Prosecutors drop charges against more than 100 inauguration riot defendants

[turbinetree]

Source: The Hill

Federal prosecutors are dropping charges against more than 100 people arrested in the Inauguration Day protests.

The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia announced Thursday that it would proceed with charges against 59 defendants.

More than 200 people were arrested during the protests on charges ranging from conspiracy to engage in a riot to destruction of property.

A jury in a D.C. Superior Court last month acquitted six people on all charges, leaving 188 who were scheduled to face trial in small groups throughout this year.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/news/369636-prosecutors-drop-charges-against-more-than-100-inauguration-riot-defendants

[Gothmog]

1. From my twitter feed

Trump and Sessions brought bogus rioting charges for the protesters at the inauguration. The first set of defendants were found not guilty by the jury. The US attorney's office in DC is dismissing charges against all but 59 of the 188 defendants still facing charges in the Inauguration Day rioting cases

Link to tweet

The first cases should never have gone to trial. Now Sessions and Trump appear to be backing off.

[Gothmog]

2. Department of Justice abruptly drops charges against 129 Trump inauguration protesters

Link to tweet

[RandomAccess]

3. This was a travesty from the get-go

An early pre-emptive attempt at authoritarian rule. Thank God it's not been terribly successful, tho I'm still concerned about the 59.

[marybourg]

4. Well, there was a small group

of those black-clad masked folks who were genuinely destructive, but to have arrested 200 was clearly an attempt at intimidation.

[Javaman]

6. agent provocateurs. nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Meaning it was total bullshit to begin with

[marble falls]

7. They'll be dropping more and any remainder will be acquited. The whole case was bogus from...

the beginning.