Under The Banner of Heaven (Abyss – Part One)
By
A.H. Scott
.
“You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.” – Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, January 6th, 2021[1]
Overview of the Sixth Hearing – June 28th 2022
“The Walls Ran Red for A Green-Eyed Monster”
Oh no, this isn’t Stanley Kubrick’s gusher of blood cascading against the cinematic décor in “The Shining”. This was and is real life.
At the sixth hearing[2] of the House January 6th Select Committee, there was only one witness. Quality of the recall of this witness outweighed the quantity of persons who could have sat on a panel before the committee.
One insider of the Trump White House was a woman named Cassidy Hutchinson. Her formal title when employed there was the White House Special Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Legislative Affairs.
Yet, informally Miss Hutchinson was principal aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. With her proximity to the Oval Office in the West wing of the White House, Cassidy Hutchinson was witness to dark days in the Trump administration.
Former chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus, former decorated military man John Kelly, and the ever ubiquitous Mick Mulvaney who was juggling two, parallel jobs in Trump’s administration as being director of the Office of Management and Budget, were the first three arrows in President Trump’s quiver as White House Chief of Staff.
Even past occupants of the Oval Office, who had been lucky enough to be elected more than once didn’t have that much turnover as the Trump administration did in that position of White House Chief of Staff.
As for Mark Meadows, he was a former Congressman from North Carolina who was tapped by the man in the Oval Office to keep things running smoothly. Or, as we all in the public now know it – right off the rails.
Now, back to the hearing and Miss Hutchinson’s recalling the time period back in January 2021.
Maturity is not measured in years upon this earth. It is measured by the revelation of a person’s character in moments of turmoil, treachery and unforeseen moments of imbalance. Cassidy Hutchinson is a woman under 30 years old and she embodied the temperament of an old soul in knowing the difference between right and wrong. And, in the midst of men who are decades older than she and in the echelon of governmental strength in the United States of America; she stands with a concrete courage that makes all of those who are her superiors appear as a wobbling, orange gelatin upon a silver platter.
Agents of the Secret Service are tasked with protecting the President of the United States of America, at all costs. Even when their designee objects to how they are going to keep he and his family safe from any type of harm.
On the evening of January 5th, there was another Trump rally at Freedom Plaza, where local police arrested rally-goers with firearms and ammunition. So, the Secret Service’s radar was always on alert involving events surrounding that Tuesday evening and onward to that terrible Wednesday in January 2021.
Thus, on January 6th, 2021 there were early reports from around the capitol which continued the unsettling signs of disorder before the speech that Donald J. Trump was to give that morning on the Ellipse.
If it isn’t obvious enough, everyone knows that at any settled indoor or outdoor location where a President of the United States of America speaks, the Secret Service has anyone who wants to hear his speech pass through a screening process of a magnetometer. In shorthand, they are metal detectors called mags.
Hundreds of people followed the rules and went through the mags, even though they had various items that had to be confiscated. Here is just a smattering of what Trump’s beloved people brought to the capitol that morning: pepper spray, knives, brass knuckles, tasers, body armor, gas masks, batons, blunt weapons.
Now, as for the thousands who had chosen not to go through the mags, they were left to their own devices outside of the purview of the Secret Service screening.
The committee revealed from police radio transmissions, a rolling disclosure of danger on that day; a man in a tree with an AR-15, men with Glock style pistols and a single male with a rifle near the Ellipse.
With a wafting of history of centuries gone by of gladiators in the Coliseum and invading hordes storming castles in medieval times, this was unfolding into an otherworldly build up to that chaotic configuration in the United States capitol.
Two men, Tony Ornato, a former member of the presidential secret service detail who was now White House Deputy Chief of Staff and the other Robert ‘Bobby’ Engel, who was now head agent of President Donald J. Trump’s secret service detail were front and center to the whims of a man waltzing along a delusional cliff.
