Steve Baker's trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C., but anyone expecting a high-level legal drama was disappointed. After last week's election, going along with the farce would have been a waste of everyone's time and taxpayers' money.
In a more just world, federal prosecutors would have pondered recent headlines and taken a prudent step forward. That's what Special Counsel Jack Smith did in his campaign against Donald Trump, and God willing, Trump will take the oath of office again on January 20th.
Do the right thing, Mr. President, and do it without delay.
“The government is asking the court to clear the remaining deadlines in the pretrial schedule to give the government time to assess this unprecedented situation and determine the appropriate path forward in line with Department of Justice policy. We respectfully request that you do so,” Smith wrote last week. A district court judge quickly agreed.
Baker's attorney, William Shipley, filed a motion Sunday to postpone Baker's trial and have the case retried in February, citing Smith and the Justice Department's new position.
Shipley argued that “denying this motion contrary to the Department of Justice's official position would be contrary to the interests of justice and would likely result in the defendant being convicted for purposes other than convenience.”
Judge Christopher Cooper dismissed the motion on Monday, disregarding the “interests of justice.”
So Baker pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to all four misdemeanor charges against him. In the words of one of his lawyers, a trial in court where the outcome is almost guaranteed would be “nothing more than a disgrace.”
Baker is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6, two months after Congress is scheduled to certify Donald Trump's election. If it is not God's providence, nothing is.
The promises made…
Trump won by a landslide on a number of promises during his campaign, including pardoning political prisoners on January 6th. “Oh, absolutely,” Trump said in July. “If they are innocent, I will forgive them.”
Please note the precautions if they are innocent. More than 1,500 people have been arrested in connection with the protests at the Capitol, which turned violent and left hundreds of police officers and demonstrators injured. Hundreds of people were convicted and sentenced. But not all people who face criminal charges or prison sentences are angels or heroes. Some of them committed assault and property damage. They needed to be held accountable.
However, the majority of J6 cases involve non-violent crimes and are little more than trespassing. Please note that no one has been indicted. rebellion For “rebellion”.
Baker, an investigative journalist with Blaze Media, was arrested in March and charged with four government-leading misdemeanors. Disorderly and destructive conduct in restricted buildings or grounds. Acts that disrupt the order within the National Diet Building. Parades, demonstrations, and picketing inside the Capitol.
Last month, the government offered Baker a deal in which he would plead guilty to “knowingly entering or remaining,” pay a hefty fine and waive his right to appeal. he passed.
So why did the Justice Department wait three years before indicting Baker? He wasn't violent. He did not fight or argue with police. He was there as an independent journalist covering the story, along with 80 to 100 other bloggers, writers, reporters, and videographers who also had no formal qualifications. He entered the building through the open door and calmly recorded the scene. He then wrote about what he saw and heard and cooperated fully with the FBI. He is completely transparent.
He also criticized the Capitol Police and Justice Department's response to the events of January 6th and their weaponization of the law against political opponents. Federal prosecutors had little to say to Baker until Blaze Media began publishing its findings. The results of that investigation have been summarized as “The Truth about January 6.'' Maybe it has something to do with it.
promise to keep
The full story of what happened on January 6, 2021 has not yet been told. The House's farcical unilateral selection committee perpetuates the narrative that a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol at the president's orders and attempted to steal the election by preventing Congress from certifying the electoral votes. I tried to make it happen. It's a story so stupid that only Liz Cheney and Benny Thompson could believe it.
Questions that have lingered for nearly four years are susceptible to conspiracy theories, but they could easily be dispelled with a full bipartisan explanation. Perhaps we can learn more about how many federal agents were in the crowd. It may become clear whether some of these agents were sent as provocateurs or were simply on hand to observe and report. Perhaps with Donald Trump back in the White House and Republicans controlling the House and Senate, there may be more daylight.
But before liquidation, the January 6 defendants need a resolution. Trump promised pardons and pardons, but he has to deliver on them from day one. He demonstrated with the stroke of his pen that he set the tone for the next two years. It will be different this time. The administrative state will realize that the days of unpunished abuse of power are over.
Please help Steve Baker continue his important work. Please forgive nonviolent protesters and revisit other cases, such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers' “seditious conspiracy” trials. And for the sake of their grieving families, I would like to posthumously pardon Matthew Perna, Nejourd “Joad” Meacham, Mark Angst, and Christopher Georgia, who committed suicide in the face of weapons charges.
Do the right thing, Mr. President, and do it without delay.
