This is a good start.
While federal prosecutors in the nation’s capital will likely tackle the bulk of criminal charges for the perpetrators of Wednesday’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Ryan K. Patrick is among a growing number of U.S. attorneys around the country vowing to prosecute anyone from their regions who traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate.
More than a dozen U.S. attorneys from Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland have made statements that they’d go after people in their districts who made the trip to Washington.
Patrick, who represents the Southern District of Texas, commonly abbreviated SDTX, tweeted Wednesday, “What happened today in Washington was despicable and illegal. Storming a government building is not a protest, it’s anarchy. Arrest them, charge them, and incarcerate them.”
And he added, “And if these clowns today don’t think the capitol police, FBI, FPS and others won’t be poring over open source and other video to make cases, they’re wrong. If any of these leads points to SDTX, we’re on it.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray promised in a statement Thursday to investigate the crowds of participants: “Make no mistake: With our partners, we will hold accountable those who participated in yesterday’s siege of the Capitol.”
[…]
Reports of Capitol mob participants are already cropping up in Texas.
A Texas attorney who videos appear to show participated in the violent mob that took over the Capitol was identified by a journalist.
Paul MacNeal Davis, an attorney eligible to practice law in Texas and based in Frisco, was terminated from his position at Goosehead Insurance, a company with offices in Houston and across Texas.
The video was originally posted to Instagram by an account that appears to belong to Davis. The same account posted a message to followers Thursday morning stating, “I already lost my job because of the Twitter mob. I’m not upset. I’m thankful to be suffering for righteousness and freedom.”
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether a jail lieutenant broke policy or any laws by attending the pro-Trump rally that later turned into the mob.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said 46-year-old Roxanne Mathai, an eight-year veteran with the department, posted selfies and photos of the crowd in Washington to her Facebook page, identifying herself as a BCSO employee.
Justice Department officials in Washington will likely pursue cases that involve violence, theft, property damage, criminal mischief, trespassing or knowingly entering or remaining in restricted building or grounds without permission, Patrick said. The department handles theses cases because there is no district attorney in Washington. But there are charges local districts can file as well, on their own or in coordination with “main justice” in Washington.
If someone involved in the melee lived in the sprawling 43-county Southern District, Patrick said, he would investigate whether the person planned in advance to travel to Washington to incite a riot.
Here’s another seditious chucklehead to investigate, though I’d guess she’s in a different district. These guys weren’t hiding their motives or intentions, so by all means look into all possibilities, but do keep in mind that just what was done in the Capitol will keep prosecutors and law enforcement very busy. And by all means, think big.
Supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the U.S. Capitol, breaking windows and stealing things, could face charges including sedition, insurrection and rioting, Washington, D.C.’s top federal prosecutor said on Thursday.
“All of those charges are on the table,” Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin told reporters in a call, when asked about possible charges of sedition, rioting or insurrection.
“We’re not going to keep anything out of our arsenal.”
The Justice Department has filed 55 criminal cases about events this week, Sherwin said, some pre-dating Wednesday’s assault on the seat of government, including the arrest of far-right Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio on Monday.
Sherwin repeatedly said no suspects in Wednesday’s riots would be ruled out – even when asked whether this could include Capitol Police who may have been complicit or Trump himself for urging protesters to march on the Capitol at a rally on Wednesday.
“We’re looking at all actors here and anyone that had a role, and the evidence fits the elements of a crime, they’re going to be charged.”
Oh, and did we mention that a Capitol police officer died as a result of injuries sustained during this riot? I want to see a lot of people charged with being accessories to his death. The point here is to make the price of this exercise in fascism as steep as possible for as many people as possible. It’s by far the best way to make future such events less likely.
And if all that is not enough:
.
There are multiple photographs of pro-Trump rioters carrying law enforcement-style flex-cuffs.Rioters went looking for @VP, @SpeakerPelosi, @SenSchumer.
It raises the question of whether there was an organized plan to take hostages.
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) 08:57 AM – 08 January 2021
As horrible as this was, this could have been so much worse. Get every last one of them arrested and convicted. Daily Kos has more.
