
Pardon The Insurrection
Where we discuss the ongoing Congressional and criminal investigations of the January 6 coup orchestrated by the former President. And because insurrection wasn't enough, we'll also cover the Department of Justice espionage investigation, investigations relating to other members of Congress, and more. Don't worry, we're not handing out any pardons.
Pardon The Insurrection
January 6 Report: The Last Best Hope For Earth
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As we navigate the corridors of truth, we promise to shed light on the darker corners of the January 6th attack on the U.S Capitol. Our journey takes us through the starkly haunting corridors of our hallowed democratic institutions, with a lens that scrutinizes the Select Committee's investigation into this heart-stopping incident. Remember the chilling threat to our democrac transformed our political landscape and the way our country was viewed across the world? We do, and we revisit the scene with you, emphasizing the gravity of placing our allegiance to our nation and Constitution above partisan lines.
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This is D-Night and you're listening to the Partney and Serafion podcast. January 6th Report Forward The last best hope for Earth. I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear the true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me, god. All members of the United States Congress take this sacred oath On January 6, 2021,. Democrats and Republicans agree that we would fulfill this oath and that we had an obligation to signal to the world that American democracy would prevail.
Speaker 1:In furtherance of fulfilling this duty, the Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol was charged with investigating the facts, circumstances and causes that led to this domestic terror attack on the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution. We owe a debt of gratitude to Chairman Benny Thompson, vice Chair Liz Cheney, the patriotic members of Congress and dedicated staff who devoted themselves to this investigation, to uncovering the truth and to writing a report that is a roadmap for justice. The Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack has succeeded in bringing clarity and demonstrating with painstaking detail the fragility of our democracy. Above all, the work of the Select Committee underscores that our democratic institutions are only as strong as the commitment of those who are entrusted with their care. As the Select Committee concludes its work, their words must be a clarion call to all Americans to vigilantly guard our democracy and to give our vote only to those dutiful in the defense of our Constitution. Let us always honor our oath to, as Abraham Lincoln said, nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of Earth. So help us God. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House.
Speaker 1:Forward from the Chairman, we were told to remove our lapel pens. At the start of every new Congress, house members are presented with lapel pens. They are about the size of a quarter and carry the seal of a bald eagle. On a routine day in the Capitol, there are thousands of tourists, advocates and workers. Typically, the pens are an easy way to spot House members. However, on January 6th 2021, the pen that was once a badge of honor and distinction turned into a bullseye. On that day, tear gas fogged, the air's gunfire ring out and a violent mob crashed against the sealed doors. Concerned for our safety, capitol Police officers told us that our lapel pens would make us a target for rioters. As the Capitol Police rushed members of Congress and staffed to safety, that simple and, in context, sensible warning stuck with me.
Speaker 1:On January 6th 2021, my colleagues and I came to work with the intent of fulfilling our oaths to office and constitutional duty to carry out the peaceful transfer of power. We were the people's representatives in the people's house, doing the people's business. Sadly, on that day, the danger was too great for our work to continue and for us to remain in the Capitol. It was too dangerous to be identified as a representative of the American people.
Speaker 1:I've been a member of the House for nearly 30 years. In that time, there's not a day that goes by that I don't feel a profound sense of duty and responsibility to the men and women who sent me to Congress to be their voice. After all, i'm from a part of a country where, in my lifetime, black people were excluded entirely from political processes. Jim Crow Laws prevented my father from registering to vote and, tragically, during his life he never cast a vote. For generations, the people and communities I represent have shirked to have their voices heard by their government. Therefore, i take my duties and responsibility seriously, advocating for greater economic opportunity, robust infrastructure, better schools and safer housing for my constituents. However, that long struggle to overcome oppression and secure basic civil and human rights continues to be my highest priority. I am always mindful of the journey that brought me to Washington as a member of Congress to be the voice of the women and men of Mississippi. As a violent mom stored the Capitol trying to take away people's votes, rioters carried the battle flag from a failed rebellion of Confederate states. This moment resonated deeply with me because of my personal history. Additionally, i continue to think about the ongoing struggle to ensure justice and equality for all Americans.
