(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Equal Justice? Compare and Contrast [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-06-15  

What happens if you steal classified documents from the government despite having been repeatedly told they must be kept secure? What happens if you spread them around haphazardly? What if you lie about having them and obstruct justice by attempting to conceal evidence and lie to law enforcement?

And what if you’ve been known to spout racist tirades and threaten violence?

Depends.

If you’re Jack Teixeira:

...who posted dozens of secret intelligence reports and other sensitive documents on a social media server, on six counts of retaining and transmitting classified national defense information. ...two months after F.B.I. agents arrested him at his home in North Dighton, Mass., and paves the way for a trial stemming from one of the most damaging national security leaks in recent history. ...has remained in federal custody after prosecutors presented evidence that he had a history of making violent and racist threats, had access to an arsenal of weapons and represented a risk of sharing sensitive information with foreign countries.

No running around free while waiting for a grand jury to decide if he should be indicted.

...memo filed by the Justice Department’s national security division in arguing for his indefinite detention in April. The memo claimed that Airman Teixeira repeatedly tried to obstruct federal investigators and might still have information that would be of “tremendous value to hostile nation-states.” ...And Justice Department lawyers have said the extent of the information he leaked “far exceeds what has been publicly disclosed.”

If you’re Donald John Trump:

Trump faces 37 felony counts, alleging he illegally retained national defense information and that he concealed documents in violation of witness-tampering laws in the Justice Department’s probe into the materials.

But:

Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman ruled that Trump could not communicate with [co-defendant] Nauta about the case. The judge also told prosecutors to make a list of potential witnesses that Trump can’t communicate with about the case – except through counsel. [ No bar on raising money by talking about it to anyone else, however.

The judge did not, however, place any travel restrictions on either defendant.

The Justice Department recommended that both Trump and Nauta be released with no financial or special conditions. Prosecutor David Harbach said that “the government does not view either defendant as a flight risk.”

And:

Trump flew back to New Jersey Tuesday evening where he spoke publicly at his Bedminster resort about what he called the “fake and fabricated charges.” The former president claimed he had “every right to have these documents” and said prosecutors “ought to drop this case immediately because they’re destroying our country.” “They should never have done this,” he told the gathered crowd. “This was an unwritten rule, you just don’t unless it’s really bad. But you just don’t. But the seal is now broken.”

To be fair, Trump does not have — so far as has been revealed to date — access to an arsenal of weapons. However, he did persuade several thousand people — some of them heavily armed — to show up to try to overthrow the government on January 6. Apparently not relevant to the case.

And also to be fair, both Teixeira and Trump are free to run for President despite the charges they face.

America — what a country!

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/15/2175702/-Equal-Justice-Compare-and-Contrast

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/