If the government knew that rioters were armed, why weren’t they arrested before the attack…
--
D.C. Gun Laws ignored
According to the DC gun laws, open carry of guns within the District is prohibited. Specifically, the D.C. gun codes contain some of the strongest language regarding the possession, registration, and transporting of weapons within the District that would have protected Congress and the Capitol Police by eliminating the most violent insurgents had they been enforced:
The District of Columbia prohibits the open carrying of handguns in public. The District also prohibits the carrying of a rifle or shotgun in public.
— Giffords Law Center
In general, you must be licensed to carry a firearm in the District concealed, while open carry is prohibited. However, there are exceptions for legally registered firearms.
— D.C. Official Code § 22–4504.01.
Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony before the J6 Committee last week was disturbing on so many levels. A question that lingers can be found in the video (below). It was shown during her testimony and indicated that there was ample proof, both before January 6, and even before the speeches given by Trump and friends that morning, that Trump, the Secret Service, the FBI, and the Department of Defense knew about the rioters in trees and at the Capitol carrying weapons. In fact, Trump wanted the magnetometers turned off in order to allow rioters with weapons to enter the protected perimeter to swell his crowd.
- Why weren’t D.C. metro police, the FBI, and Homeland Security arresting these rioters before they stormed the Capitol?
- Why was Trump so sure there were no Antifa nutjobs with guns since he tried to blame them after the event for the insurrection?
- And why did it take hours for government forces to come to the rescue of the Capitol Police and the members of Congress when they knew beforehand that the crowd was dirty with weapons?
incompetence or “the plan”
Listening to the US Secret Service Intelligence identifying suspects with all types of weapons the question must be asked, why wasn’t the danger addressed knowing the president and other government officials were within range? Weren’t the Secret Service Intelligence Officers worried about an assassination attempt? Did they share their information with metro intelligence who had the responsibility and authority to enforce DC’s gun laws?
The official response is still forthcoming from the government agencies involved. In fact, the Senate Committee that investigated the lack of effort seems to have settled on the assumption that this was a combination of incompetence and lack of communication. Really?
This lapse seems incredibly suspect, and the explanation is particularly dubious given Trump’s insistence on removing the magnetometers and his insistence on joining the rioters after his speech. Even a poorly written thriller would cue dramatic music suggesting nefarious motives.
“I don’t f — -ing care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me,” Trump said, according to Hutchinson’s recollection. “Take the f — -ing mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in. Take the f — -ing mags away.”
— D.Trump, according to Hutchinson’s testimony before the J6 Committee
Perhaps he wasn’t worried because he was privy to the plan.
Who was protecting us
The decision byTrump’s Secret Service detail to return to the White House after the speech at the Ellipse would seem to suggest that rather than acting out of an abundance of caution, they were forewarned. In effect, they were protecting their boss not from the mob, but rather from charges that he was knowledgeable of their plans and intended to help carry them out. Private Bone Spurs would likely have wanted to lead from the rear and then appear before the members of Congress to command their submission to his demands to deny Joe Biden’s certification. Robert Engel and Tony Ornato would have been well aware of the dangers implicit in the events that were about to unfold. Could they, knowingly or not, be providing him cover should the insurrection fail?
As the Committee continues its search for the truth, it has meticulously destroyed the unofficial Republican spin and that of FOX TV, its official network. It is unclear where the Committee is going next. It seems that Cassidy Hutchinson’s appearance may have opened the floodgates for both new witnesses and theories surrounding the connections between the White House and the rioters. Trump’s strange reactions throughout that day suggest that they were even more characteristically craven than his actions throughout the post-election period. No matter the outcome of the ragtag rebels dressed in red and camo, he was getting even. Revenge and requital were just as important as the presidency that day. Pence would feel the pain. Pelosi and the Democrats would soil their Depends. McCarthy, Graham, McConnell et.al. would pay for not being loyal enough. “Trump mad!” one could imagine was heard as the resident loser stomped his tiny feet in response to the White House loyalists who wanted him to call off the rioters. Despite their ultimate failure to deliver, nothing could be more searing to the imagination than trained militia, under the cover of the cultish and rabid MAGA followers, marching up the steps leading to the Capitol. They were like the treacherous Greek warriors inside their version of a Trojan Horse.
Within the wild and brutal attack by mindless trumpsters, ginned up by the serious plotters, the militias worked their plan. As the Committee’s hearings move on there will be more revelations. None may be as interesting or as important as the one that reveals why those who should have known better, never had a counterplan…never thought to take their guns away.
Originally published at https://www.dailykos.com on July 4, 2022.