Speaker 1:The Capitol building itself is a fixture in our country's history, of both good and bad. After all, the structure is among the most recognizable symbols of American democracy. The Capitol shining dome topped with the statue of God as freedom was built partially by the labor of enslaved peoples in the 18th and 19th centuries. Dark chapters of American history are written into the building's marble, sandstone and mortar. And yet, in the halls and chambers of this building, leaders of courage passed amendments to our Constitution and enacted the laws that banned slavery, guaranteed equal rights under the law, expanded the vote, promoted equality and moved our country and her people forward. The Capitol building itself is a symbol of our journey toward a more perfect union. It is a temple to our democracy. Those great moments in our history have come when men and women put loyalty to our country and constitution ahead of politics and party. They did the right thing. The work of the select committee certainly originates from the same tradition. Our bipartisan membership has moved politics to the side and focused on the facts, circumstances and causes of January 6.
Speaker 1:When I think back to January 6, after nearly a year and a half of investigation, i am frightened about the peril our democracy faced. Specifically, i think about what that mob was there to do to block the peaceful transfer of power from one president to another, based on a lie that the election was rigged and tainted with widespread fraud. I also think about why the rioters were there, besieging the legislative branch of our government. The rioters were inside the halls of Congress because the head of the executive branch of our government, the then president of the United States, told them to attack. Donald Trump summoned that mob to Washington DC. Afterward he sent them to the Capitol to try and prevent my colleagues and me from doing our constitutional duty to certify the election. They put our very democracy to the test. Trump's mob came dangerously close to succeeding. Courageous law enforcement officers put their lives on the line for hours, while Trump said in the White House, refusing to tell the rioters to go home while watching the assault on our republic unfold live on television. When it was clear that the insurrection would fail, trump finally called off the mob, telling them quote we love you. Afterward, congress was able to return to the Capitol building and finish the job of counting the electoral college votes and certifying the election.
Speaker 1:This is the key conclusion of the select committee all nine of us, republicans and Democrats alike. But who knows what would have happened if Trump's mob had succeeded in stopping us from doing our job? Who knows what sort of constitutional gray zone our country would have slid into? Who would have been left to correct that wrong, as required by House Resolution 503, which established the select committee? we've explored in great detail the facts, circumstances and causes of the attack. This report will provide new details to supplement those findings the committee has already presented during our hearings. But there are some questions for which there are still no clear answers, even if all the facts, circumstances and causes are brought to bear, the what if? questions. For the good of American democracy, those questions must never again be put to the test. So, while it's important that this report lays out what happened, it is just as important to focus on how to make sure that January 6th was a one-time event to identify the ongoing threats that could lead us down that dangerous path again, with hopes and humble prayers that the committee's work has carried on through corrective action.
Speaker 1:This report will provide greater detail about the multi-step effort devised and driven by Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election and block the transfer of power. Building on the information presented in our hearings earlier this year, we will present new findings about Trump's pressure campaign on officials from the local level all the way up to his vice president, orchestrated and designed solely to throw out the will of the voters and keep him in office past the end of his elected term. As we've shown previously, this plan faltered at several points because of the courage of officials, nearly all of them Republicans, who refused to go along with it. Donald Trump appeared to believe that anyone who shared his partisan affiliation would also share the same callous disregard for his or her oath to uphold the rule of law. Fortunately, he was wrong.
Speaker 1:The failure of Trump's plan was not assured. To the contrary, trump's plan was successful at several terms. When his scheme to stay in power through political pressure hit roadblocks, he relentlessly pushed ahead with the parallel plan, summoning a mob together in Washington DC on January 6, promising that things quote will be wild. That mom showed up. They were armed, they were angry, they believed the big lie that the election had been stolen, and when Donald Trump pointed them toward the Capitol and told them to quote, fight like hell. That's exactly what they did. Donald Trump lit that fire, but in the weeks beforehand the kindling he ultimately ignited was a mass in plain sight.
