Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Media

Did the “QAnon Shaman” Get Shafted on Sentencing? New Footage Raises Questions Over the Chansley Case

If there is one image from Jan. 6th that will remain indelible with the day, it is the “QAnon Shaman.” Bare chested and wearing an animal headdress, horns and red-white-and-blue face paint, Jake Angeli Chansley is to the Capitol riot what Rosie the Riveter was to World War II. Howling and “chanting an unintelligible mantra” on the Senate floor, he is the embodiment of the unhinged rage that led to one of the most disgraceful attacks on our constitutional process in history.

However, the newly released Fox footage from that day raises serious questions over the prosecution and punishment of Chansley. The videotapes aired on Tucker Carlson this week show Chansley being escorted by officers through the Capitol. Two officers appear to not only guide him to the floor but actually appear to be trying to open locked doors for him. At one point, Chansley is shown walking unimpeded through a large number of armed officers with his four-foot flag-draped spear and horned Viking helmet on his way to the Senate floor.

It is otherworldly footage. While I admit that I approach these stories from the perspective of a long-standing criminal defense attorney, I would be outraged if I was unable to see such evidence before a plea or sentencing. At no point in the videotapes does Chansley appear violent or threatening. Indeed, he appears to thank the officers for their guidance and assistance. On the Senate floor, Chansley actually gave a prayer to thank the officers agreed “to allow us into the building.”

Before addressing the legal implications of this footage, one thing should be clear. The public should have been given access to this footage long ago and the Jan. 6th Committee withheld important evidence on what occurred inside the Capitol on that day.

While it is understandable that many would object to Carlson being given an exclusive in the initial release, many in the media are denouncing the release of the footage to the public at all. The press and pundits are now opposing greater transparency in resisting any contradiction of the narrative put forward by the Jan. 6th Committee. Indeed, MSNBC’s Jason Johnson angrily objected that this is “federal evidence” — ignoring that it is evidence that was denied to criminal defendants.

This is not just material that the public should be able to see, it was potential evidence in criminal cases like that of the QAnon Shaman.

When the footage aired, I wrote a column raising the question of whether this evidence was known to or shared with Chansley’s defense. After all, he was portrayed as a violent offender by the Justice Department at his sentencing.

It now appears that the answer is no. I spoke with Chansley’s new counsel, Bill Shipley, and confirmed that defense counsel did not have this material.

In the hearing, federal prosecutor Kimberly Paschall played videos showing Chansley yelling along with the crowd and insisted “that is not peaceful.”

That portrayal of Chansley would have been more difficult to maintain if the Court was allowed to see images of Chansley casually walking through a door of the Capitol with hundreds of other protesters and then being escorted by officers through the Capitol. At no point is he violent and at no point is he shown destroying evidence. Instead, he dutifully follows the officers who facilitate his going eventually to the unoccupied Senate floor.

We all knew that Chansley was treated more harshly because of his visibility. It was his costume, not his conduct, that seemed to drive the sentencing. In the hearing, Judge Royce Lamberth noted, “He made himself the image of the riot, didn’t he? For good or bad, he made himself the very image of this whole event.”

Lamberth hit Chansley with a heavy 41-month sentence for “obstructing a federal proceeding.”

However, the QAnon Shaman was led through the Capitol by officers. Defense counsel could have noted that his “obstruction” in going to an unoccupied Senate floor was facilitated by officers. While the police were clearly trying to deescalate the situation after the Capitol was breached, this is evidence of how Chansley came to the Senate. Indeed, his interaction with officers could have impacted how he viewed the gravity of his conduct. It certainly would have been material to the court in sentencing the conduct.

In his rambling sentencing statement to the court, Chansley apologized for “a lot of bad juju that I never meant to create.”

I have great respect for Judge Lamberth, who has always shown an admirable resistance to public pressure in high profile cases. I cannot imagine that Lamberth would not have found this footage material and frankly alarming.

At first blush, this would appear a clear “Brady violation” when a prosecutor fails to provide a defendant with any evidence that is favorable or exculpatory to his case. Like most things in Chansley’s life, it is a bit more complex than it would seem.

First, Chansley quickly pleaded guilty to the charge. This may have been due in part to the draconian treatment that he received by the Justice Department, which insisted on keeping him in solitary confinement with no apparent justification. The result is that he moved rapidly to sentencing without significant discovery in his case.

