The bizarre happenings in the past week has seen Fox News in deep legal trouble, the “GOP” splintering, Trump about to face the first of his indictments and the formation of an unholy trio, Trump, Carlson and McCarthy, whose job definition was to create revisionist history. in relation to the January 6 insurrection. The surreal logic was to create a political answer to the legal problems that Trump is facing in relation to his seditious conspiratorial behavior. While Trump and McCarthy’s connection is obvious, Carlson enthusiastically participated at a time when Trump and Fox are supposedly in open warfare. The participation of Carlson who in litigation documents revealed that he “hates" Trump “passionately”, indicates that Fox, once again, is back on team Trump.
FOX REJOINS TRUMP
The mandate of the three musketeers,Trump, McCarthy and Carlson is to show that the January 6 insurrection was a peaceful/sightseeing protest. Trump and the criminal insurrectionists therefore are victims of the “dark state” - martyrs.
The trio's grotesque objective should be further viewed by the fact that, while Carson and Fox generally with its anchors, originally peddled the narrative, while not believing a word of it, the Dominion documents show that Fox had finally axed loser Trump after backing his "Stop The Steal". Now for better but most likely for worse, Fox’s star anchor is a player in the “rehabilitation” of team Trump.
COMES DOWN TO REALITY
Before Jay H. Ell continues, it is instructive to realize the uphill task the trio have in punting this way out perspective. The reality is that January 6 was shown live on television as it happened, a one hundred and forty officers were injured, nine people died one way or another and a thousand insurrectionists have been indicted - many having pled guilty to seditious conspiracy and others have been found guilty of this crime to overthrow the rightful government. The January 6 Hearing Committee had record viewership for its public presentations which included torrid accounts by officers of the law, damning evidence from a ton of WhiteHouse insiders, Republican operatives and State Legislators, who incriminated Trump in his ongoing effort to thwart the peaceful transfer of power.
There are legal investigations into Trump in Georgia and the Department of Justice has a Special Council investigating Trump's role in January 6. Any minute now these are going to lead to indictments against Trump. And in case Trump isn’t aware Biden has been in the WhiteHouse for two years and has passed bipartisan legislation and reinvigorated NATO…… So who beside the faithful are the three musketeers going to persuade?
So how are why is this happening at all? It is a long story...
IN THE BEGINNING
After a shocked world saw January 6 live on TV and everyone but everyone, including Kevin McCarthy and the Fox Hosts told Trump to knock it off and tell his heavies to go home which he eventually did. Kevin McCarthy, then far from being “My Kevin”, admonished the President in grave tones, intoning that he “bore responsibility” for the attack on the Capitol and democracy.
"My Kevin" to be did a double take as to the implications of criticizing El Duce. The Minority leader, desperately wanted to be the Majority Leader and Speaker of the House. He was more than aware of history where the party in the WhiteHouse loses at least 28 seats in the midterms and he thought he better not mess this up. The Democrat majority was just four so he was on his way. Just stick around.
So all though his Speakership, by historical precedent seemed to be a certainty he, not yet “My Kevin” had just declared war on the de facto head of the “GOP”, Donald J. Trump. The fact that Trump was kaput and on the down slope big time was irrelevant. McCarthy still feared that he could block him ascending to the top job. So two weeks later he went off to Mar A Lago to kiss the ring. In the words of Macbeth, he was making “Assurance doubly sure”. After the smiling photographs appeared of the two at Mar a Lago, all McCarthy had to do was stick around. Or so he thought. The Speaker wannabe, in the process, had also given Trump life support.
MCCARTHY SELLS HIS SOUL TO BECOME SPEAKER
As a result of the MAGA Trump genius’s clumsy intervention in the midterms, the “GOP’ only won the House by five seats, including a fraud. Against all odds they lost a seat in the Senate allowing the Democrats to hold onto that chamber with an increased majority. Suddenly “My Kevin” was no longer a push over to be Speaker. There were twenty holdouts, all anarchists of one sort or another, who were unconvinced that “My Kevin” would deliver what they wanted. Some were sworn Trumpists but others before backing him would not just take Trump's patronage and wanted their outlandish demands met. They humiliated McCarthy to the extent that he needed fifteen votes over four days to be elected by his own caucus. Some not even voting for him, merely abstaining.