“I recall Tony and I having a conversation with Mark probably around 10 a.m., 10:15 a.m. where I remember Tony mentioning knives, guns in the form of pistols and rifles, bear spray, body armor, spears, and flagpoles. Spears were one item, flagpoles were one item. But then Tony had related to me something to the effect of and these effing people are fastening spears onto the ends of flagpoles.” – Cassidy Hutchinson, principal aide to White House Chief of Staff
As President Trump stood in the offstage area with family and others, he got a glimpse of his crowd size on a television monitor. And, as if it were a flashback to his puny[3] inauguration crowd in 2017, he had to find a way to enlarge his attributes. No matter how un-large something of his is, Donald J. Trump schemes a way to make it bigger.
“When we were in the offstage announce area tent behind the stage he was very concerned about the shot, meaning the photograph that we would get, because the rally space wasn’t full.” – Cassidy Hutchinson, principal aide to White House Chief of Staff
Tripping the light with a dimmed, fractured flair of P.T. Barnum, all that mattered to President Trump was formulating the perfect televised shot for the world to see. Man of muddled mind was thinking he was Bill Graham weaving together a listing of headliners for a one-night jam session at the Fillmore.
Yet, unlike Barnum or Graham’s impresario deftness, Trump just resembles a low-brow huckster peddling tonics to the tainted souls following him with Pavlovian obedience towards the lowest common denominator.
“And he felt the mags were at fault for not letting everybody in. But another leading reason and likely the primary reason is because he wanted it full and he was angry that we weren’t letting people through the mags with weapons, what the Secret Service deemed as weapons and are – are weapons.” – Cassidy Hutchinson, principal aide to White House Chief of Staff
Second reason of Donald Trump’s amplification of frenetic actions as he awaited going onto the ellipse to deliver his screed to the throngs waiting there was an internal strain of cultish thirst that needed to be quenched by the leader of the free world.
In his craven need to distort the reality that was seen on that monitor, Donald Trump clawed for the most catastrophic scenario of all – turn the mags off!!
“I was in the vicinity of a conversation where I overheard the President say something to the effect of, you know, I – – I don’t effing care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me. Take that effing mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in. Take the effing mags away.” – Cassidy Hutchinson, principal aide to White House Chief of Staff
President Donald J. Trump spoke with such confidence in knowing the people outside the screening area and down towards the Washington Monument were not going to misplace a hair upon his head, for these men and women were hopped up on hypocrisy and juiced up on jingoism in a Trumpian trance.
In what is an apt description of Donald J. Trump’s character and actions are the words of resemblance by therapist Rachel Bernstein of the hard-and-fast narcissist being ‘a bottomless pit of ego need’[4]. Bernstein expounded on the type of narcissist that fit a man like Trump’s archetype with these words:
“That’s how they’ve been since they were little. They feel ultimately entitled to completely lie to you, to put on this good charming face, to get you to believe what they’re selling, whatever it is, whether it’s God or a product or anything,”
Ever since roaring on the public stage back in New York City for decades, Trump has shown his odious and over-inflated sense of entitlement and never-ending hunger to have his ego stroked, as well as other things to make him feel a man above others.
Danger? What danger could it be, if the people with the AR-15s, rifles, bear spray and all other forms of tactical weaponry are sent off like a guided missile towards the United States Capitol, where by chance Vice-President Mike Pence just happened to be in the middle of doing his ceremonial duty?
“They’re literally calling for the vice president to be f’ing hung. And Mark had responded something to the effect of, you heard him, Pat. He thinks Mike deserves it. He doesn’t think they’re doing anything wrong, to which Pat said something, this is f’ing crazy, we need to be doing something more.” – Cassidy Hutchinson, principal aide to White House Chief of Staff
As the throngs barked for Mike Pence to be hung, Pat Cippolone’s words of this being f’ing crazy could have been associated with another event that Cassidy Hutchinson would soon learn about.
Bobby Engel and Tony Ornato’s revelation to Cassidy Hutchinson of what occurred in the modified suburban presidential vehicle known as the ‘beast’ in the motorcade that carried President Trump back from the speech on the Ellipse proved just how crazy the day of January 6th truly was turning out to be.
