Pardon Me for Being Petty

 

Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and "multiple other Republican congressmen" sought pardons from then-President Donald Trump after January 6, House January 6 committee vice chair Liz Cheney says https://t.co/URqBKmLY5T

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 10, 2022

This is just a very brief and indulgent post where I point out that for some reason, multiple human barnacles attached themselves to the rotting luxury yacht Donald Trump as if he would be the safest port in a storm, or some such nautical thing. I dunno. I'm a landlubber. Anyhow. They stuck their necks out to get this man a second term and wanted pardons because? Because they necessarily broke the law to try and keep him in office?

Well, maybe? But the funny thing about Trump is you have to understand that every day was opposite day. He wasn't out to make America Great. He didn't really build the wall (he let that be a scam for his good friend Steve Bannon, who really needs to serve time for that). He didn't really set out to drain the swamp--he just fed red meat to the gators. So some of the swampiest and most grifting folks, like Ryan Zinke or Scott Pruitt, would just go on to be more grifting elsewhere. Take Ronny Jackson--someone, anyone, he shouldn't be driving. People associated with Trump are corrupt because that is who he attracts. So maybe people surrounding Trump aren't asking for pardons because of something they did concerning 1/6.

No! My word! It's just that unlike any other president in history, he had people like Roger Stone and Jared Kushner fronting access and making the prices legible for the folks who want to play. So I wouldn't necessarily assume pardons were a sign of assisting in the coup attempt. No. I just would think they were signs that someone wanted to get washed while the washing was accessible. 

I take it as a given that Trump held his "friends" more to account being an autocrat than Democrats ever would have, and that files exist. Buttons to be pushed. Maybe this is why so many were willing to immure themselves for him. It's a goddamn unpatriotic shame. Was it really leverage?

I feel like it's irresponsible not to speculate. 

Reality Could Be a Problem For Mike Flynn

 

Convicted felon: Michael Flynn sues January 6 committee to block phone records subpoena - CNNPolitics https://t.co/8RK0pIgwB0

— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) December 22, 2021

Flynn's restraining order against Pelosi and the 1/6 Committee against checking his phone records sounds about right because his phone history sure has hung him up before, but I think admitting that "goddamn it, don't check into me because I'm fucked if you do" is going to fly in court any more than Trump's similar kind of claim does. Sure, you can invoke the fifth at the time of testifying as opposed to running your face, but I don't see how your circumstantial evidence should be protected. Once again, it overreaches reasonable protection to kind of invalidate the whole system of trying to investigate.

Also, part of Flynn's complaint is that he didn't really have involvement on January 6. Okay. But. January 6 had planners leading up to it, and sorry, it does look like Flynn had a lot to do with promoting the Big Lie and the January 6 rally, whether he gave a speech then and there or not. 

But just like PA Rep. Scott Perry, we're looking at people shrugging off the 1/6 Committee because they just don't feel like they want consequences. Apparently, the Committe isn't legitimate if the non-respondents just don't want to deal with them, just like the 2020 election wasn't legitimate if they didn't like the outcome. 

It's like they insist upon their own entire reality, regardless of the law. And how dare anyone try to look at facts!

UPDATE: The flawsuit was denied because of technical difficulties, but he will have another chance for the court to LOL it out of existence.