The Treasure Trove
The entire conversation about January 6 would be tiresome if evidence and information didn’t keep coming out of the House Select Committee’s investigation. According to the New York Times, a treasure trove of previously unseen communications has come to light that reveal the work that went into trying to overturn the 2020 election among Trump allies. These people take the inability to accept “no” for an answer to new heights. The voters spoke, and they said “no” to another four years of Donald Trump. Apparently, that “no” wasn’t enough.
Trump and his allies began immediately trying to find a way around the results of the election. Because they thought their communications would never see the light of day, we now know without a doubt that they knew what they were doing was possibly illegal. Thus began the “fake electors” scheme, and it is even more ridiculous than we thought. NYT reported that one of the attorneys involved repeatedly called the electors “fake.” Worse, they knew that what they were doing wasn’t legal. Any lawyer who knowingly involves him or herself in activities that they know are questionable do not deserve to practice law. This type of behavior violates every rule of ethics applicable to the practice.
NYT has authenticated the emails, and they are legitimate. RawStory also reported on the emails, and they quoted Ryan Goodman of Just Security, who said the emails are “a gift to prosecutors.” Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor echoed Goodman’s sentiments, tweeting: “Emails like this are the sort of proof DOJ is looking for in its investigation of the fake electors scheme. The author of the email describing the electors as ‘fake’ is a lawyer. He now needs a lawyer of his own.” Let’s hope so. The way these people went on is utterly ridiculous. During these revelations, NBC News reported that Attorney General Merrick Garland is not against prosecuting Donald Trump. In an interview with Lester Holt, Garland said: “Look, we pursue justice without fear or favor. We intend to hold everyone, anyone who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding January 6, for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another accountable. That’s what we do.”
Many are of the opinion that Garland is not doing enough or that he is evading the issue, but it is common knowledge that Garland holds investigations close to the proverbial vest. This scheme was a concerted conspiracy to circumvent democracy, and the participants knew or should have known that what they were doing was unlawful. They even had the nerve to make jokes, like adding smiley face emojis to the suggestion that they call the electors “alternative” rather than “fake.” Giuliani was involved, and surprise-so was Mark Meadows. Yet, Meadows has escaped prosecution on contempt charges. No wonder he didn’t want to produce documents, not that anyone is surprised that he was closely involved in the process. These people need to pay for their crimes, and they need to pay for the damage they have caused to this country.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years