Second, the footage was in the possession of the legislative branch so the Justice Department could claim that it was not required to produce it. Indeed, the prosecution may have been entirely unaware of the footage.

Third, Chansley waived an appeal of the plea agreement and is now weeks away from release. The case is practically closed.

It is not clear, however, if Judge Lamberth will find the failure to disclose this evidence troubling and worthy of inquiry. None of this means that Chansley should not have been given jail time. Indeed, it is appropriate to sentence rioters to greater than average time due to the assault on our constitutional process.

Yet, it is hard to believe that Judge Lamberth would have given 41 months to a nonviolent, first offender who was led through the Capitol by police officers to the floor. This was a Navy veteran who pleaded guilty to the crime.

The role of Congress in withholding this footage is disgraceful and wrong. The Congress and the January 6th Committee knew of this footage and its relevance to a pending criminal case. Yet, they refused to make it public. Instead, the January 6th Committee hired a former ABC producer to put on a made-for-television production of highly edited images for public consumption. Countervailing evidence or images were consistently excluded and witnesses appeared as virtual props to support high-quality video packages.

Even The New York Times admitted the narrative was meant to “recast the midterm message” and “give [Democrats] a platform for making a broader case about why they deserve to stay in power.”

The image of the QAnon Shaman being escorted through the Capitol by police officers is hardly the image that they wanted to show the public. So Committee members and counsel buried footage that was clearly relevant to literally hundreds of people facing criminal sentencing across the country. They did this while repeatedly referencing those cases in hearings as upholding the rule of law.

I hold little sympathy for Chansley or the others arrested on that day. I was highly critical of President Donald Trump’s remarks before the riot.

However, it is hard to see this withheld evidence and not conclude that the Qanon Shaman got the shaft on his sentencing.

288 thoughts on “Did the “QAnon Shaman” Get Shafted on Sentencing? New Footage Raises Questions Over the Chansley Case”

  1. After reviewing almost all the comments on both branches of this discussion, there is troubling question: the accuracy of the written signing statements by the defendants. Apparently, if memory serves, the Shaman confessed to: entering the House chamber; making speeches inciting the crowd; and acting with other protestors in acts of property destruction if not violence. The Carlson tapes do not support these statements and the Shaman does not seem to someone who could or would incite violent action. Are Carlson’s selections from the tapes incomplete? Or is the signing statement a work of fiction by a DOJ attorney using formulaic rhetoric? The possibility that the Shaman signed a fictional statement is not important, as he probably would have signed anything. Hopefully, the new Republican majority in the House will take a look at some of these cases and compare the signing statements with the video footage.

    1. The senate didn’t show the attorneys the tapes. So no tapes were shown. This is against the way law works.

  3. Professor Turley is incorrect when he suggests that “possession is nine tenths of the law.” There are, of course, many cases in which possession is an important component.

    But it’s not relevant in Jacob Chansley’s case. The fact that the legislative branch had possession of the evidence, hid the evidence, and lied to the public about the evidence isn’t surprising or critical to Jacob Chansley’s case. That’s what polititions do. They lie.

    What’s important in Jacob Chansley’s case is that Justice Department knew all about the exculpatory footage. And that knowledge of the existence and location of the exculpatory evidence was an obvious violation of Brady v. Maryland. Moreover, the exculpatory evidence in Jacob Chansley’s case was the most powerful form of such evidence. The footage was exculpatory evidence that negated Jacob Chansley’s guilt.

  4. Prof. Turley seems to think that “possession is nine tenths of the law” when he suggests that the Justice Deparment was in compliance with the law because the excupatory “footage” was in the possession of the legislative branch, not the Justice Department.

    But that’s not how the law works. Who possessed the “footage” isn’t the issue. It’s the fact that the Justice Department knew all about the excupatory “footage” that matters. And that’s an obvious violation of Brady v. Maryland. Moreover, the exculpatory evidence in Jacob Chansley’s case was the most powerful kind; i.e., evidence that negates guilt.

    However, the law in Jacob Chansley’s case, unfortunately, is irrelevant. And justice will continue to be denied because all three branches of Government, along with the anti-liberty woke corporations and media, are dedicated to negating justice in Jacob Chansley’s case. Small wonder that they are outraged that Tucker Carlson should expose the truth when they wanted their Official Big Lie to be the only show in town.

