Tag: Donald Trump

'Yes, I'm A Trump Girl': W.Va. Guard Member Charged In Riot

A part-time member of the West Virginia National Guard who authorities say was wearing a sweatshirt that read “Yes, I'm a Trump girl” inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda has been charged with participating in the January 2021 riot.

A part-time member of the West Virginia National Guard who authorities say was wearing a sweatshirt that read “Yes, I’m a Trump girl” inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda has been charged with participating in the January 2021 riot.

Jamie Lynn Ferguson was arrested last week in Lynchburg, Virginia, and is scheduled for an initial appearance Tuesday before a U.S. magistrate judge in Washington, D.C., according to a criminal complaint.

Ferguson was charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, the complaint said.

Ferguson is a technical sergeant and a part-time, drill status guardsman assigned to the West Virginia Air National Guard, Guard spokeswoman Maj. Holli Nelson said in a statement.

“As a matter of policy, the 130th Airlift Wing and the West Virginia National Guard do not comment on pending criminal charges,” the statement said.

A federal public defender listed for Ferguson did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment on her behalf Monday.

On Jan. 14, 2021, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations submitted an investigative report to the FBI about Ferguson’s suspected involvement at the Capitol. The report provided her photograph and biographical information along with social media posts and screenshots of a video allegedly showing her inside the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6.

Ferguson was on leave from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7. Her destination was listed as Washington, D.C., according to the OSI report.

On Jan. 3, 2021, the woman’s Facebook account had shared an article with a picture of a crowd in front of the Capitol with a storm cloud and Mount Rushmore above it. A caption in the woman’s post read, “I pray this is exactly what D.C. will look like on Jan. 6th. #HoldTheLine.” A comment on the post asked whether the woman was going to the Capitol and she replied, “I am,” according to a statement of facts filed by an FBI special agent.

Video footage obtained by Capitol police shows a woman with long dark hair wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt with the phrase “Yes, I’m a Trump Girl” in white lettering and carrying a backpack entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the statement.

On Jan. 14, 2021, Ferguson was interviewed at her home by FBI agents and provided cellphone photos and videos from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7, 2021. One of the photos shows her physical appearance and clothing appearing to match the woman depicted in the video and news photos at the Capitol, the statement said.

Ferguson told the agents she attended a rally in support of then-President Donald Trump with her parents, who left afterward. Ferguson said she proceeded to the Capitol, believing she would be able to see Trump again, the statement said. She said she remained in the Rotunda area for about 40 minutes.

Court documents list Ferguson’s birth year as 1977 but redacted her month and date. Under the conditions of her release, Ferguson was ordered to stay at the Virginia home of her parents.

In Mooney-McKinley Republican Primary, Who Has The Advantage?

Two West Virginia members of the U.S. House of Representatives will face each other in next year’s Republican primary.

Because of population loss in the 2020 Census, West Virginia lost one of its three House seats.

After redistricting, incumbent representatives Alex Mooney and David McKinley are running against each other.

They’re both Republicans, and they voted the same way 87% of the time in their last term.

But, that’s where the similarities end.

McKinley, a native of Wheeling, is in his sixth term representing northern West Virginia. He was previously a member of the state House of Delegates and chaired the state Republican party.

Mooney, of Charles Town, is in his fourth term. He moved to the eastern panhandle in 2014 after serving as chairman of the Maryland Republican Party. His current district includes Charleston.

While McKinley is well-established in West Virginia, it may take more to win in the new district.

Mooney has more than $2.7 million in his campaign account, while McKinley has $630,000.

@RepAlexMooney
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Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., with former President Donald Trump.

Mooney also has an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who remains popular in West Virginia.

“It’s setting up as a very interesting and probably pretty competitive primary,” said Kyle Kondik, an election analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

Kondik initially thought McKinley had the edge because he’s more familiar to West Virginia voters.

But, he added, Trump’s endorsement and a bigger fundraising haul boosts Mooney’s chances.

“McKinley starts with an advantage because of geography,” Kondik said. “And then it’s a question of, ‘how does Mooney overcome that?’ Well, a Trump endorsement and having more money, those are two things that are helpful.”

Another issue that could cut both ways: infrastructure.

McKinley was one of 13 House Republicans to vote for a bipartisan infrastructure bill President Joe Biden signed into law.

