{"id":210102,"date":"2021-03-25T00:17:39","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T21:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/amid-setbacks-prosecutors-abandon-some-claims-in-us-capitol-riot-cases\/"},"modified":"2021-03-25T00:17:39","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T21:17:39","slug":"amid-setbacks-prosecutors-abandon-some-claims-in-us-capitol-riot-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/amid-setbacks-prosecutors-abandon-some-claims-in-us-capitol-riot-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"#Amid setbacks, prosecutors abandon some claims in US Capitol riot cases"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3385b0d9f3d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3385b0d9f3d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/amid-setbacks-prosecutors-abandon-some-claims-in-us-capitol-riot-cases\/#Sweeping_probe\" >Sweeping probe<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Amid setbacks, prosecutors abandon some claims in US Capitol riot cases<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>WASHINGTON \u2013 Prosecutors made some serious claims after the deadly U.S. Capitol attack, saying they had evidence rioters planned to kill elected officials, suggesting a Virginia man at the building received directives to gas lawmakers, and accusing another suspect of directing mayhem on Jan. 6 with encrypted messages.<\/p>\n<p>But the Justice Department has since acknowledged in court hearings that some of its evidence concerning the riot \u2013 carried out by a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump to try to overturn his election loss \u2013 is less damning than it initially indicated.<\/p>\n<p>The department suffered another blow this week when U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta threatened to impose a gag order on prosecutors after Michael Sherwin, its former head prosecutor on the Capitol cases, told CBS\u2019s \u201c60 Minutes\u201d program that evidence pointed toward sedition charges against some defendants.<\/p>\n<p>A charge of sedition \u2013 meaning incitement of a rebellion \u2013 has not been brought against any of the more than 400 people arrested to date. The most serious charges have been assault, conspiracy and obstruction of Congress or law enforcement.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Riot police resist rioters from entering the Capitol building in Washington, DC. on January 6, 2021.\" class=\"wp-image-17654476 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Riot police resist rioters from entering the Capitol building in Washington, DC. on January 6, 2021.<br \/>\n<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Prosecutors are in the early stages of building criminal cases ahead of the trials stemming from an attack that left five people dead including a police officer, forced lawmakers to hide for their own safety and interrupted the formal congressional certification of President Joe Biden\u2019s election victory.<\/p>\n<p>But missteps by the government could harm its credibility as accused ringleaders begin asking courts to drop some of the most serious charges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are trying to build the most horrendous cases they can because the public wants it \u2013 and this is politicizing criminal justice,\u201d said Gerald B. Lefcourt, who for decades has represented high-profile defendants in political demonstrations, including Black Panther leaders and \u201cChicago Seven\u201d trial figure Abbie Hoffman.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Rioters seen inside the Capitol building in Washington, DC on Jan. 6, 2021.&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-17654529 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-001.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-001.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-001.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-001.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-001.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Rioters seen inside the Capitol building in Washington, DC on Jan. 6, 2021.<br \/>\n<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Justice Department declined to comment, saying it cannot discuss ongoing cases.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sweeping_probe\"><\/span>Sweeping probe<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Prosecutors are focused on investigating whether rioters conspired in advance. Sherwin established a task force focused on whether to bring seditious conspiracy charges.<\/p>\n<p>About two dozen defendants are facing conspiracy charges including 10 people accused of ties to the right-wing anti-government Oath Keepers militia.<\/p>\n<p>On Jan. 19, prosecutors said they believed Thomas Caldwell, a retired U.S. Navy officer from Virginia, had a \u201cleadership role\u201d within the Oath Keepers. The FBI, in a criminal complaint, described <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> messages Caldwell allegedly sent and received \u201cwhile at the Capitol,\u201d including one urging him to turn on the gas and tear up the floorboards.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Rioters storm into the Capitol building in Washington, DC. on January 6, 2021.&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-17654554 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-002.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-002.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-002.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-002.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-002.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Rioters storm into the Capitol building in Washington, DC. on January 6, 2021.<br \/>\n<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Samuel Corum\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201c\u2018All members are in the tunnels under capital seal them in. Turn on gas,\u2019\u201d it read.<\/p>\n<p>A prosecutor in Florida read those words aloud in February in a bid to convince a judge to detain two of Caldwell\u2019s co-defendants. Prosecutors now acknowledge that Caldwell was not even a dues-paying member of the Oath Keepers and that they lack evidence he ever entered the Capitol.<\/p>\n<p>There also are questions about the Facebook messages. Caldwell\u2019s lawyer said in a March 10 court filing those messages were sent by two men who were more than 60 miles (100 km) away at the time and had no connection to the Oath Keepers. The comments were <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>arently satirical, albeit \u201ctasteless,\u201d his lawyer said, and Caldwell never responded to them.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Rioters wave American flags outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-17654582 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-003.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-003.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-003.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-003.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-003.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Rioters wave American flags outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.<br \/>\n<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Samuel Corum\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Prosecutors have made no references to these Facebook messages in subsequent indictments and court filings. The judge has since released Caldwell on home detention, saying: \u201cThere\u2019s evidence here that I think is favorable to Mr. Caldwell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Caldwell has pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n<p>In January, prosecutors in Arizona who were seeking to detain a man named Jacob Chansley, famously pictured inside the Capitol donning face paint and horns on his head, said they had \u201cstrong evidence,\u201d including \u201cChansley\u2019s own words and actions,\u201d that the \u201cintent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials.\u201d They reversed course the next day.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Rioters approach the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-17654599 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-004.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-004.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-004.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-004.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-getty-004.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Rioters approach the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.<br \/>\n<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Samuel Corum\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In another case, prosecutors said in a March 1 court filing that Ethan Nordean, a member of the right-wing Proud Boys group, \u201cdressed all in black, wearing a tactical vest, led the Proud Boys through the use of encrypted communications.\u201d Prosecutors subsequently acknowledged that Nordean\u2019s cell phone battery died on Jan. 6 and was not functioning the entire day.<\/p>\n<p>A judge denied a prosecution bid to jail Nordean, citing a \u201cdearth of evidence\u201d that he directed others to use or carry weapons. Prosecutors are now making a third attempt to have him detained.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Ferrara, a former federal prosecutor now with the law firm Kaplan Hecker &amp; Fink LLP, said while bail arguments do not require the same high standard of proof as criminal trials and can sometimes venture into \u201chyperbole,\u201d some of the potential issues with the evidence in the Oath Keepers case could haunt prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p>If it turns out prosecutors misunderstood the meaning of certain text messages, that would not be a \u201csmall error,\u201d Ferrara said. This could \u201ccolor the way the judge sees this case going forward\u201d and impact outcomes on everything from plea deals to motions to dismiss charges, Ferrara added.\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/03\/24\/amid-setbacks-prosecutors-abandon-some-claims-in-us-capitol-riot-cases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Amid setbacks, prosecutors abandon some claims in US Capitol riot cases&#8221; WASHINGTON \u2013 Prosecutors made some serious claims after the deadly U.S. Capitol attack, saying they had evidence rioters planned to kill elected officials, suggesting a Virginia man at the building received directives to gas lawmakers, and accusing another suspect of directing mayhem on Jan&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":210103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/capitol-riot-ap-004.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[99053,89089,71391,72273,73623,71617],"class_list":["post-210102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-3-24-21","tag-capitol-riot","tag-department-of-justice","tag-militias","tag-probes","tag-prosecutors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}