Mitch McConnell is telling GOP senators their decision on a Trump impeachment trial conviction is a

Source: Business Insider

Mitch McConnell is telling GOP senators their decision on a Trump impeachment trial conviction is a 'vote of conscience'


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is telling his Republican colleagues they have the freedom to vote however they want during the upcoming impeachment trial for Donald Trump after the lame duck president incited a deadly January 6th riot at the US Capitol.

"His message to me was this would clearly be a vote of conscience," Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, told Insider. "He's always been respectful of members that way."

The Senate could start its trial of the president as early as Wednesday, the same day as President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Under the Senate rules, the upper chamber must prioritize the Trump trial once the House officially delivers its article of impeachment charging Trump with inciting rioters who stormed the Capitol. So far, that hasn't happened and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday declined to say when Democrats were planning to make the formal handoff.

In anticipation of the eventual trial, GOP sources close to McConnell and the White House said earlier this week the Kentucky Republican might vote to convict Trump as a means to bar him from ever serving in federal office again. McConnell later told other senators he hasn't made up his mind and wants to listen to the legal arguments before coming to any conclusions.


Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/mcconnell-republican-senators-conviction-vote-trump-impeachment-trial-2021-1

Kentucky nurse loses job after entering Capitol during riot

Source: The Hill

A Kentucky nurse has been terminated from her job following her alleged participation in the riot last week at the U.S. Capitol, which temporarily stopped Congress from certifying the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

Lori Vinson, of Morganfield, Ky., was among rioters who stormed the Capitol last week. She recorded the events on her phone and posted them to social media, NBC station 14News reported.

“I hope that is something I remember and say ‘I’m glad I was a part of that' 30 years from now,” Vinson said of her participation.

She was later fired from Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Evansville, Ind., on Friday for her involvement. Termination paperwork stated that Vinson was terminated for admitting to engaging in criminal behavior at a high-profile event, while her social media account also revealed her employer, according to the local NBC station.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/news/534398-kentucky-nurse-loses-job-after-entering-capitol-during-riot

"Where They Countin' the Votes?!":New Video Details Tense Moments as Capitol Mob Sought Out Lawmaker

Texas Real Estate Agent Who Took Private Jet to Capitol Riot Is Arrested

Source: The Daily Beast

A Texas real estate agent who took a private jet to the Capitol last week to answer President Donald Trump’s “call” was charged Friday for participating in the violent insurrection.

Jenna Ryan, a Frisco, Texas real estate broker and life coach, has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authorities and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds after documenting her two-day excursion to D.C. on social media.

Ryan was indignant in the days after the riot, telling Spectrum News that she “answered the call of my president” and stormed the Capitol because the election was rigged. “It’s not necessarily about taking over the Capitol, it’s about ‘we the people own this building,’” she said.

According to a criminal complaint, Ryan diligently documented her participation in the mob—starting from her flight on a “small private aircraft” on Jan. 5.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/jenna-ryan-texas-real-estate-agent-who-flew-to-dc-on-private-jet-arrested-in-capitol-riots?via=twitter_page

Palm Beach County seeks way to end lease with Trump golf course

Source: The Hill

A Florida county is seeking to find a way to end its lease with one of President Trump's golf courses.

Chief assistant county attorney Howard Falcon told The Palm Beach Post that an unnamed county commissioner on Wednesday asked him if it was possible for the county to terminate its lease with the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

“My initial reaction is it would be a stretch,” said Falcon, according to the Post. The Trump Organization pays $88,338 a month to rent the property in Florida.

A lawyer for Trump’s golf course said there would be "no basis for canceling the lease," according to the news source.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/534397-palm-beach-county-seeks-way-to-end-lease-with-trump-golf-course

Lawmakers want to award officer Eugene Goodman Congressional Gold Medal for heroism during Capitol

Source: CBS News

Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman was hailed as a hero after he put himself in harm's way during the violent riots last week. While a pro-Trump mob breached security and stormed the Capitol, Goodman diverted a group of rioters away from the Senate chamber.

