1/6 Insurrection Investigation

[Rick Plant]

Plea agreement is scheduled for April 19 in the US Capitol breach case of Zvonimir Jurlina of Texas. Jurlina is accused of kicking, stomping and attempting to set fire to media equipment at the Capitol .. amid the mob.

[Rick Plant]

New ruling against Jan. 6 rioters is 'a gift' to Jack Smith's pursuit of Trump: legal analyst



A ruling last Friday by a panel of appellate judges that Jan. 6 insurrectionists can face obstruction charges will come in handy for special counsel Jack Smith's investigation of Donald Trump's links to the Capitol riot.

That is the opinion of former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Wiessmann during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Speaking with the hosts, the legal expert characterized the ruling as a "gift" to Smith that could speed along his investigation.

According to reporting from NBC, "The three-judge panel, on a 2-1 vote, upheld the use of the obstruction of an official proceeding charge against defendants who assaulted law enforcement during the Capitol attack. A lower court judge, Trump appointee U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols, had previously tossed the charge, a decision the appeals court reversed."

Asked about the repercussions, Weissmann explained, "This is really a gift for Jack Smith because, as good as it is for the Washington, D.C. prosecutors who have hundreds of pending cases, who want to know that this is a charge they can continue charging, Jack Smith is going to be thinking about this obstruction charge with respect to the former president."

"There's nothing better for Jack Smith than to know that this is already been approved by the D.C. circuit, meaning he can charge it and, unless the Supreme Court disagrees with the D.C. circuit, he knows that this is a rock solid legally, a legal rock solid charge that he has to prove it factually, but getting the sort of pre-clearance is unusual to have and he has to be happy that the court ruled that this is a charge that will stick for any potential charge he is thinking with respect to the former president,' he added.

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Donald Trump attempting to stop Mike Pence from testifying about Jan. 6 Capitol riot
https://news.yahoo.com/donald-trump-attempting-stop-mike-181415207.html

[Rick Plant]

Jan. 6 rioter who wore 'Jack Skellington' costume gets hit with prison time



A Nevada man who donned a "Jack Skellington" costume during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to six years in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon amid the insurrection attempt.

Josiah Kenyon, of Winnemucca, Nevada, was sentenced to 72 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and was ordered to pay more than $43,000 in restitution for damages, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. It was previously reported last year that Kenyon agreed to a plea deal that calls for 78 to 97 months.

Kenyon was accused of illegally entering the Capitol building in a costume inspired by "The Nightmare Before Christmas." He and others allegedly caused more than $40,000 in damage outside the building.

After attempting to break a window with his fist and then breaking it using a flagpole, Kenyon assaulted officers in the tunnel leading to the Capitol, including by using a large plastic pylon and a table leg, according to the prosecution.

The government alleged that Kenyon caused one officer to fall to the ground and experience pain and swelling to his right ankle, and hit another officer in the head with the table leg.

Kenyon was arrested on Dec. 1, 2021, and later pleaded guilty to assaulting a law enforcement officer with a dangerous weapon and assaulting a law enforcement officer with a dangerous weapon resulting in bodily injury in September 2022. He and his wife also faced child endangerment charges after they allegedly hid from the FBI in the Nevada foothills.

Kenyon is purportedly one of more than 1,000 people who have been arrested for crimes related to the U.S. Capitol breach, according to prosecutors who are still searching for more information in the ongoing investigation.

https://www.rawstory.com/josiah-kenyon-sentenced/

[Rick Plant]

Trump aide Stephen Miller returns to federal grand jury to testify about Jan. 6: report



Former White House senior advisor Stephen Miller, the architect of ex-president Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant separation policies, is once again testifying before a federal grand jury as DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith continues his investigation into the January 6 insurrection.

Miller’s appearance Tuesday comes “after the courts ordered that he and other top advisers must share their recollections of direct conversations with the then-president related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot,” CNN reports. “Miller is likely to be asked in the grand jury about his phone call with Trump minutes before the Ellipse rally that day, and other conversations they had about the election. The grand jury is hearing evidence as part of a special counsel’s criminal investigation.”

Trump had tried to block Miller from testifying, claiming “executive privilege,” which he has no legal or constitutional authority to invoke, as courts have repeatedly ruled.