Speaker 1:That's why, as part of the select committee's investigation, we took a hard look at whether enough was done to mitigate that risk. Our investigative teams focused on the way intelligence was gathered, shared and assessed. We pro-pro-preparations by law enforcement agencies and security responses on the day of the attack. We followed the money to determine who paid for a number of events in the run-up to the attack and to gain a clearer understanding of the way former president's campaign apparatus cashed in on the big lie. And we pulled back the curtain at certain major social media companies to determine if their policies and protocols were up to the challenge, when the president spread a message of violence and his supporters began to plan and coordinate their dissent on Washington.
Speaker 1:The select committee's conclusion on these matters, particularly dealing with intelligence and law enforcement, is consistent with our broader findings about the causes of January 6th, where agencies perfect in their preparations for January 6th and their responses as violence unfolded, of course not. Relevant oversight committees and watchdogs should continue to find efficiencies and improvements, some of which are laid out in the committee's recommendations. But the shortfall of communications, intelligence and law enforcement around January 6th was much less about what they did or did not know. It was more about what they could not know. The president of the United States inciting a mob to march on the Capitol and impede the work of Congress is not a scenario our intelligence and law enforcement communities envisioned for this country Prior to January 6th. It was unimaginable. Whatever weaknesses existed in the policies, procedures or institutions, they were not to blame for what happened on that day. And so when I think about the ongoing threats, when I think about how to avoid having to confront those what-ifs in the future, my concerns are less with the mechanics of intelligence gathering and security posture.
Speaker 1:As important as those questions are, my concerns remain, first and foremost, with those who continue to seek power at the expense of American democracy. What if those election officials had given in to Donald Trump's pressure? What if the Justice Department had gone along with Trump's scheme to declare the 2020 election fraudulent? What if the vice president had tried to throw out electoral votes? What if the rioters been on stopping the peaceful transfer of power hadn't been repelled? To cast a vote in the United States of America is an act of both hope and faith. When you drop that ballot into the ballot box, you do so with the confidence that every person named on that ballot will hold up their end of the bargain. The person who wins must swear an oath and live up to it. The people who come short must accept the ultimate results and abide by the will of the voters in the rule of law. This faith in our institution and laws is what upholds our democracy. If that faith is broken, if those who seek power accept only the results of elections that they win, then American democracy, only a few centuries old, comes tumbling down. That's the danger. What's the solution? The committee believes a good starting point is the set of recommendations we set forth in our report pursuant to House Resolution 503. Driven by our investigative findings, these recommendations will help strengthen the guardrails of our democracy Beyond what is recommended.
Speaker 1:In my view, and as I said during our hearings, the best way to prevent another January 6 is to ensure accountability for January 6. Accountability in all levels. I have confidence in our Department of Justice and institutions at the state and local level to ensure accountability under the law. As this report is released, we see those processes moving forward. But preventing another January 6 will require a broader sort of accountability. Ultimately, the American people chart the course for our country's future. The American people decide whom to give the reins of power. If this select committee has accomplished one thing, i hope it is shed light on how dangerous it would be to empower anyone whose desire for authority comes before their commitment to American democracy and the Constitution.
Speaker 1:I believe most Americans will turn their backs on those enemies of democracy, but some will rally to the side of election deniers. And when I think about who some of those people are, it troubles me deep inside White supremacists, violent extremists, groups that subscribe to racism, anti-semitism and violent conspiracy theories, those who would march through the halls of the Capitol waving the Confederate battle flag. These are the people who want to take America backward, not toward some imagined prior greatness, but toward repression. These are the people who want to roll back what we've accomplished. I believe that those who aligned with the scheme to overturn the election, he did Donald Trump's call to march on the Capitol because they thought taking up Donald Trump's calls was a way to advance their vile ambitions. That is why I did not remove my lapel pen on January 6. Our country has come too far to allow a defeated president to turn himself into a successful tyrant by upending our democratic institutions, fomenting violence and, as I saw it, opening the door to those in our country whose hatred and bigotry threaten equality and justice for all Americans. We can never surrender to democracy's enemies. We can never allow America to be defined by forces of division and hatred. We can never go backward in the progress we have made through the sacrifice and dedication of true patriots. We can never and will never relent in our pursuit of a more perfect union with liberty and justice for all Americans. I pray that God continues to bless the United States of America. Chairman Benny Thompson Introduction.
