The feds say Jan. 6 defendant Jenna Ryan — who said she’s “definitely not going to jail” — should definitely go to jail. huffpost.com/entry/jenna-ry…
“Perhaps the most compelling need for specific deterrence arises from the defendant’s misguided belief that she is above the law, or at least insulated from incarceration.” huffpost.com/entry/jenna-ry…
The feds say Jenna Ryan “drew on her considerable experience as a social media influencer to promote violence before her arrival at the Capitol.” huffpost.com/entry/jenna-ry…
“On Twitter and in televised interviews, the defendant described herself as a patriot who did nothing wrong and who was deserving of a presidential pardon.”
“She publicly sought a presidential pardon for her crimes while also blaming others, such as the FBI and ‘antifa,’ for the violence and destruction of property that occurred on January 6 without acknowledging her own considerable contribution to the belligerence.”
In a letter to the judge, Jenna Ryan states that she “cannot always display remorse” on social media because she is marketing herself.
“My social media is an image I project and not my real life,” she writes.
"I try to balance my life and come across as happy and well adjusted. It’s all about image management.” — Jenna Ryan
"Some actions I took that day were good. I came to DC to protest the election results.”
"It is my belief that America is presently in an 'Information War.’”
The title of the file is "New Letter to Judge Cooper,” suggesting Jenna Ryan’s lawyer had some edits to the first draft.
"Her comments on social media reflected her belief that a wrong had been committed in the way the Presidential election had been conducted, that there were significant acts of election fraud, and that the Presidency had, in effect, been stolen.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
Responding to Jenna Ryan’s claim that she didn’t observe violence, the government provided this photo of her filming the media smash.
DOJ says Jenna Ryan "seeks to minimize her own conduct” in her letter to the judge.
"The United States submits that no reasonable person… would consider people 'climbing the walls' to be an appropriate or peaceful means of entering the Capitol…”
DOJ in court: The defendant cannot use the First Amendment to incite.
Defense attorney argues that Jenna Ryan went to D.C. on Jan. 6 to take part in a celebration of American freedom.
Judge Christopher Cooper questions Ryan’s lawyer on whether she knew there was chaos before she went down to the Capitol.
“She is a social butterfly,” says Jenna Ryan’s attorney. She likes to go on the internet and post things, he adds.
Judge says that Jenna Ryan is entitled to make her statements, and that he’s entitled to factor her comments into his sentencing decision when he considers the need for deterrence.
Judge: "I don't think you could have missed the fact that this was no peaceful protest… You were a cheerleader, you cheered it on."
Judge says Jenna Ryan’s comments after the Capitol attack downplay her role.
“I just shouldn’t tweet,” Ryan tells the judge.
Judge Cooper on Twitter: “You get yourself into that briar patch, and you’ve gotta live with it.”
Judge Cooper says Jenna Ryan’s case “has generated a fair amount of public interest.” People will want to know how she was sentenced, and the sentence should tell them we take it seriously.
.@nickquested has an important new film out called 64 Days that zeroes in on the critical timeframe in the lead up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
I’ve watched far more Capitol attack footage than any sane human being should, and even I was floored by what he’s got.
The day after the 2020 election, a mob of Trump supporters who believed Trump’s lies about voter fraud flooded to the TCF Center in Detroit, the largest majority-Black city in the nation.
NBC News’ own @PattersonNBC was inside, here’s some of what he saw:
As @janestreet and I report in our new story on the chaos at the TCF Center in 2020, some of the key instigators there — including folks banging on the windows — had official ties to the Trump 2020 campaign operation.
@janestreet Now, here's a key thing to know about the people who flooded down to the TCF Center on Nov. 4, 2020, because they saw some post on Facebook or something: They're plainly wrong. Trump didn't lose Michigan because of fraud in Detroit, where he performed better than he had in 2016.
NEW: One of the worst Jan. 6 rioters, David Dempsey, hit with 20 years in federal prison by a Reagan-appointed federal judge who has spoken out about the “preposterous” and dangerous rhetoric some Republicans have used in an attempt to “rewrite history" on Jan. 6.
Dempsey appeared to flash an “OK” sign as he was led out of court, several witnesses observed. Other rioters have yelled “Trump won!” as they were led out of court.
DOJ inspector general concludes, as folks who were paying attention four plus years ago did contemporaneously, that having Bureau of Prisons guards man civilian protests was a bad idea.
"Allowing federal law enforcement to operate with anonymity all but eliminates accountability when force is inevitably used against demonstrators." huffpost.com/entry/william-…
"A senior Justice Department official credited Barr with the idea of bringing in federal prison corrections officers, calling it an example of Barr’s 'outside the box' thinking." huffpost.com/entry/william-…
“If [we] don’t have a charge, we don’t say anything about an investigation; we just don’t do that.”
From the OIG report on Willam Barr and the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney who helped fuel the ex-president's bogus voter fraud narrative back in 2020.
He announced his resignation just before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which was fueled by Trump's election lies. huffpost.com/entry/david-fr…
"Freed’s unusual conduct came under intense scrutiny from Justice Department veterans who noted it was “wildly improper” for a federal prosecutor to be making public declarations about investigations that could be used as a political cudgel and help undermine confidence in the electoral process." huffpost.com/entry/david-fr…
DOJ inspector general's report on the Roger Stone sentencing recommendation (remember that?) is now out. It calls former interim U.S. Attorney Timothy Shea's leadership "ineffectual" and DOJ's handling of the Stone sentencing "highly unusual." Bill Barr refused to cooperate.
"we found that Barr had articulated his position about the sentencing recommendation both before and shortly after the first sentencing memorandum was filed, and before the President’s tweets." oig.justice.gov/sites/default/…
"Barr was in the middle of listening to what others thought about the idea of a second filing when someone mentioned the tweets, and then 'the air almost went out of the room.'"