  5. Judge Royce Lambert’s always impressed me as a standup guy. If he lets this kinda injustice stand in his court, he’s proven himself just another DC grifter living off the backs of regular folks. Let’s hope he does the right thing and exonerates this guy whole nailing that prosecutor’s hide to the wall.

    1. Unfortunately, that’s not how the Justice system works. Judges don’t revisit cases and make things right, even when proof of innocence is found. There would have to be a new case brought before the court.

      2. From the moment a person is charged through the completion of their sentence – and often beyond, at any given time there is a court with jurisdiction over the case.

  6. I think, based on a comment below, the sentencing objection won’t work because Shaman was given the minimum sentence for disrupting an official proceeding.

    Given our glorious criminal justice system, the second you open yourself up to legal peril, the prosecutor has a ridiculous number of laws he or she can throw at you that will get you anywhere from 6 months to 10 years. And you’d be guilty under the letter of the law for breaking any one of them. So that leaves the jury out of the picture.

    A just thing for the prosecutor to have done was charge Shaman with demonstrating inside a federal building, which carries a maximum of 6 months. That’s how most people were handled. But then, they weren’t wearing an exotic costume.

    An ill-thought-out bloated criminal code is about as bad as having no criminal code at all. It’s whatever the prosecutor decides he or she wants to do these days, in some cases out of political expediency.

    1. I think, based on a comment below, the sentencing objection won’t work because Shaman was given the minimum sentence for disrupting an official proceeding.
      Those would be non-binding sentencing guidlines

      1. I appreciate this Iowan2. I didn’t look into that very carefully since I think he was overcharged in the first place. Actually, all I can find is “not more than 20 years.”
        Don’t see any minimums — non-binding or otherwise.

        Some guy tagged “anonymous” below said there was a mandatory minimum. Serves me right — unless he actually has a cite which I very much doubt.

  8. So, could these tapes, depending on what the charges were, constitute exculpatory evidence? Doesn’t the prosecution have a duty to turn over any potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense? Or, and they just bury it and pretend it doesn’t exist?

  9. These people should not have entered the capital building. I understand their frustrations, but they should never have done this. Real patriotic Americans should not lower themselves to act like liberal left wing Americans.

    1. But that’s not the question that Turley is writing about. The question is whether several years prison terms are appropriate for those who milled around in the capitol building and caused no actual physical damage.

    2. The people who — a half hour before Trump was finished with his speech — tore down barriers and started a ruckus in the hope of inciting a riot, and who encouraged folks to enter the Capitol, largely comprised federal agents, cops, and ex-military infiltrators, informers, and poseurs (some outright dupes). The purpose of the planned chaos, at a place where there already was a permitted second rally, was to harm Trump and create an emergency that would prevent Pence et al. from having to debate claims of election fraud and uncertainty in multiple states. The QAnon Shaman was only one of them. Babbitt may have been another. Epps another. But there were hundreds.

      As for “Second, the footage was in the possession of the legislative branch so the Justice Department could claim that it was not required to produce it. Indeed, the prosecution may have been entirely unaware of the footage.”

      No, this doesn’t work. DOJ/FBI reviewed tapes for times and facial recognition, and tracked people’s cell phone data in order to arrest what at this point are more than a thousand people. Please, Prof. Turley, I understand the cognitive dissonance, but please at this point stop trying to defend wrongdoers in power. This, the culmination of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, was a coup that is destroying our country.

    3. In my entire lifetime until “covid” the People’s House was open to the public during weekday working hours. Given that there was a second rally permitted on the grounds, and given that government poseurs removed barricades and signs while Trump was still speaking and well before his people got up to the Capitol… want to reconsider that they “should not have entered”? (And by the way a good number who have been arrested never went into the building but “trespassed” on the secret outside no-trespassing area;

    4. These people should not have entered the capital building. I understand their frustrations, but they should never have done this.

      But that does not strip them of the Constitutional protections.

  10. This thug was part of a group of other thugs who engaged in terrorism and who attempted to overthrow a democratically-elected representative government. He wasn’t railroaded. He didn’t get “the shaft.”

  11. Democrats are fascists. They want POWER and MONEY…they don’t care about the law or America

  12. Not all cops are bad, but some shouldn’t be cops or House Majority Leader like Pelosi, or Senate leaders like Schumer & McConnell which Intentional Caused another citizen, Rosanne Boyland, to be killed & others to charged for attempt to save her from illegal actions of the authorities mentioned prior. It isn’t like she was Rodney King or anything because one persons who was doing the beating was a black woman. lol;) Demented Ph*&@ everywhere even here.

