Tornado Alley (PROG)

[blackhawks]

Up to 20 years for obstructing the congressional proceedings is just fine with me.

Keep on trying and failing to defend a bunch of treasonous assholes.


The department says nearly 200 of those 500 defendants have been charged with obstructing the congressional proceedings on January 6 to count the electoral votes and finalize President Joe Biden's victory. That felony charge has a maximum sentence of 20 years -- the same punishment as the sedition charge but more tailored to the situation of blocking Congress' certification of the Electoral College result.

Current and former Justice officials say there aren't many prosecutors who have even brought sedition-related cases. Instead, they say, the FBI and prosecutors are better off building conspiracy cases, where the law is clearer, and using cooperators to build the complex prosecutions in order to have better chances of success.

And that's exactly what they've done, especially against members of right-wing extremist groups like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters.

The marquee January 6 conspiracy case has ensnarled 16 people with ties to the Oath Keepers, an anti-government group that recruits veterans and former law enforcement members. Prosecutors secured their first guilty plea and cooperation deal from a defendant in that case on Wednesday, which could give a boost to their efforts to get under the hood of the organization and win convictions later on against members who are accused of planning to disrupt Congress' electoral vote count.

Prosecutors have also zeroed in on the extremist Proud Boys. Leaders of Proud Boys chapters in North Carolina, Philadelphia, Florida and Seattle have been charged in a conspiracy indictment, and several others from across the country with ties to the group are also charged. Investigators are examining their group chats and other communications.

Sedition cases are quite rare, adding to the challenge of using the law for January 6 attackers.

Prosecutors have charged defendants almost every day since the attack and recently indicated in court filings that they continue to pursue as many as 100 more.

The cases, taken together, have provided more insight into the pro-Trump rioters' political inclinations, and the Justice Department has noted the threat of right-wing rhetoric pushing ideas of election fraud and reclaiming the presidency from Biden hasn't subsided.

Prosecutors have also said they are working to expand conspiracy charges against far-right extremist groups that they allege coordinated and planned to disrupt Congress' certification of the presidential vote.

More than 50 defendants have been linked to far-right extremist groups, and at least two groups of alleged conspirators are accused of finding contacts online, then discussing how they'd travel cross-country with firearms for the event.

The conspiracy cases, as is typical, are likely to take longer to build and to move through the courts.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/24/politics/capitol-sedition-charges-garland/index.html?form=MY01SV&OCID=MY01SV