Monthly Archives: February 2021

Oregon U.S. Attorney Billy Williams, a Trump-appointee who prosecuted more Antifa suspects than any other, is among many federal prosecutors who will resign from their positions at the behest of the Biden administration.

Williams, 64, was officially appointed to the job by former President Donald Trump in 2017 after holding it in an acting and interim capacity since 2015, when he replaced former U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall, who resigned during a sexual harassment investigation.

Last week, he reported that Portlands summer of rioting had caused at least $2.3 million to a handful of federal buildings in the city alone.

Billy Williams the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon speaks during a press conference January 27, 2016 at the Harney County Chamber of Commercein Burns, Oregon. (ROB KERR/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

PORTLAND RIOTS CAUSED AT LEAST $2.3M IN DAMAGE TO FEDERAL BUILDINGS, US ATTORNEY SAYS

Williams office had filed the most domestic terrorism cases out of any U.S. attorneys office in the country in 2020, the Oregonian reported. Most of them were in connection with more than two months of protests outside the citys Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse.

The nightly standoffs with police involved graffiti, broken windows and firecrackers, as well as Molotov cocktails.

Although the riots stemmed out of protests against the Trump administration, police brutality and racial injustice, they continued even after President Biden took office on Jan. 20. Antifa marchers blasted the new president and new anti-Biden graffiti emerged.

Other recent cases led by his office included the prosecution of a man who sent threatening cards and white powder to former co-workers and a fraud case against a former Nike marketing manager.

Hes not the only Trump-appointed federal prosecutor that the Biden administration has asked to step down, although a bipartisan group of senators had initially supported Williams for the job.

The Justice Department on Tuesday asked most U.S. attorneys appointed by Trump to resign although the prosecutor overseeing a federal tax probe involving the presidents son, Hunter Biden, will remain on the job at the request of acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson.

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U.S. Attorney John Durham, who former Attorney General Bill Barr appointed to investigate the Trump-Russia probe in October, will also stay on in that capacity while being asked to step down from his role as U.S. attorney in Connecticut.

Historically, its not unusual for federal prosecutors to leave their positions when a new president takes office.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Excerpt from:

US Attorney who prosecuted Antifa suspects will resign at request of Biden admin - Fox News

Axios

New conspiracy charges have been filed against five people associated with the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, over their alleged involvement in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol siege, according to the Justice Department. Why it matters: The arrests are the latest move against the Proud Boys, who have a history of violence. Authorities have focused their attention on the group as they investigate the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Trump.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.More than a dozen people affiliated with the group have already been charged in connection to the Capitol riots, per the Washington Post.Details: William Chrestman, Christopher Kuehne, Louis Enrique Colon, Felicia Konold and Cory Konold have been charged with conspiracy, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, among other charges, according to criminal complaints unsealed Thursday after the individuals were taken into custody. Kuehne, Colon and the Konolds have been charged in joint conspiracy filing, while Chrestman was charged in a separate filing. According an FBI affidavit, the five individuals were repeatedly observed with the Proud Boys group who were seen outside, and later inside the Capitol on Jan. 6. The SUBJECTS not only moved closely to each other in proximity, but also appeared to gesture and communicate to one another both before and while inside the Capitol in an apparent effort to coordinate their efforts, an FBI agent said in the affidavit. Most wore tactical-style gear, including helmets and gloves, and Chrestman carried a wooden club or axe handle disguised as a flag, according to the FBI agent. "Your affiant believes that there may be more persons involved in this particular conspiracy than the persons described throughout this affidavit, and the investigation is ongoing," a footnote in the affidavit noted. The big picture: During Trump's impeachment trial this week, House managers have pointed to the Proud Boys' involvement in the Capitol riot.The managers have also tied the Proud Boys to Trump, who refused to condemn the extremist group during the 2020 campaign.More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

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Antifa uses Twitter to threaten me and the media: Seattle radio host - Yahoo News

REPUBLICAN Ted Cruz has blasted the "hypocrite" Democrats for "cheering on" Black Lives Matter and Antifa while accusing former president Donald Trump of inciting a riot.

