The goal posts will move again after Trump released a post-rally statement last night in which he made absolutely clear he wanted Mike Pence to overturn the election. Via Morning Joe:
If the vice president had absolutely no right to change the presidential election results in the senate, despite fraud and many other irregularities, how come the Democrats and RINO Republicans like wacky Susan Collins are desperately trying to pass legislation that will not allow the vice president to change the results of the election? Actually, what they are saying is that Mike Pence did have the right to change the outcome, and they now want to take that right away. Unfortunately, he didn't exercise that power. He could have overturned the election.
"Yikes. That's the quiet part out loud?" Mika Brzezinski said.
"That's what everybody is saying -- that he did say the quiet part out loud. Jonathan Lemire, the president of the United States deriding his vice president for not overturning an election," Joe Scarborough said.
Lemire noted that even Republicans came out and said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is not what we're looking for here. This should not be what we want."
"This comes at a moment where, you know, he also says that he felt that if there were, quote, illegal investigations into him, he was calling for his supporters to have massive rallies across the country including in Washington, D.C. the biggest rallies yet, even bigger than January 6th. This, of course, is dangerous on a couple of levels, Joe.
"On one hand he is, as you might imagine, suggesting that any investigation into him was improper and illegal, much like when he was president. Any news story about him he didn't like he would just deem fake news. And to do so and to suggest that he would call for his supporters to march on those locations where the investigations are taking place or Washington, D.C., seemingly that's an act of intimidation, which is deeply concerning as well. Certainly the prosecutor in Georgia who is looking into that case has already called for additional security for her and her staff. I think we may see more of the same. A dangerous moment, Joe," Lemire said.
"You have seen the rise of authoritarianism, and it is certainly what we all understand Donald Trump has been wanting to do for quite sometime. If you can't win an election, steal an election, overturn an election. That's what he was saying, talking about from Mike Pence. Yeah, he said -- he actually said some things --we haven't been playing his rallies of late, but he actually said some things that were so inflammatory, Mika, that you had Republicans coming out and actually criticizing him and saying, hey, no, no, let's take a step back. We didn't want to overturn the election. We were just talking about having some of the votes recounted. But, again, Donald Trump is now speaking in shorthand, now saying what he really means. He wanted a free and fair election overturned. Why? Because he didn't win. and, again, his words have consequences. This new sort of almost fascist -- i don't know, do you say almost fascist after January 6th or do you say fascist?" Scarborough said.
"His fascist instinct to use violence to overturn government institutions, we're actually seeing it at Trump events where you have people asking, 'When do we start using guns?' You are seeing it at forums. This past weekend I believe it was you had a Michigan senate candidate telling people to bring guns to polling places. if they didn't win, they needed to be locked and loaded. Basically saying, if we can't win at the ballot box, we are going to win by killing people. Then, of course, at the rally, the other rally he had, more concerning rhetoric even for Republican senators."
They also pointed out that Trump says he will pardon the Jan. 6th seditionists.
If i run and if I win, we will treat those people from January 6th fairly. We will treat them fairly. And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly.
"You know, just so we're very clear what he is talking about. He is talking about pardoning people, some of whom have been charged by the federal government with sedition against the United States. Of course, he knows that because it is sedition that he encouraged. He is talking about pardoning people who beat the hell out of cops with American flags and with Trump flags, that jammed cops' heads in doors, that used bear spray against law enforcement officers. It was one of the most grotesque, certainly around the Capitol in Washington that i have seen, grotesque use of violence, repeated violence against law enforcement officers. That's who Donald Trump called patriots on January 6th, those who were beating the hell out of law enforcement officers with American flags. Now he is talking about pardoning those same people, those same people who also have been charged with committing sedition against the United States, had gun stockpiles across the river in Virginia that they were going to bring in and use in a final push on January 6th.
"Any Republicans who were on the fence about how dangerous Trump might be might want to consider what he said at this rally, including what appeared to be calling for more violence in the future across the country. Also, yesterday some Republicans did respond, condemning the comments by Trump."
Well, I think it is inappropriate. I don't want to reinforce that defiling the Capitol was okay. I don't want to do anything that would make this more likely in the future. I want to deter what people did on January 6th. Those who did it, I hope they go to jail and get the book thrown at them because they deserve it.
I do not think that the president should have made -- President Trump should not have made that pledge to do pardons. We should let the judicial process proceed.
Folks that were part of the riots and, frankly, the assault on the U.S. Capitol have to be held accountable. There's a rule of law. I don't care whether you are part of burning cities and antifa in 2020, you were storming the Capitol in 2021, everyone needs to be held fairly accountable. that's part of leadership.
They shouldn't be pardoned?
Of course not. no, no.