“So, once the president had gotten into the vehicle with Bobby, he thought that they were going up to the Capitol. And when Bobby had relayed to him we’re not, we don’t have the assets to do it, it’s not secure, we’re going back to the West Wing, the president had a very strong, a very angry response to that. Tony described him as being irate. The president said something to the effect of I’m the fing president, take me up to the Capitol now, to which Bobby responded, sir, we have to go back to the West Wing. The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We’re going back to the West Wing. We’re not going to the Capitol. Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel. And, Mr. – when Mr. Ornato had recounted this story to me, he had motioned towards his clavicles.” – Cassidy Hutchinson, principal aide to White House Chief of Staff[5]
After the shock of hearing Miss Hutchinson’s testimony retelling the world of what she was told about Trump having a tantrum in the back of the presidential suburban vehicle which was transporting him back to the White House after his speech, there came an image that immediately popped into my head.
For me, it was an image of a twitchy-thumbed septuagenarian trying to grab at a steering wheel with one hand and simultaneously making an attempt to choke-out a man with his other hand. Just the thought of that made me chuckle at the insanity of the man who at that moment in time was the leader of the free world with the nuclear codes at his disposal. Everything about these past years with that former occupant of the White House has been entangled in insanity.
Donald Trump acts so tough and speaks like the school bully. Yet, a beefed-up Bobby Engel only needed to push away that hand from his clavicle and tell him to calm down. Trump was acting like a toddler who wasn’t getting his way and his babysitter was secret service agent Engel swatting the bratty kid’s hand away.
Trump isn’t Charles Atlas, Jack LaLane, nor a swiftly contoured Tai Chi master, but only a hamburger hooligan who has fits of rage when not having things go his way.
One example to this point was on December 1st, 2020, when Trump learned while watching television of his then Attorney General Bill Barr giving an interview to the Associated Press in which he stated that there was no evidence of widespread election fraud. Thus, since the angry man in the Oval Office couldn’t give Barr a tongue-lashing in person, he took out his rage[6] on another entity – a bottle of ketchup.
Damn, even the ketchup pays the price in Trump’s tantrum hands.
“Around the time that I understand the AP article went live, I remember hearing noise coming from down the hallway. So I poked my head out of the office. I saw the valet walking towards our office. He had said, get the Chief down to the dining room. The President wants him. So Mark went down to the dining room, came back to the office a few minutes later. After Mark had returned, I left the office and went down to the dining room and I noticed that the door was propped open and the valet was inside the dining room changing the tablecloth off of the dining room table. He motioned for me to come in and then pointed towards the front of the room near the fireplace mantel and the TV, where I first noticed there was catsup dripping down the wall[7] and there was a shattered porcelain plate on the floor. The valet had articulated that the President was extremely angry at the Attorney General’s AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall, which was causing him to have to clean up. So I grabbed a towel and started wiping the catsup off of the wall to help the valet out. And he said something to the effect of, he’s really ticked off about this. I would stay clear of him for right now. He’s really, really ticked off about this right now.” – Cassidy Hutchinson, principal aide to White House Chief of Staff
Cantankerous clown of condiments would have done anything to remain at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, including egging on a violent coup to overturn a free and fair election.
Looking back over a year ago, if the American public had an inkling of what was known and going on behind the walls of the White House, there might have been more than just that Congress-led, second impeachment of President Donald J. Trump, but a criminal prosecution of some sorts right then and there.
Alas, the public didn’t know what President Trump was actually up to. But, those who did know what was going on came to a realization that Trump’s plan wasn’t going to work and they’d have to find some sort of safety blanket to keep themselves away from scrutiny and a criminally dicey situation.
During those final days of the administration, the hangers-on from the galaxy of conspiratorial kooks in Congress and beyond had lined up with spine in hand to sniff around for a pardon from President Donald J. Trump. And, bringing up the rear was a man who made making an ass of himself in public a new found career, Rudy Giuliani.