Cruz, the Texas Senator since 2013, revealed his thoughts just hours after theSenate voted 56-44to continue with the former president's second impeachment trial and Trump's defense attorney's were criticized.

* Read our Donald Trump impeachment live blog for the very latest news and updates on the former president...

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Speaking with Fox news host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night, Cruz admitted Trump's language could be "a little over heated" at times.

However, he explained: "If you look at the language he used, saying things like 'fight' - saying things like 'go retake our country' - if that is now incitement then we better prepare a long line to indict every candidate for office, anyone who's ever run."

Cruz slammed anyone who takes part in violence, regardless of them being Republican or Democrats, engaging in "unacceptable behavior."

He told Hannity: "The Democrats have been complete hypocrites on this, cheering on BLM and Antifa and apologizing for their violence.

"We have had Democrats for a year, cheering on. We have seen violence all of the country. We've seen riots all over the country.

"What do the Democrats do, they cheered it on - They celebrated."

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Cruz recalled the Democrats' "hatred" for Trump and shared a clip of his interview to Twitter.

He captioned the Twitter post: "Democrats want a week of political theater raging at Donald Trump instead of focusing on reopening schools or getting millions of Americans back to work."

Cruz said he believed Trump's Tuesday impeachment hearing "typified what we're going to see this week."

At another point during his talk with Hannity, Cruz pointed out that Vice President Kamala Harris "raised money to pay for the bail" of Minnesota demonstrators.

He slammed her for bailing out "violent criminals."

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The 50-year-old politician also published an Op-Ed in Fox News, headlined: "Should the Senate exercise jurisdiction over Trump's impeachment trial? Why the answer matters."

Cruz backed up his reasoning behind voting to "dismiss this impeachment on jurisdictional grounds."

"And nothing in the Constitution makes the Senates impeachment jurisdictionmandatory. 'Sole power' means 'sole power' - the Senate can decide whether to hear the case," Cruz said.

"The present impeachment is an exercise of partisan retribution, not a legitimate exercise of constitutional authority."

Meanwhile, Senators will move forward with the second day of Trump's impeachment hearings on Wednesday, February 10.

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Last month, the Texas GOP senator suggested that former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama could be impeached next as he blasted the "unconstitutional" Trump trial.

Cruz slammed the partisan, divisive, angry impeachment trial of Trump and told Hannity the Democrats' perceived urgency in impeaching Trump was an "exercise in political rage."

"This is not driven by the needs of the country, this is not driven by trying to help out the people who are hurting back home," Cruz said. "This is driven by partisan rage and the partisan anger they feel. This was an exercise in political ragethey hate Donald Trump."

See more here:

Ted Cruz blasts hypocrite Dems for cheering on BLM and Antifa while accusing Trump of inciting riot - The Sun

A division of the Proud Boys in Albury has resorted to harassing social media commenters and elderly residents who they don't agree with, writes Tom Tanuki.

THIS TALE ends with a group of MMA fighters hunting an elderly Albury man. Bear with me.

So, theres a small Albury chapter of the far-right group known as the Proud Boys. Its led by one Jarrad Searby. Jarrad runs a gym called Hard Knocks Combat. He became briefly famous in July for refusing to apply for a border permit, telling cops that COVID-19 is fake and getting arrested. After that, he tried to join the ranks of anti-lockdown grifters by asking for half a million dollars for whatever. (He got only $50.)

Eventually, he was groomed by the Proud Boys, who want to look tough as much as Jarrad wants to feel important. So now theres a Proud Boys chapter in Albury. The Corowa RSL lets them train in their space.

A left-wing Facebook page called Anti-Fascist Action Albury noticed Jarrad, posting about him and his local business activity. They noted their concern about the involvement of the Corowa RSL in Proud Boys activity. Im informed it was all public information, mostly posted by Jarrad to his Telegram social media channel.

One man commented: They never send their best.

Heres a picture of that comment:

But its not like a random comment from a random person matters, does it? Still, remember that for later.

I understand if local Proud Boys are worried about being in the spotlight like this. Theres been talk from Labor about designating the Australian Proud Boys as a terrorist organisation in the wake of recent developments in Canada.

