10 hours ago -Politics & Policy

"F–k it: Release 'em all": Why Trump embraced broad Jan. 6 pardonsMarc Caputo Jan. 21, 2025

President Trump's sweeping pardons for 1,500 Jan. 6 criminals and defendants were a last-minute, rip-the-bandage-off decisionto try to move past the issue quickly, White House advisers familiar with the Trump team's discussions tell Axios.

Why it matters:Trump's move to "go big" on the pardons sheds light on his unpredictable decision-making process, andshows his determination to fulfill a campaign promise to his MAGA base— regardless of political fallout.

How it happened:Eight days before the inauguration, Vice President-to-be JD Vance — channeling what he believed to be Trump's thinking — said on "Fox News Sunday" that Jan. 6 convicts who assaulted police ought not get clemency: "If you committed violence that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned."

•Trump vacillatedduring an internal debate over targeted clemency vs. a blanket decision according to two insiders.

• But as Trump's team wrestled with the issue, and planned a shock-and-awe batch of executive orders Day 1,"Trump just said: 'F -k it: Release 'em all,'" an adviser familiar with the discussions said.

Catch up quick:Trump's decision was a surprise to some Republicans in Congress, who grimaced at the appearance of the new president condoning violence against police officers.

• On Jan. 7, 2021, the day after his supporters rioted at the Capitol to protest the 2020 election, Trump decried those who "defiled" the building.

But as his own legal problems mounted during his campaign,Trump came to embrace the cause of those charged in the riot.On the campaign trail, he began playing a version of the National Anthem sung by jailed protestors who called themselves the "J6 Prison Choir."

•After he was elected, Trump told "Meet the Press" on Dec. 8 that he'd pardon Jan. 6 convicts and defendants on Day 1: "I'm going to be acting very quickly."

•He didn't rule out clemencyfor those accused or convicted of attacking police, but said: "We're going to look at individual cases."

Between the lines:Early in the internal discussions, Vance actually had advocated for a blanket pardon. But the Yale-trained lawyer figured Trump wouldn't want to take the hit for releasing notorious convicts.

• The case-by-case review was onerous. Trump staffers wondered whom to pardon and who might slip through the cracks.

• Time was running out heading into Inauguration Day. Trump wanted to pardon as many people as possible and get it over with, so he landed on clemency for everyone.

In the Trump team's view, "all the prosecutions are tainted," the adviser familiar with the discussions told Axios: "It's time to move on."

• Vance was "100% on board," said one Trump insider, pointing to a Vance post on X in which he noted that in 2021, "I donated to the J6 political prisoner fund and got ROASTED for it during my Senate race."

• Trump advisers say they aren't particularly worried about the political fallout from the pardons decision, despite bad poll numbers. They believe Jan. 6 was essentially litigated in the election Trump won, and that other issues matter more to voters.

The pardons episodeprovided a lesson for Vance and others in Trump's orbit: Categorical statements forecasting the mercurial president's actions are always a risk. It also happened to Vance during the campaign, when he said Trump would veto a national abortion ban.

• "The president didn't change his mind," the Trump adviser said. "He just made up his mind and Vance got a little over his skis on Fox, but it's no big deal."

The bottom line:"Never get ahead of the boss," a Trump transition source said, "because you just never know."

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/22/trump-pardons-jan6-clemency

Trump pardons most Jan. 6 defendants 1/2

Ivana Saric, Erin Doherty Updated Jan 21, 2025 -Politics & Policy

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday granting a "full, complete and unconditional pardon" to the vast majority of Jan. 6 defendants charged with participating in the Capitol riot four years ago.

Why it matters:Among the roughly 1,500 pardoned and 14 others whose sentences were commuted were leaders of the extremist groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who were convicted of the seditious conspiracy for their roles in the attack.

• Trump made pardoning Jan. 6 rioters a key campaign pledge, repeatedly extolling them as "patriots" and "hostages" of the justice system and claiming they'd been treated unfairly.

• It's a far cry from former President Biden's denouncement of the "violent insurrectionists" who threatened U.S. democracy in storming the Capitol.

Driving the news:Trump commuted the sentences of 14 defendants and issued pardons for all other "individuals convicted of offenses" connected to Jan. 6, according to the executive order.

