Judge has sentenced Treniss Evans to 20 days jail in Capitol riot case. Feds argued Evans raised a megaphone while inside and declared “bring ‘em in”.. and drank whiskey in Congressional conference room
But his sentencing hearing.... was unlike any I've seen
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Evans spoke at his sentencing hearing... for nearly two hours. He was admonished by court for repeating himself, for interrupting the judge and for speaking too quickly
Among his statements: "Sure, I drank a shot of my whiskey, then.... someone else's whiskey" on Jan 6
Evans used the refrain used by so many Jan 6 defendants .. saying he was "caught up in the moment"
But some of his exchanges with judge were unique. He said, after the 2020 election, the "courts failed the people.. and Congress failed the people"
Still questioning 2020
Treniss Evans leaned in hard on his political views... saying America is tired of hearing about the investigation of January 6. He said "In January, with the new Congress, there'll be new types of investigations"
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Treniss Evans blamed Black Lives Matter and Antifa for violence and said he was "appalled by the violence on January 20, 2017"
He told judge: "If you give me 10 years in prison, I'm not gonna change what I saw on social media"
He hinted at a future run for Congress
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Judge Dabney Friedrich countered many of Evans' arguments.
When Evans argued "The window was destroyed before I got there"...
Friedrich questioned: "But you knew the window was broken, you didn't think that was an accident, did you?"
At times Evans cut off the judge mid-sentence. When Evans said "How would we have known the (Capitol) was restricted?" on Jan 6...
The judge responded: "Well there were alarms blaring!"
Evans complained of a "two-tiered" justice system, referenced comments by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX).. hinted at a future political run some more
Several times Evans alleged police were taking selfies & exchanging hugs with people in the mob
Evans said, several times, that he drove "1500 miles" to get to DC on Jan 6, after having canvassed in Georgia. He said there was never violence at the "Stop the Steal" rallies he'd attended. And said he sang the national anthem 5-7 times aloud in DC on Jan 6
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At one point of Evans' remarks, the judge responded: "What you say doesn't ring true"
After the lengthy, at times political, remarks.. Treniss Evans was unable to avoid a jail sentence. 20 days jail, $5000 fine, 3-years probation
The Justice Dept was seeking 60-days jail. So this strategy didn’t noticeably hurt Evans
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FLASH: Justice Dept confirms it is establishing $1.776 billion fund "for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress"
Fund will have five members and "issue formal apologies and monetary relief owed to claimants"
Justice Dept defends $1.776 billion fund by saying, "There is legal precedent for such a Fund, most notably the Keepseagle case where the Obama Admin. created a $760 million fund to redress various claims alleging racism against the federal government over a period of decades"
And there it is:
About $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded pot of $$
Justice Dept says, "Fund will consist of a Commission of five members appointed by the Attorney General. One Member will be chosen in consultation with congressional leadership. The President can remove any member"
MORE: 93 members of the US House are seeking to make a filing in the Trump $10 billion lawsuit against his I.R.S.
They've hired former Democratic Attorney General of New Jersey Matthew Platkin to represent them
Congress has been BLASTING this Trump lawsuit
MORE: A blistering court filing has just been submitted in Florida by 93 Democratic Members of Congress opposing Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against his own I.R.S.
In part the filing says, "10 billion could fully fund almost the entire annual budget for federal child welfare spending or the National Cancer Institute for a year. Or it could be used to purchase childcare for a million young families. Instead of serving these worthy purposes, the President instead asks this Court to allow him to use collusive litigation to force the American people to put that money into his pockets, and the pockets of his family and friends"
ALERT: Group of former Justice Dept employees, w/ Washington Litigation Group, files emergency suit to HALT Trump's re-painting of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Suit: "The grey, achromatic basin was not incidental to the design. It was the design"
LAWSUIT challenging Trump's repainting of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blasts Trump's gaudy reimaging:
"The 1999 National Park Service Cultural Landscape Report for the Lincoln Memorial Grounds specifically identifies the dark-tiled basin as a character-defining feature of the historic landscape, noting that 'the dark color of the tile created the illusion of greater depth and a more profound reflection"
(MORE) Suit challenging Trump changes to Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool:
"Defendants engaged a swimming pool contractor to resurface the Reflecting Pool.. a vivid blue coating.. Shockingly, Defendants started altering the historic character of the Reflecting Pool without following Congressionally mandatory procedures"
"All of this may be standard fare for a social media post. But in a federal court filing, it is neither appropriate nor permitted"
Historic group challenging Trump's Ballroom unleashes fiery court filing
They unequivocally accuse Justice Dept of making false claims
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Group challenging Trump ballroom:
"Defendants claim that the National Trust was 'shown detailed plans and specifications of this knitted, unified, & cohesive structure by Top Officers and Leaders in both the Military and Secret Service.' This statement is false: The National Trust has never been shown non-public plans"
Historic preservation group suing over Trump ballroom also argues:
"The Defendants claim that the National Trust was “asked by the United States Military not to bring this suit because of the Top Secret nature of the important facility being built. This statement is false: The military did not request that the National Trust not file this suit."
STAND BY: Court hearing is imminent here in DC, as plaintiffs seek judge's order to block Trump Admin. from seizing, closing and razing the East Potomac public golf course in DC
Plaintiffs: "Trust is no longer an option. As it did with the East Wing, the administration has chosen arbitrariness over abiding by the law"
Judge Ana Reyes will oversee this hearing
Plaintiff (DC Preservation League) has filed this 17-page request for court to intervene, arguing Trump Admin intends to "transform East Potomac Park into an unrecognizable venue bearing no resemblance to its historic design and replete with features that will significantly affect the quality of the human environment"
Trump Admin has just filed this brief 5-page argument, alleging they are only beginning "deferred maintenance" projects today
Including "basic housekeeping and repairs that do not require any environmental compliance documentation like fence cleaning and debris cleanup activities"
ALERT: New House legislation would block Trump Admin from vacating Jan 6 seditious conspiracy cases
Bill would change rules of crim. procedure to “clarify federal judges have the authority to accept or reject the govt’s motion to dismiss ‘in the interests of justice”
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Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) is the sponsor
Scanlon argues, “Reforming Rule 48a to ensure that federal judges have appropriate oversight over problematic prosecutorial decisions will reinforce an important check and balance to ensure the integrity of our justice system"
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Bill is a deep, deep longshot in this Congress, but raises the issue for Democrats: Trump’s attempt to whitewash January 6th are not politically popular with broad swaths of Americans and are a risk to the safety of future elections (MORE)