I would not be surprised at all if there were capable foreign actors embedded with them. After all, the Russian election meddling was about sowing discord, so this riot seems to align with their agenda. I also would not be surprised if Trump were to pardon them, since he does love them.
If only private businesses had the same capabilities and services.
Loved them so much that he didn’t go with them as he promised, and while watching the fracas on TV allegedly complained that they looked so low class.
WaPo has posted the footage of Ashli Babbit getting shot. I watched it. My takeaway is that she had chance after chance after chance to save herself. The police gave warning after warning. Even when the guns were aimed, they didn’t fire right away. You hear people yelling “gun!” for several seconds. Yet the fool still decides to force her way through the window. After she’s shot, the cops immediately try first aid. After watching that, my first thought was that if Tamir Rice had been given that much of a chance, he’d still be alive, because he was only a kid alone in a park playing with a toy gun, and opposed to part of a dangerous mob with violent intent.
So true, Flypusher, there is no equal treatment of American minorities, whether by the police or the courts.
NFL player Davontae Harris summed it up perfectly:
“We’re not asking you to shoot them like you shoot us, we’re asking you to NOT shoot us like you don’t shoot them.“
There’s going to be investigations into whether some of the DC police stood aside or even assisted some of this mob into the Capitol. If they did, they have the blood of one if their own on their hands.
Tell Davontae Harris that they did shoot an unarmed woman to death. Say her name.
Holding police to a high policing standard while keeping in mind the police that were charged, fired, or convicted during this summer’s peaceful protests is a lot to ask of a person. These same capital police saw what happened to other police managing protests in multiple cities and now how are they supposed to uphold their protocol? I don’t have an answer for this scenario, but if they didn’t shoot anyone and no one got hurt, then what do you want? People have to govern themselves, arrest the ones who broke in like the FBI is attempting now.
Jason, the bot, the woman was trespassing and ignored the police even though she knew that they had guns drawn. You fascists loving white privileged whiners never stop with your victimhood. How much time was that 12-year-old black boy playing with a toy gun given or even warned?
Watch the video, fascists, and tell me that you would not shoot someone trying to come into your house the same way.
https://www.foxla.com/video/887541
David for someone that wants grenades to destroy our government, that would be you, David Fagan. I know understand where you coming from.
I now understand where you are coming from.
“Tell Davontae Harris that they did shoot an unarmed woman to death. Say her name.”
As expected, here come the trolls/trump suckers.
So, an unarmed person was shot and killed by police. How do we make a judgment on that? I can give you a short answer in one word: context.
For a longer answer let us compare and contrast 2 well publicized cases. Case 1- Walter Scott. He’s pulled over by a cop, who discovered that Scott has an outstanding warrant for non-payment of child support. Scott decides to run away; not a wise move on his part, but what level of force is justified on the cop’s part? Sure, he’s getting away, and it sucks to not but able to bring him in right now, but you know who he is, and you know where he lives. He’s not armed, he’s not wanted for anything violent, and there’s no reasonable expectation that he’s about to do something crazy like go hold a class of school children hostage. In this context, the cop has absolutely ZERO justification to shoot him. That cop is in jail.
Now case 2- unarmed Ashli Babbit. She’s part of a violent mob that is actively breaking things and trying to force their way into a part of the Capitol building where security is evacuating lawmakers and staff. The job of the cops here is to provide cover for this evacuation. You have your weapon drawn, but you’re not firing yet. It’s obvious that the mob knows you have drawn a bead on them, because they’re yelling “Gun! Gun!” But one of them starts to force her way through a broken window anyway, and there are plenty more behind her. In this context, deadly force isn’t only the right call, it’s the only call. It immediately took the fight out of the mob, and enabled the evacuation to succeed. If you don’t shoot the first one coming through, at best you end up having to shoot more than one, at worst they overwhelm you and really bad things start to happen. This cop will be investigated, but he will be cleared. Maybe even given a commendation for protecting the people it was his duty to protect.
Context
(HT to vlogger Beauofthe 5thcolumn for the idea)
Look Dems … It’s human nature to want to exact revenge, but there is a serious prospect here of a counterproductive overreaction. Like rounding up everyone that went to DC to protest.
Biden should project firmness and resolve, but should watch his domestic terrorism rhetoric.