• "These are the hostages, approximately 1,500 for a pardon, full pardon," Trump said from the Oval Office, as he signed a slew of other executive orders on his first night as president.

Zoom in:A lawyer for Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of seditious conspiracy over the deadly Capitol riot, confirmed to media that the former leader of the right-wing extremist Proud Boys group was among those pardoned by Trump.

• Among the rioters whose sentences Trump commuted was Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers, to 18 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of seditious conspiracy.

Context:Seditious conspiracy is defined as when two or more people conspire to overthrow, destroy, seize the property of or levy war against the U.S. government, or to prevent the execution of any American law.

By the numbers:At least 1,583 people had been charged to date in connection with the insurrection, per Department of Justice data ahead of the Capitol riot's fourth anniversary.

• More than 1,000 defendants have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.

• The charges faced by the defendants have ranged from misdemeanors, like trespassing, to felony charges, like assaulting law enforcement officers or engaging in seditious conspiracy.

Status of Jan. 6 Capitol riot prosecutionsApproximate number of defendants as of Jan. 3, 2025

• Cases fully adjudicated and sentences issued 1,100

• Charged and have not yet pled or been found guilty 300

• Pled or found guilty and awaiting sentencing 170

Zoom out:Pardoning insurrectionists convicted of crimes, including violent felonies, defies the GOP's image as the party of law and order. Future perpetrators of political violence could also expect to be met with clemency.

• Since 2021, multiple criminal and congressional investigations have sought to sift through the events of the attack and Trump's role in it.

• Trump was indicted in 2023 as part of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. After Trump won the 2024 election, the case was dismissed.

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/21/trump-pardons-jan-6-defendants

>>22412052

2/2

State of play:During the campaign and transition period, Trump repeatedly promised to quickly pursue pardons for Jan. 6 rioters upon assuming the presidency.

• As recently as January, Trump vowed "major pardons" were coming for Jan. 6 defendants.

• In 2022, before he announced another run for office, Trump publicly promised pardons and said the defendants were being treated unfairly.

Over the years,he gave limited details about how broad the potential pardons would be.

• In an interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press" in December, Trump said there could be "some exceptions" for the pardons in cases where the defendant was "radical, crazy," but did not elaborate.

• He also told Time magazine he would determine the pardons on a "case-by-case" basis, but that the "vast majority" of defendants "should not be in jail."

What we're watching:In pardoning Jan. 6 defendants convicted of crimes, Trump is testing the limits of public opinion.

• A Washington Post-University of Maryland national poll released in December found that 66% of Americans opposed Trump's plan to issue pardons for the rioters. (Obviously they used most liberals in this poll)

Several federal judgeshad also opposed Trump's plan to issue pardons for the rioters.

• U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee who has handled Jan. 6 cases, said in November that "blanket pardons for all January 6 defendants or anything close would be beyond frustrating and disappointing."

• While sentencing a member of the Oath Keepers militia last month, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said that the prospect of the group's founder Stewart Rhodes receiving a pardon "is frightening and ought to be frightening to anyone who cares about democracy in this country."

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/21/trump-pardons-jan-6-defendants

Jan 21, 2025 -Politics & Policy Ivana Saric

The most notorious Jan. 6 defendants pardoned by Trump

President Trump on Monday issued pardons for nearly all of the defendants charged with participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot —an unprecedented act of clemency.

Why it matters:In doing so, Trump absolved those who sought to undermine the democratic process. He also dashed a years-long effort by former President Biden's Justice Department to hold accountable those responsible for the deadly violence.

• In addition the roughly 1,500 pardons, Trump also commuted 14 defendants' sentences.

The big picture:Trump himself was indicted after special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. However, the DOJ case was dismissed after Trump won the 2024 election.

• In his final report, Smith drew a direct line between Trump and the rioters, saying the president had "inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence."

Here are the most notoriousJan. 6 defendants impacted by Trump's executive order.

Enrique Tarrio: ex-Proud Boys leader

One of the most well knownrioters to receive a pardon is Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, the former leader of the right-wing extremist Proud Boys group.

• Tarrio was sentenced in 2023 to 22 years in prison after being found guilty of engaging in seditious conspiracy related to the Jan. 6 riot, the longest prison sentence handed down in the Jan. 6 cases.

