In an episode that is more befitting of George Orwell's 1984 than an American government in 2025, the Trump administration has retaliated against two federal prosecutors at the the DC US Attorney's Office for putting truthful, relevant, and necessary information into a court filing.
The prosecutors filed a Sentencing Memorandum, as is usual in every case in which a defendant has been convicted. The sentencing memo read in part: "the defendant, Taylor Franklin Taranto, perpetrated a hoax on June 28, 2023, by falsely claiming that he would cause a car bomb to drive into the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The next day, he drove to a residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., causing a substantial disruption to the residents and regional law enforcement. When the police responded to the scene of a potential car bomb near a restricted area that was protected heavily by the United States Secret Service, Taranto tried to flee and left his van behind. After securing Taranto's van and executing a lawful search of the vehicle, police found a CZ Scorpion, an M&P pistol, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his backpack, which he left in the van. Taranto unlawfully carried the pistols and unlawfully possessed the ammunition.
The next day, on June 29, 2023, then-former President Donald Trump published on a social media platform the purported address of former President Barack Obama. Taranto re-posted the address on the same platform and thereafter started livestreaming from his van on his YouTube channel. Taranto broadcast footage of himself as he drove through the Kalorama neighborhood in Washington, D.C., claiming he was searching for 'tunnels' he believed would provide him access to the private residences of certain high-profile individuals, including former President Obama. He parked his van, walked away from it, and approached a restricted area protected by the United States Secret Service. He walked through the nearby woods and stated, 'Gotta get the shot, stop at nothing to get the shot.' After noticing the presence of the Secret Service he said, 'If I were them, I'd be watching this, watching my every move.' He also said, 'So yeah, more than likely, these guys also all hang for treason' and 'I control the block, we've got 'em surrounded.' When Secret Service agents approached him, Taranto fled, but he was apprehended and placed under arrest."
The sentencing memo also stated: "On January 6, 2021, thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol while a joint session of Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Taranto was accused of participating in the riot in D.C., by entering the U.S. Capitol Building. After the riot, Taranto returned to his home in the State of Washington, where he promoted conspiracy theories about the events of January 6, 2021."
Apparently because the prosecutors put truthful and accurate references to January 6 and Donald Trump into the sentencing memo, within two hours of filing the memo the prosecutors had their government cell phones seized, they were locked out of their government computers, and they were removed from the US Attorney's Office.
This represents unlawful retaliation against these prosecutors for providing truthful, accurate, and necessary information to the sentencing judge.
In this episode of "The Prosecutors' Verdict" Kevin Flynn and I talk about this legal developments and the horrific precedent it sets for the independence of the Department of Justice and the practice of the law in our nation's courts.
To find Kevin on Substack: https://kfflynn.substack.com/
To find Glenn on Substack: https://glennkirschner.substack.com/
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