Some former federal prosecutors say the discrepancies in how the Trump administration is describing protest behavior may create a credibility problem for current prosecutors.
Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have taken a hard line against alleged violence at protests, charging nearly 100 protesters since June in cases that could result in long prison sentences. But a fifth of those cases have been dismissed or resulted in acquittals in what some former federal prosecutors and free speech advocates say is a rare rebuke of the U.S. attorney’s office’s mission and credibility.
After tens of thousands of people flooded the streets in June and October during “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration, at least 20 of 97 federal cases filed against Los Angeles protesters since June have failed in court, according to records provided to NBC News by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Eighteen of those cases were dismissed and two ended in acquittals. Experts weren’t able to provide an average number of cases but said the recent rate of unsuccessful ones seemed high.
We all know exactly who’s committing the violence at the No Kings protests and it’s not the protesters. And we’ve all seen the violence committed daily by ICE goons, without warrants or due process or any identification to allow the pursuit of legal consequences.
People are protesting daily, this isn’t just No Kings protests.
True true. But even when people are resisting vigorously, Trump’s jackbooted thugs are far more violent.
Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain appeared skeptical of the federal government’s case during a recent hearing, according to local media reports. Arguments largely hinged on testimony provided by U.S. Border Patrol boss Gregory Bovino, who was involved in Sheridan’s arrest but testified that he was not wearing body cameras at the time of the skirmish.
Bovino has lied multiple times now. Without body-cam evidence, his testimony is worth less that a pile of dog shit.
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Border patrol chief reprimanded for lying claims shots were fired at immigration officers in Chicago
Oh, and he likes to dress up like a NAZI.
Bovino can’t dress for shit. He looks like toothpaste extruding out of a dirty tube.
Seriously, he clearly put a lot of effort into looking that sloppy.
Consider what happens when competent people are in charge:
For federal cases in 2022, 89.5% of them pled guilty. 8.2% had their case dismissed. 0.4% were acquitted.
These were pretty typical numbers, because federal prosecutors usually don’t waste time at trial unless they already built a solid case. This DOJ apparently thought those numbers were something you just get by being a federal prosecutor, and ignored the work that typically goes into it.
I’d say an unsurprisingly large number of cases are falling apart.
The prosecutors could be made to feel less welcome in their communities. Maybe get those names and addresses out there.
LOL. But did anyone throw a sandwich?
What about the other 80%? Are they still pending or how many led to convictions? I’d like to get that down to zero.
Surprising to you, NBC news?
No. I don’t think so. So why put that in the headline then? Because gestapo arresting citizens for constitutionally protected actions is normal, right?
