posted a link from The Epoch Times. You can’t make this up.
I hid a lot of people that I couldn’t stomach anymore. The rest is almost too uplifting or for someone’s business, but more power to them. At this point, the only thing I’m using facebook for is buy nothing or marketplace. The people that I get along with best and actually want to speak to in person don’t have much of a facebook presence.
Your last sentence sums up 95 percent of my FB acquaintances. The only reason I still have an account is to look up local (small) business information (menus, hours, etc.), which is often more accurate on FB.
I am wondering about the “how” of messaging from the so-called churches here in southern MO. Also, I see many white men who are veterans of Viet nam war still being angry about “hippies” while wearing MAGA hats. They like to claim the grocery store aisle and like to tell you how to mow your lawn. Ugh.
He’s an obnoxious, immature, entitled little tw*t.
When a co-conspirator to the defendant is on the jury, it makes it harder for justice to be done. And he is not the only one.
Ariel, exactly!
While he needs to be behind bars we can hope at the very least he gets pulled from any committees. Remember Nazi Steve King from Iowa was stripped of all committees and he finally shut the hell up.
The only thing this article need to to say was “this motherfu**er” and we all would have gotten it. He doesn’t deserve a single click on a keyboard
He is going to skate. Trump is going to be even more emboldened. His supporters will be more emboldened. It is going to get WAY worse, people. Like seriously dangerously worse because no line has been drawn in the sand to demonstrate that what happened on 1/6 was unacceptable.
In a sad way, I think the big bet the GOP people are making is that people have short attention spans. People forget. People move on. People don’t take it seriously because there are a million other problems taking space in their minds (ahem, the pandemic for example). This is the big bet. If they can distract and push this to the back of voters minds, this is just another big nothing burger.
And here is the sad thing. It will work. I 100 percent believe it will work. I 100 percent believe that people will rationalize and justify their thinking to get to a place to reelect and continue to support this toxic political strategy. Because once they win (and they will) here comes even more screws to the people and money to the billionaires and big corporations and millionaires.
Rand Paul was apparently sitting without a mask, doodling. Amazingly disrespectful of the process, his colleagues, and those killed and injured in the attempted coup.
Hawley feels emboldened because as of today, he still has not faced any consequences for what he did leading up to the attack and the day of the attack, even after he lied about his wife and baby being harassed by Antifa and his home in Virginia being vandalized. Even after his wife filed a false police report against one of the peaceful protestors. I don’t understand why there isn’t any checks and balances on the republican members of Congress. The democrats should have disqualified any and all republicans who participated in the attack or objected to the certification of votes. The participants of the attack are Trump’s judge and jury, this makes no sense because they can’t convict Trump without also admitting that they themselves are guilty. Then they are allowed to disrespect the process by doodling and reading books? Why do they still get to vote on the matter of impeachment when they are showing so much indifference towards the evidence?
I don’t think that the republicans are afraid of Trump. They are afraid of whatever Trump and Putin(when they hacked the democrats, they also hacked the RNC) are using to blackmail them. Why hasn’t Rand Paul ever been confronted about delivering a letter from Trump to Putin? Why hasn’t anyone called Ron Johnson out for visiting Russia during the 4th of July weekend? Why isn’t Mitch’s deal the Russian steal company being investigated?
As far as potential 2024 presidential candidates go, Hawley owns the world record in achieving national name recognition for a politician. He went from “who?” to being mentioned in almost every news cycle in less than a month. He’s campaigning. Everything he does is to get mentioned in the press and/or curry favor with Trump’s base. And it’s working. I hate him with a burning intensity, but he’s not dumb. I’m already starting to worry about 2022 and 2024.
White male Republican entitlement at its… worst? Best? Most nauseating.
This dude sucks. He needs a dominatrix and a therapist.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
He’s acting like an asshole because he wants to be president in 2024. His role model is, of course, the bigger asshole, donald trump. Contemptible behavior rewarded!