Jamie Gangel appeared on Jake Tapper’s show today on CNN to let Jake know just how much the world has changed in the last two weeks. In short, the Committee knows everything about what Trump did, and didn’t do, at least during the riot. We put that in italics for a reason that we’ll discuss below.

Gangel said:

“The source said, quote, there’s a collection of people with relevant information. Translation, Jake: ‘Firsthand’ indicates the committee is now hearing from people with direct knowledge. It could be someone who was in the room, someone on the phone, but these are people with firsthand information. I would say, bottom line, Jake, this means the committee has broken through Trump’s wall.

This site has already published a story on the importance of Keith Kellogg’s testimony:

“One witness that we know of who has given a deposition to the committee is Keith Kellogg. He was former vice president Mike Pence’s national security adviser who happened to be with Trump in the White House on January 6th when the riot was going on.

Okay. Good. But.

On the one hand, any of us that read portions of I Alone Can Fix It, by Phillip Rucker and Carol Leonnig “knew” what Trump was doing during the riot. He was getting messages, watching television, thinking it was cool until he noticed people looked “low-class.” You remember.

On the other hand, there is a difference between sources who will tell reporters something versus people who will put their hand in the air and say the same thing under oath. Until it is evidence, it’s meaningless, as a tool.

Now the “but.” We continue to pound this and got some back-up by Barbara McQuade today. Trump’s inactivity during the riot is not something that easily qualifies as a crime. It is a dereliction of duty, but the president is a civilian. It’s impeachable, it’s acting like a horrible human being who shouldn’t be allowed to make his own decision stuff. It just doesn’t sound like a crime to those of us used to reading criminal codes.

Unless. He knew about the plan to riot beforehand, agreed with it, and that is why he ended up doing nothing. There are a lot of reasons to believe that Trump knew beforehand, one of which is that he’s fighting like hell to keep the records secret. Second, we know there were planning meetings prior to January 6th at the White House. Third, Trump said (Paraphrased) You better fight harder than ever before or you won’t have a country left. And Fourth, we know that Trump’s closest “advisors” were in “War Rooms” at the swank Willard Hotel. Why do you need a war room unless you’ve planned a “war”?

The Committee may well be advertising that they get what they want and know the full story about the riot (as it happened) to telegraph to those who knew what happened prior, “Now is the time, if you haven’t already been here, because we have ways. People are turning.”

Put it this way, it isn’t by accident that all this news has been “leaked” or simply “said” in the last week. The Committee seems to want to use the anniversary to maximum benefit, to tug at some remaining holdouts. Additionally, even if they have Trump himself caught cold. they won’t be satisfied until they have everyone (Jim Jordan?).

It is good news.

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