DOJ admits holding evidence from Jan 6 defendants showing law enforcement authorized people entering restricted grounds
Thomas McDonald
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Documents related to the Department of Justice’s suit against one of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill rioters revealed the DOJ is withholding evidence from criminal defendants that support the defense’s argument that law enforcement authorized them to enter the restricted grounds.
“Although we are aware that we possess some information that the defense may view as supportive of arguments that law enforcement authorized defendants (including Defendant) to enter the restricted grounds, e.g., images of officers hugging or fist bumping rioters, posing for photos with rioters, and moving bike racks, we are not in a position to state whether we have identified all such information,” Acting United States Attorney Channing D. Phillips writes in the United States v. Couy Griffin.
Griffin, a county commissioner from New Mexico, was arrested on Jan. 19 for breaching the Capitol and was charged with Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building and Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building. However, the DOJ admits that Couy never actually entered the Capitol Building.
“Specifically, the defendant climbed the west steps of the Capitol (a restricted area), where he remained for approximately one and one-half hours and used a bullhorn to address other rioters,” Phillips writes.
“Pursuant to Brady and its progeny, we are required to make available the voluminous data that may contain any similar information for Defendant to review,” Phillips continued.
“This is very disturbing. Multiple people have been pressured into pleading guilty while the government withheld this evidence? It’s now seven months later!” tweeted attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon in response to the revelation.
“How long will feds sit on this information under the argument they aren’t sure they have identified all of it? What will that mean for those held in pretrial detention? Is there precedent?” Asked Deputy Editor at Real Clear Investigations, Benjamin Weingarten.
“Anyone who watched the videos of J6 could tell that Capitol police let those people in by the hundreds. It was all planned,” tweeted another.
“Oh look, more DoJ f—ery. More withholding exculpatory evidence to drag out a narrative- shocker,” tweeted someone else.
“Seems like that is very different than ‘storming the capitol,'” said another.
“An ADMISSION by the prosecution that Capitol Police were “hugging” and “fist-bumping” the “rioters”, & posing for photos with “rioters.” Sounds like a hell of a terrifying “insurrection” to me! The prosecution has not released this evidence to the defense yet! WHY….” said another Twitter user.
The Independent Chronicle reached out to Harmeet K. Dhillon for comment but did not immediately receive a response.