THE FLY ON THE WALL

I’ve always found it interesting how the Important People in any event always seem to forget the Other People who are in the room: the assistants, secretaries, clerks, janitors, whoever - the people whose names don’t end up in the history books, but who see and hear what the Important People do and say.

The witnesses.

When I was 20, I was an enlisted member of the Admiral’s staff of Commander Patrol Forces 7th Fleet. I’ve mentioned that before - that was the organization that was the operational commander of the Maddox and Turner Joy on their mission into the Gulf of Tonkin in August 1964, the event that resulted in the United States entering the Vietnam War as an active, full-throated participant.

That night, I was the guy the radio room messenger woke to get the FLASH Top Secret radio message that the ships were “under attack.” I was the one who then took it to the Staff Duty Officer, and then followed him to the Chief of Staff, and then followed them to the Admiral’s cabin. I was the one no one paid attention to when I noticed that the Admiral was - as he usually was - sleeping off the nightly drunk and wasn’t too aware of things when he was wakened. I was the one who noticed that it was the Chief of Staff who made the decisions and then later wrote the messages that were sent out. Nobody paid any attention to the sailor standing there in the background; I might as well have been a piece of furniture.

A piece of furniture, just like Cassidy Hutchinson.

Just like any number of “low ranking” people, witnesses to great crimes, whose testimony brings down the Great Men.

Remember, it was Alexander Butterworth, the assistant in charge of making sure the White House taping system had fresh tapes and the recorders were working, whose testimony actually brought down Nixon, because nobody knew the evidence had been recorded until he told them so as an aside to a question during his testimony. Just one of the “little people,” the “furniture” in the White House.

Cassidy Hutchinson’s memory of the events of January 6 is going to bring down the greatest traitor in American History, the man whose treason makes Richard Nixon look like a choirboy in comparison.

Hutchinson’s testimony that Trump was “reluctant” to film a video on Jan. 6 telling insurrectionists to go home is the cherry atop the stinking mountain of shit.

As former White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews put it, “Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinson’s role or her access in the West Wing either doesn’t know how the Trump White House worked or is attempting to discredit her because they’re scared of how damning this testimony is.”

Matthews posted that tweet after The Greatest Traitor went on his (Un)Truth Social account to not only downplay Hutchinson’s credibility, but also her access and relationship with him and other top White House staffers at the time.

You can bet Fatso Fatass is scared to death right now. Hutchinson’s testimony today is a torpedo amidships the SS Trump exactly the way Butterfield’s was for Nixon. Her testimony damns him as the traitor he is.

Stephanie Grisham just posted a screenshot of the text she had with Melanoma on January 6, 2021, in which she asked the professional pole dancer, “Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness & violence?”

To which Melanoma replied, “No.”

At the end of today’s hearing, Rep. Cheney shared some messages that witnesses in the investigation have received. They suggest that unnamed people in Trumpworld are trying to block or alter people from testifying. One remarked that Trump “reads transcripts.”

“[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 loyal, and you’re going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition.”

Talk about something right out of the Mafia Don Wannabee’s Instruction Manual.

Legally, Cassidy Hutchinson’s most important testimony is the very specific evidence that Trump is guilty of seditious conspiracy, among his numerous other crimes.

She testified Pat Cipollone told her on January 3 that, “This would be legally a terrible idea for us. We have serious legal concerns if we go up to the Capitol that day. And he then urged me to continue relaying that to Mr. Meadows, because it's my understanding that Mr. Cipollone thought that Mr. Meadows was, indeed, pushing this along with the President."

Three days before the event. THREE. DAYS. BEFORE.

She testified that he knew they were violent. He knew they were armed. He wanted them to keep their weapons because they were on his side.

He sent them on to the Capitol, knowing they were armed and violent, to confront his enemies.

What absolutely chilled me was her testimony that Trump wanted to join what he knew to be an armed mob, intent on violently putting a stop to the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election, and he assaulted a member of his own Secret Service detail when they refused to let him do so.

“On January 6, 2021, the president of the United States wanted to join what he knew was an armed mob… I overheard the President say something to the effect of 'I don't fucking care that they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me. Take the fucking mags (metal detectors) away. Let my people in, they can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in, take the fucking mags away.’”

The detail about the magnetometers is key. Trump knew the crowd was heavily armed and prepared for violence. He continued to exhort them to march on the Capitol. He specifically said that he didn’t want federal authorities to try to disarm the rioters because they weren’t there to hurt him.

She testified that when they were in the presidential limousine, Trump said “I’m the fucking president, take me up to the Capitol now.” When Engel told him there weren’t enough resources for the trip to be safe, Trump “reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm.” She then testified that Trump lunged at Engel himself. “Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel.”

The crazy drama in the presidential limousine is certainly the wildest and most explosive part. If I’d written that into a screenplay, people would have laughed me out of the room. Art couldn’t imitate that life.

U.S. Code Section 11: “Whoever forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person designated in section 1114 of this title while engaged in or on account of the performance of his official duties, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than three years, or both."

And of course, being the coward he is, he then went in the White House and watched it on TV, recording it and replaying the “good stuff” like the sick piece of shit he is.

And he didn’t want to tell “his people” to stop.

Criminal law always turns on the small pictures, the specific concrete actions. The testimony of the animated furniture.

And Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony had lots of those small pictures.

Nothing mattered to him except that he not be seen as a loser. Not by anyone around him, not the Congress, not his security, and certainly not the country he swore to defend.

While none of it is surprising given what we know about him, it is horrifying to have it confirmed in public.

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