    ********

      1. Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself,

        In total 5 American supporters for Trump were m*urdered on J6/2021 including Ashli Babbitt Roseanne Boyland & 3 others.

        Now listen to this Liying MF’er AG Garland below falsely claim again 5 police officers were killed on J6 that didn’t.

        In fairness after J6 Garland has caused the conditions that many other cops have been killed since then.

        Cops & Military should be some how stike or pressuring those Anti-American Marxist Aholes to resign.

        ********

        Corrupt A.G. Merrick Garland Repeats Huge Lie About J6 During Press Conference (VIDEO)
        by Cullen Linebarger Mar. 8, 2023 7:45 am514 Comments

        https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/corrupt-a-g-merrick-garland-repeats-huge-lie-about-j6-during-press-conference-video/

  13. Yes, I’d say it amounts to entrapment by failure to stop or arrest him for any initial criminal violations. It raises the question, did they just allow him to wander around and possibly rack up more violations so that they could imprison him for a longer term. There is a legal term for this but I’m not sure what it is.

    1. I agree with this. I haven’t been in DC in about 6 years, but seems to me that the Capitol was always open to tourists during weekday work hours. With barriers and signs deliberately torn down by posing infiltrators and provocateurs, how would anyone know that this was now “trespassing”.

      (QAnon Shaman has mental problems, attended BLM/Antifa “events” too, and likely was a duped informant/instigator. What about the hundreds of others who have been subjected to unwarranted arrests, held in solitary, held in abusive conditions, denied bail, had their lives ruined, etc.)

  14. A little off of Turley’s legal point about the sentencing here, which looks sound to me, but you have to wonder if Tucker Carlson viewed this as “a scoop” and just did something with it without thinking. He may be paying more of a price than some people think.

    For example: “Surprise! Tucker Carlson Draws the Most Democratic Viewers in Key Demo, Even Topping Rachel Maddow”
    “Carlson’s sizable audiences are not that easy to define.”
    https://www.thewrap.com/tucker-carlson-liberal-viewership-fox-news/

    In other words, a sizable amount of his audience is not going to put up with his lead-in rant Monday.

    I’ve watched some of his bits because he has a variety of guests. It’s nice to see Glenn Greenwald and hear his views once in a while. MSNBC, at least for the time being, doesn’t want him anywhere near them. Dennis Kucinich was on a couple of nights ago. The pundits over at MSNBC, who are part of the bi-partisan war party, would never have him on other than to shout him down.

    I don’t watch all of his show and don’t watch it all of the time. And may not be watching it anymore based on what he did Monday.

    1. So you would rather put your head back in the sand and not hear the truth??

  15. “WE WILL STOP HIM!”

    “I’m just a patsy.”

    – Lee Harvey Oswald
    _________________

    “January 6th” was a “vast,” left-wing, global, communist, Deep Deep State “Swamp” operation and conspiracy.

    Jake Angeli Chansley, the “QAnon Shaman,” was the dimwitted, primary patsy and star of the Jan. 6th Show, produced, cast and directed by the Obama DOJ/FBI Deep Deep State “Swamp.”

    The Obama Coup D’etat in America is the most egregious abuse of power and the most prodigious crime in American political history.

    Just ask President Susan Rice about her “fake” final Obama e-mail:

    “President Obama began the conversation by stressing his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the Intelligence and law enforcement communities ‘by the book.’”

    “The President stressed that he is not asking about, intimating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective. He reiterated that our law enforcement team needs to proceed as it normally would by the book.”
    ________________________

    “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”

    – Barack Obama
    ______________

    “We will stop him.”

    – Peter Strzok to FBI paramour Lisa Page
    ___________________________________

    “[Obama] wants to know everything we’re doing.”

    – Lisa Page to FBI paramour Peter Strzok
    ___________________________________

    “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way he gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before 40.”

    – Peter Strzok to FBI parmour Lisa Page
    _________________________________

    “People on the 7th floor to include Director are fired up about this [Trump] server.”

    – Bill Priestap

    3. Obama knew. Clinton knew. Biden knew. Comey knew. Brennan knew. McCabe knew. Strzok knew.Clapper knew.Schiff knew.FBI knew.DOJ knew. CIA knew.State knew. They all knew Trump was innocent but they smeared and spied on him. Worse than Watergate.

