The legal situation of the Jan 6th Capitol “insurrection” defendants
So far it seems that in the main they will be charged with trespassing:
“There is a natural cycle to an event like this,” the defense attorney added. “People will say it was the end of the world, then things will calm down, and they’ll begin looking at cases back on what people actually did.”
That’s no accident, of course. What’s left out of that statement is which “people” are saying what, and why. If the “event” is one that features leftists as the alleged perpetrators, the entire episode is trivialized and considered “mostly peaceful” even at the outset. But if it’s people on the right who stand accused, well that’s when the “end of the world” cries go out from the Democrats and their mouthpieces in the press.
That sets the narrative so that evidence that might later come out in a legal proceeding concerning what people actually did has already become irrelevant to the public. Even if no one or only a relatively few people end up being charged for their actions on January 6th, many Democrats will either say that proves that the legal system is biased in favor of the right and against the left, or they won’t even get the news at all. Either way, almost all will continue to think there was and still is a huge and dangerous insurrection afoot among people on the right, including all Trump supporters, and that just about anything is justified in order to stop it.
And prosecutors are facing pressure from judges to either back up their tough talk about sedition or put a lid on it. Michael Sherwin, the former lead Jan. 6 prosecutor, found himself rebuked by other senior prosecutors and Judge Amit Mehta last week for publicly flirting with the possibility of sedition charges when none had actually been leveled.
No matter what happens, I don’t think Biden or his spokespeople or any Democrat leader will ever admit this wasn’t an insurrection. Way too much is riding on that perception. They worked hard to plant that idea in the heads of the public, and it serves them in good stead. Why let facts get in the way?
@neo:I don’t think Biden or his spokespeople or any Democrat leader will ever admit this wasn’t an insurrection.
I’d like to see some specific Republican leaders admit it wasn’t. Those who won’t, I’m forced to consider as part of the problem.
“THE LAST TIME THE SENATE CONVENED, WE HAD JUST RECLAIMED THE CAPITOL FROM VIOLENT CRIMINAL WHOSE TRIED TO STOP CONGRESS FROM DOING OUR DUTY. THE MOB WAS FED LIES. THEY WERE PROVOKED BY THE PRESIDENT AND OTHER POWERFUL PEOPLE. AND THEY TRIED TO USE FEAR AND VIOLENCE TO STOP A SPECIFIC PROCEEDING OF THE FIRST BRANCH OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHICH THEY DID NOT LIKE. BUT WE PRESSED ON. WE STOOD TOGETHER AND SAID AN ANGRY MOB WOULD NOT GET VETO POWER OVER THE RULE OF LAW IN OUR NATION, NOT EVEN FOR ONE NIGHT.”
The actual charges (or, more importantly, the truth of the matter) will indeed be irrelevant to those who believe in the fraudulent narrative, which has been admirably demolished in all its mendacity in a number of excellent essays by Julie Kelly at AmericanGreatness. It is truly a sad commentary on our country that, most prominent among those who cling to convictions and ideas wholly untethered to reality, are the most powerful wielders of cultural and political power, as well as the majority of those who supposedly possess the finest education and the keenest intellect (professors, pundits, publishers, etc).
Here’s another Republican leader who I hope will admit what really happened. Still has this up on his website.
Life would be easier if we could say this was something Democrats were doing. I’m afraid it’s bigger than that. Many of the people who claim to represent us don’t really…
“We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy.”
So far it seems that in the main they will be charged with trespassing…
Considering that the whole weight of the federal government has already come down on the accused, I think most defense attorneys would be ecstatic if, after all of the legal commotion, the only thing their clients were charged with is trespassing. Then, of course, during the trial, the defense attorneys will play video of the capital police inviting the protestors in.
Well we certainly need 10 ft tall fences topped with concertina wire and the National Guard to prevent further trespassing, in perpetuity. Not like the barriers that have been removed from the federal courthouse in Portland that is an arson magnet. 🙂
Well, looking at the next post, maybe those fences aren’t such a bad idea after all.
https://www.thenewneo.com/2021/04/02/breaking-story-attack-near-capitol-the-perp-and-one-capital-police-officer-is-dead/
The only thing that surprised me was that the media & authorities identified the perp almost immediately as a black follower of the Nation of Islam, rather than waiting for the obligatory “white supremacists attack again!!” meme to take hold.