Now, then of course there was that final person with lackadaisical attitude of little concern over the maelstrom that Pat Cippollone, Eric Herschmann, and even Cassidy Hutchinson pleaded with urgency over what was happening on that tragic Wednesday inside that West wing of the Trump White House.
Mark Meadows scratched for his get-out-of-jail-free card also.
“Mr. Meadows did seek that pardon.” – Cassidy Hutchinson, principal aide to White House Chief of Staff
Yet, even as Miss Hutchinson courageously testified, the storm clouds of possible witness tampering[8] against her and other witnesses who dared to speak with the investigators of the select committee did not go unnoticed by vice-chair Liz Cheney and chairman, Bennie Thompson.
“While our committee has seen many witnesses, including many Republicans, testify fully and forthrightly this has not been true of every witness. And we have received evidence of one particular practice that raises significant concern. Our committee commonly asks witnesses connected to Mr. Trump’s Administration or campaign whether they’ve been contacted by any of their former colleagues or anyone else who attempted to influence or impact their testimony. Without identifying any of the individuals involved, let me show you a couple of samples of answers we received to this question. First, here is how one witness described phone calls from people interested in that witness’ testimony. Quote, “What they said to me is as long as I continue to be a team player, they know I’m on the right team. I’m doing the right thing. I’m protecting who I need to protect, you know, I’ll continue to stay in good graces in Trump World.” “And they have reminded me a couple of times that Trump does read transcripts. And just keep that in mind as I proceed through my interviews with the committee.”Here’s another sample in a different context. This is a call received by one of our witnesses. Quote, “A person let me know you have your deposition tomorrow.” “He wants me to let you know he’s thinking about you. He knows you’re loyal and you’re going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition.” I think most Americans know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns.” – Liz Cheney, R-WY, Vice-Chair of January 6th Committee
Cassidy Hutchinson may be young, but she surely isn’t a stupid woman. She was smart enough to fire her original lawyer that was associated in Trump’s sphere of influence and hire a new lawyer just a short time prior to another set of pre-taped interviews she had done with the committee’s investigators. Thus, Hutchinson was more forthcoming with events that she witnessed during her time in the White House.
“I want to speak directly to the handful of witnesses who have been outliers in our investigation. The small number who have defied us outright, those whose memories have failed them again and again on the most important details, and to those who fear Donald Trump and his enablers. Because of this courageous woman and others like her, your attempt to hide the truth from the American people will fail. And to that group of witnesses, if you’ve heard this testimony today and suddenly you remember things you couldn’t previously recall, or there are some details you’d like to clarify, or you discovered some courage you had hidden away somewhere, our doors remain open.” – Bennie Thompson, D-MISS, Chairman of January 6th Committee
For what President Donald J. Trump had orchestrated by belching out his lies into the ether, there were those who were absorbing the message being sent by him.
Overview of the Seventh Hearing – July 12th, 2022
“Strike Up The Band”
In the seventh hearing[9] of the House January 6th Committee, a focus shifted from the gloves of satin white to gloves of leather and knuckles of brass.
“On December 14th, 2020, the presidential election was officially over. The Electoral College had cast its vote. Joe Biden was the president elect of the United States. By that point, many of Donald Trump’s supporters were already convinced that the election had been stolen because that’s what Donald Trump had been telling them. So, what Donald Trump was required to do in that moment, what would have been required of any American leader, was to say we did our best and we came up short. He went the opposite way. He seized on the anger he had already stoked among his most loyal supporters. And as they approached the line, he didn’t wave them off. He urged them on.” – Bennie Thompson, D-MISS, Chairman of January 6th Committee
For me, it was refreshing to see both of the witnesses in the seventh hearing held by the House January 6th Committee without the varnish and that usual made-for-television production that is sometimes done to buff the sharp edges on some people who are not fitting of that mold of being publicly presentable.