  16. Professor Turley,

    How can you write an article about fairness of sentencing without addressing federal sentencing guidelines.

    He was sentenced to 41 months. The sentencing guidelines give a range of 41-51 months. This was literally the lowest sentence he could get for the crimes committed that is still within the mandated range. So what is the issue here?

        1. I see the link but I don’t see the crimes.

          That seems to be what happened to Chansley. The government found a link but it didn’t meet the definition of a crime to put him in jail for that amount of time. Instead, they put Chansley in jail to prove a point, but the point was a lie.

    2. Penalties for the innocent, natural, God-given, conservative American patriots???

      Sounds like the antithetical and unconstitutional ideological machinations of the likes of Karl Marx, “Crazy Abe” Lincoln, Progressives Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and the Communists Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Barack Obama et al.

      Is the dastardly cowardice of aninnymice worthy of penalty?

    3. Not for the crimes he MIGHT have actually committed – if any.
      Tresspass is a summary. Tresspass after being ordered to leave is a petty misdemeanor.
      There is nothing else I have seen that this guy did.

      You are free to provide evidence – but no one is interested in nonsense for a DOJ that has been caught in so many lies.

      Evidence – not claims. Not accusations.

    4. Thus far the actual EVIDENCE is that.

      A few people broke into the capitol
      That a few people stole or damaged property.

      We still are not sure what occurred in the West Tunnel – We KNOW that Rose Boyland was beaten to death by a black female CP officer.
      We KNOW that the CP Tear gassed themselves and then tear gassed a peaceful crowd before any violence or illegal conduct started.

      We can not tell if anyone “assaulted” police officers without knowing exactly what occured – that will require more than the snippets of video the left has provided.

      If as appears the violence in the west tunnel was initiated by the CP – then it is going to be very hard to reach charges of assaulting police.

      There clearly was alot of violence at the West Tunnel by protestors.
      But we do not know if that violence was justified or not.

      We also know that Alishi Babbit was murdered – but no one has been charged.

      The two most serious crimes – and no charges.

      We know at this point – there was no insurection, no sedition, a somewhat organized protest, but no organized or planned violence.

      Yet people have been wrongfully convicted of those.

      There does not appear to even be the equivalent of the Kavanaugh protestor who put an axe through a senators door.

      J6 looks like a tempest in a Tea Cup compared to Atlanta this weekend.

      Locally we had a BLM march in the fall of 2020 that turned into a small riot.
      The woman who was leading the march has been charged and convicted of inciting a riot and I beleive sentenced to 5 years (she had a prior criminal conviction). I attended a rally for her about a year ago. She too was wrongfully convicted. But she spent half her time speaking condemning those at J6.

      How can she expect justice for herself if she does not give it to others ?

      She incited violence no more than Trump. But she thinks she is wrongfully imprisoned and he is wrongfully free.

      Either both belong in prison or neither. Either She belongs in prison or nearly all the J6 protestors do not.

    6. Anonymous – this issue is addressed above in an exchange with Sevlaz. The statute (18 USC 1505) itself contains no minimum sentence. Sentencing guidelines are not binding on courts if they find that a case is not “typical”. Further, I used the internet calculatior for federal crimes and got a different result for this crime: 18-24 months Zone D Level 15 History 1 Fine $4000-$40,000. Sentencing%20Guidelines%20Calculator%20–%20Sentencing.us.pdf I can’t rule out a mistake, but those are the njumbers that came out when I used the calculator.

      1. My comment was directed at Professor Turley. As a defense attorney, he should know that, pursuant to the Supreme Court case US v Gall, sentencing guidelines are the starting point for inquiry regarding reasonableness of a sentence.

        Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), the court shall impose a sentence that may be adjusted upon consideration of these factors: the nature and circumstances of the offense, § 3553(a)(1); the history and characteristics of the defendant, id.; the need for the sentence to reflect the seriousness of the offense and promote respect for the law, § 3553(a)(2)(A); the need for the sentence to afford adequate deterrence, § 3553(a)(2)(B); the need to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among defendants with similar records who have been found guilty of similar conduct, § 3553(a)(6); and the need to provide restitution, § 3553(a)(7).

