Author

Aaron J. Brown

Aaron J. Brown

Aaron J. Brown is an author, community college instructor and radio producer from Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range and a regular contributor to the Minnesota Reformer, which first published this essay.

COMMENTARY

Sen. Paul Wellstone and the portents of his death, two decades later

By: - October 24, 2022

When I was a kid I spent most summers riding my bicycle along every back road within 25 miles of our house near Forbes, Minnesota. This habit toured me through the nooks and crannies of the Mesabi Iron Range, the geography of which still wallpapers the interior of my brain. I went everywhere, but there […]

‘Just say the election was corrupt’: Trump pressure on Justice Department detailed

By: and - June 24, 2022

President Donald Trump sought to use the U.S. Justice Department to create the illusion of a legitimate investigation into the validity of the 2020 election results, the Jan. 6 committee and former Justice Department leaders said Thursday in the panel’s fifth hearing this month. In the weeks between Election Day 2020 and Jan. 6, 2021, […]

How the Trump fake elector scheme fizzled in four states

By: and - June 23, 2022

Part of Donald Trump’s plan to reverse his loss in the 2020 presidential election hinged on replacing legitimate electors in a handful of swing states with “fake electors.” In theory, these bogus Republican slates in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada and Wisconsin would cast their electoral votes for the incumbent — canceling out […]

Georgia, Arizona GOP officials to testify before Jan. 6 panel

By: and - June 21, 2022

The fourth Jan. 6 hearing on Tuesday will focus on pressure put by President Donald Trump and his allies on state officials in Georgia, Arizona and elsewhere to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The U.S. House hearing will include live testimony from Republican officials in those states, committee aides said Monday. It begins at […]

Pence was within 40 feet of mob inflamed by Trump, Jan. 6 committee reveals

By: and - June 17, 2022

The private and public conflict between Donald Trump and Mike Pence over certifying the 2020 election results put the vice president within steps of the Jan. 6 attackers, the U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection said Thursday. As the mob approached the U.S. Senate chamber in the Capitol, the vice president’s Secret Service retinue hustled […]

Biden directs federal agencies to protect LGBTQI+ rights under attack in GOP-led states

By: and - June 16, 2022

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aiming to curtail conversion therapy, expand health care access and promote safe learning for LGBTQI+ people. The order is meant to counter laws in Republican-led states that restrict the rights of LGBTQI+ kids and their families. A senior administration official referenced Texas and Florida as two states […]

Jan. 6 panel video shows tour group led by Georgia congressman photographing in Capitol office buildings on Jan. 5

By: and - June 15, 2022

The day before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk gave a tour to a group that included a man who took unusual photos in House office buildings, including of stairwells, tunnels and security checkpoints, the House committee investigating the attack said Wednesday. On the day of the insurrection, the […]

3 things from the second Jan. 6 hearing you might have missed

By: and - June 15, 2022

A “definitely intoxicated” Rudy Giuliani. Conspiracy theories in Pennsylvania. Fundraising for a non-existent Trump “Election Defense Fund.” The second hearing in the series held by the Jan. 6 U.S. House panel to present its findings focused on claims repeatedly voiced by former President Donald Trump that fraud occurred in the 2020 election. Members of the […]

Trump spread claims of election fraud debunked by his own legal team, Jan. 6 panel says

By: and - June 14, 2022

Former President Donald Trump planted the seeds for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by continually promoting theories that he lost the 2020 election through fraud, even though top advisers and officials told him there was no evidence to support the claim, according to testimony a U.S. House committee presented Monday. In its […]

5 things we learned about Jan. 6 and Trump from the first hearing

By: and - June 13, 2022

[Editor’s note: The January 6th panel resumes its hearings Monday at 10am.] The opening U.S. House hearing in a series on the Jan. 6 attack included some eye-opening new details about the events of the day and the broader plot to halt the peaceful transfer of presidential power. The nine-member investigative committee put former President […]

First Jan. 6 hearing to reveal new evidence of Trump conspiracy, panel aides say

By: and - June 9, 2022

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol will use its first public hearing to tie the violent attempt to overturn the election directly to former President Donald Trump, committee aides told reporters Wednesday. In addition to live witnesses — a U.S. Capitol Police officer injured by rioters during the […]

What to know about Thursday’s public hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol

By: and - June 8, 2022

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol will launch the first in a series of public hearings Thursday night in the hopes of drawing a major prime-time national television audience. The Democratic-led committee, which includes two Republicans who defied their party leadership to join, has been tight-lipped about […]