Speaker 1:On October 31, 2022, at the Federal Courthouse of Washington DC, gritt and Young testified against Stewart Rhodes and other members of the Old Keepers militia group. The defendants had been charged with seditious conspiracy against the United States and other crimes related to the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress. In his testimony that day, young explained to the jury how he and other Old Keepers were provoked to travel to Washington by President Donald Trump's tweets and by Trump's false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, and, in emotional testimony, young acknowledged what he and others believed they were doing on January 6, attacking Congress in the manner the French had attacked the Bastille at the outset of the French Revolution. Reflecting on that day more than a year and a half later, young testified And so how do you feel about the fact that you were pushing towards a line of officers, young? today, i feel extremely ashamed and embarrassed. Prosecutor. How did you feel at the time, young? I felt like, again, we were continuing in some kind of historical event to achieve a goal. Prosecutor, looking back now, almost two years later, what would that make you as someone who was coming to DC to fight against the government, young, i guess I was acting like a traitor, someone against my own government. Young's testimony was dramatic but not unique.
Speaker 1:Many participants in the attack on the Capitol acknowledged that they had betrayed their own country. Reimler quote and I'm sorry to the people of this country for threatening the democracy that makes this country so great. My participation in the events that day were part of an attack on the rule of law. Pert quote. I know that the peaceful transition of power is to ensure the common good for our nation and that it's critical in protecting our country's security needs. I am truly sorry for my part and acceptable responsibility for my actions. Markovsky quote. My actions put me on the other side of the line for my brothers in the army, the wrong side. When I lived in the area, i would have been called up to defend the Capitol and restore order. My actions brought dishonor to my beloved US National Guard. Witcher quote. Every member, every male member, of my family has served in the military, in the Marine Corps, in most of saw combat, and I cast a shadow and cast embarrassment upon my family name and that legacy. Edwards quote. I am ashamed to be, for the first time in my 68 years, standing before judge, having pleaded guilty to commit a crime ashamed to be associated with an attack on the United States Capitol, a symbol of American democracy and greatness, and that means a great deal to me. Hundreds of other participants in the January 6th attack have pled guilty, being convicted or a wait trial for crimes related to their actions that day And, like young hundreds of others, acknowledge exactly what provoked them to travel to Washington and to engage in violence.
Speaker 1:For example, ronald Sandlin, who threatened police officers in the Capitol saying quote you're going to die. Posted on December 23rd 2020, quote I'm going to be there to show support for our president and to do my part to stop the steal and stand behind Trump when he decides to cross the Rubicon. If you are a patriot, i believe it's your duty to be there. I see it as my civic responsibility. Garrett Miller, who brought a gun to the Capitol on January 6th, explained quote I was in Washington DC on January 6th 2021, because I believed I was following the instructions of former President Trump and he was my president and the commander in chief.
Speaker 1:His statements also had me believing that the election was stolen from him. John Douglas Wright explained that he brought bus loads of people to Washington DC on January 6th quote because Trump called me there and he laid out what is happening to our government. Lewis Cantwell testified if quote the president of the United States is out on TV telling the world that it was stolen, what else would, i believe, is a patriotic American who voted for him and wants to continue to see this country thrive, as I thought it was. Likewise, stephen Ayers testified that quote with everything the president was putting out ahead of January 6th that the election was rigged, the votes were wrong and stuff. It just got into my head. The president was calling on us to come to Washington DC. Ayers quote hanging on every word President Trump was saying. Ayers posted that the Civil War will ensue if President Trump did not stay in power after January 6th. The committee has compiled hundreds of similar statements from participants in the January 6th attack. House Resolution 503 instructed the select committee to quote investigate and report upon the facts, circumstances and the causes relating to the January 6th 2021 domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol complex and to quote issue a final report containing findings, conclusions and recommendations for corrective measures.