Two men; one in his late 30’s and the other being in his late 40’s sat at the witness table in the ornate, hearing room.
As I watched both men speak and knew from where they came in their pasts, I gained a sense of respect for them over their testimony in a public hearing. Of course, neither of these men would be considered my bottle of beer or can of soda ideologically.
Yet, in the breadth of the January 6th hearings, this duo’s testimony was at the core of how Donald J. Trump twisted lies magnified the malevolent mob that did such destruction at the capitol.
Matched with their words was their physical appearance, which packed a punch. Not out of central casting were either, as the tats were on full display and wardrobe was not of Brooks Brothers or Henri Bendel.
Rough diamonds without a public relations rinsing for televised consumption had to grab the attention of middle-America. They were who they were. No frills and no put-ons for performance sake.
Neither of the witnesses in the seventh hearing had been sanitized for deference of decorum. They came as they were, raised their hand and took the oath to be sworn in before the committee.
And, for those like myself who may completely disagree with their past or present ideological bent, I would advise anyone to just hear out their testimony. What they had to say should not be dismissed because they come from an opposite side of the political ledger.
Oh no, in fact they should be given a transparent look and listen.
Everybody who was eager, willing and drawn to Donald Trump’s tales of theft and MAGA-ism just didn’t materialize out of thin air. These men and women are not space aliens; but neighbors, co-workers, people passing you on the street, and even family members.
Democrats, liberals, progressives and all the rest on the left side of the ledger can jump up and down, squeal and tsk, tsk anyone who wants to believe in whatever Donald Trump is dishing out. Alas, their appetite is nourished by that which is served from his plate of policy, pride, and patriotism. It is what it is and we need to come to terms with it.
Yes, there are those who can never be reached. And, there are many of them. But, there must be something that those who followed Donald Trump’s invitation to march down to that capitol saw and see in him.
A pair of witnesses from different paths sat at that witness table; first, one was unaffiliated from any type of organized group, while the second was once a part of one of those groups.
First witness was Stephen Ayers.
“I was hanging on every word he was saying,” – Stephen Ayers, former Trump supporter[10]
That which Cassidy Hutchinson witnessed from the inside of the protected bubble of the White House and all of its’ trappings of secret service protectorate, Stephen Ayers experienced from the elements of nature and his fellow man on the outside.
Mr. Ayers, a working man from Ohio, who was a supervisor at a cabinet company, was a family man who spent his leisure time camping, games and playing basketball with his son. An avid social media follower of Donald Trump, he came to the Stop the Steal Rally on January 6th, 2021 at the Ellipse.
“Well, basically, you know, the President got everybody riled up[11] and told everybody to head on down. So, we basically was just following what he said.” – Stephen Ayers, former Trump supporter
The then 39 year old Ayers pled guilty to one count of a federal indictment[12] charging him with disorderly conduct on a restricted building or grounds. In this case, it was breaking windows and doors inside the Capitol.
Hey, he did what he did and paid his restitution for it. Unlike a certain former leader of the free world who ginned up a coup plot, Mr. Stephen Ayers faced his punishment.
Unlike Stephen Ayers, the second witness was once an integral part of the Oath Keepers. 47-year old Jason Van Tatenhove was the national media director[13] for the group.
Jason Van Tatenhove ran the public relations shop for the Oath Keepers’ social media networks, including their blog and website. Having been offered this writing position by group founder Stewart Rhodes, Van Tatenhove thought it would be like embedding himself in the fashion of his writing idol, Hunter S. Thompson.
One quote which the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson did pen that proves oh so on target for many in the warped thinking of those in the extremist and political bloodstream in America at this queasy moment in time is this:
“No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride…and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well…maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.” – Hunter S. Thompson, journalist
As for Jason Van Tatenhove, his part of that course of that dubious ride was braking in believing he could write from an independent point of view and not be just parroting the accelerated level of extremism that Stewart Rhodes was pressing him to take in propping up the media side of the organization.
