Thread by @ZoeTillman

A hearing is starting soon in the case of Capitol insurrection defendant John Earle Sullivan. Sullivan was granted pretrial release and the govt is back asking for jail, arguing he repeatedly violated release conditions, incl. during an Infowars appearance assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2047…

Sullivan is the founder of Insurgence USA, which was cited as proof in alt-right circles that Antifa/BLM/Dems incited the insurrection. Sullivan has said he's not affiliated w/ groups, and there's a lot of evidence Trump supporters assaulted the Capitol: buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

A judge in Utah granted release, finding govt failed to meet standard for having a detention hearing by showing "serious risk" Sullivan would obstruct witnesses. AUSA is arguing now that they're back arguing for detention on two grounds - revocation of release + obstruction issue

AUSA argues Sullivan spoke "freely" on Infowars about how he gets around internet restrictions, and emailed Insurgence members to pack the court for a previous court hearing, after being ordered not to do any work with the group — says that shows effort to intimidate court

Fwiw, this is now a DC federal magistrate judge considering whether to revoke release conditions ordered by a Utah federal magistrate judge (a lot of Capitol insurretion defs are making first appearances in home court after arrest, but all cases are being prosecuted out of DC)

Sullivan's lawyer Steven Kiersh argues it's "quite a leap" to say exercising 1st Amendment right to ask people to support him is proof of obstruction, disputes that he's a danger to the community or flight risk

Govt says that right after his probation officer said he could only get a flip phone, Sullivan went out and bought an iphone and tried to use it to get around a ban on Facebook

Sullivan's lawyer disputes that he was instructed not to get a smartphone and was told to only get a flip phone. Also disputes that he tried to log on to Twitter, since his accounts were disabled

After taking a short recess, the DC judge has continued John Earle Sullivan's detention hearing to Monday afternoon, saying she needs more time to do research and look at the record. So Sullivan remains on release, subject to the conditions ordered by the Utah judge

Capitol insurrection defendant John Earle Sullivan's hearing has resumed on the govt's request to revoke his pretrial release, the judge continued it from Friday so she could have more time to review the record. Decision coming shortly, she says. Prev -->

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