Speaker 1:The select committee has conducted non-public hearings, presenting testimony from more than 70 witnesses and structuring the investigation and hearings that began with President Trump's contingents that the 2020 election was stolen and took testimony from nearly all of the president's principal advisors on the topic. They focus on the rulings of more than 60 federal and state courts rejecting President Trump's and his supporters' efforts to reverse the electoral outcome. Despite the rulings of these courts, the committee understood that millions of Americans still lack the information necessary to understand and evaluate what President Trump has told them about the election. For that reason, the hearings featured a number of members of President Trump's inner circle refuting his claims and testifying that the election was not, in fact, stolen. In all, the committee displayed the testimony of more than four dozen Republicans by far the majority of witnesses in the hearings, including two of President Trump's former Attorney's General, his former White House counsel, numerous members of his White House staff and the highest-ranking members of his 2020 election campaign, including his campaign manager and his campaign general counsel. Even key individuals who worked closely with President Trump to try to overturn the 2020 election on January 6 ultimately admitted that they lacked the actual evidence sufficient to change the election result, and they admitted that what they were attempting was unlawful. This report supplies an immense volume of information and testimony assembled through the Select Committee's investigation, including information obtained following litigation in federal, district and appellate courts, as well as in the United States Supreme Court. Based upon this assembled evidence, the committee has reached a series of specific findings, including the following 1.
Speaker 1:Beginning election night and continuing through January 6 and thereafter, donald Trump purposefully disseminated false allegations of fraud related to the 2020 presidential election in order to aid his effort to overturn the election and for purposes of soliciting contributions. These false claims provoked his supporters to violence on January 6. 2. Knowing that he and his supporters had lost dozens of election lawsuits, and despite his own senior advisers refuting his election fraud claims and urging him to contete his election loss, donald Trump refused to accept the lawful result of the 2020 election. Rather than honor his constitutional obligation, to quote "'Take care that the laws be faithfully executed'", president Trump instead plotted to overturn the election outcome.
Speaker 1:3. Despite knowing that such an action would be illegal and that no state had or would submit an altered electoral slate, donald Trump corruptly pressured Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to count electoral votes during Congress' joint session on January 6. 4. Donald Trump sought to corrupt the US Department of Justice by attempting to enlist department officials to make purposefully false statements and thereby aid his effort to overturn the presidential election. After that effort failed, donald Trump offered the position of acting attorney general to Jeff Clark, knowing that Clark intended to disseminate false information aimed at overturning the election. 5. Without any evidentiary basis and contrary to state and federal law, donald Trump unlawfully pressured state officials and legislators to change the results of the election in their states. 6. Donald Trump oversaw an effort to attain and transmit false electoral certificates to Congress and the National Archives. 7. Donald Trump pressured members of Congress to object to valid slates of electors from several states. 8. Donald Trump purposefully verified false information filed in federal court.
Speaker 1:9. Based on false allegations that the election was stolen, donald Trump summoned tens of thousands of supporters to Washington on January 6. Although these supporters were angry and some were armed, donald Trump instructed them to march to the Capitol on January 6. To quote take back their country. 10. Knowing that a violent attack on the Capitol was underway and knowing that his words would incite further violence, donald Trump purposefully sent a social media message publicly condemning Vice President Mike Pence at 2.24 pm on January 6. 11. Knowing that violence was underway at the Capitol and despite his duty to ensure that the laws were faithfully executed. Donald Trump refused repeated requests over a multiple hour period that he instructed his violent supporters to disperse and leave the Capitol and instead watched the violent attack unfold on television. This failure to act perpetuated the violence at the Capitol and obstructed Congress's proceeding to count electoral college votes. 12. Each of these actions by Donald Trump was taken in support of a multi-par conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election.
Speaker 1:13. The intelligence community and law enforcement agencies did successfully detect the planning for the potential violence on January 6, including planning specifically by the Proud Boys and Oathkeeper militia groups who ultimately led the attack on the Capitol. As January 6 approached, the intelligence specifically identified the potential for violence at the US Capitol. This intelligence was shared within the executive branch, including the Secret Service and the President's National Security Council. 14. Intelligence gathered in advance of January 6 did not support a conclusion that Antifa or other left-wing groups would likely engage in a violent counter-demonstration or attack Trump supporters on January 6. Indeed, intelligence from January 5 indicated that some left-wing groups were instructing their members to stay at home and not attend on January 6. Ultimately, none of these groups was involved to any material extent with the attack on the Capitol on January 6.
