JUST IN: In third Oath Keepers trial, four of six defendants are GUILTY of all charges, including obstruction:
Sandra Parker, Laura Steele, William Isaacs, Connie Meggs
Two defendants had mixed results but were acquitted or deadlocked on serious charges: Bennie Parker and Michael Greene.
B PARKER: Deadlocked on conspiracy to obstruct, acquitted of obstruction and conspiracy to prevent fed officer from discharging duties.
GREENE: Acquitted of conspiracy to obstruct. Deadlocked on obstruction. Acquitted of conspiracy to prevent fed officer from discharging duties
Greene and Bennie Parker were bother convicted of entering and remaining in restricted area, a misdemeanor. So all defendants were convicted of at least one thing, but split verdict on the most significant felonies.
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NEWS: An appeals court panel has temporarily blocked Judge Howell’s “crime-fraud” order against Trump attorney Evan Corcoran but set a series of rapid deadlines — including at midnight tonight and 6am tomorrow — to resolve the matter.
MORE: The order makes clear documents are at issue — and the extraordinary light-speed with which the appeals court is moving suggests there will be action on this at the federal courthouse *tomorrow.*
NEW: As he awaits indictment in Manhattan, Trump is trying to stave off another one — in Georgia, where today his lawyer moved to suppress evidence gathered by a special grand jury.
The lawyer, Drew Findling, cited a series of procedural issues and the recent comments by members of the grand jury — and the presiding judge — to suggest the entire process must be thrown out. politico.com/news/2023/03/2…
Findling argues that the special grand jury was a civil proceeding and therefore efforts to compel out-of-state witnesses to appear (which requires a criminal process) were improper.
NEW: A little-watched discrimination trial against the FBI this month peeled back layers of dysfunction, burnout and territorialism that dogged a key office in the years before Donald Trump fashioned the agency as a nemesis.
The trial featured testimony from Jim Baker who took over the bureau’s legal office in 2014. He said it was such a fearful mess that employees — some of the top lawyers in govt — were afraid to speak up and slipped anonymous notes under his door at night. politico.com/news/2023/03/2…
The jury ultimately found for the FBI, rejecting the gender discrimination claim brought by a Baker deputy, but not before a parade of top FBI officials laid bare the internal messes they dealt with while tasked with fighting crime/combating terrorism.
It’s unclear if he’s basing this on being informed or on some TV speculation. He cites “illegal leaks” for this expectation, so it’s a bit murky at the moment. But this call for people taking to the streets to “take our nation back” is straight from Jan. 6 playbook.
NEW: Predicting imminent charges against him in Manhattan, Trump called on supporters Saturday to “take our nation back,” an ominous exhortation reminiscent of his Jan. 6 calls.
HAPPENING NOW: Judge Walton has sentenced Aiden Bilyard, who was 18 on Jan. 6, to 40 months in prison for spraying chemicals at an officer and shattering a window to a suite of Senate offices.
Difficult scene in the courtroom, where Bilyard’s mother interjected in tears.
Bilyard’s mother called out “That’s not right,” after Walton revealed the 40 month sentence, which was slightly below the guideline range.
Walton replied that he son did what he did, “You make your bed, you’ve got to lie in it.”
“He’s lied in it,” she replied.
BILYARD himself had expressed remorse, raised concerns about attempts by other Jan. 6 defendants to push propaganda on him during his pre-sentence incarceration and said he cooperated with prosecutors to help ID other charged rioters.
NEWS: Capitol Police have issued a sworn affidavit in federal court saying they were blindsided by release of Jan. 6 security footage to Tucker Carlson, and that repeated requests to review/approve any public use of footage went ignored.
@jordainc The department laid out a timeline, beginning in early February:
-Feb. 8/9: House Rs asked for access to Jan. 6 security footage matching select committee's access
-USCP granted access to three terminals + 4 hard drives returned by select committee.