In response to a Bloomberg News reporter tweeting Tuesday morning that Miller had just gone through security at a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte noted, “Stephen Miller was on Fox News the morning of Dec 14 2020 *bragging* about the fraudulent elector scheme they were doing.”

In addition to reports of him testifying before the D.C. grand jury Tuesday, Miller is trending on Twitter after a just-published New York Times report reveals his child-separation policy, designed to send the message to migrants in Central America to not try to travel to the U.S., “a significant number of U.S. citizen children were also removed from their parents under the so-called zero tolerance policy, in which migrant parents were criminally prosecuted and jailed for crossing the border without authorization.”

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-aide-stephen-miller-returns-to-grand-jury-to-testify-about-jan-6/

[Rick Plant]

Ex-firefighter sentenced to 52 months for attacking police with fire extinguisher on Jan. 6



A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 52 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon during the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

At a hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors asked for Robert Sanford Jr., 57, to be sent to prison for 71 months.

"While [at the Capitol], he threw a fire extinguisher at a group of U.S. Capitol Police officers, striking three of them in the head. He also threw a traffic cone in the direction of officers. He screamed in the direction of officers that they were 'traitors,'" a statement from the Department of Justice explained.

Former Capitol Police officer Aquilino Gonell spoke at the sentencing and told Judge Paul Friedman that he had left the force because of the actions of people like Sanford.

Gonell noted that Sanford "sounds remorseful" but "don't buy it," according to CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane.

The former sergeant suggested rioters were "playing with Trump's fire," referring to former President Donald Trump.

Defense counsel asked the judge to sentence Sanford to 12 months of prison and 12 months of home detention.

"That's not gonna happen, and you know it's not gonna happen," the judge replied.

Friedman observed that defendants could not be punished "just because they believe in Donald Trump.. and still do."

The judge argued that Sanford, a former firefighter, "of all people," should have known the damage a fire extinguisher could cause when used as a weapon.

"There are still people who believe the election was rigged," the judge added. "There are still people who support Donald Trump... Though not many showed up at the court in Manhattan... We'll see what happens here at this court when the Justice Dept moves in a few months, I suspect."

Friedman concluded by sentencing Sanford to 52 months in prison.

https://www.rawstory.com/robert-sanford-sentenced/

[Rick Plant]

Judge says Proud Boys Jan. 6 trial will go to jury next week



Federal District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly revealed on Tuesday that a jury is expected to begin deliberating verdicts for five members of the Proud Boys far-right extremist group.

Kelly informed the jury that the case was concluding. Deliberations could come as soon as next week, according to reports.

"We're going to hear evidence today and tomorrow," the judge said, according to reporter Brandi Buchman. "We will not sit to hear evidence on Thursday and Friday of this week. We do expect you'll receive the case next week for deliberation."

The report noted it had been 53 days since the beginning of the trial.

The five defendants are facing charges of seditious conspiracy after they allegedly participated in a riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

https://www.rawstory.com/proud-boys-jury-deliberations/

[Rick Plant]

'Don't buy it': Former Capitol cop warns jury against believing MAGA rioter's claims of remorse



Former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who resigned late last year while citing trauma from being attacked by Trump supporters during the January 6 Capitol riots, made an appearance in court on Tuesday during the sentencing of MAGA rioter Robert Sanford.

As reported by CBS News' Scott MacFarlane, Gonell warned jurors against going easy on Sanford, who has said he regrets throwing a fire extinguisher at Capitol Police while also striking them in the head.

"Don't buy it," Gonell said of Sanford's professions of remorse.

Gonell also described how Sanford's actions personally hurt him while he was trying to protect the Capitol building from angry rioters.

"After we lost the police line... Sanford took a cone and hit me in the head," Gonell said, as transcribed by MacFarlane. "His intent was to hurt."

The former Capitol Police sergeant also expressed dismay that some of the rioters are receiving home detention or probation sentences, as he said stiffer punishments were needed to deter future attempts to attack the democratic process.

Sanford's lawyers argued for leniency, however, by noting that Sanford didn't actually enter the Capitol on January 6, even though he did violently assault police officers who were trying to defend the building.

Prosecutors are seeking 71 months in prison for Sanford, or just under six years.

https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-rioter-sentence-2659835427/