Who would have imagined that President Donald J. Trump and Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes could possibly have an identical penchant? But, they do. And, it is called ca-ching, ca-ching, ca-ching!
It’s all about the money. Don’t care where it comes from – just as long as ya’ can stay fat off of it! Dollars from white nationalists and neo-Nazis are not a problem. As long as its’ green and it can fatten a wallet, then its’ cool as beans.
“He’s going to cater to wherever the money is coming in from. He knows his base, that’s where they’re at. That’s where he gets his ego fed and where he gets his steak dinners at Applebee’s every night.” – Jason Van Tatenhhove, former spokesperson, the Oath Keepers
Having left the Oath Keepers five years ago, he now speaks out against them to anyone who will listen. And, America should listen to the dangerous realm for which groups such as the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and other entities exist within.
“I spent a few years with the Oath Keepers and I can tell you that they may not like to call themselves a militia, but they are. They’re a violent militia.” – Jason Van Tatenhove, former spokesman, The Oath Keepers[14]
As January 6th 2021 approached, Stewart Rhodes publicly implored Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807; a law in which the President of the United States would be enabled to call up militias to put down a rebellion.
How ironic it was that it would be the leader of an extremist group that would attempt wrapping himself inside a cloak of cockeyed virtue when there was no rebellion to be put down. The election of 2020 was not stolen and submerged in fraudulence. And, that is a fact. Now, Mr. Rhodes may not know that or want to believe that. But, Mr. Trump knew it to be a fact, for he was told over and over again that he lost.
Stewart Rhodes’ own agenda was racing parallel with Trump’s plans and both men found the use in the other.
“I think we need to quit mincing words and just talk about truths, and what it was going to be was an armed revolution[15]. I mean, people died that day. Law enforcement officers died this day. There was a gallows set up in front of the Capitol. This could have been the spark that started a new civil war, and no one would have won there. That would have been good for no one. He was always looking for ways to legitimize what he was doing, whether by wrapping it in the trappings of, it’s not a militia, it’s a community preparedness team. We’re not a militia, we’re an educational outreach group. It’s a Veterans support group. But again, we’ve got to stop with this – this dishonesty and the mincing of words and just call things for what they are. You know, he’s a militia leader. He had these grand visions of being a paramilitary leader, and the Insurrection Act would have given him a path forward with that.” – Jason Van Tatenhove, former spokesman, The Oath Keepers
With the calendar date of January 6th, 2021 coming closer and closer, President Trump became a more desperate and dangerous man; who embraced what would be considered the unimaginable in unleashing a maddening series of events.
“Donald Trump was still trying to find a way to hang on to the presidency. On Friday, December 18th, his team of outside advisers paid him a surprise visit in the White House that would quickly become the stuff of legend. The meeting has been called unhinged, not normal and the craziest meeting of the Trump presidency. The outside lawyers who’d been involved in dozens of failed lawsuits had lots of theories supporting the big lie, but no evidence to support it. As we will see, however, they brought to the White House a draft executive order that they had prepared for President Trump to further his ends. Specifically, they proposed the immediate mass seizure of state election machines by the US military. The meeting ended after midnight with apparent rejection of that idea. In the wee hours of December 19th, dissatisfied with his options, Donald Trump decided to call for a large and wild crowd on Wednesday, January 6th, the day when Congress would meet to certify the electoral votes. Never before in American history had a president called for a crowd to come contest the counting of electoral votes by Congress or engaged in any effort designed to influence, delay, or obstruct the joint session of Congress in doing its work required by our Constitution and the Electoral Count Act. As we’ll see, Donald Trump’s 1:42 AM tweet electrified and galvanized his supporters, especially the dangerous extremists in the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and other racist and white nationalist groups spoiling for a fight against the government.” – Jamie Raskin, D-MD, member of January 6th Committee
In actuality, this could be seen as a series of rings that were intersected in the scheme to overturn the election.
Ring One would be John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, fake electors, and some legal theorists on the fringe who definitely wouldn’t be in the streets getting their hands dirty.