Through the constant street fighting between U.S. far-right extremists and anti-fascists, the Proud Boys made their name by bashing people on camera at rallies. The threat of criminal designation has hung over the group since 2018 when the FBI was rumoured to be considering declaring them a gang. After all that, the prominent role Proud Boys played in the recent attempted U.S. Capitol insurrection was too much for the Canadian Government, who declared them a terrorist organisation.

Hard to imagine that anything similar would happen here, though. Our Liberal Government is more interested in taking the term far-right out of motions condemning extremism. Australian Proud Boys all mainline U.S. culture wars, suffering from same nationality dysphoria as most Australian far-right types (read: they all reckon theyre Yanks). But to date, theyve mostly just LARPed as Americans and fixated on a handful of online leftists to pass the time.

The group is smaller in Australia and has been less directly confrontational at rallies so far. Still, they realise theyre in the spotlight now and theyve made a few statements about that on their page, insisting theyre a peaceful group. They dont want to risk further trouble so they are being careful.

I mean, they were being careful. Then Jarrad had a great idea.

Remember Jack, the random bloke with the they never send their best comment? They found Jacks employer on his Facebook profile.

They sent Jacks bosses this message:

You may ask yourself: is a comment saying they never send their best an attempt to destroy the lives of his neighbours? Is that Facebook comment a liability to any HR department? Probably not.

But it didnt end there. The next day, they visited Jacks workplace.

The video, re-uploaded by Anti-Fascist Action Albury, features Jarrad and two other Proud Boys harassing staff at the business. They barge into the staff office and demand Jack is fired. Jarrad tells them Jack has been doxxing our businesses and is a member of the anti-fascist movement. Its surreal viewing. They tell staff that theyll begin protesting out front unless Jack is fired.

Heres Jarrad standing in their office holding a photo of Jacks extremist Facebook comment:

Jarrad later released a video saying hed visited Jacks workplace because he had been doxxed by Antifa. Then he explained that he makes all his business and info public so he cant be doxxed. Jarrad, if doxxing is the release of private or sensitive information and you made all this information public, doesnt that mean you werent doxxed, mate?

Never mind. Theyre not sending their best here.

I want to make this clear, as an anti-fascist who is part of a network of anti-fascists: Ive asked around. Ive asked everybody. Asked the Albury page. Nobody knows who Jack is.

Hes not a member of any anti-fascist movement. Hes a guy. Named Jack. From Albury. With a Facebook account. Who doesnt like Proud Boys.

Apparently, thats hardline anti-fascism now. Apparently, thats a sackable offence now. Apparently, thats grounds for Jarrad and his MMA mates to start stalking you, threatening your boss and demanding you be fired.

While I appreciated Jacks comment, on reflection I think he was wrong. I reckon they are sending their best. Jarrad is the kind of loser they all aspire to be in the Australian Proud Boys. And because stalking employers is never enough for these dregs once they get a taste of some likes (the workplace harassment video is popular on TikTok), Jarrads escalating.

How do I know hes escalating? Well, for one, during a time when Proud Boys should tread lightly, hes off harassing random Facebook users for not liking him. For another, only two days after he harassed Jacks employer, Jarrad uploaded a video to his YouTube channel called Antifa hunters vol.2 at the home on 10 February.

In it, he visits a house of someone he says is Antifa. He is calling out for an Alastair, walking down the side of the house, peering in, banging on the door. For reasons unknown, Jarrad has since removed the video from his channel.

Whos Alastair? I had no idea. But by now we know that Jarrad thinks Antifa is just Facebook commenters, so I checked the old post the same one where Jack commented.

I found Alastair.

Turns out Alastair is an elderly man.

(Dont worry, hes fine. Hes gone to the police.)

So now Antifa includes retirees. Amazing! What will Jarrad Searby do next? Go Antifa hunting in an aged care facility? A hospice? Be glad if you dont live in Albury to find out.

