GOP Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Louie Gohmert, suspected child molester Matt Gaetz, and Paul Gosar—whose animated video fantasy about slaying President Joe Biden and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez earned him a censure—held a press conference to complain that the terrorists charged in the failed January 6th attempted coup d’etat are being “persecuted” in jail.
At least 675 defendants have been arrested in connection with the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, which a May 2021 estimate by the Architect of the Capitol says caused about $1.5 million worth of damage to the building, only a fraction of those are being held without bail.
“While it’s catch-and-release for domestic terrorists in Antifa and BLM, the people who breached the Capitol on January 6 are being abused. Some even being held for 23-hours-a-day in solitary confinement,” said Greene, who equated mostly peaceful protests against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s murder with the deadly attempt to overthrow America’s government by a mob of rioting supporters of disgraced former president Donald Trump.
The GOP protesters —known as the Crackpot Caucus— are among the most prominent members of the Sedition Caucus, or the Republicans in Congress who voted against the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election a few hours after a mob of terrorists stormed the Capitol building hoping to overturn the balloting process with violence.
Before the Electoral College certification vote, Trump conspired to overturn the results of the election for two months, promoting the Stop the Steal conspiracy theory, asserting that he had won, and filing dozens of failed lawsuits at the state level.
No legitimate evidence ever supported the argument that the Republican— who got about 8 million fewer votes than his Democratic rival—was not a loser.
Law professors, comedians, and other observers had for years warned that Trump would try to stay in power even that meant depriving the electorate of its rightful choice, betraying the US Constitution or declaring martial law.
Conservative columnist Max Boot argued that Sedition Caucus members should “see their careers crash and burn” as he compared them to Senator Joseph McCarthy, and another conservative political columnist Jennifer Rubin argued that they should be expelled from Congress. New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. said that Republicans trying to overturn the election are violating the 14th Amendment and should be permanently disqualified from holding any public office.
Only 11 of the 28 federal defendants who have had their cases adjudicated so far have received sentences that include periods of incarceration for their crimes.
A spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s Office in Washington DC, which is handling the cases against the alleged terrorists, said most
Georgia GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said supporters of former President Donald Trump who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 are “being abused” in federal custody as she blasted House calls for a commission to study the insurrection.
Greene, who earlier this month said the Capitol rioters were not Trump supporters at all, took a different approach Tuesday as she made a House floor statement in opposition to a proposed study of the January 6 events. The Georgia Republican said the study is just a “witch hunt” targeting Trump and “all those who support him.” Despite touting U.S. law enforcement officers, she accused federal authorities of abusing suspected rioters in custody. Greene reiterated that last summer’s nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd were the costliest “insurrection” Congress should investigate, not the January 6 riots.
“While it’s catch-and-release for domestic terrorists in Antifa and BLM, the people who breached the Capitol on January 6 are being abused. Some even being held for 23-hours-a-day in solitary confinement,” Greene said. “When will the witch hunt of Donald J. Trump and all of those who support him come to an end?” said Greene, who has
Instead of holding traitors to account, Republicans are plotting the defeat of GOP lawmakers who voted for bipartisan legislation investing $1 trillion on infrastructure projects, supported either impeachment of the former president, or refused to cheat on behalf of Trump after he lost the election.
By lying about the vote results and denying his loss, Trump stirred up anger and resentment that threaten the integrity of all elections in the United States and incited his supporters to violence. His obvious criminal intent was to steal the election. Prosecutors have responded by charging the insurrectionists like litterbugs and loiterers, instead of the traitors and terrorists that they are, leaving the prime culprit free to sow dissent across the country and repeat his treasonous lies.
Only a few terrorists remain locked up while awaiting trial, and that is because judges are convinced those individuals are unrepentant and pose a danger to society.
Some federal jurists have suggested that Trump has responsibility for the January 6 attack, among them U.S. District Judges Amit Mehta and Amy Berman Jackson.
The FBI is still seeking suspects wanted for violent assaults on federal officers or on members of the media and authorities are asking the public to help identify them from images and video of the attack posted at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/capitol-violence. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.