I have to admit that I nearly nodded off during the Jan. 6th hearing Thursday while listening to a man who frankly seemed like the most boring witness ever — Judge J. Michael Luttig (Ret.) . But I’m glad I didn’t because what he said was important.
Essentially, he testified (very slowly and deliberately) that what Trump asked Pence to do — overturn the results of the 2020 election — had no basis in constitutional law. And Pence followed the law, not Trump.
The committee also highlighted the timeline of events on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump basically incited the mob to hold Pence accountable if he did not do Trump’s bidding, which led directly to the chant of “Hang Mike Pence.”
It also emerged that the angry mob came frighteningly close to locating Pence on that awful day, before Secret Service agents escorted him out of harm’s way. You can imagine what might have occurred had they found him. The President of the United States did nothing to stop his mob as it tried to kill his ever-loyal Vice-President.
Even more than we knew at the time, Mike Pence was an American hero that day. It’s not that he did anything extraordinary; it’s that he didn’t. He did not obey an order from his boss, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States to illegally overturn the election.
And that made a difference. History will certainly view Pence kindly, at least if this is the end of the story.
But the problem is that the crisis of Jan. 6th is not finished yet. That is what every American has to realize. This entire scenario may repeat itself in 2024, with less scrupulous characters in place lower on the electoral college pecking order than the Vice-President.
I’m confident that the current V-P, Kamala Harris, would do as Pence did and also as Al Gore did in 2001, if the Democrats lose in 2024 and certify the results honestly. But what if she is asked to approve fraudulent electoral votes submitted by the election deniers now taking office in some states? Then we would face a constitutional crisis of unprecedented proportions.
The third hearing of the Jan. 6 committee is available on CSPAN.
P.S. I would be seriously remiss if I didn’t note that the Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship last night. They were led by the greatest shooter of all time, Steph Curry. But that’s not what I love about this guy. He is a person who believes in working hard to get better all the time. That might be a plan for the rest of us to consider. Just try to make ourselves better day by day.
TODAY’s LINKS: (6/17/22 — 45 stories from 24 sources)
Jan. 6 committee eyes Trump's pressure on Pence (CBS)
Pence’s Jan. 6 tightrope: Owning his role while courting Trump voters (WP)
Retired Republican judge says January 6 was 'well-developed plan' by Trump to cling to power (CNN)
Ginni Thomas corresponded with John Eastman, sources in Jan. 6 House investigation say (WP)
Jan. 6 panel leaders prepare to call Ginni Thomas (Politico)
Trump Lawyer Cited ‘Heated Fight’ Among Justices Over Election Suits (NYT)
New footage released by the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection shows members of a tour group hosted by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) taking pictures at the Capitol and making menacing comments about members of Congress. Meanwhile, new details have surfaced about how Pence hid from rioters at the U.S. Capitol. [HuffPost]
Charging Trump for fundraising off election lies would face high bar, experts say (CNN)
Jan. 6 Panel Says Capitol Marcher Toured With G.O.P. Congressman (NYT)
Afghanistan facing ‘the darkest moments’ in a generation (UN News)
Russia Says 'Inclusive' Afghan Government Key to Recognizing Taliban (Voice of America)
Afghanistan’s Warlords Prepare Their Comeback (Foreign Policy)
Can Neutrality Bring Peace to Afghanistan? (National Interest)
European Leaders Visit Ukraine as Kyiv Renews Calls for More Military Support (WSJ)
EU leaders back Ukraine's membership bid (BBC)
The West’s unity over Ukraine could be starting to crack, just as Russia’s invasion gains ground (CNBC)
Russian army ramps up recruitment as steep casualties thin the ranks (WP)
Putin just said that Russia will be raking in oil and gas profits for years to come, and 3 key data points show he might be right (Fortune)
U.S. and Allies Pledge Additional Arms for Ukraine, but Kyiv Wants More (NYT)
Tensions heighten in Taiwan Strait as China acts to extend military operations (Guardian)
Why Biden Shouldn’t Run in 2024 (Atlantic)
VIDEO: Fed Raises Interest Rates Sharply to Combat Inflation (AP)
Inflation could put election deniers in charge of our democracy (E.J. Dionne Jr/WP)
World stocks fell and the dollar regained its footing on concerns over the impact of surging inflation and an aggressive policy tightening outlook from global central banks. (Reuters)
The Fed’s war on inflation is also a battle for the minds of consumers (Financial Times)
Recession fears grow as Dow closes below 30,000, mortgage rates spike (WP)
Sick and struggling to pay, 100 million people in the U.S. live with medical debt (Kaiser Health News)
A major trend in abortion care across the U.S. has begun to reverse, with the number of abortions performed in recent years ticking up after decades of decline, according to the Guttmacher Institute. [HuffPost]
Criminal defense lawyers sound the alarm about mass incarceration if Roe falls (NPR)
Bodies found in search for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira (Guardian)
Man confesses to killing missing journalist and colleague in Amazon rainforest, police say (WP)
Flooding Chaos in Yellowstone, a Sign of Crises to Come (NYT)
After Yellowstone, floodwaters menace Montana’s largest city. (AP)
Extreme heat and humidity kill thousands of cattle in Kansas (WP)
Scientists discover rapidly growing black hole (Phys.org)
China's Sky Eye Telescope May Have Detected Signals From Alien Civilisations (Swarajya)
Giant tortoise believed extinct confirmed alive in the Galápagos Islands — She’s the last of her kind, barring another discovery. So scientists are studying her while holding out hope for finding a mate. (WP)
John Hinckley, who wounded then President Ronald Reagan and three others in a 1981 assassination attempt, was released without conditions in compliance with a federal judge's order. He received full-time conditional release in 2016 after 30 years in a psychiatric hospital. (Reuters)
What If All Men Disappeared and the World Was Just Boring? — A new feminist utopian novel imagines a world without men. The problem is they’re never really gone. (Atlantic)
Internet Explorer Is Shutting Down in a Burst of Nostalgia (NYT)
Edible insect vending machine set up in Nagano Pref. (NHK)
BREAKING: Onion Lotto Jackpot Up To 9 Bucks (The Onion)
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