Ring Two could be considered a double-ring of sorts, where those who were on the nexus between the insiders and outsiders dwelled in this plan. Rudy Guiliani, Steve Bannon and Roger Stone dabbled in the shadows with the domestic violent extremist groups that would be the shock troops that were the men in military formation in a planned breaching of the capitol.
Tuesday, January 5th was definitely a day and night of big buzz in the pre-planning of what was to take place that next day. The Willard Hotel had a ‘war room’ set-up with Rudy Guiliani, John Eastman, members of the Trump legal team, as well as Roger Stone, Michael Flynn and others in the conspiratorial orbit.
Even from his perch in the White House, President Trump kept in constant contact with Stone, Bannon, Guiliani, and the others at the coup command center[16] inside the posh location at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue.
From the first hearing of the House January 6th Committee, it was documentarian Nick Quested who by happenstance filmed the leader of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes and Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio meeting together in an underground parking garage in Washington DC on that same Tuesday night.
Longtime Trump confidante Roger Stone and Trump’s former national security advisor Michael Flynn both had ties to the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. There was the linkage from the inner segment of the double-ring outward to the muscle on the streets.
Roger Stone could be considered Mr. Popularity, for he has an encrypted group chat called FOS, which stands for Friends Of Stone. Among the friends in the group are Enrique Tarrio, Stop the Steal organizer Ali Alexander, and Stewart Rhodes, who called on December 12th for Trump to ‘invoke martial law, promising bloodshed if he did not’. FOS’s chat focused mostly on organizing Trump love-fests and a super-duper event that was the Million MAGA March on November 14th, 2020.
“When Justice Officials told the president that such evidence did not exist, the president urged them to simply declare that the election was corrupt. On December 14th, the Electoral College met to officially confirm that Joe Biden would be the next president. The evidence shows that once this occurred, President Trump and those who were willing to aid and abet him turned their attention to the joint session of Congress scheduled for January 6th at which the vice president would preside. In their warped view, this ceremonial event was the next and perhaps the last inflection point that could be used to reverse the outcome of the election before Mr. Biden’s inauguration. As President Trump put it, the vice president and enough members of Congress simply needed to summon the courage to act. To help them find that courage, the president called for backup.” –Stephanie Murphy, D-FL, member of January 6th Committee
Finally, the outer-most ring were the rowdy crowd of angry Trump followers who measured in the thousands and were easily set-off with a bit more prodding from the President’s fiery words on that Ellipse.
The rowdy crowd were just what the shock troops needed to create enough bedlam and cover for what had been planned all along by the White House – getting inside to stop electoral certification.
Stephen Ayers and the others who breached the capitol building were for lack of better words, the fodder that President Donald J. Trump needed in a numbers game of showing how many bodies could overwhelm the building. Or, like a favorite motto[17] and strategy that Steve Bannon is fond of using: “Flood the zone with shit!!”
Sad to say it, but in this case it was the bodies of men and women that were used as the fuselage to be pumped through Trump’s hose of damnable lies to lead to the reversal of an election that was lost.
Flood the zone!!
“You expect to see the President of the United States sitting behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office assuring the American people that the attack would be repelled and a threat would be dealt with. You would expect to be reassured that there was a failsafe. Instead the President of the United States sent the mob. He disregarded the advice of the people who had taken an oath to the Constitution. He oversaw a scheme aided by people whose loyalty was only to Donald Trump. There’s nothing we can compare that to. There’s nothing in our great nation’s history that has ever come close to that sort of betrayal and dereliction.” – Bennie Thompson, D-MISS, Chairman of January 6th Committee
Scheme by a man who could not come to terms with his own shortcomings led to innuendos, threats, assaults, desecration, and death, while pushing the United States of America on verge of devastating our democracy.