AesopFan:
Except that these “crazies” have been doing these things for 20 years now. About those fences and vehicle barriers again? Driving a truck down a bicycle/walking path in NYC was another incident a few years ago IIRC. Or the Christmas season vehicular moslem mayhem in Germany a few years earlier IIRC. Or the stabby moslem incident on the London Bridge? Is there a pattern?
Those of us on the right believe in law and order. We respect the police and the difficult job they do. The people I saw on video attacking Capitol Police obviously don’t support the Blue. Or, if they do, they only support certain police departments, not all.
I spent a lot of time last summer watching video of rioters attacking police in Portland and Seattle. You could tell they hated the police because they were so aggressive, so unwavering in using objects that could kill or maim a policeman, so willing to torch police cars, so similar in their tactics. What I saw in videos at the Capitol where the invaders were meeting resistance from police looked very much like the videos of ANTIFA/BLM at work. Same tactics, same uniforms, masked up, and very aggressive. In my mind, these were not the typical Trump supporters. I doubt very much that many of those people have been identified and arrested. More likely it is those who got caught up in the moment and went in after the “shock troops” had cleared the way. Then there were those who went in entrances where the police actually invited them in. Many of those were easy to ID and charge. I very much doubt that the DOJ will actually finger many of the “shock troops” because they were too covert and too smart. If those “shock troops” were actually hard core right wingers like the Proud Boys, I would be surprised.
Whoever it was involved in the actual attack on the police and invading the building, they have given the Democrats a talking point that will be hard to overcome. They also stopped what might have been an opportunity for an emergency ten day audit of the returns in the six swing states. A long shot, but the GOP controlled the Senate at the time and it could have been done.
I lived in the DC area for over a decade. During that time, I paid numerous visits to the House and Senate office buildings on business, and the Capitol building a few times as a tourist. There were police and metal detectors at the entrances, but no further barrier to entering. As they are the People’s houses, that level of security seemed appropriate. Videos showing Capitol Police at one of the entrances welcoming visitors on January 6, 2021, echo my experiences entering the Capitol years earlier.
Democrats, their media allies, and certain RINOs are lumping January 6th tourists in with hooligans who abused the privilege with vandalism and petty thievery. In doing so, they tell us infinitely more about themselves than the patriots they are defaming.
J.J. & Banned Lizard, well said!
Sad but true: Jan. 6th events at America’s Capitol gave democrats much to weave into their lies, & further deepen the confirmation bias of too many.
Om wrote: “Well we certainly need 10 ft tall fences topped with concertina wire and the National Guard to prevent further trespassing, in perpetuity. Not like the barriers that have been removed from the federal courthouse in Portland that is an arson magnet.”
America needs smart walls, wires, sensors, et al (– all that and more, as was Trump’s intention) at our southern border! ASAP and forever. Our national borders are even more important than the capitol, IMHO.
Rhonda:
Sorry but I should have included the (sarc) sarcasm tag at the end of my list of things “we” need. I thought “in perpetuity” would be enough of a clue. Pelosi needed the fencing and such at the Capitol for political theater, the needs of the National Guard troops didn’t and don’t matter too much to her.
Now the charges for the January 6 2021 event are being revised from sedition and insurrection to trespassing. Some of these things are not like the later. Not even vandalism and tagging with spray paint (didn’t seem to have happened)? We do have video footage of evil white supremacists free climbing (buildering) without permits though. When will justice be served? (sarc)
And yet even now we don’t have an autopsy or an official cause of the death of Officer Brian Sicknick or the identity of the man who terminated Ashli Babbitt (RIP).
All the smart people have taken their position… things like facts and evidence are unneeded.
The violent mobs were those who inserted fraudulent ballots.
Given the nature of much of the outrage, I’d expect them to be charged with blasphemy. Violating the Sacred Precincts! Stealing the Holy Lectern! Setting feet upon a Consecrated Desk!
The ruling class has a serious case of government worship – the very antithesis of separation of Church and State.
lol the “deadly insurrection” is style-guided by most major news outlets, despite the fact protesters were unarmed and do not appear to have actually killed anyone
as are the “fiery but mostly peaceful” riots that did kill dozens
let’s stop pretending these “straight news” outfits aren’t cultural extensions of the Democratic Party
AP(D)
60 Minutes(D)
etc
pretense of objectivity is now the blade of enforced conformity
they’ll shut down every bit of dissent they can
Gina Carano can’t even play a Space Wizard Soldier
Facts are irrelevant. A signature on some documents will bankrupt the opposition (Process as the Punishment) and all the screaming will distract the sheeple. Welcome to “Progressive” Law and Order. Just don’t stop clapping……