Bits ‘n’ Pieces: February 18, 2021

By Lorraine H. Marie
Reader Columnist

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling:

The first COVID-19 case was reported Jan. 19, 2020, but Red Cross blood samples, from Dec. 13, 2019 to Jan. 17, 2020, revealed COVID-19 antigens in 106 of more than 7,000 samples, The Week reported. The B 1.1.7 variant out of the U.K., according to government scientists there, is not only more transmissible but also likely to be more deadly (it’s now in 82 countries). And, according to Business Insider, new data suggest up to 50% of COVID-19 cases are transmitted by people who are infected but symptom-free.

The U.S. assistant attorney general said calling the Jan. 6 Capitol crowd a “mob” is inaccurate, since it was well-organized, including swapping out fresh people and passing weaponry to the front line to use against officers. Politico reported the FBI and the Justice Department are considering charges of seditious conspiracy for those involved. Along with being organized with communications systems and issuing orders to rioters, according to an FBI affidavit Proud Boys wore black, hoping to frame so-called “Antifa” for their actions.

Forbes reported that some of those involved in organizing the “Stop the Steal” protests Jan. 6, which resulted in the deadly insurrection at the Capitol, had been paid more than $3.5 million from the Trump campaign and “associated fundraising committees.” The information was gleaned from recent Federal Election Commission filings. The amount of funding from Trump resources may be larger, according to Open Secrets, because of the use of shell companies. 

Impeachment recap: House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, during last week’s trial, explained former President Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection: “This is much worse than someone who falsely shouts fire in a crowded theater. It’s more like a case where the town fire chief, who’s paid to put out fires, sends a mob not to yell fire in a crowded theater, but to actually set the theater on fire.” 

The Trump campaign organization spent $50 million on “Stop the Steal” ads, which stopped Jan. 5, according to impeachment managers. 

Surveillance, mob-recorded video and on-site journalists’ footage showed rioters hunting Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who would have been in line as president if Trump were removed from office. Chants of “hang Mike Pence,” and photos of a gallows erected on the Capitol complex provided evidence of deadly intent, along with footage of hand-to-hand combat with police. One rioter had a 950,000-volt stun gun (capable of causing brain injury, heart attacks and death, according to Medical News Today). 

Impeachment managers made it clear Jan. 6 was well planned with intent to interrupt the count of valid Electoral College votes. 

Trump singled out Pence numerous times that day for overseeing the count, which was the vice president’s constitutional duty. A YouTube video, now in the federal records, shows a rioter saying, “Once we found out Pence turned on us… the crowd went crazy. I mean, it became a mob.” Pence and his family were removed from harm with minutes to spare. 

After adjournment on Feb. 12, news media broke the story of a call between House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Trump, wherein president, responding to being begged to call off his supporters (who targeted both parties), reportedly said, “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.” It was several more hours before Trump took action to halt the chaos. Following the trial, House Speaker Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for blaming Trump but refusing to convict him before he left office, and then saying he could not be convicted because he was no longer in office.

Five Republicans joined Democrats in a vote to call witnesses, but when pro-Trump Republicans threatened to call 300 witnesses, which could have dragged the trial into spring, both parties agreed to end the trial; that appeared to be further influenced by Republicans threatening to filibuster all of President Joe Biden’s nominees and legislation if the trial was not quickly concluded. As well, many lawmakers had already scheduled flights home for the weekend. 

At Saturday’s U.S. Senate impeachment vote, 57 Senators found Trump guilty (seven were Republicans); 43, all Republicans.

Blast from the past: “Democracy is not a static thing. It’s an everlasting march.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president, re-elected three times.