Posted on 03/26/2021 4:36:44 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
The U.S. government now holds political prisoners in jail in the nation’s capital, and the party that purports to stand for freedom, liberty, and rule of law refuses to defend them.
federal judge this week blasted a top Justice Department official for publicly bragging about the agency’s sprawling investigation into the January 6 Capitol melee. In an emergency hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta warned government prosecutors to keep quiet or face a gag order.
Mehta fumed over comments made in a television interview by former acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin—he led the first two months of the nationwide manhunt for suspected “insurrectionists”—that could imperil the already shaky case against ten alleged members of the Oath Keepers. The lawyers of the defendants facing several charges including conspiracy, attended the virtual hearing on Tuesday.
“The Justice Department needs to understand that these types of public statements can jeopardize the integrity of a criminal case and affect the rights of the defendants,” Mehta said. (Sherwin reportedly is under internal investigation himself for giving the “60 Minutes” interview last week.) “No matter how much press attention this matter gets, it will be clear these defendants are entitled to a fair trial. The government, quite frankly in my view, should know better.”
The Obama-appointed judge, with those few sentences, said more to defend the rights of Trump-supporting protesters than the totality of Republican leadership in Washington, D.C.. Top Biden officials are accelerating the weaponization of powerful federal agencies against regular Americans who dared, not just to vote for Donald Trump, but also to doubt the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. The Justice Department’s Capitol breach probe, its official name, gives cover to inflict severe punishment for those verboten acts and beliefs.
The same cabal that wielded its authority against the former president and his associates for more than four years has aimed its arsenal at hundreds of Trump supporters—yet the GOP remains silent.
Crickets from Congressional Republicans
Early on, Republicans joined Democrats in overhyping the events of January 6. “This failed insurrection only underscores how crucial the task before us is for our republic,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) preached in a statement released that evening. “They tried to disrupt our democracy. They failed. They failed to attempt to obstruct the Congress.”
Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), in a typically dramatic speech the next day, claimed the Capitol “has been desecrated. Blood has been spilled in the hallways.” (He also warned we should not tell our children that American institutions “can’t be trusted,” despite all evidence to the contrary.)
Senator Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) insisted “those who made this attack on our government need to be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Well, Graham got his wish. And then some.
A handful of protestors, some who showed up with the sole intent of causing trouble, undoubtedly committed crimes including vandalism, assault on police officers, and theft of private and government property. Lawmakers were forced into hiding for fear of being attacked. Entering someone’s office uninvited, even in a government building, is a no-no. Those people face severe penalties, and should.
But many Americans—more than 300 have been arrested so far with promises of more to come—face spurious accusations that are destroying their lives.
Take, for example, the case of Jessica Watkins. The Ohio bar owner was arrested January 18 and initially charged with three counts related to her involvement in the Capitol breach.
She is one of the nearly 100 Americans that Michael Sherwin’s office detained prior to Inauguration Day in a display of what he called “shock and awe” to deter people from protesting Biden’s swearing-in ceremony on January 20. “It worked because we saw through media posts that people were afraid to come back to D.C. because…if we go there, we’re gonna get charged,” Sherwin boasted in his “60 Minutes” interview.
Watkins, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, has been behind bars ever since. As a member of the Oath Keepers, Watkins is one of ten people accused of concocting a “conspiracy” to halt the certification of the Electoral College, a task completed about 13 hours after the siege began on January 6. As I reported here, no Oath Keeper has been charged with a violent crime; none of them is charged with assaulting an officer or vandalizing the building or destroying property.
Watkins’ life, however, is ruined. Federal prosecutors are fighting her request to be released from jail pending trial, and Judge Mehta just granted a 60-day continuance based on the “complexity” of the investigation. (Mehta, despite his judicious comments this week, is no hero in his handling of most Capitol breach cases.)
In a filing this week, prosecutors warned Watkins poses a danger to society since she allegedly holds “extremist and violent views regarding how to address what she believed to be a fraudulent election.”
Further, the government argued, Watkins also is a threat because the government successfully destroyed her business and her way of life, which prosecutors mocked. “[T]he dangerous nature and circumstances of the offense itself…remain acute concerns in a new world without her cherished firearms, her professional livelihood (the Jolly Roger bar), her personal hobby (leader of the Ohio Regulars militia), and that is now governed by a regime that she actually used violence against in order to preserve something as fundamental as her way of life.”
So, to summarize: The most powerful law enforcement agency in the world rounded up nonviolent veterans to intimidate other Americans planning to protest Joe Biden’s inauguration then held those Americans in jail for months, subsequently destroying their lives then used the fact the federal government destroyed these people’s lives as evidence they are a threat to society. Oh, and delayed the trial due to case overload the government itself created.
Outrageous.
Death of a Party Summarized
But where is the outrage from Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C.? Due process has been tossed; the disparity between how January 6 defendants are treated versus the treatment of “peaceful protestors” last summer is on full display. (The same U.S. attorney’s office now prosecuting Capitol breach defendants dropped nearly all felony rioting charges after the George Floyd protests over the summer.)