        By failing to engage in weighing this factor test after acknowledging the sentencing guidelines as a starting point, he simply offers zero legal commentary on a decidedly legal question. Thus, what is the point of the article?

        1. “My comment was directed at Professor Turley. As a defense attorney, he should know “

          Did you ever consider that it is you, not Turley who doesn’t understand the law?

  17. Ron DeSantis has falls silent whenever anything pertaining to J6 comes up. Makes a person wonder where he’s getting his money.

    2. DeSantis is trying to be Trump and not Trump at the same time.

      It is an impossible position.
      It is unlikely he will be the GOP nominee in 2024.
      But he still has a great future.

      But distancing himself from Trump does him no good.
      The press the left, the democrats will do to him exactly what they have done to Trump.
      Just as they did to Romney and McCain. If you are a good little republican compliant with democrats – you will be called a nazi when you run for president.

      Every republican who stands a chance of getting elected is a nazi according to the left and their propoganda media.

  19. Is Judge Lamberth prevented by judicial ethics from now criticizing the conduct of the prosecutors? I guess it’s possible that the case could go back to Judge Lamberth’s court if it’s remanded on appeal, so that may prevent his making any public statement. On the other hand, if the case goes back to Lamberth, he would be free to sanction the prosecution by dismissing the case.

    1. All kinds of things are possible.

      I do not know much about Lambeth. But the Judges handling this have as a rule been highly biased.
      In most if not all cases the defense has asked for all video of J6. Many defendants have claimed that they entered the capitol legally, did nothing but walk around politely inside, and have friendly conversations with the CP, and leave. And they have insisted that the video would prove that.

      Prosecutors have refused to provide all but a tiny bit of video and courts have allowed them to do so.

      The Brady violations in these cases have in many instances been blessed by the courts.

      J6 defendants should get new trials in new courts, in new venues, with new judges and new prosecutors.

      It has been self evident for some time that no one can get a fair trial in DC courts for anything even the slightest political.

      1. Mar 8 Proud Boys Trial News:

        “FBI agent lied under oath yesterday in federal prosecution trial.

        Admission of FBI fabrication of evidence, following orders to destroy hundreds of items of evidence, deleting exculpatory evidence from FBI’s Lync internal messaging system, and more.

        Judge excuses jury.”

        2 b cont’d….

  20. “None of this means that Chansley should not have been given jail time. Indeed, it is appropriate to sentence rioters to greater than average time due to the assault on our constitutional process.”

    And what evidence have you seen that proves he rioted? All the video I’ve seen never shows him rioting

    1. exactly. shame on J6 committee (of idiots) and also the judge for not demanding to see all video before ruling. Jake deserves release IMMEDIATELY!

    2. What is the evidence that ANYONE assaulted our constitutional process ?

      Protesting government is a first amendment right. It is PART of our constitutional process.

      I have no problem with a higher punishment for those who committ actual crimes – destruction of property, theft, or initiating violence.

      They guy who took the axe to a senators door during the Kavaugh protests should not have gotten probation.
      Those at J6 who committed similar crimes should be treated as the Kavanaugh axe guy.

      We know there were SOME physical conflicts with the CP – but we still do not know who initiated those.

      And the details matter in each and every case.

      I will be happy to toss you in jail and throw away the key if you initiated violence against a police officer.

      But there is credible evidence that was NOT the case in some, perhaps many instances.

      Increasingly the evidence sugests the CP were3 ill prepared, and themselves out of control.
      They tear gassed themselves.
      Then they “accidentally ” tear gassed the crowd.
      Body cam video involving Rose Boyland indicates that a black female CP officer initiated the use of deadly force against Boylan,
      as well as against others who were merely trying to sheild boylan from repeated blows from that officers night stick.

      The ROI purportedly did not include the use of deadly force – and that includes night sticks and bean bag guns.
      Yet the CP in the west tunnel appear to have used those BEFORE the crowd became violent.

      It is possible that all of the above are incorrect and that there was no misconduct on the part of the CP.

      But the very actions of the government in tried to control the narative and hide the evidence REQUIRE more serious scrutiny.

      Contra those on the left – we do not know for sure that we do not have something more like Kent State or the Chicago DNC riots,
      rather than something closer to Portland.

      It should also be remembered that most of these protestors were current or former police or military.
      On the one hand that imposes a higher standard of conduct on them.
      On the other it also means they KNOW when the CP crossed the line.

Comments are closed.