Now We’re Getting Somewhere
Yesterday the DOJ announced the arrest and charging of 3 insurrectionist leaders who planned and led the attack on the Capitol. In an extensive 23 page indictment, 3 individuals were named, Thomas Caldwell, Donovan Crowl, and Jessica Watkins, associated with extremist groups including Oathkeepers, Proud Boys, and the Three Percenters. The charges detailed how they forcibly entered the Capitol, assaulted officers, destroyed property, interfered with Congress, and pursued members of Congress. One particular chilling part of the indictment describes FB messages Caldwell was receiving from co-conspirators that were actually guiding him down flights of stairs and through tunnels as he pursued fleeing members of Congress. In messages between other co-conspirators, they even talked about “Paul” who has “the goodies in case things go bad and we need to get heavy.” And stupidly, they put a lot of this communication and evidence of their lawbreaking up on social media for all to see. Unbelievable.
It’s becoming very clear that the attack on the Capitol wasn’t just a demonstration that got out of hand. The attack was planned among conspirators in multiple states in multiple extremist groups. Their military training, radical rhetoric, and threats made it clear they intended to capture, and even kill members of Congress whom they had decided had somehow committed “treason”. The evidence is also becoming clear that they had help from the inside of the Capitol. Who that is, we don’t know yet, but I predict we will.
The feds must continue investigating, arresting, trying and convicting as many of these conspirators. These extremists are gun nuts who advocate unlicensed and unregulated ownership of all firearms. Many are convicted felons who are excluded from owning guns, by law. Even though many of these radicals are not allowed to own guns, they can still get them through private sales and black markets, but the feds must continue pursuing these criminals and enforcing the law. The Congress in collusion with George W, let the genie out of the bottle in 2004 when they let the Assault Weapons ban expire. Millions of weapons of war have flooded into the market feeding the violent tendencies of extremists groups that have proliferated all over the country. The only tool we have remaining is charging, convicting, and jailing thousands of these gun nuts who threaten our democratic republic.
This is at least a start.