Trump-supporting Americans, including a teenager, have been denied bail partially based on their beliefs that the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate. Dozens have been transported to D.C. jail to await trial in a hyper-partisan judicial system that views them with utter contempt. Veterans, gun owners, and homeschoolers are openly derided in court.
Nearly 130 Americans face a flimsy charge of “obstruction of an official proceeding” for attempting to delay Congress’ certification of the Electoral College—an act, by the way, attempted by members of Congress themselves in 2016—which seeks to criminalize political protest and sets a dangerous precedent. The obstruction charge, despite its vague legal definition, is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Weapons such as bear spray or riot shields, which are not legally considered “deadly or dangerous” when used by antifa, suddenly fit that category for January 6 protestors even if they never used them. Misdemeanors such as trespassing or disorderly conduct will be used to build sedition cases against American citizens. Meanwhile, lies about the way a Capitol police officer died and the narrative of an “armed insurrection” remain ingrained in the public record.
The Justice Department’s prosecutions, even as some cases fall apart, are fueling similar actions by other powerful agencies. The Director of National Intelligence described Capitol protestors as “domestic violent extremists” and the Homeland Security department is considering a “no fly list” for anyone involved in the January 6 “attack.”
These Stasi-like tactics should not be permitted in America.But Republicans are endorsing this with their confirmation of both Attorney General Merrick Garland and his number two, Lisa Monaco.
The U.S. government now holds political prisoners in jail in the nation’s capital, and the party that purports to stand for freedom, liberty, and rule of law refuses to defend them.
It’s not just a sign of a cowardly, weak party—it’s the sign of a dead one.
Thanks for posting this.
I keep wondering when even one Republican Congress person is going to demand that 100% of the security videos be released to the public.
I will bet there was less than 5 minutes of actual violence.
I will also bet that no more than a couple dozen MAGA people actually engaged in theft, property destruction, or acts of violence.
Excluding the Rotunda, I will also bet that fewer than 100 MAGA people actually entered the Capitol interior.
The Republican Party is so lame and so weak.
When was the last time one of our political leaders - including Trump - threw a consequential counter punch?
So glad I left that worthless piece of crap party in January.
There will be no Durham report, no Kavanaugh prosecutions, no Hunter Biden investigation, no FBI prosecutions of Comey, Peter Strozk and Lisa Page, no inquiry into judges who closed their eyes to FISA regulations, etc... a FAT NOTHING! The GOP doesn’t care. They don’t want to disturb the Democrats.
What gives anyone the idea that the GOP disagrees with the probe?
They weren’t concerned about the IRS assault on the tea party either.
oh, Julie
YIS
‘
Where is the Resistance to Biden?
Where is the talk of the 25th amendment for the old fool?
We are here because the Republicans wanted Joe Biden as President.
Not one subpoena in 1,460 days.
‘
That’s up there with Belly Girl.
How pathetic an Obama judge is more supportive of GOP voters than the GOP itself is. Just when you think the GOP hits bottom they keep digging.
the entire “insurrection” narrative rests on two pieces of film footage, shot by “progressives” - the Ashli Babbitt/John Sullivan piece and the police officer crushed in the elevator/Jon Farina piece.
Farina is a freelancer with connections to Jordan Chariton (ex-Young Turks) and his Status Coup group.
the “insurrection” was staged by the left. period.
the entire “insurrection” narrative rests on two pieces of film footage, shot by “progressives” - the Ashli Babbitt/John Sullivan piece and the police officer crushed in the elevator/Jon Farina piece.
Farina is a freelancer with connections to Jordan Chariton (ex-Young Turks) and his Status Coup group.
the “insurrection” was staged by the left. period.
the entire “insurrection” narrative rests on two pieces of film footage, shot by “progressives” - the Ashli Babbitt/John Sullivan piece and the police officer crushed in the elevator/Jon Farina piece.
Farina is a freelancer with connections to Jordan Chariton (ex-Young Turks) and his Status Coup group.
the “insurrection” was staged by the left. period.
Theres no outrage because the objective was get rid of Trump. Make Trump look bad. And keep him from running agsin, because he was so hated.
Too bad all of it backfired on these turds and now they have to beg him for approval and money.
The GOP was as much involved in riding Trump out of town on a rail as were the democrats. The GOP brass at FBI and DOJ most likely planned the entire Capital false flag event and the coordinated response. Outrage, my behind. The GOP is the swamp, is the Uniparty. McConnell, Pelosi, not a damn dime’s worth of difference.
Despite all the caterwauling about how bad the Republicans are, it’s just so nice to see that someone made a commentary about the travesty that’s going on.
Now maybe it’s time to move past the GOP and put our heads together and figure out how to gain liberty for the more than 300 political prisoners now being tormented under the color of law.
Precisely.
The GOP wants MAGA suppressed like they assisted the Democrats to suppress the Tea Party.
Those within the GOP up on capital hill have all been neutered.
A Tom Cat with no balls is sort of a worthless cat.
Yet the vast majority of Freepers will vote . . . as if it matters.
Oh, and feel good about doing their civic duty when all they are actually doing is condone one-party rule.
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