So “My Kevin”, who had promised a positive agenda of all good things in the midterm elections, found himself bound hand and foot to a way out set of promises and committee assignments, aa well as a mandate to rewrite history to assist Trump’s narrative that January 6 was just a protest gathering of those whom he “loved”. McCarthy had not an inch to maneuver in as he had also acquiesced to having termination proceedings initiated against him by just one member of the House. There were several deals that he made relating to the “Save Trump Agenda”
The "Save Trump Agenda" included creating a committee to investigate the members who formed the January 6 House Committee that had unravelled the Trump involvement in his effort to remain President. Putin’s nemesis, Zelensky, was no longer going to receive a “blank check”. Trump had hailed his benefactor Vladimir as a “genius” when he invaded Ukraine. So “My Kevin” refused to accept an invitation from the Ukrainian President to visit Kiev, “to know that he wasn’t going to give Ukraine a blank check”.
Majorie Taylor Greene, with "My Kevin's" blessing decided to organize a visit to those locked up for their January 6 crimes. Out of character she was now into prison reform, questioning the conditions of the Washington jails, for the insurrectionists that is. It jived well with Trump recording songs with convicted felons related to the insurrection.This crowd regards those incarcerated as political prisoners of Biden. Ms.Greene incidentally has boasted that had she been organizing January 6, “We would have won!… we would have been armed/”.
Ms. Greene is a close ally of McCarthy and is as way out as anyone in public office can get with open anti semitic views - it was the Jews who caused the Californian floods by shooting lasers into the atmosphere. A committee was set up to blame Pelosi for not providing security for the Capital. How that all is in sync with the fact that they are arguing this was a peaceful protest/sightseeing tour, Jay H. Ell is unsure. But nobody is arguing that any of this is supposed to make sense.
The piece de resistance was that "My Kevin" would give the third member of the triumvirate, Tucker Carlson over forty thousand hours of tape from January 6, including security scenes so as he could create revisionist history. Tucker Carlson with his massive platform would recreate the scene at the Capital as a peaceful/sightseeing protest.
THE JANUARY 6 TAPES - CARLSON AND FOX
Whatever the internal politics at Fox were and the fact that Tucker hates Trump “passionately” and had maintained, “…the last four years… “We’re all pretending we’ve got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it’d been is to tough to digest…..”, Carlson set about remaking history. Basically he argued that the law enforcement gave a guided sightseeing tour to the insurrectionists. Interestingly he only used a few minutes of the 41,000 hours of tapes he was given to make his point. The rest was opinion and interviews. No one knows at this stage what Tucker really thinks.
The importance to Trump of Carlson spinning this bizarre narrative is he is currently being investigated for seditious conspiracy for the January 6 insurrection. If Carlson could convince the world that January 6 was a “peaceful protest”, voila, Trump is just another victim of Biden’s dark State. Maybe the guys that are not in jail yet will come out again?
Murdoch has to be ambivalent about thfs whole clown show. He and Trump are at loggerheads, even though the litigation record shows that he supported the Fox lies, as at that stage, he "...didn't want to antagonize Trump...". According to Paul Ryan, former Republican Speaker, he has a deal with Murdoch - Fox will become the platform of a new “GOP” minus Trump. This was Paul Ryan’s rationale for staying with Fox - the fact that they had dumped Trump.
It is doubtful that Carlson would have accepted his mandate without Murdoch’s permission. Whichever way this is sliced and diced Fox has no credibility and Carson’s mini series of “Guess What Really Happened at the Capital?” won''t help their cause.