The important thing to know is that the final tier of Proud Boys initiation the fourth degree is to get into a fight with Antifa. They consider it a badge of honour. But now that Antifa is anyone Jarrad Searby says it is, including old men and random locals who dont love him online, whatll he do next? Can you picture Jarrad Searby fly-kicking pensioners for his fourth degree?

I assume Jarrad is recruiting young men to his local Proud Boys chapter at Hard Knocks Combat. The one in Corowa RSL.

The Albury community has a right to be worried. If they werent worried before, they will be when they find out that Jarrads stalking the elderly for the crime of commenting about him. Its not my place to say whether thats terrorist activity, but its rank intimidation and I would hate to see it in my town.

Tom Tanukiis an online satirist, social justice commentator, writer and comedian. He has worked in anti-racist political comedy, most notably through his satirical group the Million Flag Patriots and anti-racist groupYelling At Racist Dogs(Y.A.R.D.). You can follow Tom on Twitter@tom_tanuki.

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Australian Proud Boys on the hunt for social media commenters and the elderly - Independent Australia

The Democratic House managers began the third and final day of laying out their case by establishing what prosecutors call the accuseds pattern and practice. By this, they meant that Donald Trump had repeatedly both commended and recommended violence by his supporters and refused to condemn it when it happened. They showed clips from his rallies where he urged the crowd to beat his critics, from his good people on both sides comments following Charlottesville, and from his mockery of the threat posed to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by those plotting to kidnap her.

Whether or not they succeeded in convincing Republican senators that they should convict Trump, the managers certainly made a compelling case to the American electorate, should Trump be free to run again, of how the next Trump campaign, much less a second Trump presidency, would likely come complete with even more violence than hes provoked so far. They bolstered this claim by showing how violent extremists view Trump as their leader, a belief that Trumps instilled by his post-Charlottesville remarks and his stand back and stand by endorsement of the Proud Boys.

More from Harold Meyerson

On their third day before the Senate, the prosecutors turned to the futureto the consequences that allowing a president who violated his oath to defend the Constitution to escape without conviction would have for the future of American democracy and its peaceful transfers of power. If Trump is acquitted and violence and insurrection go unpunished, said lead manager Jamie Raskin, what makes you think its over?

Cumulatively, the managers was a masterful, overwhelming case. They spent the final hour in prebuttals of Trumps lawyers coming defense. Incitement of insurrection couldnt be defended as free speech, they argued. The constitutionality of trying a former president, they noted, had already been decided; with the law no longer in question, senators now had to vote on the facts in the case.

Whether Republicans actually do vote on the facts in the case remains highly uncertain at best, of course. Those whove actually paid attentionand we dont know how many havewill surely believe that conviction is the proper remedy, not just for Donald Trump, but to ensure the future of American democracy. Thats not to say, however, that even if theyve been convinced of Trumps guilt, theyll vote that way.

Thats largely because they cant help noting that their political future will be shaped by the rapid descent in the character of their party, which is becoming more delusional by the day. Even as The New York Times has reported that increasing numbers of Republicansdisproportionately, I dont doubt, those who still dwell in the reality-based communityhave left the party since January 6th, the senators also know that Republican state and county committees are casting maledictions on Republican elected officials whose loyalty to Trump is suspect. Perhaps even more disquieting, a poll conducted for the American Enterprise Institute shows that 50 percent of Republicans believe that antifa was mostly responsible for the violence that happened in the riots at the US Capitoldespite the fact that all the videos, all the arrests, all the coverage of the insurrectionists make clear that the rioters were right-wing nutsmuch like the people now insisting that they were really antifa.

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What all this means is that Republican senators are pondering their future in a party from which the sane are fleeing and the delusional remain. Those whose career ambitions overcome their deep sense that Trumps conviction is not only justified but also necessary for the future of the republic may have trouble with their decisions in what Scott Fitzgerald termed the real dark night of the soul. I dont think their souls will resist all that strongly, however. Theyll likely get through it by telling themselves something like what The Maltese Falcons Sam Spade tells the femme fatale hes fallen for when he turns her over to the cops for a murder she committed.

Ill have some rotten nights, he says, but thatll pass.

February 11, 2021

6:42 PM

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What Makes You Think Its Over? - The American Prospect