Federal judge imposes longest sentence yet for Jan. 6 defendant

 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/federal-judge-imposes-longest-sentence-yet-jan-6-defendant-rcna82982?fbclid=IwAR3krg7V8YY2vKum1Qy3N-PorQQYur3xB4_PR2NvYYNmzY4GoR3czCABs5s

What was interesting in this news story is the while Schwartz pled for mercy and told the judge in public that he knew now that what he did was wrong, in private he was saying the complete opposite. I'm glad the prosecution presented proof that he was lying about "being wrong" and that the judge took that into account in the sentencing. The judge still gave him a lighter sentence (by about 2.5 years) that the prosecution asked for but the lies did not allow Schwartz to evade justice.

I'm not sure if Schwartz was associated with any of the militia groups operating that day or was a "normie" used by them to cause the chaos of that day, but I'm hoping that the Oath Keepers who will be sentenced soon will also have the unrepentant comments they have made and continue to make while jailed presented as a mitigating factor at their sentencing as well. 

For example, Kelly Meggs, who is with the Oath Keepers, a para-military group whose members are ex-military, was recently convicted of Seditious Conspiracy with a terrorism enhancement amongst other charges. Meggs continues to post or cause to be posted on-line that he is "INNOCENT" (cite: https://www.givesendgo.com/meggs) and that this is a "show trial" to "take away free speech", etc.

A more than 60 day trial with hundreds of pieces of evident presented to an impartial jury is the exact opposite of a "show trial". And I feel safe is saying that Meggs will drop his pride temporarily when he pleads for leniency at his sentencing. But this beg for mercy and "mea culpa" will be untrue. 

These people conspired to overthrow the government because they were mad that their candidate did not win a presidential election. That candidate was one of the worse presidents our country has ever seen- Donald J Trump.

Incredible.

I feel the sentencing memo explains well why these people deserve the stiff sentences they will soon receive:

These defendants each played a role in an unprecedented conspiracy to oppose the transfer of presidential power. As the Court noted after the second trial verdict, the seriousness of these offenses cannot be overstated. 1/23/23 Tr. at 4769. For over two-hundred years, since President George Washington first voluntarily relinquished his executive power back to the people and set in motion a tradition that has formed the bedrock of our democracy, the American people have chosen their president through free and fair elections. Not force. To justify their actions, the conspirators called the outcome they disagreed with “tyranny” that would lead to an apocalyptic end of the country. They sowed doubt in others, riled up and recruited them to travel to D.C., and led them in an attack on the Capitol by giving the riot leaders, in the form of so-called Oath Keepers. Their oaths of service were not to the country, but to themselves.

The attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 was a criminal offense unparalleled in American history. It represented a grave threat to our democratic norms; indeed, it was one of the only times in our history when the building was literally occupied by hostile forces. By its very nature, the attack defies comparison to other events. Every defendant here joined a conspiracy that contributed to this unprecedented attack on our democracy.

Moreover, opposing the transfer of presidential power and attacking the U.S. Capitol building and grounds constitutes an attack on the rule of law. Leading up to January 6, the defendants and their co-conspirators believed their view of the Constitution trumped all others and anointed themselves the “Guardians” of their “Republic.” These defendants attempted to silence millions of Americans who had placed their vote for a different candidate, to ignore the variety of legal and judicial mechanisms that lawfully scrutinized the electoral process leading up to and on January 6, and to shatter the democratic system of governance enshrined in our laws and in our Constitution. And when they did not get what they wanted, they acted by together attacking the very people and place at the very time when those laws were in action. At its essence, these defendants’ crimes are the antithesis of respect for the law. “The violence and destruction of property at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 showed a blatant and appalling disregard for our institutions of government and the orderly administration of the democratic process.”
 p 73, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23801119-rhodesetalsentmem050523