Now, several members of Congress want to recognize Goodman for his bravery. A bipartisan bill to award Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal has been introduced by U.S. Representatives Charlie Crist (D-FL), Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO) and Nancy Mace (R-SC).

"The United States Capitol was under attack by armed, violent extremists, and Officer Eugene Goodman was the only thing standing between the mob and the United States Senate," Crist said. "I shudder to think what might have happened had it not been for Officer Goodman's fast thinking and commitment to his duty and his country."

"While some will remember last Wednesday for the very worst in our country, the patriotism and heroics of Officer Eugene Goodman renew my faith and remind us all what truly makes the United States great," he continued.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/eugene-goodman-capitol-riots-congressional-gold-medal/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=109156540

Trump's Former Secretary of State Savages the President as Uninformed and Easily Distracted

Source: People Mag

In a new interview, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had nothing nice to say about what President Donald Trump will be leaving behind next week.

...

"We squandered the best opportunity we had on North Korea. It was just blown up when he took the meeting with Kim [Jong Un], and that was one of the last straws between him and I," Tillerson told Foreign Policy. "With [Russia's Vladimir] Putin, we didn't get anything done. We're nowhere with China on national security."

"We're in a worse place today than we were before he came in, and I didn't think that was possible," Tillerson, 68, added.

...

"If I could put a photo or a picture in front of him or a map or a piece of paper that had two big bullet points on it, he would focus on that, and I could build on that," Tillerson said. "Just sitting and trying to have a conversation as you and I are having just doesn't work."

Read more: https://people.com/politics/rex-tillerson-savages-president-trump-as-uninformed-and-easily-distracted/?utm_campaign=peoplemagazine&utm_content=new&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=6000ca3a933c880001bc1071

Revealed: White House liaison sought derogatory info on E Jean Carroll from DoJ official

Source: The Guardian

The White House liaison to the Department of Justice (DoJ), Heidi Stirrup, sought out derogatory information late last year from a senior justice department official regarding a woman who alleges she was raped by Donald Trump, according to the person from whom Stirrup directly sought the information.

The revelation raises the prospect that allies of the US president were directly pressing the justice department to try to dig up potentially damaging information on a woman who had accused Trump of sexually attacking her.

...

Stirrup apparently believed the justice department had information that might aid the president’s legal defense in the suit. The attorney who Stirrup sought information from regarding Carroll said that Stirrup approached them not long after a judge had ruled the justice department could not take over Trump’s defense.

Stirrup asked if the department had uncovered any derogatory information about Carroll that they might share with her or the president’s private counsel. Stirrup also suggested that she could serve as a conduit between the department and individuals close to the president or his private legal team.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/14/heidi-stirrup-doj-trump-e-jean-carroll

McConnell undecided on conviction

Source: NBC News

McConnell told his GOP colleagues in a note this afternoon he remains undecided on whether he’ll vote to convict Trump.

“While the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,” McConnell wrote to his colleagues.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/live-blog/2021-01-13-trump-impeachment-25th-amendment-n1253971/ncrd1254155#liveBlogHeader

Attorney of firefighter charged in Capitol riot says Trump encouraged 'despicable behavior'

Source: The Hill

A lawyer for a Florida firefighter arrested in connection with last week’s deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol cast part of the blame on President Trump for encouraging "despicable behavior" among his supporters.

Andrew Williams of the Sanford Fire Department has been charged with disorderly conduct after being photographed among the crowd outside the Capitol, The Orlando Sentinel reported, citing federal records. Williams made his first federal court appearance in Orlando Tuesday.

House Democrats are preparing to impeach Trump for the second time for his actions ahead of last Wednesday's violence, which included months of false claims about the 2020 election and directly encouraging his supporters to march on the Capitol. Trump has also been banned from multiple social media outlets, and even some Republicans have called on him to resign.

“The president and the Capitol Police encouraged despicable behavior, Mr. Williams took part in none of it,” attorney Vincent Citro told reporters outside of the courthouse before rushing his client away from press. He did not address footage appearing to show Williams inside the building.

Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/534037-attorney-of-firefighter-charged-in-capitol-riot-says-trump