“We have covered significant ground over the past several weeks, and we have also seen a change in how witnesses and lawyers in the Trump orbit approach this committee. Initially, their strategy in some cases appeared to be to deny and delay. Today there appears to be a general recognition that the committee has established key facts, including that virtually everyone close to President Trump, his Justice Department officials, his White House advisers, his White House counsel, his campaign, all told him the 2020 election was not stolen. This appears to have changed the strategy for defending Donald Trump. Now the argument seems to be that President Trump was manipulated by others outside the administration, that he was persuaded to ignore his closest advisers, and that he was incapable of telling right from wrong. This new strategy is to try to blame only John Eastman or Sidney Powell or Congressman Scott Perry or others and not President Trump. In this version, the president was “poorly served” by these outside advisers. The strategy is to blame people his advisers called “the crazies” for what Donald Trump did. This, of course, is nonsense. President Trump is a 76 year old man. He is not an impressionable child. Just like everyone else in our country, he is responsible for his own actions and his own choices.” – Liz Cheney, R-WY, Vice-Chair of January 6th Committee
He chose to say what he said.
He chose to do what he did.
He chose to puff out his chest.
He chose to be the band leader.
President Donald J. Trump is the match that struck up the band.
“Under The Banner Of Heaven (Abyss – Part One)”
By
A.H. Scott
FOOTNOTES – “Under The Banner Of Heaven (Abyss Part One)”:
1.-Trump Encourages Those At His Rally To March To The Capitol – NBC News
2.-Transcript of the Sixth Jan. 6 Committee Hearing on its Investigation – NPR
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/28/1108396692/jan-6-committee-hearing-transcript
3.-Spicer: Inauguration Had Largest Audience Ever – CNN
4.-The 3 Types of Cult Leader, According to a Cult-Recovery Therapist – Insider
https://www.insider.com/3-cult-leader-types-says-therapist-treating-former-followers-2020-9
5.-Cassidy Hutchinson: Trump tried to grab car’s steering wheel to go to Capitol Hill – The Guardian
6-Cassidy Hutchinson’s Testimony: The Most Shocking Moments – The Jezebel
7.-Trump Reportedly Threw Hamburger At White House Walls After Barr Dismissed Election Fraud Claims – Majority Report
8.-Donald Trump’s Tampering, a Rioter’s Remorse, and Other January 6 Hearing Takeaways- VOX
https://www.vox.com/23205667/donald-trump-witness-tampering-january-6-hearing-takeaways
9.-Transcript of The Seventh Jan. 6 Committee Hearing On Its Investigation – NPR
https://www.npr.org/2022/07/12/1111123258/jan-6-committee-hearing-transcript
10.-Ohio Man Convicted In Jan. 6 Attack to Select Committee: ‘I Lost My Job, Sold My House’ – Columbus Dispatch
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/2022/07/13/stephen-ayres-ohio-jan-6-committee-lost-job-sold-home/10044437002/
11.-Former Trump Supporter Stephen Ayres Describes What He’s Lost Since Jan. 6 Guilty Plea – PBS NewsHour
12.-Champion Man Enters Guilty Plea In Jan. 6 Riot – WKBN
https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/champion-man-enters-guilty-plea-in-jan-6-riot/
13.-This Coloradan Was a “Propagandist” for the Oath Keepers. Now He’s Speaking out Against the Extremist Militia tied to Jan. 6. – Denver Post
14.-Oath Keepers Are a ‘Violent Militia,’ Former Spokesperson of Extremist Group Says – PBS NewsHour
15.-Former Oath Keeper Spokesperson Fears for Next Election – PBS NewsHour
16.-Trump Called Aides Hours Before Capitol Riot to Discuss How to Stop Biden Victory – The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/30/donald-trump-called-top-aides-capitol-riot-biden
17.-Steve Bannon’s Stay-Out-of-Jail Strategy: ‘Flood the Zone With Shit’ – Vice
https://www.vice.com/en/article/epzxqj/steve-bannon-jan-6-trial-arguments
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To access Part Two, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/under-the-banner-of-heaven-abyss-part-two/