Speaker 1:15. Neither the intelligence community nor law enforcement obtained intelligence in advance of January 6 on the full extent of the ongoing planning by President Trump, john Eastman, rudolph Giuliani and their associates to overturn the certified election results. Such agencies apparently did not and potentially could not, anticipate the provocation President Trump would offer the crowd in his ill-feece. That President Trump would quote spontaneously, instruct the crowd to march to the Capitol, that President Trump would exacerbate the violent riot sending his 224 tweet condemning my pants or the full scale of the violence and lawlessness that would ensue. Nor did law enforcement anticipate that President Trump would refuse to direct his supporters to leave the Capitol once violence began. No intelligence community advanced analysis predicted exactly how President Trump would behave. No such analysis recognized the full scale and extent of the threat to the Capitol on January 6.
Speaker 1:16. Hundreds of Capitol and DC Metropolitan police officers performed their duties bravely on January 6, and America owes those individuals immense gratitude for their courage in the defense of Congress and our Constitution. Without their bravery, january 6 would have been far worse. Although certain members of the Capitol Police leadership regarded their approach to January 6 as all hands on deck, the Capitol Police leadership did not have sufficient assets in place to address the violent and lawless crowd. Capitol Police leadership did not anticipate the scale of the violence that would ensue after President Trump instructed tens of thousands of his supporters in the Ellipse crowd to march to the Capitol and then tweeted at 2 24 pm. Although Chief Stephen Son raised the idea of national guard support, the Capitol Police Board did not request guard assistance prior to January 6. The Metropolitan Police took an even more proactive approach to January 6 and deployed roughly 800 officers, including responding to the emergency calls for help at the Capitol. Riders still managed to break their line in certain locations when the crowd surged forward. In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump's 2 24 pm tweet, the Department of Justice rated a group of federal agents at Quantico and in the District of Columbia anticipating that January 6 could become violent, and then deployed those agents. Once it became clear that Police at the Capitol were overwhelmed, agents from the Department of Homeland Security were also deployed to assist 17.
Speaker 1:President Trump had authority and responsibility to direct deployment of the National Guard in the District of Columbia, but never gave any order to deploy the National Guard on January 6 or any other day. Nor did he instruct any federal law enforcement agency to assist. Because the authority to deploy the National Guard had been delegated to the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense could, and ultimately did, deploy the Guard. Although evidence identifies a likely miscommunication between members of the civilian leadership in the Department of Defense impacting the timing of the deployment, the committee has found no evidence that the Department of Defense intentionally delayed deployment of the National Guard. The select committee recognizes that some of the Department had genuine concerns, counseling caution that President Trump might give an illegal order to use the military in support of his efforts to overturn the election.
Speaker 1:This report begins with the factual overview framing each of these conclusions and summarizing what the investigation found. That overview is, in turn supported by eight chapters identifying the very specific evidence of each of the principal elements of President Trump's multi-part plan to overturn the election, along with the evidence regarding intelligence gathered before January 6 and security shortfalls that day. Although the committee's hearings were viewed live by tens of millions of Americans and widely publicized in nearly every major news source, the committee also recognizes that other major news outlets and commentators have actively discouraged viewers from watching and that millions of other Americans have not yet seen the actual evidence addressed by this report. Accordingly, the committee is also releasing video summaries of relevant evidence on each major topic investigated.
Speaker 1:The report also examines the legal implications of Donald Trump and his co-conspirators conduct and includes criminal referrals to the Department of Justice regarding President Trump and certain other individuals. The criminal referrals build upon three relevant rulings issued by a federal district court and explaining in detail how the facts found support further evaluation by the Department of Justice of specific criminal charges. To assist the public in understanding the nature and importance of this material. This report also contains sections identifying how the committee has evaluated the credibility of its witnesses and suggests that the Department of Justice further examined possible efforts to obstruct our investigation. We also note that more than 30 witnesses invoke their Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Others invoke executive privilege or categorically refuse to appear, including Steve Bannon, who has since been convicted of contempt of Congress. Finally, the support identifies a series of legislative recommendations, including the Presidential Election Reform Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in January of 2023.