Mooney voted against it, and Trump mentioned that specifically in his endorsement.

Still, the law delivers plenty of needed investment to West Virginia. It includes money for roads and bridges, broadband, drinking water, abandoned mine lands and orphaned oil and gas wells.

The primary is set for May 10. Until then, West Virginians can expect to see a flurry of advertising from both candidates on who will best represent the new 2nd district.

State Lawmakers Move To Rename Highway For Former President Trump

The West Virginia House of Delegates is considering a resolution to name a section of highway after former President Donald Trump.

House Concurrent Resolution 53 would rename Interstate 68 from the Maryland state line to the intersection with Interstate 79 in Monongalia and Preston counties as “President Donald J. Trump Highway.”

At a Thursday morning meeting of the House Technology and Infrastructure committee, Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, said local lawmakers had not been consulted, as is the usual practice for highway renaming.

“I wouldn’t sponsor a naming resolution to name a road after President Obama in Mineral County,” he said in an interview Thursday. “He shouldn’t sponsor one in Mon. County.”

The legislation is sponsored by two dozen Republican delegates with Del. Gary Howell, R-Mineral, as the lead sponsor.

The six delegates who represent the two counties the highway runs through did not sponsor the bill.

The proposal moved to the House Rules committee on Thursday.

“To me, it’s just another example of some of the legislation this session that the supermajority is pushing that is sometimes vindictive and not in the best interests of the people of West Virginia,” Hansen said.

In the 2020 election, Trump won every county in West Virginia but had the narrowest margin in Monongalia County where he received 49.4% of the vote compared to 48.2% of the vote for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Over the years, West Virginia lawmakers have named hundreds of roads after notable public figures, athletes, veterans and politicians.

Former President Barack Obama has over a dozen different roadways named after him. None are in West Virginia.

Earlier this year, a Florida lawmaker introduced similar legislation to rename a highway after former President Trump.

W.Va. School Employee Suspension For Trump Event Prompts Lawsuit

Updated on Jan. 12, 2021 at 5 p.m.

A federal lawsuit said two Jefferson County, West Virginia school bus drivers were suspended in retaliation for attending demonstrations in the nation’s capital. Jefferson County Schools said the employees were placed on paid leave while under investigation for possible illegal activity connected to that event.

Attorney John Bryan filed the lawsuit against Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Bondy Shay Gibson on behalf of bus drivers Tina Renner and Pamela McDonald.

The lawsuit said Renner and McDonald’s actions were protected under the First Amendment when they traveled to Washington, D.C. to support President Donald Trump.

Renner and McDonald rode on a charter bus Jan. 6. After hearing Trump speak at a rally, they walked to the U.S. Capitol, remained in an area designated for public occupation and did not participate in illegal activities, the lawsuit said.

After returning to Jefferson County, Renner and McDonald each received a phone call from the school district’s director of transportation informing them that they would be placed on paid administrative leave. Both also received letters from Superintendent Gibson.

The lawsuit said attending the rally was unrelated to the bus drivers’ employment and that they had enough leave days available to attend the rally.

Gibson said in a statement to West Virginia Public Broadcasting that she “respects the system of due process for all citizens” and “trusts the integrity of the judiciary to uphold that process.” In a prior statement, Gibson said the individuals were being investigated for alleged “threatening and inflammatory” Facebook posts and for violating the county’s leave policy.

Jefferson County Schools reports Renner and McDonald are the only employees under investigation, debunking previous rumors that about 30 other employees were also being investigated.

Last week’s insurrection in Washington, D.C. resulted in the death of a Capitol police officer who sustained injuries as a mob violently ransacked the U.S. Capitol. Police also fatally shot a woman during the riot. Three others died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

Jefferson Superintendent Draws First Amendment Criticism After District Investigates Employees Who Attended Violent U.S. Capitol Rally

Updated on Jan. 12, 2021 at 5:30 p.m.

At least two Jefferson County School employees are under investigation by the school district following last week’s protest of Congress certifying state election results. The two employees in question are school bus drivers Tina Renner and Pamela McDonald. The women are being investigated for possible illegal activity in connection to Wednesday’s violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and for “threatening” Facebook posts.

Jefferson County Schools issued a news release over the weekend announcing the investigation.

