MAGA OMERTA: Trump minions tried to pressure and bribe witnesses, January 6 Committee report says
“[A person] let me know you have your deposition tomorrow. He wants me to let you know he’s thinking about you. He knows you’re a team player, you’re loyal, and you’re going do the right thing when you go in for your deposition.”
That’s a quote from the House Select Committee on January 6th report.
The “he” is Donald Trump.
Being a “team player” and “doing the right thing”? That means keeping your mouth shut.
Another witness described how she was offered a very lucrative employment deal.
It was withdrawn, apparently, when things did not go as they preferred.
On Monday, as the January 6 Committee made its criminal referrals, Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) detailed the witness tampering accusations.
Ultimately, the committee did not make a referral for witness tampering, though it has recommended that the Justice Department, with its more extensive resources, perhaps look into the matter. You can read some of the details for yourself by checking out the introductory material to the report.
It’s no surprise that Trump’s gangster mentality led him and his minions to try this tactic.
They’ll claim that they didn’t do anything illegal, but we all know that’s 100%, unadulterated bullshit.
Here’s Robert DeNiro — playing what I believe could be a Trump lawyer — speaking with a witness:
It all makes me think of another historic figure who had a bit of a gangster complex and plenty of friends in high and low places: James R. Hoffa.
For all that he was accused of, Hoffa got nabbed mostly for jury tampering (also fraud and the vague “conspiracy” charge). He was sentenced to thirteen years, serving four before Nixon commuted it, setting him free in ’71 with Hoffa’s sworn statement that he would not participate in the Teamsters union again prior to 1980.
If we could send Trump away for four years on jury tampering (and sixteen lifetimes for everything else), I think many of us would take that. While we’re at it, perhaps we could also lock away the people who helped him do it, even if they happen to be serving in Congress right now.
Merrick Garland should pick up Trump from Mar-a-Lago. Now.
— Jack Cocchiarella (@JDCocchiarella) December 19, 2022
If it were you or I, dear reader, who had tampered with witnesses in such a way – or ignored subpoenas, like other Trump acolytes did – we would have been in prison already.
But with Trump and his allies, our Justice Department is often far too tepid.
Also, Trump seems to benefit from the fact that his crimes are frequently so multitudinous that things like witness tampering tend to get lost in the Trump deluge of illegalities.
Either way, Merrick Garland is running out of excuses to not pursue indictments.
And, hopefully, Donald Trump is running out of time.
Dirty Donald hates Ross with a passion, you can bet. But you can show Ross love on Twitter! @RossRosenfeld