• Seditious conspiracy is committed when two or more people in the U.S. conspire to overthrow, destroy, seize the property of or levy war against the U.S. government, or to prevent the execution of any U.S. law.

Zoom in: While Tarrio wasn't at the Capitol riot himself, prosecutors argued that he maintained command over the Proud Boys during that time and took credit for what unfolded on behalf of the group.

• Tarrio's mother posted on X Monday night that her son was being released. "Tarrio is free!" she wrote.

Stewart Rhodes: founder of Oath Keepers

Trump commuted the sentenceof Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers.

• Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2023 for seditious conspiracy, after he helped lead a plot to halt the certification of the 2020 election results.

• Rhodes was released from prison early Tuesday morning, Reuters reported.

Trump pardons Proud Boys leaders

Three other Proud Boys leaders— Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Ethan Nordean — were all military veterans and Proud Boy leaders who had their sentences commuted by Trump.

• Biggs and Rehl were sentenced for seditious conspiracy and other charges in their Jan. 6 cases, with Biggs was sentenced to 17 years in prison and Rehl to 15 years in prison.

• Nordean was sentenced to 18 years in prison after also being found guilty of seditious conspiracy.

• It was not immediately clear when the trio would be released.

Kelly Meggs: Oath Keepers leader

One of Rhodes' top deputies, Kelly Meggs, also had his sentence commuted by Trump.

• Meggs, a former Florida leader of the Oath Keepers, had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other felonies.

• His wife, Connie Meggs, also received a pardon for her role in the riot, per Reuters.

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/21/trump-jan-6-pardons-j6-proud-boys-oath-keepers

When the Truth comes out, which all of these Media outlets know about and how it was planned by Pelosi and others, it will shock those who believed the bullshit.

• 3 hours ago -Politics & Policy Andrew Solender

Democrats hold rage session over Trump's Jan. 6 pardons

Whatever sufferance President Trump may have enjoyed from congressional Democrats evaporated instantly just hours after his inauguration when he pardoned most Jan. 6 defendants.

Why it matters:Even moderate Democrats who had hoped against hope that they could work with the self-styled dealmaker say the move bodes poorly.

• "We do want to work together, and hopefully that's what will happen," said Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), a leading member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

• But "between Trump's very grim [inaugural] speech and … the fact he ended the day by releasing hundreds of violent criminals back into our communities, I think he has some work to do."

Driving the news:In their closed-door caucus meeting Wednesday, House Democrats were shown videos of three separate cases of assaults on police officers during the Jan. 6 attack, according to multiple sources who were present.

• The footage included Officer Daniel Hodges having his gas mask ripped off and being crushed in a door and Officer Michael Fanone being tased. Both testified to the Jan. 6 committee about their experiences.

• Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a former Jan. 6 committee member, also spoke in the meeting about his sit-down with the mother of Officer Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries sustained in the attack. (Lie Axios, he died of a stroke, why do they repeat this lie)

What we're hearing:"It was f***ing brutal," Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), who said the footage reminded members "how violent these people are and how they are being released back into their communities."

• "We're not going to let this go. It's horrifying," she added.

• Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said there was "a lot of anger, a lot of frustration and, quite frankly, a lot of bitterness. … It's just disgusting."

Between the lines:It wasn't merely Trump's choice to pardon some Jan. 6 criminal defendants that so shocked and horrified Democrats. Everyone saw that coming.

• Rather, it was his decision to pardon virtually every rioter, including those convicted of assaulting police officers, that has Democrats so up in arms.

• Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) said one could argue — though he personally wouldn't — that Trump could have "done it with some surgical precision, maybe [pardoned] people who were here who didn't engage in violence against police officers."

Yes, but:Some centrist Democrats aren't giving up hope that Trump will ultimately cut deals with their party when necessary.

• "I came in in 2017. I learned quickly, what this type of operation wants you to do is get distracted. You can't get distracted," said Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.)

•"The natural inclination is, you know, we're mad at things he does and we want to fight right away, but we've got to try to rise above that and try to find common ground," said Problem Solversco-chair Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.).

The bottom line:Asked if he's seen any indication yet that Trump is willing to meet him halfway in finding common ground, Suozzi grinned.

• "The indications, you have to really look for them very carefully," he quipped.