“Jefferson County Schools fully supports the rights of employees and students to exercise their First Amendment freedoms, including the right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government, but Wednesday’s protests involved violence and other unlawful conduct,” the statement read. “The District is investigating the matter to determine if any employee engaged in any illegal activity.”

Since the district sent the letters, however, there has been an uproar on social media platforms.

Many Twitter and Facebook users have posted strong support for the decision or have shared outrage, citing the move goes against the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

The Jefferson County Republican Executive Committee’s Facebook group issued a statement on Jan. 9 calling for Jefferson County School Superintendent Bondy Shay Gibson herself to be placed under investigation for her actions, saying her letter to employees was “a frightening attack on our liberties.”

“On behalf of all Jefferson County Republicans, the JCREC is requesting that the Board of Education immediately cease the violation of the Constitutional rights of the BOE’s employees, students, and the citizens of Jefferson County,” the group wrote in a Facebook post. “We are further requesting that Dr. Gibson be suspended pending an investigation of her actions.”

Following the uproar online, Gibson issued a statement Monday saying the individuals in question are under investigation, because she received reports that the employees allegedly published “threatening and inflammatory posts on their Facebook pages” and “had been present at the Electoral protest march on Wednesday that erupted in violence, and had violated our leave policy.”

“I understand that in this hyper-political environment, the letters came across to some as a potential threat of punishment for political beliefs. That was neither true nor the intention,” Gibson wrote. “I want to be clear that EVERY[sic] employee has EVERY[sic] right to the politics and beliefs of their choice, so long as their behavior does not cause harm or is illegal. I am seeking to determine whether these employees violated any policy or laws.”

Gibson went on to say no disciplinary action has been taken at this time, and the individuals were put on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting requested a copy of the letter sent to Jefferson County employees, but the school district did not respond.

 

The initial news release said the investigation “involves a personnel matter, the District cannot provide any additional information at this time.”

Screenshots of one of the letters, however, have been circulating on social media.

Multiple news outlets such as the Martinsburg Journal and WV MetroNews reported that the employees were to schedule meetings with Gibson for Tuesday, Jan. 12 and that disciplinary action, including termination, may follow.

Another outlet, 930 WFMD Free Talk based in Frederick, Maryland reported that “about 30 teachers” are under investigation, rather than just two.

Jefferson County Schools told West Virginia Public Broadcasting that Renner and McDonald are the only employees under investigation, debunking claims that more employees were being investigated.

As a result of the suspension and investigation, a federal lawsuit has been filed against Superintendent Gibson on behalf of Renner and McDonald. The lawsuit said the actions of the two women were protected under the First Amendment and maintains they did not participate in illegal activity.

Across the country, law enforcement and the FBI have been asking for help in identifying any individuals who were present at the rally last week and who may have participated in unlawful conduct.

Newly elected House of Delegates member Derrick Evans, a Republican from Wayne County, resigned over the weekend — before serving in the Legislature — following his involvement in Wednesday’s insurrection.

He also faces federal charges for his role in those events.

At least five people died as a result of Wednesday’s violence, including one Capitol Police officer who sustained injuries during the attack on the Capitol.

West Virginia Rep. Alex Mooney Objects To Effort To Remove Trump From Office

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Rep. Alex Mooney of West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District objected Monday to an effort in the U.S. House of Representatives to remove President Donald Trump from office.

The House was set to consider a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to gather members of the cabinet and invoke the 25th Amendment. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland requested unanimous consent to consider the resolution, but that request was blocked by Mooney’s objection.

“Speaker Pelosi should not attempt to adopt a resolution of this magnitude without any debate on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives,” Mooney said in a statement. “It is wrong to have sent members of Congress home and then try to adopt without any debate a precedent-setting resolution that could imperil our Republic. The U.S. House must never adopt a resolution that demands the removal of a duly elected president, without any hearings, debate or recorded votes.”

Efforts to remove Trump from office have gained momentum since hundreds of pro-Trump extremists mounted an insurrection last week on the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

As Congress considered certifying each state’s results, Mooney voted to object to results from Pennsylvania. U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, of West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District, voted to object to results in both Arizona and Pennsylvania.

 

With Democrats holding a narrow majority in the House, an effort to impeach Trump for his role in the insurrection was introduced on Monday.

A single article of impeachment, accusing Trump of “inciting violence against the government of the United States,” is expected to see a vote this week.

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