Lawyers for former Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and some of his co-accused have been indicted on a historically rare charge of rioting this week as he politically orchestrated to coincide with the start of the television audition. the Parliamentary Selection Committee. the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Hours before committee executives waited for lawmakers to step down to prime-time focusing on the actions of the Proud Boys and a documentary that accompanied them that day, Tarrio’s lawyers and some of his four deputies accused the Department of Justice of playing politics with the case, a controversy between U.S. prosecutors and a judge appointed by the President Donald Trump was rejected during a hearing in a federal court in Washington. “Mixing political and criminal justice is dangerous and we need to get out of it like fire,” said David Smith, a lawyer for Proud Boys defendant Ethan Nordean of Seattle. “But when you look at the timing of the government’s indictment… when the indictments could have been made and what comes out of the Capitol this week, there is no doubt what is going on, and it is anti-American, Judge,” Smith said. . The January 6 hearing for introductory arguments, focus on far-right groups Tarrio’s lawyer Nayib Hassan agreed, writing in a court hearing Wednesday that the new 10-point indictment against the group claimed almost no new evidence and “looks suspiciously orchestrated at the highest levels of government” to coincide with parliamentary hearings. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Washington, appointed by Trump in 2017, dismissed these allegations as unfounded. “To draw the sweeping conclusion that there is no other explanation for this timetable is unjustified,” Kelly said. Prosecutors predicted in March that they could file additional charges by the end of last month, and defense attorneys would likely have made similar allegations if they had met that deadline, the judge said. “I totally agree that politics and law enforcement are – you do not want one peanut butter to be in the other’s chocolate,” Kelly said. “There is no doubt that it is important for the rule of law. It is important for our country. … But the government said it was expecting something to happen in May, and the schedule is such that it fell short. “For me, I can not connect the dots you want, Mr. Smith.” Henry Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, and four other members were charged with rioting on June 6 for their role in the Capitol attack. (Video: Reuters) Assistant Attorney General Jason BA McCullough added: “The government strongly opposes the allegations that there is any coordination between this office and the selection committee regarding the timing of the indictments or the decision to pursue the full indictment in this case.” The Proud Boys leader and lieutenants are accused of rioting The escalating criticism of the prosecutors’ defense came as lawyers urged the judge to move the scheduled trial to August 8 of the key The Proud Boys are coming out of the nation’s capital to allow them to speak out of court to deal with what they called a flood of unfair publicity. Tarrio, 38, was not in the District on the day of the uprising, but prosecutors say he was leading activities from Baltimore as Proud Boys members took part in the first and most aggressive attacks to confront and crush police at several critical points. in limited areas of the Capitol. Prosecutors have charged Tarrio and his co-accused in a 32-page document accusing “opposition to the legitimate transfer of power by force” with gathering and coordinating the movements of up to 300 people around the Capitol that day, including several that the government says pushed and led a mob that stormed the building and forced the evacuation of lawmakers who met to certify Joe Biden’s presidential victory. . Dozens of police officers were injured and five people lost their lives during or shortly after the uprising, which was fueled by supporters of Trump’s false allegations that the election had been rigged. Recently released videos show Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio meeting with Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes a day before the Capitol attack. (Video: U.S. District Attorney for the District of Columbia) Lawyers for Miami Tarrio. Joe Biggs of Ormond Beach, Fla .; and Dominic Pezzola from Rochester, NY? pleaded not guilty to the charges in court on Thursday. Co-accused Nordean and Zachary Rehl, from Philadelphia, were not present at the hearing and will testify later, after pleading not guilty. charges originally brought against them in the case. Several federal judges hearing Washington cases involving more than 820 people accused of the Jan. 6 uprising have rejected proposals to move the trials, saying that jurors who are influenced by publicity can be screened and eliminated, but those who are elected can be removed. more requests. The jurors have been selected in five trials that have taken place so far with little problem, U.S. prosecutors note. However, at least two judges have expressed concern about the conduct of the trials as House hearings are under way, with a third judge, U.S. District Attorney Beryl A. Howell, likely to address the question of a scheduled trial. for the 27th of June. In this context, the lawyers of the Proud Boys defendants describe their clients as “in a class on their own when it comes to harmful publicity before the trial”, as Rehl’s lawyer Carmen Hernandez said on Thursday. Hernandez argued that the The combination of the televised hearings and the new charges meant that the “only solution” to upholding the accused’s right to a fair trial and fair trial was to transfer the case from Washington. That is, if the trial is not postponed and the accused are released, where they have been held since the beginning of 2021, the lawyers of all five agreed. Hern Hernandezndez described the addition of a charge of opposition to the US government as “extremely serious” when the defendants were already facing another offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison – obstructing corruption in a congressional hearing – saying it was “extremely serious”. committed violence and at worst is said to have been linked to the Proud Boys, as is his right under the First Amendment. Kelly said he would consider a motion to adjourn or postpone the trial. McCullough, the prosecutor, raised a possible further complication, revealing that the House committee on Jan. 6 told the Justice Department it expects to release transcripts of interviews it has conducted with about 1,000 witnesses while publishing a report of its findings to authorities. September, probably while the Tarrio test is in progress. McCullough said the ministry had asked to review the copies as part of its criminal investigation into the Capitol uprising, but that “we could not negotiate an agreement” with Parliament to share them. transcripts with defendants, as required, if the material from them was to be used as evidence in criminal cases. The Proud Boys became known for hitting bats at rallies and rallies in 2020, in which members were willing to take part in street fights with their perceived enemies in the left-wing antifa movement. During a debate on the September 2020 presidential election, Trump famously refused to denounce the Proud Boys, urging them to “stand back and stand by.” The group took those words as a rally cry, organizing two pro-Trump rallies in Washington and converging on the city for Jan. 6.
