Mark Meadows, the Power Point Memo, and Fear on January 6th

 Mark Meadows served as Donald Trump's chief of staff during the last crazed year of The Big Orange Guy's presidency. For the previous seven years he had been a congressman representing North Carolina's 11th House district. In short, he, at least in theory, knows how the House of Representatives works.

You wouldn't know that by the way he has acted lately. But then a lot of those who have been infected by the Trump virus exhibit strange, if not outright schizophrenic behavior. 

Before he decided any and every conversation he has ever had falls under the heading of executive privilege Brother Meadows gave the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th coup attempt scads of papers. Some of them included interesting text messages fired off during the storming of the capitol building.

Even a brief perusal of the texts and other evidence--you know, like the power point memo outlining how to pull off the coup with some seriously flawed legal theories--points to two awful conclusions.

First the republican poohbahs were all in on holding mass demonstrations in Washington on the 6th. Their purpose was io intimidate Vice President Mike Pence into invalidating the electoral votes from states that didn't go for Trump, plus terrorize the left so they wouldn't fight the power grab. 

Second, on the 6th, when the monster they created ran amok, many of them were even more terrified of the rioters than the democrats in the building.

Well, that's what happens when you invite the Hell's Angels to the party. They really won't differentiate between friend and foe. once the mayhem begins.

Indeed, panic ran through the right wing ranks, Mark Meadows began receiving texts from GOP lawmakers that read things like, "We are under siege here at the Capitol." Then, "Hey Mark, protesters are storming the Capitol. Breaking windows on doors. Rushing in. Is Trump going to say something?"

Others seemed even more aghast. Don Trump Jr. texted, "He's got to condemn this shit. Asap. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough." Moments later Meadows received this text from a shaken Jr. "We need an Oval address. He has to lead now. It has gone to far and gotten out of hand."

Fox personality, Sean Hannity texted Meadows saying, "Can he make a statement?...Ask people to leave the Capitol."

Hannity, being Hannity, now claims the entire sordid affair on the 6th was a false flag operation perpetrated by the left wing. Others who were so terrified now claim the entire event was no big deal and have compared it to protests by the left over the years. Like the ones that didn't assault Capitol Police officers, vandalize the Capitol building, and parade a Confederate flag through it.

The texts, besides proving the real fear GOP hotshots had for their movable beast, also makes clear there was no doubt in their minds who controlled it. Yes, Donald John Trump called forth the insurrection and only he could stop it. None of these fuckers, not even his son, could call him directly. They all had to go through his gatekeeper, Mark Meadows.

There are many other questions about the day American Democracy, for a moment anyway, circled the drain. The aforementioned power point memo proposed calling out the National Guard to protect the protesters--or perhaps aid them--and for there to be a declaration of a national emergency by the President. The Guard was slow to act an indication something was amiss either in the chain of command, or with the leadership. There has been no indication why Trump never declared the national emergency the memo recommended.

These questions and many others could be answered by Mark Meadows, but his leader has rumbled ominously, and it has become painfully obvious the former chief of staff is more afraid of Don Trump than he is of congress. More even than the republican punks were of their own mob that day last January.

sic vita est

12-14-21