Impeachment is, at its heart, a political matter. There may be a veneer of the legal proceeding to it, but as the last few years have made clear, it’s effectively a matter of how many votes you can rustle up.
If you can convince enough people that the offense was grave enough to merit impeachment and conviction — or perhaps more to the point, if you can convince them it’s in their best interest to say the offense was grave enough — you win.
If Democrats impeaching former President Donald Trump hoped they could convince Republicans it’s in their interest to treat Trump’s speech before the Capitol incursion as incitement, you would think the arrests of several alleged far-right militia members would buttress their case. Ironically, it could be what proves no incitement was involved.
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced three individuals affiliated with the Oath Keepers had been indicted for their alleged roles in planning the riot at the Capitol. Jessica Marie Watkins, 38, and Donovan Ray Crowl, 50, are both from Champaign County, Ohio. Thomas Caldwell, 65, is from Clarke County, Virginia.
“According to the charging documents, Watkins, Crowl, and Caldwell communicated with each another in advance of the Jan. 6, 2021, incursion on the U.S. Capitol and coordinated their attack. Watkins, Crowl, and Caldwell are all affiliated with the Oath Keepers, while Watkins and Crowl are also members of the Ohio State Regular Militia,” a news release from the Department of Justice reads.
“Watkins claimed to be a commanding officer within the Ohio State Regular Militia in a social media post.”
Their social media posts on sites like Facebook and Parler on the day of the incursion indicated they were in the area, and indeed participating, in the riot, the DOJ said. Watkins allegedly posted a video of herself inside the Capitol with the caption, “Yeah. We stormed the Capitol today. Teargassed, the whole, 9. Pushed our way into the Rotunda. Made it into the Senate even. The news is lying (even Fox) about the Historical Events we created today.” My guess is that won’t be the line she uses in court.
What’s interesting about the news release, however, is the fact that authorities said the Oath Keepers members were in contact early, coordinating their actions as far back as November. They were also allegedly in close communication as the incursion happened.Read the rest of the story HERE
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