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/22/trump-jan-6-pardons-house-democrats-raskin

President Trump Restructures the National Security Council and Removes IC Influence

January 21, 2025 | Sundance |

People have asked why we focus so much sunlight and attention toward the network silos that operate the Intelligence Community (IC) and as an outcome the national security focus of government.The answer is simple, as Mary McCord herself admitted publicly,the IC are the background approver for every weaponized approach of government, including the DOJ.

With that in mind, CTH has painstakingly made the case –with details and receipts– for a process of removing the IC silos from influence over the Office of The President.The Chief Executive must control all elements of national security policy and implementation.

Thankfully, the Supreme Court recently affirmed the plenary power of the executive branch, and the unitary power of the President in controlling every system within that branch of government.

That ruling (presidential immunity) further bolstered the solution we have continuously proposed. The IC silos must be decoupled from the Executive office definitions of national security, until such a time as the IC institutions can be bought to heel.

The most effective way to confront a rogue, hostile and corrupt IC apparatus is to take away their power.The best way to remove their power is to use their primary weapon, their silo structure, against them.

Turn each silo into an irrelevant echo-chamber by using the White House National Security Council as their replacement. Regardless of what triggers the various IC silo embeds try to pull (CIA, NSA, FBI, DIA, etc.)let them shoot blanks by removing their power over policy and process.

If the IC is isolated from influence, eventually the Legislative Branch, specifically the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will realize the ‘Seven Ways from Sunday’group no longer hold power. The IC becomes a crew stomping their feet while no one pays attention.

This approach would be affected by restructuring the President’s National Security Council (NSC), the National Security Advisor (NSA Mike Waltz) and working with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI Tulsi Gabbard), in a synergistic process. The IC become simply information functionaries. The Nat Sec Council then validates and defines the information, creates the definitions of national security interest, and initiates the guidance to President Trump, who ultimately triggers any action.

Until yesterday there were only a few subtle signs that this ‘silo isolation’ approach was being accepted as the most effective optimal solution to the problem within the intelligence apparatus.However, yesterday President Trump signed an Executive Order [SEE HERE] doing exactly the type of restructuring that is needed.

The XO is technical and deep in the weeds, but this is the process that has the greatest likelihood of success.

SUBJECT: Organization of the National Security Council and Subcommittees

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct the following:

As President, my highest priority and responsibility is to ensure the safety and security of the United States and its people. The national and homeland security threats facing the United States are complex and rapidly evolving. These issues often do not fit neatly into the categories that single departments and agencies are designed to optimally address, a fact recognized and exploited by our strategic competitors and adversaries in their adoption of whole-of-government and even whole-of-society approaches….

This process hinges upon the execution of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

We will watch closely.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/01/21/president-trump-restructures-the-national-security-council-and-removes-ic-influence/

(Sundance goes on for 5-8 pages exactly what Trump and his team did, good readBut Very Long)

>>22411323, >>22411654 @EmeraldRobinson It's time to explain exactly what happened on Election Day 2024 to stop the steal.PN

Can someone keep up with x thread or the thread reader app daily, this is what I found there today:

@EmeraldRobinson

5h • 7 tweets • 2 min read • Read on X

1.It's time to explain exactly what happened on Election Day 2024 to stop the steal.

This will be a very long thread.

It involves quite a few people over 4 years.

A dozen sources.

We must begin just after the rigged 2020 election.

1. Let's begin the story in December 2020.

Why? Because President Trump wanted election fraud investigated.

He told his team to hire someone to discover the truth about the voting machines.

Multiple sources tell me an ex-CIA investigator was hired for the job.

1. That investigator reported that claims of election fraud were overblown.

Some DOJ lawyers also wanted election fraud investigated.

Those efforts were blocked by AG Bill Barr's staff including Barr's CoS Will Levi.

Levi threatened to quit if any cases were launched.

1. Also in Dec 2020, a group of NatSec analysts briefed the White House that enough evidence of election fraud existed to launch a full USG investigation.

In Jan 2021, several GOP Senators were briefed as well.

Neither the WH nor the Senators authorized the investigation.

1. A few people tried to alert President Trump about the NatSec analyst briefing and the need for a full investigation in late 2020 but those efforts were blocked by WH Counsel Pat Cipollone - according to two sources.

