NEW @BuzzFeedNews: Neo-Nazi Christopher Cantwell Watched Tucker Carlson And Got Help From A White Supremacist In Prison To Prepare For His Trial In Charlottesville buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Cantwell worked on his legal strategy with other white supremacists who are incarcerated in the same Illinois federal prison, Matthew Hale and William “Bill” White. Plaintiffs said White has been ghostwriting Cantwell's many bizarre motions filed to court. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Cantwell has admitted to getting help from White and Hale because he's "unlearned in the law and legally illiterate" and he doesn't like his handwriting. But he says they aren't ghostwriting for him.
The men have been inside USP Marion, 1 of 3 communications management units in the US, which are for high-risk prisoners. He's been housed with extremist Jarrett William Smith (who spoke to me about Cantwell), MAGA bomber Cesar Sayoc, Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, and others.
Smith said the men spent a significant amount of time in the law section of their prison’s library researching their cases and discussing strategies. Then, he said, “the whites” would regularly go to a television room in the prison to watch Tucker Carlson’s evening program.
Good morning from Charlottesville, Virginia, where opening arguments are set to begin in Sines vs. Kessler — aka the "Unite the Right" white supremacist civil trial — at 9am. If you're just catching up, here's what you need to know: buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Jury selection was supposed to be two days but it dragged on through a third. It was...interesting and telling. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Good morning from Charlottesville! Today is day 3 of jury selections and at least two more jurors are needed to get this civil trial of white supremacists underway. A new panel of prospects was just brought into court to be considered. Opening arguments are set to begin Thursday.
If you're just catching up, here's my thread from day 1:
As you'll see in previous threads it's been hard finding qualified jurors. One thing this jury selection process has shown is how polarized we are. Listening to questioning and hearing parts of jurors' questionnaires exposes the divides. Charlottesville feels like a microcosm...
Morning from Charlottesville, Va. In federal court here today will be day 2 of jury selection in the civil trial against the white supremacist "Unite the Right" organizers. Here's how day 1 went: buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Jury selection underway. First woman questioned has strong feelings against the removal of Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville and the Black Lives Matter movement. She said on her juror questionnaire that she wasn't worried about prejudice against Black & Hispanic people.
But she also says the Unite the Right rally "made a joke" of Charlottesville and she did not support it "at all." Earlier she said that "both sides are absolutely wrong" referring to UtR and antiracist counterprotesters.
Listening now to pre-trial hearing in Charlottesville Sines vs. Kessler civil case, which is set to go to trial Monday, more than 4 years after "Unite the Right." Judge Moon is going thru jury pool, weeding out those who can be excused now to save time in jury selection Monday.
No. 182's a nurse who works at local hospital and Judge Moon said he wants to make sure medical workers are excused b/c of pandemic. No objections; excused. No. 156, woman, has dog that’ll have puppies during trial and child with special needs who’s homeschooled. Also excused.
Another man was just excused who served on the grand jury that indicted James Fields, the white supremacist who was convicted of murdering Heather Heyer. Judge also excused a student-athlete but said university students generally will be considered for the jury.
NEW from me: The DOJ's been investigating seven Americans for alleged war crimes committed while fighting with far-right extremists in eastern Ukraine.
One man named in the probe is now an active-duty Army soldier.
The US probe is centered on former Army soldier Craig Lang, who fought with Right Sector and is separately wanted in connection with a double killing in Florida and is fighting extradition from Kyiv. More on that case here: buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
The probe's been open since at least 2017, a doc I obtained suggests, meaning Lang was on the feds' radar before 2018 Florida killings he's charged in connection with. Here are pics of 3 of the Americans (standing & Lang middle) & Right Sector base where alleged crimes committed.
Underway now: Sentencing hearing for Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, leader of the far-right group the Proud Boys, who pleaded guilty last month to burning a Black Lives Matter banner stolen from a historic Black church and carrying high-capacity ammunition magazines in DC. @BuzzFeedNews
Lucas Dansie, Tarrio’s attorney, called him “a man of moral character who respects the laws” and says Tarrio “Is extremely sorry for what he did. He made a poor decision and wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Tarrio, in glasses and a blue shirt, tells the court after hearing Rev. Dr. Ianther Mills, Asbury Church’s Senior Pastor, that he made a very, very big mistake. "What I did was wrong." He says what was right was "to plead guilty in this case."