A federal judge on Friday dismissed the seditious conspiracy case against several Proud Boys members, granting a request from the Trump administration. US District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, said he lacked the authority to compel the Executive to pursue a prosecution.
Background
The case was one of the most serious convictions from the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. The Proud Boys members, including Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, were found guilty of seditious conspiracy and other charges in 2023.
President Trump has long criticized the January 6 prosecutions, referring to those in jail as “hostages” and claiming his supporters posed “zero threat.” However, hundreds of video clips show Trump supporters engaging in violent behavior, including beating police with flagpoles and batons.
Reaction
Zachary Rehl, one of the Proud Boys members, celebrated the dismissal on social media, saying, “Finally, it’s all over! January 6th can now be a thing of the past for me!” Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the group, also praised the decision, saying, “Justice is served! Proud Boys don’t lose. We win. This is our victory.”
Judge Kelly warned that the American people must act together to preserve the country’s democratic framework, saying, “Moving forward, if this Nation’s experiment in self-government is to last another 250 years, the American people—no matter their partisan preferences—will have to act together to preserve, protect and defend that miracle through our constitutional framework.”
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