Cipollone joined Bill Barr's law firm on Jan 17, 2024.

1. Chris Krebs, the head of a small agency called CISA (which is inside DHS) sent out a press release in late 2020 claiming the 2020 election “…was the most secure in American history."

Krebs was not a cybersecurity expert.

Who hired him?

The head of DHS: Chad Wolf.

1. Krebs was hired because he was Chad Wolf's close friend. He worked at CISA coordinating with leftwing orgs like Democracy Works to "prepare" for the 2020 election.

Trump fired Krebs a week after he dismissed Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

• • •

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1882074856730300718.html

Chad Wolf is still being interviewed on FOX these days, of course about the border, but he's the only one that seemingly disappeared on the 2020 election

Justice Jackson wards off ‘evil’ at Trump’s Inauguration with African ‘witchcraft’ necklace…

January 22, 2025 (8 hours ago)

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson seemed very deliberate about her look for President Trump’s inauguration. Sure, she had to wear her black robe—she’s a Supreme Court Justice, after all—but her choice of jewelry was unique and a bit disturbing.

According to reports, Justice Jackson sported an African necklace designed to ward off “evil spirits,” leading many to wonder if the latest DEI justice is dabbling in old African witchcraft symbolism.

However, there are some questions surrounding the actual meaning of the necklace. Many claim the shells were actually used as payment to purchase African slaves.

We asked Grok about the shells:

Cowrie shells were indeed used as a form of currency in various parts of Africa and Asia for centuries, including during the era of the transatlantic slave trade. Here’s how they relate to the slave trade:

Historical Use: Cowrie shells, primarily from the species Cypraea moneta and Cypraea annulus, were imported in vast quantities to Africa, where they served as currency. Their small size, durability, and the fact that they were hard to counterfeit made them an effective medium of exchange.

Slave Trade Connection: In some regions, cowrie shells were used to buy goods, including slaves. Europeans, particularly during the 16th to 19th centuries, would often trade with cowries because they were a well-accepted form of currency in many African societies. This was especially true in West Africa where the slave trade was most intense.

Economic Impact: The use of cowries in this context had significant economic implications. The influx of cowries could inflate local economies, sometimes leading to devaluation of existing currencies or systems of exchange.

Cultural Significance: Beyond their economic role, cowrie shells also had cultural significance in many societies, used in jewelry, rituals, and as symbols of wealth or status.

The story caught on fire, when a large X account published this post about the so-called “witchcraft” necklace.

Christopher Webb:

• I love this so much!

• At the inauguration, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wore a distinctive collar adorned with cowrie shells, which are believed to offer protection from evil in African traditions.

• This choice mirrors the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s practice of using collars to convey a message.

https://twitter.com/cwebbonline/status/1881512070602248695

This comes across as crazy and emotionally unbalanced. Then again, it seems Justice Jackson might be confused about the meaning of the necklace too—which makes sense, considering she’s also not sure what a woman is.

Makes you wonder, does Justice Jackson have an anti-Trump voodoo doll too? What is it with these unhinged left-wingers? Here are some of the comments from people online:

• “The Left wants a Supreme Court justice with the intellectual firepower and influence to move the court in their direction, as Scalia and Clarence Thomas did for the Right, even in the minority! But they’re stuck with Justice Jackson’s African witchcraft.”

• “I would wear a shrunken head to warn my enemies”

• “Thankfully, African superstition was rejected at the ballot box.”

• “That our leftist elites adopt neopagan practices is the least surprising thing in the world.”

• “African here, In Ghana cowrie shells were used as currency, so if anything this is a gross display of opulence. Also apparently you could also trade enough in for human beings lmao!”

• “So we have a woman in the Supreme Court who does not know what a woman is and thinks seashells protect her from evil spirits. Regressive.”

• “Cowrie shells were used as currency to sell the bodies of Africans to white slavers. You all want to be African so damn bad. It’s sad”

• “A Supreme Court Justice was using magic charms at the inauguration.”

• “And we’re somehow supposed to take her seriously?”

• “Democrats chose a SCOTUS justice that believes in black magic and evil spirits. WTF?”

• The bottom line is that the left has gotten so corny and completely lost the plot.

