John --



If I had to guess, I'd wager most members of Country First found their way to this movement because I've been one of the few leaders willing to call out my own party and President when they tried to overturn a free and fair election; when they let the ends of power justify the means of lies, conspiracies, and insurrection; when they put party over country.



But I would be remiss if I did not call out the other party when it joins the race to the bottom.



The Washington Post reported on Monday <[link removed]> that Democratic Party committees are funneling millions of dollars to support Trump-First Republican candidates running on a platform that promotes the Big Lie, undermines democracy, and defends the 1/6 attack on our Capitol. 



Why? Because Democratic strategists cynically hope that if a far-right MAGA candidate wins the Republican primary, it will be easier for a Democrat to defeat them in November.  And while that might end up working in a few races, particularly if this were a "Blue Wave" year (it's not), it's very likely that this will lead to even more far-right, authoritarian-friendly members of the U.S. Congress.



Democratic leaders are playing with fire, and could ultimately be responsible for helping elect a pro-Trump majority. This is reckless and dangerous. Period.



<[link removed]>Sign the Petition: Stop Playing with Fire! <[link removed]>



Look, I know some people won't like this email. But the point I'm here to make is that it's important for ALL of us, regardless of our party, to stand for what's right when our leaders, regardless of their party, do what's wrong.



After all, our parties are perversely designed to win at all costs. And as recent history has shown, some costs are far too high for a republic to bear.



Country First,



Adam



1/6 Committee Digest



Country First presents the next edition of The Digest to highlight the important work of the 1/6 Committee. Our aim is to make this available to our members within 24 hours after each hearing.



MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE NEXT HEARING:



THURSDAY, JUNE 16 AT 1 PM ET



In Case You Missed It: 



- Rep. Kinzinger takes his message to Fox News <[link removed]>, discusses 2024 and importance of truth in politics.

- Rep. Kinzinger speaks to CBS about pardons <[link removed]> and misinformation.



Who Gave Testimony in Hearing #2:



- Bill Stepien, former White House Political Director and Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, pulled out at the last minute after his wife went into labor.

- Al Schmidt, Philadelphia City Commissioner

- Genjamin Ginsberg, a top Republican <[link removed]> election attorney. 

- B.J. Pak, former Trump-appointed <[link removed]> federal prosecutor. 



Here are the major developments from the committee: 



(Drunken?) Guiliani Sets Up "A Coup in Search of a Legal Theory"



Monday’s hearing by the 1/6 Committee focused on former President Trump's refusal to accept both his own campaign's legal counsel as well as court decisions that his crafted narrative of voter fraud and a wrongful outcome were glaringly false.



Instead, a "definitely intoxicated" Rudy Guiliani, as testified yesterday by senior campaign advisor, Jason Miller, gave Trump his plan <[link removed]>: Just say we won.



According to recorded testimony from former Attorney General Bill Barr, Trump 2020 campaign attorney Matt Morgan, and campaign manager Bill Stepien, Mr. Trump was repeatedly advised that there was no evidence of any fraud or other activity that would change the election results. These conversations only angered the former President, who was determined to take "a different direction."



Toward the end of the hearing, a screen of scrolling text displayed quotes by many of the judges who presided over court motions and arguments. In their rulings, none found any legal standing for overturning the 2020 election.



Committee member Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) added a quote <[link removed]> by U.S. District Court Judge David Carter from a related ruling, saying that this is "a coup in search of a legal theory."



Notably, many of the 61 cases that were dismissed or went against the Trump campaign were decided by Republican judges, including 10 appointed by the former President himself. 



Guiliani’s New York law license has since been suspended <[link removed]> and over 100 other attorneys are currently under or subject to investigation for bad faith and baseless efforts to undermine the outcome of the election.



Additional Testimony Alleges Trump Knew Voter Fraud Claims Were False 



In a videotaped interview played at Monday’s special committee session, the former President’s Attorney General testified that he told the president repeatedly <[link removed]> his claims of fraud were unfounded, but that there was "never an indication of interest in what the actual facts are."



Barr thought the president had grown delusional when Trump insisted on investigating false claims. Barr later stated that he became increasingly worried about the former president’s state of mind and emphasized this in his quote: "I was somewhat demoralized, because I thought, 'Boy, if he really believes this stuff, he has lost contact with — he's become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff'."



The committee has played Barr’s video testimony more than any other witness and these clips have established Barr as the highest ranking official in the Trump administration to disapprove of the President’s voter fraud allegations. Barr also said that Trump had zero interest in what the actual facts were and told the former President "the Justice Department is not an extension of your legal team."