THE BARRAGE OF CRITICISM THAT FOLLOWED CARLSON’S ATTEMPT TO ONCE AGAIN WHITEWASH THE PRESIDENT HE "HATED PASSIONATELY".
While Trump predictably congratulated Carlson, on his expose, Carlson had to have foreseen the barrage of criticism that would follow, not that.he apparently cares.
The opprobrium from Democrats to the charade was to be expected. However, Carlson’s insensitive portrayal of the brave thin blue line that saved “My Kevin” and all the others' lives resulted in the ire of all and sundry. To start with there was the unprecedented condemnation from the Chief of The Capital’s Police, Tom Manger, which he penned in an internal memo.
The disgusted Police Chief stated the obvious, "The Program conveniently cherry - picked from the calmer moments of our 41,000 hours of video. The commentary fails to provide context about the chaos and violence that happened before or during these less tense moments". Manger was furious about Carlson’s claim that Capitol Police Officer Sicknick’s death had nothing to do with the attack, labelling it, “the most disturbing accusation”.
Manger praised his colleagues, “You fought like hell on January 6 and risked your lives to protect the Constitution and everything this country stands for. You, Along with our law enforcement partners, saved every Member of Congress and their staff. This TV commentary will not record the truth for our history books. The Justice system will. The truth and justice are on our side.”
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell at his caucus meeting, waved the Chief of The Capital Police’s letter around agreeing with it fully. Needless to say the saner members that are still in the “GOP” did likewise. There was condemnation from a few “GOP” members of the House. Much of the criticism of McCarthy’s decision from the House “GOP” was behind close doors.
Most significantly former Vice President Mike Pence let loose on Trump. He belatedly criticized him in that he had put everyone’s life at risk on January 6 including that of Pence and his family - “History will hold Donald Trump responsible”. This finally taking off of the gloves by Pence, coming at this time of the trio’s revisionist history attempt is highly significant. Pence has created a lane where he can run in the “GOP” Primary. He had to realize that his pussy footing around was not moving him in the polls. Not that he has a great chance but at least he has this monkey off his back and the Never Trumpers and the Evangelicals have an alternative candidate.
THE UPSHOT OF THE TRIUMVIRATE’S TEA PARTY
This episode deepended the split between the Senate and House “GOP” caucuses. The import of this appears to have escaped the significance of most political commentators. Pence has come off the list of "Who is Afraid of the Big Bad Trump". (Blog: "Who is and Who isn't Afraid of the Big Bad Trump"). Paul Ryan has been left in limbo and Fox’s position on Trump is back on track. The series produced by Carlson could not have convinced one swing voter. It could only consolidated what was already consolidated, Trump’s MAGA base.
McCarthy’s biggest problems lie ahead and this escapade hasn’t helped him with the twenty odd members who face re election in constituencies where Biden had a majority in the Presidential election. His position on Ukraine is not the majority “GOP” position, even in the House. When the Debt Ceiling comes up for ratification "My Kevin" might have to choose between the lunatics that are now running his asylum and those in his caucus who not only know it is political suicide to wreck the country’s financial system and standing in the world, it is wrong. But the latter are stories for another day.
Fox is involved in litigation where it claims that it just reflects news and opinions. If they don’t lose on summary judgement this can hardly help their credibility although it is probably not admissible as evidence.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
The “GOP” split has been exacerbated by this attempt at revisionist history. Once again Fox has been in on the act. (See Blog:The Fox News Scandal Splinters the “GOP”).
McCarthy’s GOP has been anxious to eliminate January 6 from the political debate, castigating the Democrats when they mention it and telling them it is time to move on. Yet it is the "GOP" who are trying to revise the history of that insurrectionist blot on today's America.
The fact that there are politicians such as Majorie Taylor Greene in "responsible" positions is enough to send shivers down the spines of any one who respects democratic values. Thank you "My Kevin".
Fox is in danger of ceasing to exist if the litigation goes into billions and billions of dollars.
THANK HEAVENS FOR BIDEN WHO IS TOO BORING TO MAKE THE NEWS.
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