• Clearly, President Trump broke the radical DEI justices on the US Supreme Court. Just look at their sad, bitter faces—it says it all, right?

https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1881407772279066942

Too bad there’s not an African witchcraft necklace to ward off Stage 5 TDS. That would actually be very helpful.

https://revolver.news/2025/01/justice-jackson-wards-off-evil-at-trumps-inauguration-with-african-witchcraft-necklace/

Trump White House Removes Deep-State Agency Officials, Fulfilling National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s Pledge Before Inauguration

All the so-called “detailees” from federal agencies and departments to the National Security Council (NSC) in the White House have been removedand President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is conducting a full review of all staff who will be detailed to the entity, an NSC official confirmed to Breitbart News.

Waltz had told Breitbart News during the transition in an exclusive interview that they would be all removed on day one, and new ones who were on board with Trump’s vision would take their place.Detailees, as they are called, are officials from various law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies and departments across the federal government who are detailed to–or assigned to–the White House’s National Security Council. The NSC is the entity that helps corral the entire federal government behind a president’s national security agenda, but in Trump’s first term it’s the entity from which several deep state moles like Alexander Vindman and others came at Trump.

Vindman, who was a detailee to the NSC in Trump’s first term, was obviously the impetus for the first impeachment of Trump. Waltz made it clear in that Breitbart News exclusive interview, published earlier in January, that he would send all the detailees back to their respective agencies and departments right away on day one of the Trump administration–and that they would be replaced with new ones who were not disloyal to Trump.

That has now happened. The Associated Press first reported the move from Waltz–who does not need Senate confirmation as he is a top White House staffer and close adviser to the president, so he has been at work since Trump took the oath of office–and an NSC official confirmed the news to Breitbart News on Wednesday afternoon.

“National Security Advisor Mike Waltz promised and authorized a full review of NSC personnel,” NSC spokesman Brian Hughes added in a statement to Breitbart News. “It is entirely appropriate for Mr. Waltz to ensure NSC personnel are committed to implementing President Trump’s America First agenda to protect our national security and wisely use the tax dollars of America’s working men and women. Since 12:01 pm on Monday personnel reviews and decisions based on the evaluations are being made.”

The radical left and deep state, as well as the establishment media, totally melted down when Waltz first revealed these plans to Breitbart News in that early January exclusive. MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace even dramatically read most of the Breitbart News story on air live before interviewing former Barack Obama White House NSC official Ben Rhodes about it in the days after.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/22/trump-white-house-removes-deep-state-agency-officials-fulfilling-national-security-advisor-mike-waltzs-pledge-before-inauguration/

SoCal: Brush Fire Erupts North of Santa Clarita, Evacuations Ordered

Paul Bois 22 Jan 2025

A brush fire erupted on Wednesday near Castaic Lake, just north of southern California’s Santa Clarita — a Los Angeles suburb behind the San Fernando Valley.

The Hughes fire has been moving rapidly since first breaking out, advancing more than 500 acres in roughly an hour due to the massive winds and dry weather facing the area. Evacuation orders have since been called in. Video shared on social media demonstrated the fire’s growing power:

According to the Santa Clarita Valley Signal, the fire broke out around 10:40 a.m., which prompted quick evacuation orders for Castaic Lake and the surrounding areas:

The fire spread quickly along both sides of Lake Hughes Road to the northeast of the lake, and radio dispatch shortly after 11 a.m. indicated spot fires were popping up near the Ridge Route, approaching Interstate 5.

The incident is being called the Hughes Fire, and was initially reported as near Lake Hughes Road and Dry Gulch Road, but closer to Castaic Lake than Lake Elizabeth, according to radio dispatch traffic.

Initial radio dispatch reports indicated the fire had already reached 50-100 acres and was crossing Lake Hughes Road. Castaic Sports Complex and Paradise Ranch Mobile Home Park were placed under evacuation order as of 11:20 a.m.

It remains unknown if the fire poses a broader threat to the Santa Clarita area, which serves as home to Six Flags Magic Mountain along with a population of 224,028 people. It comes several weeks after the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire devastated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, burning more than 15,000 structures and killing over 28 people.

https://www.breitbart.com/weather/2025/01/22/socal-brush-fire-erupts-north-santa-clarita-evacuations-ordered/

Newsom needed attention because the inauguration took away the focus on this asshole.