Despite the highest ranking legal official’s stance on election fraud, the former President continued to seek answers from others. Former acting Deputy Attorney General, Richard Donoghue, claimed <[link removed]> in a deposition played during today’s hearing that he told the former President the allegations of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election were false and "pure insanity." 



In a pre-recorded testimony, Trump Campaign lawyer Alex Cannon, revealed that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said, "so there’s no there there" when told there was no evidence of voter fraud.



Former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt Recounts the Events and Trump Tweet That Led to MAGA Threats Directed toward Him and His Family



Al Schmidt, the former Philadelphia city commissioner, addressed the former President's claims about voter fraud in Philadelphia in his testimony at the second 1/6 Committee hearing. Such allegations consisted of ballots being cast by dead people, which Schmidt called "absolute <[link removed]> rubbish."



In further disproving claims of election fraud, Schmidt challenged Rudy Guiliani's insistence that "8,000 dead people voted in Pennsylvania'' by asserting that "there wasn't evidence of eight."



With further questioning by the committee, Schmidt explains that, due to a Trump tweet mentioning him by name, he received disturbingly "graphic" threats from Trump supporters that included the names of his family and home address, as well as photos of his home.  One read, "Heads on spikes. Treasonous Schmidts."



Former Federal Prosecutor B.J. Pak Confirms His Investigation Found No Evidence of Voter Fraud in Georgia 



At the second 1/6 Committee hearing, former United States Attorney B.J. Pak detailed the investigation into a supposed suitcase full of ballots cast for President Joe Biden. The investigation was tasked to him by former Attorney General Bill Barr after Rudy Giuliani, the now-suspended personal lawyer for the former President, presented a snipped video clip of vote counting to a Georgia state Senate Committee. 



Pak offered the investigation findings, which completely disproved <[link removed]> the idea of there being a "suitcase" with ballots cast for Biden and confirmed that the object of interest was an official voter lockbox. In doing so, Pak asserted that the snippet Giuliani presented to the Georgia state Senate Committee consisted only of the part where the box was pulled out, excluding the parts of the video that confirmed it was a lockbox and not a suitcase.



Republican Election Attorney Benjamin Ginsberg’s Analysis of Election Lawsuits Reveals No Abnormalities



Prominent Republican election attorney, Benjamin Ginsberg, best known for his role in the 2000 Florida recount, testified regarding his analysis <[link removed]> of Trump’s election lawsuits across the country.



Of the 62 cases, 22 judges were appointed by Republican presidents, ten of which were appointed by Trump. Additionally, all three of Trump’s Supreme Court appointees rejected his fraud claims. Ginsberg stated that only half of the cases were dismissed, so roughly half of Trump’s cases "did have their day in court."  The former President and his supporters often falsely claim their cases were never heard, or else they'd have been successful.



"Team Normal vs. Team Crazy" Split the Trump White House Post-Election



A previously unknown fissure of the Trump White House was exposed during Monday’s 1/6 Committee hearing. A series of the former President’s once-close aides testified of the split in the White House: Team Normal and Team Crazy.



On "Team Normal," Bill Stepien, former Attorney General Bill Barr, and others who saw no path for a Trump second term. In a past deposition <[link removed]>, Bill Stepien, testified, "I didn’t mind being characterized as part of 'Team Normal'." 



After the election, the former President surrounded himself with Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and others who believed the election was stolen. Instead of accepting defeat, the former President and his new inner circle spun conspiracies, dug in their heels, and promoted the Big Lie. 



Trump and His Allies Conned the Public out of $250 Million Dollars 



The first week following the 2020 election, $100 million was raised by Trump, supposedly going towards "defending America" and fighting the alleged election fraud in court. The Trump Campaign ultimately raised <[link removed]> over $250 million, rallying supporters around the idea that their hard-earned money was going toward winning back a "stolen" election.



Instead, most of the money went to a PAC, some went toward Trump’s hotel group, and more still to other pro-Trump organizations. Very little, if any, went towards litigation of the 2020 election in key swing states. 



Rep. Lofgren detailed the many places the money went. Instead of being truthful about where the money was going, the former President and his allies lined their pockets off of a known and debunked lie that the election was stolen.



"Not only was there the Big Lie," Lofgren said, "there was the Big Rip-Off."



MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE NEXT HEARING:



THURSDAY, JUNE 16 AT 1 PM ET



Country First is proud to release The Weekly Digest with important updates on the 1/6 Committee's investigation of the Capitol attack. If you would like to help contribute content to this newsletter, please e-mail [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>. <[link removed]>Get Involved <[link removed]>



<[link removed]>Support the Mission <[link removed]>



<[link removed]>Wear the Cause <[link removed]>



Paid for by Country First



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