Ex-New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik has revealed, though his lawyer Timothy Parlatore, that he intends to share certain documents publicly following a request for them from the House committee investigating the Capitol riot. Kerik was among the Trump allies who were involved in attempts to get Biden’s presidential election victory overturned, and to that end, the riot investigation committee previously outlined in a press release how he was ‘reportedly involved with meetings at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C.’ and ‘reportedly paid for rooms and suites in Washington, D.C. hotels that served as election-related command centers, and also worked with Mr. Rudolph Giuliani to investigate allegations of voter fraud and promote baseless litigation and “Stop the Steal” efforts.’
There must be accountability for Trump’s constant, corrupt disregard of the Constitution, the law and the principles of ethics. We need to strengthen our laws and institutions to protect against those who would, and will, abuse them. https://t.co/V2GGtEltN4
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) December 25, 2021
Parlatore said that Kerik hopes to avert the possibility of “selected portions of documents being presented without context.” It’s not yet clear precisely which documents that Kerik may decide to share with the panel, although Parlatore also said that he will be sharing a list of materials that were determined (however baselessly) to be covered by certain privileges that keep them from disclosure. Kerik is also resisting the notion of testifying privately — instead, he wants to do so in public. As Parlatore put it, “Unfortunately, our efforts are being hampered by your insistence on using a fatally flawed deposition process rather than a public hearing.”
Experts warn that Trump's "Big Lie" has grown even more entrenched in the past year — posing a serious threat to democracy.
"I kind of feel like a climate scientist from 5 years ago … just hoping we're not too late already," says one election law expert.https://t.co/NXbWuRzqV2
— NPR (@NPR) December 25, 2021
In his efforts to undercut the legitimacy of the committee, Parlatore also said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “made the admittedly ‘unprecedented decision’ to exclude the members selected by the Minority Leader, leading to your current predicament of lacking the requisite committee member to avail yourself of the use of depositions” — but it wasn’t Pelosi’s decision to entirely exclude committee members selected by House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), so that’s not the whole story. Rather, McCarthy himself withdrew his picks after Pelosi rejected specific members of the group — so the ultimate responsibility for the lack of an alternative overall opinion regarding Trump on the committee falls on McCarthy. The committee is comprised of Democrats and two Republicans who’ve opposed Trump’s election-related actions.
.@MaddowBlog: Two weeks ago, former President Trump said he has "nothing to hide" about Jan. 6. Today, he asked the Supreme Court to help him hide Jan. 6 materials.https://t.co/0xNczPBIQB
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 25, 2021
Parlatore suggested the use of civil litigation or a taped deposition that is released to the public right away. The committee has heard from over 300 witnesses so far, but they’ve kept most of the accompanying information private — although multiple weeks of public hearings are apparently in development by the committee for next year. Read more on Kerik — including Parlatore’s argument about the impact of Trump’s privilege claims — at this link.
Good news: The House panel investigating the insurrection is examining whether there is enough evidence to recommend that the Justice Department pursue cases against Donald Trump and others. https://t.co/OvEdX82dmw
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) December 24, 2021
