Seth Abramson

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

18/ So we certainly do see some “weapons of opportunity” on the list, quite possibly wielded by people who—and this almost makes it *worse*—came to D.C. with no particular plan to cause violence, and then went and did so because their Dear Leader clearly encouraged them to do so. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

17/ But the January 6 weapons list also tells the story of a *mob* in the purest sense of that word: a group of people who *melded* with those who had prefabricated weapons and who did so *because* they had been incited to violence by Trump and the other speakers at the Ellipse. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

16/ Today I watched 3 hours of news coverage from 9/11 (I often do this on 9/11). What struck me was how quickly *orchestrated* terrorism was understood to be the cause of the attack. Why? Because of the weapon used: planes. The January 6 weapons list underscores premeditation. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

15/ The weapons list at the link atop this thread is current but—necessarily—nonexhaustive. Why? Because while we know over 10% of January 6 arrestees were armed and many more than that used force, people are still regularly getting arrested. So this list will undoubtedly expand. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @SethAbramson: (🔐) NEW @ PROOF: An Alphabetical Compendium of the Dangerous and Deadly Weapons Insurrectionists Wielded at the Capitol o… — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

5/ The weapons list at the link atop this thread is current but—necessarily—nonexhaustive. Why? Because while we know that 10%+ of January 6 arrestees were armed and many more than that used force, people are still regularly getting arrested. So this list will undoubtedly expand. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

14/ Had Trump realized beforehand that magnetometers were going to be used not just for his VIP area but for the entirety of the crowd, he would’ve demanded *before* January 6 that they not be used—which could have increased the insurrectionists’ weaponry by 200%, 300%, or more. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

13/ It’s for this reason that Trump’s demand—issued while he was livid, swearing, and shouting—that the magnetometers be removed from around the Ellipse is so scary. Trump made the demand *specifically* to ensure armed traitors would be present to hear him speak. He *said* this. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

12/ Remember that the *most* heavily armed insurrectionists *couldn’t attend* Trump’s White House Ellipse speech because of the magnetometers. But as these were the people most likely to attack members of Congress on Trump’s behalf, he desperately wanted them there to be incited. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

11/ The essay that precedes this article explains some of the limitations the insurrectionists were operating under in arming themselves, for instance the fact that D.C. was a gun-free zone on January 6 and the fact that their actions were video-recorded from 9AM on January 6 on. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

10/ For instance, the volume of *prefabricated* weapons is telling. Just so, the fact that virtually none of the 115+ weapon types were mere environmental elections—i.e. weapons in the *natural* environment around Capitol Hill that just happened to be handy. That is telling also. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

9/ As a curatorial journalist—and as someone partly inspired by Scott MacFarlane’s great work on this subject—I realized that a compendium of insurrectionist weaponry could almost act as a compelling shorthand for those trying to wrap their minds around the violence of January 6. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

8/ It can be hard to get a handle on January 6. For all that the insurrectionists like to say that we already know everything about January 6, in fact the *opposite* is true: what we do not know continues to dwarf, even now, what we do know. And that is truly terrifying, I think. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

7/ But the item you would *most* expect to find on the list is *not* present. The essay that precedes this compendium explains why the one weapon you would expect to find on the list but do *not* tells America an enormous amount about how the insurrection developed on January 6. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

6/ Some of the 115+ weapon types listed here will not surprise—though I rather think that a majority of them will. Among the Trumpist irregulars we find a javelin, a pitchfork, a crossbow, and some additional items you’d never in your wildest dreams imagine being used as weapons. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

5/ The essay preceding this compendium also eviscerates the disinformation the Republican Party has orchestrated about January 6—most notably, as to the definitions of the words/phrases “insurrection,” “dangerous weapon,” and “deadly weapon.” These words have *specific* meanings. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

4/ While this report curates a large number of reliable major-media sources, I want to specifically thank @MacFarlaneNews for his great work on this topic since January 6. I urge readers of PROOF and this feed to follow Scott MacFarlane—his January 6 coverage is mission-critical. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

3/ The essay preceding this compendium explains why it’s likely we’ll only ever know a *tiny fraction* of the arms that were present at the Capitol on January 6—despite the staggering length of the list of weapons we *do* know of (which you can find at the link atop this thread). — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

2/ This compendium doesn’t include the arsenal of heavy weaponry Trump’s paramilitary supporters at the Comfort Inn Ballston had compiled in preparation for the third stage of the attack on the Capitol (the first being the *storming* of the building, the second its *occupation*). — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

1/ Yes, you read that correctly. There are *over 115 different types of weapons* listed here, all taken from major-media and/or DOJ/FBI reports on the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

(🔐) NEW @ PROOF: An Alphabetical Compendium of the Dangerous and Deadly Weapons Insurrectionists Wielded at the Capitol on January 6 This is the most comprehensive report of its type ever published—and it’s stunning. I hope you’ll subscribe, read and RT. https://t.co/BJtRMbHAg2 — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

But also, and more importantly at the moment, are the Ukrainians the most impressive people on Earth or what? — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

I hope people better understand now why Putin needed to use Trump and cyberterrorism to attack America. His military appears to be a total disaster; without the complicity of Trump, gangs of hackers, and a few Russian spies who got close to the NRA and GOP, where would Putin be? — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

Holy sh*t https://t.co/8FBWbDyrNG — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @SethAbramson: We already know Donald Trump’s allies in the Kremlin have overseen systematic war crimes in Ukraine. I believe that 5 yea… — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @MacFarlaneNews: “Armed insurrection” Items carried at US Capitol by some in the mob, per court filings: Guns, bear spray, hockey stic… — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @MacFarlaneNews: Add: (stolen) shields — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @MacFarlaneNews: Add: Fire extinguisher — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @MacFarlaneNews: Add: Tree Branch, Pipe, Stick, Baton, Crutch, Club — PolitiTweet.org

Seth Abramson @SethAbramson

RT @MacFarlaneNews: Add: Rope and gallows — PolitiTweet.org