To put it bluntly: Even though they are all guilty to some degree, you can’t lock up all the tens of millions of people that voted for Trump, and you won’t have much luck trying to get them to repent and become meek & mild democrats, not to mention Democrats, or de-politicize the more fervent ones.
And the same goes for those who followed Trump’s call to come to Washington for Electoral College Day. Have you looked at the pictures of the crowds? And how about 100+ GOP Congress critters that still came out against abiding by the verdict of the voters, even after the invasion of the hallowed halls of democracy?
What are we going to do with them — just as a practical matter — even if we have the power to teach them a lesson and punish them? Expel them from the House? Ship them to Guantanamo? And if that is the answer, what then? How are you going to de-program the minds and cleanse the hearts of those who voted for Trump and for these rebel Congress Critters, or reverse the brainwash they willingly subjected themselves to? — Re-education camps anyone?
At the peril of being blacklisted and denounced by both sides (the fate all too easily suffered in our politically polarized times) let me suggest that the on-site perpetrators should be prosecuted based on their acts of violence and low-level offenses such as trespass, not for political crimes or political motivations, expect for those who brought firearms and/or bombs, which would reflect premeditation.
If all the participants are prosecuted for political crimes, or under the law of parties for the 1 homicide of a police officer, the prosecutions will likely become spectacles and create martyrs for a bad cause. And if that happens, there will be no “domestic tranquility” going forward. The trials will become intensely politicized, possibly with further disturbances in the streets. And Cruz and Abbott and a bunch of Republican Congress Critters will still have a stronghold in Texas, as long as the GOP holds Texas. They will be able to use their continuing control of the resources of state government to be major players in national politics even if Twitter, Facebook, etc. cut them off.
Biden should also stop calling the rioters domestic terrorists. That just upgrades their status and seeming power to disrupt. And consider this: Why would they film and social-media themselves and create the very evidence to get themselves convicted for their deeds? In their own minds, they obviously felt justified because Trump and Rudy and Kenny had called them to arms. And the wife of Clarence Thomas cheered them on, too. Didn’t she?
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/01/ginni-thomas-donald-trump-clarence-thomas-capitol-riot.html
In sum, they had the “blessing” of the President of the U.S.. Some of them may have expected that they would be pardoned. For that, and more, Trump should be impeached. At least there will be enough Yeas for it, even if conviction by 2/3 of the Senate is not feasible.
“To put it bluntly: Even though they are all guilty to some degree, you can’t lock up all the tens of millions of people that voted for Trump,”
Dude, nobody is calling for that. Trying, convicting, and locking up the people in the failed coup (those who directly incited and those who acted violently inside the Capitol) will suffice.
“you won’t have much luck trying to get them to repent and become meek & mild democrats, not to mention Democrats, or de-politicize the more fervent ones.”
I don’t expect them to become Dems. I expect them to respect the results on a free, fair, and valid election. I didn’t like it at all when Trump won in 2016. But I never claimed voter fraud. Instead I volunteered for and donated to Dems in the next 2 elections.
“In their own minds, they obviously felt justified because Trump and Rudy and Kenny had called them to arms. And the wife of Clarence Thomas cheered them on, too. Didn’t she?”
Then the 9/11 hijackers weren’t terrorists either, because they felt just as justified. These people are adults and they chose to swallow lies and act violently. Personal responsibility- it’s not just for people the GOP wants to scold.
It’s said that one person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter. These people wanted to overturn the will of the voters and reinstall an autocrat, and they did it violently. Ergo- domestic terrorists from the vantage of the 81 million+ of us who they tried to disenfranchise.
Fly, well written. Agree 100%.
Lobo, over-prosecution of these domestic terrorists is the least of my concerns. Really tired of the bullshit line of having to be nice to Republicans because they are too stupid to recognize facts vs made up bullshit.
If you expect to be pardoned, you know you are committing a crime, and is pretty much the opposite of a defense.
… let me suggest that the on-site perpetrators should be prosecuted based on their acts of violence and low-level offenses such as trespass, not for political crimes or political motivations, expect for those who brought firearms and/or bombs, which would reflect premeditation.
I agree with this.
