The Proudest Boy Gets the Biggest Jan. 6 Sentence Yet - The Wednesday AM Quickie 9/6/23
The typhoon wasn't so bad as it turned out, at least in my area. But it did freak out the cats. - Corey
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THE BIG NEWS
Another Proud Boy Weeps: Tarrio Gets 22 Years
The last of five Proud Boys to be sentenced in the seditious conspiracy case stemming from Donald Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 coup attempt has also received the longest prison sentence yet to come down for those who stormed the Capitol that day: 22 years. It's less than prosecutors wanted, but still 4 years more than Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes got sentenced to back in May.
"Please show me mercy," pathetic Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio begged a judge yesterday. "I ask you that you not take my 40s from me."
Ah, well. As Mick Jagger sang, you can't always get what you want. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, was not persuaded by Tarrio's insistence that he was "not a political zealot" who sought to inflict harm or change the results of the 2020 election. Per the Associated Press:
Noting that Tarrio had not previously shown any remorse publicly for his crimes, the judge said a stiff punishment was necessary to deter future political violence.
"It can't happen again. It can't happen again," the judge repeated.
Tarrio's lawyers buttressed his appeal for leniency by noting his history of cooperating with law enforcement as an undercover informant, a highly public piece of information that is sure to make him a lot of friends on the inside. One of Tarrio's cousins, a 16-year veteran of the Miami police, submitted a letter in support of the erstwhile street thug. Before he was led away, Tarrio apologized to his former cooperators in uniform. "To the men and women of law enforcement who answered the call that day, I'm sorry," he said. Law enforcement officers "deserve nothing but praise, respect and to be honored as the heroes they are. I am extremely ashamed and disappointed they were caused grief and suffering," Tarrio went on. (It's worth recalling here that five police officers died as a result of the Capitol insurrection Tarrio helped lead.) Again, the judge was unmoved by Tarrio's tearful display.
To be sure, the U.S. prison system is nothing to celebrate, but it will always be satisfying to see a fascist thug reduced to a blubbering mess. And there are plenty of reasons to cheer this outcome for Tarrio and his deputies. As the New York Times reports, with its Jan. 6 prosecutions of top Proud Boys, "the Justice Department all but decapitated the group's national leadership and mostly put an end to its involvement in large-scale and often violent pro-Trump rallies in cities across the country." The antifa conspiracy strikes again!
Meanwhile in Canada, where the Proud Boys are banned as a terrorist organization, the trial began for two leaders of the far-right "Freedom Convoy" that shut down Ottawa for several weeks last year. Fascist insurrectionists who freely f*cked around the past few years under the protective umbrella of a wannabe mob boss in the White House have at last entered the "finding out" phase.
MORE STORIES TO WATCH
Trumpdates: Shut Him Up Already
- Trump Aims to Taint Jury Pool in Jan. 6 Case, DOJ Special Counsel Argues A complaint by Jack Smith's team yesterday "underscores the extent to which Trump's social media attacks are testing the patience of prosecutors and risk exposing him to sanctions from the judge." via the Associated Press.
- New York AG Letitia James Wants $20,000 Fine Against Trump Team for 'Borderline Frivolous' Filings The state complains that Trump's lawyers raised previously rejected arguments in their motions in the civil fraud case against him. via the Guardian.
- Trump Lackeys Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark Plead Not Guilty in Georgia So far, every defendant to enter a plea in the racketeering case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election has said they were not guilty. via NBC News and HuffPost.
- 'Do I Look Like a Rich Man?' Peter Navarro Begs for Help with Legal Bills His legal defense fundraising doesn't seem to be going so well, as the contempt of Congress charges against Trump's former trade advisor "have been reduced to a prosecutorial sideshow." via the Washington Post.
61 Cop City Protesters Charged with Racketeering
They call themselves forest defenders. Georgia Republican Attorney General Chris Carr calls them "militant anarchists." Republican Gov. Brian Kemp calls them "out-of-state radicals that threaten the safety of our citizens and law enforcement." The American Civil Liberties Union calls them victims of a "breathtakingly broad and unprecedented use of state terrorism, anti-racketeering and money laundering laws against protesters." Civil liberties groups are reeling after AG Carr announced his unprecedented racketeering case against dozens of Atlanta Cop City protesters yesterday. As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, most of the charges target members of the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement, which prosecutors describe as an "anti-government, anti-police, and anti-corporate extremist organization." In a statement, the Cop City Vote Coalition calls the indictment a bid to "intimidate protesters, legal observers, and bail funds alike."
"We will not be intimidated by power-hungry strongmen, whether in City Hall or the Attorney General's office," the statement says. "Chris Carr may try to use his prosecutors and power to build his gubernatorial campaign and silence free speech, but his threats will not silence our commitment to standing up for our future, our community, and our city."
This is certainly a troubling development with implications for free speech rights across the South. Be sure to check out Quickie Emeritus writer Jack's Rolling Stone report if you need more background on the protests.
QUICKEST QUICKIES
- Corrupt Texas AG Ken Paxton Pleads Not Guilty Then Bails on His Impeachment Trial One of the first questions asked by GOP House impeachment managers of their first witness, former Paxton deputy Jeff Mateer, was, "Are you a RINO?" via NBC News and the Associated Press.
- George Santos Signals He Make Take a Plea Deal The fabulist and formerly fabulous New York Republican Rep. is discussing "possible paths forward" with federal prosecutors in his fraud case. via the New York Times.
- Cuba Busts Russian Mercenary Human Trafficking Ring "Cuba has a firm and clear historical position against the use of mercenaries" and "is not part of the war in Ukraine," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said, announcing his ministry's efforts to dismantle a mercenary recruitment network on the island. via the Guardian.
- Settlement Forces NYPD to Limit Use of Force at Protests Among the provisions of an agreement with civil liberties groups that sued the city, New York cops say they will no longer "kettle" protesters without cause. via the Washington Post.
SOME NUMBER
12
That's the minimum number of small town police departments that have disbanded over the past two years, according to the Associated Press, a consequence of an ongoing nationwide "exodus from law enforcement."
ON THE SHOW TODAY
9/6: It's Hump Day! Sam and Emma speak with Dr. Jiaying Zhao, associate professor in the department of psychology at the University of British Columbia, to discuss her recent research into the benefits of guaranteed cash transfers, and how they can help reduce homelessness. Then, they're joined by actor Shaan Sharma, member of the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee, to discuss the recent updates on the strike and the ongoing negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
DON'T MISS MR CLIPS
Texas Republicans Using Gestapo Tactics to Target Women
They're making it illegal to transport women to get an abortion anywhere it's still legal.
Bill Maher Hits SLIMY New Low
"I love my writers, but..."
PARTING WORDS
"At the end, Justice Alito is the beneficiary of his own improper opining. This implicates [judicial code of conduct] strictures against improperly using one's office to further a personal interest: a justice obstructing a congressional investigation that implicates his own conduct.
-- Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, in a lengthy formal ethics complaint against Supreme Court Justice Samual Alito, submitted on Labor Day, and summarized here.
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