It’s all over but the screaming for the Proud Boys trial. Federal Prosecutors wrapped up their case on Monday. They’re hoping they convinced the jury that Enrique Tarrio and four of his “lieutenants” committed seditious conspiracy by “plotting to stop the transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 election.”
Proud Boys have more witnesses
Defense witnesses for the Proud Boys will get to have the last word after a big scandal broke last week. The prosecution accidentally leaked classified emails. Ones which indicate that evidence was made to disappear. Jurors will soon be deliberating “one of the most serious cases to come out of the Justice Department’s massive investigation.”
They portray the barbarian invasion on January 6, 2021 as a violent insurrection. That narrative went out the window when Tucker Carlson aired the footage showing how peaceful and quiet things were inside the building. Cops weren’t making any attempt to stop anyone, they were too busy playing tour guide and posing for selfies with the “insurrectionists.”
Defense lawyers argue that there isn’t a single shred of evidence that “the Proud Boys plotted to attack the Capitol and stop Congress from certifying Biden’s electoral victory.”
Meanwhile in the Proud Boys trial, jurors just saw this video of rioters being invited into the U.S. Capitol. pic.twitter.com/2CIlDKm261
— Jordan Fischer (@JordanOnRecord) March 8, 2023
Many legal scholars remain convinced that what Trump was trying to accomplish that day was constitutionally sound, just untried, untested, confusing and controversial. As argued by Norm Pattis, an attorney for former Proud Boys leader Joseph Biggs, the Boys had no plan, “no understanding” and no “implicit conspiracy” for that fateful day.
They were there to show patriotic support for their president and conservative values. “They did not come to your home to cause a riot.” The jury was glad the prosecution finally rested their case.
They’ve been subjected to “more than 30 days of testimony over more than two months by more than 20 prosecution witnesses, including two former Proud Boys members who are cooperating with the government in hopes of lighter sentences.”
Up to 20 years
There is a lot at stake for the Proud Boys defendants. Tarrio and the others “could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of seditious conspiracy.” The timing on the fresh video release works in the favor of these defendants but wasn’t good enough to get a mistrial declared in the Oath Keeper case.
Stewart Rhodes and four others “were convicted of seditious conspiracy in January.” They haven’t been sentenced yet though, that comes up in May.
Facing heavy jail time along with Tarrio are Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola. On Monday, “Nordean’s attorney called the first defense witnesses, including former Proud Boys member Travis Nugent, of Vancouver, Washington.”
More breaking news in Proud Boys trial. FBI agent admits the guy who picked up Enrique Tarrio from jail on Jan 5 (he was arrested for burning a BLM banner in 2020) was an FBI informant.
Cant make it up, folks. pic.twitter.com/FRifCf3lWN
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) March 14, 2023
Nugent testified that “he was shocked to see rioters breach police barricades near the Capitol.” To him, “it definitely felt spontaneous to me. I didn’t know it was going to happen.”
The prosecutor tried to trip him up by quizzing back, you “had every reason to expect violence, didn’t you?” That was an easy one for Nugent. “No.” The government isn’t even trying to accuse any of the Proud Boys with violence.
“Tarrio wasn’t even at the Capitol on January 6.” Police already had him in custody. They picked Tarrio up on “separate charges two days before the riot, and he heeded a judge’s order to leave the nation’s capital.“