Do you guys really think this is over? If you just want to do some kindergarten type logic to move forward with causing the least damage how emboldened do you think these terrorists will be going forward if these very real crimes aren’t punished to the fullest extent?
Do you think the dumbass in the fur and horns is going to just go back home and let this be the pinnacle of his terrorist career if he gets some sort of slap on the wrist?
Not severely prosecuting is a dangerous path.
Should I even bother to mention here that Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground actually DID BOMB the Capitol, among other US government buildings, in an insurrectionist attempt to overthrow the government?
And how did that turn out for Ayers and his group? He ended up supporting and launching the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. He ended up overthrowing the government, just a little later than he wanted, probably.
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/weather-underground-bombings
And what are the other Weather Underground alums up to? Well, Susan Rosenberg went on to handle the finances for the BLM, via her employment with ThousandCurrents, who funnels the money extorted by the BLM, much of it through…..wait for it…..Act Blue. Weird.
Bill the danger in playing stupid so much is the danger of becoming what you pretend to be. That you would equate setting bombs with supporting a Presidential campaign is one of the dumbest things you have ever said. Even the same person doing each at different times does not make them equivalent things.
I do too. There’s plenty of evidence, much so helpfully provided by the suspects themselves, to ensure the appropriate charges.
Lobo you sound just like the newly Woke Republicans, go stand in line with Ted Cruz. I have not read anything about charging the entire mob for political crimes. How would you describe the mob that entered the embassy in Benghazi? How many years and investigations did your party conduct? More Americans died on July 6th.
Bill you are getting dumber by the day, there is no relationship between the events. Maybe but for the government misconduct he would have been incarcerated.
Bill not even the right wing crazies believe your stupidity, they describe you as wearing aluminum foil on your head to stop the alien beams.
Best part of this whole saga is..wait for it….it’s not the/a (incoming) Democratically-controlled Executive branch holding these post-protesting asshats accountable ! It’s Trump’s DOJ, FBI, DHS, CIA, AG, etc. !
If I can give these clowns ANY credit, it’s for now holding their own fringe element accountable. A little to late for my tastes, but still enjoyable.
I pray that Trump will pardon anyone arrested that day, except for the antifa infiltrators, and whoever hit the cop that died, although I suspect that we will find out the person capable of that violence was antifa, not a Trump supporter
Amen and Awomen
After spending much of my time reading about the people that attacked the capitol with intent to do bodily harm to our elected representatives, I can only conclude that they are so delusional that equating them with the Taliban may do the Taliban a disservice. What they do have in common a desire to go back to when things were great for the white males, the perception of Trump cultists.
Bill you must spend most of your days and nights combing through wackos websites looking for the proof that you need to justify whatever that brain that needs wrapping of aluminum foil around it justifies your beliefs.
Manny,
You want to know what I’m laughing about today? You’re people are now scaremongering that President Trump has the nuclear codes and is going to start a war, so he needs to be impeached and removed ASAP. They are SO concerned about this that….they didn’t bother to work Friday, Saturday, or today, Sunday on this life or death impeachment. If the Peace President is going to start shooting nukes, maybe that’s worthy of working in person at the newly fortified Capitol, over the weekend to stop it, but no, not Nancy. Meh. Just start on Monday, we don’t want to give up our weekends, you know.
Trump might nuke the world today, Manny. And your people aren’t even trying to stop it! Because they’re too lazy to have emergency round the clock meetings to get the impeachment started.
Are you not entertained, Manny?
Amen and Awomen
Careful Bill, you’re going to draw the wrath of all the MAGA CHUDs who were actually there and don’t like people giving Antifa credit for their “heroic” deeds.
*your
Wrap some more foil around that head Bill.
There is zero evidence that antifa did anything at the Republican party riot at the Capitol, but Republicans live in a fantasy world where trump won the election (fact check: trump lost by a lot in a free and fair election – he lost not only the presidency, but also the house and senate).
Unfortunately, mitch has said that the Senate will take no action on impeachment until January 19. It will be good when he is no longer majority leader.
Saying that trump needs to pardon these domestic terrorists is acknowledging they committed crimes. I agree they are criminals.
Jules, Trump did do something twice as fast as Obama, he lost the House, Senate, n Presidency twice as fast, a real loser.