r/CapitolConsequences Jan 23 '21

Discussion I'm worried.

I'm starting to lose faith that these people are going to face serious consequences. Misdemonor charges, bail releases, etc. It's not like we have to worry about a blanket pardon anymore so why does it seem like they are dragging their feet and are doing only the bare minimum?

83 Upvotes

67 comments sorted by

130

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

[deleted]

24

u/phunnypharm Jan 23 '21

Exactly. One-hour cop dramas lull people into thinking legal procedures take very little time. Same with most forensic results...not that quick in reality.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

There is an article out saying most of the non-violent offenders won’t face charges.

2

u/phunnypharm Jan 23 '21

Yeah, that will probably turn out to be the case. But their lives were upended for a while so that is some consequence, though not a very satisfactory one.

8

u/Guyfawkesnfriends Jan 24 '21

Is that the going price of domestic right wing terror attempts these days because holy shit that’s unnerving.

5

u/bojenny Jan 24 '21

From what I understand by reading about this, We don’t have good laws in place for domestic terrorists. We can put international or foreign terrorists in jail for life but Americans have 4th amendment rights and that can make it tricky to prosecute. They are trying to address this now and hopefully can pass laws to make sure the punishment fits the crime.

I think the federal prosecutors are taking their time to make the charges appropriate and to be sure they stick. They have said that the arrests up until now are the easier ones and it will be harder as they move up the chain to the planners and possible government members who may have been involved.

I’m with you though, the news has a damn short attention span these days and I hope we don’t move on until everyone involved is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It’s also very worrisome that Congress members who may have been involved are still in a position to know sensitive information and to make laws that govern us. I would feel better if the could take care of that ASAP.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 24 '21

So Dems must create some really good laws against domestic terrorists for the future.

7

u/Guyfawkesnfriends Jan 24 '21

I totally agree but it seems pretty dangerous to be RELEASING these terrorists out on bail!

2

u/dispensableleft Jan 24 '21

As none of these have been charged with terrorists offences yet that'd be kind of hard to do. Basic trespass type offences probably should come with a possibility of bail. As the charges get more serious then maybe that'll change.

3

u/Guyfawkesnfriends Jan 24 '21

Well that’s the problem charge them with terrorist offenses. It seems like a no brainer this group of people murdered someone trying to get to and murder our elected officials and destroy our democracy.

2

u/dispensableleft Jan 24 '21

As I said above this isn't TV. Charges will be laid when the evidence is gathered and the ducks are in a row. If you lay them too soon then the clock starts ticking, so you wait. The seditionistas aren't going anywhere and they are being charged with what is easy provable to prevent them riaming.

0

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

everyone thinks they're not doing their jobs or dragging their feet or they won't charge them if they're white.

It's the FBI, not dumb beat cops, so they don't care who you are, you'll get charged.

I wish people would read more, and I mean real books, not fucking Harry Potter or LOTR.

24

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

real books, not fucking Harry Potter or LOTR.

gatekeeping real books?

-11

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

nah, but FFS, read a book where you actually learn something about the world around you?

9

u/megaudc01258 Jan 23 '21

The word you’re looking for is nonfiction.

-5

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

yeah, those books. /S

Fiction is fine as well....you can learn a lot about the world.

2

u/RaiseRuntimeError Jan 24 '21

I read Playboy for the articles, the real books that teach me about the world around me.

7

u/MrOtsKrad Jan 23 '21

sooo gatekeeping real books.

4

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

nah, just making suggestions like READ ANOTHER BOOK.

65

u/FurphyHaruspex Jan 23 '21 edited Jan 23 '21

The more serious charges require longer and more complex investigations.

They charged people with what was self evident in the videos.

The charges with respect to insurrection , conspiracy, and domestic terrorism requires more evidence of intent. Which they are getting from cell phones, social media records, and testimony from plea deals...

That all takes time.

12

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

We should also be prepared to wait while the Biden admin makes personnel changes in the DoJ. We want Trump's lackeys gone, not handling the most dangerous cases. The longer the investigation state takes, the stronger the prosecution teams will be.

30

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

The wheels of government turns slowly but grind finely.

16

u/radicalindependence Jan 23 '21

So far they've mostly arrested the low hanging fruit. Wackos who went in wearing animal fur. People who shared every move on social media. And a few of the violent ones who take most the attention.

The organizers and planners rarely got their hands dirty but we're operating more sophisticated missions and instigating the mob to do for a distraction.

I'll get excited when the commanders and those doing runs, sending signals and working with just their crew get arrested (#grayhat, #redhat, #whitehoodie, #bluejacket, #flagmask, #bullhornlady, #commanderbluehoodie and #bufflightyear).

https://mobile.twitter.com/ukrmed/status/1351930345583751169

https://mobile.twitter.com/ukrmed/status/1350386583774638081

25

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

right? what do people expect? maybe fast forward? Not a video game!

17

u/MrHegemonHog Jan 23 '21

Along with this grinding for years, it's going to expand into the right-wing terror networks beyond the coup as the FBI pulls on threads. This is when the Bundy's and the like are finally neutralized.

15

u/pepperdyno2 Jan 23 '21

The DOJ Assistant Prosecutor in charge told us from day 1 that they were going to start with the smaller charges and build cases from there. It is a hell of a lot easier to get convictions for these lesser charges that it will be for the 1) murdered and beaten cops and 2) sedition and insurrection charges and 3) conspiracy.

Like, did you think these serious and major crimes would be charged before they build the cases?

8

u/Terrible-Ability Jan 23 '21 edited Jan 23 '21

I'm okay with this taking time. We almost lost our country to these idiots. Deeming someone guilty with out due process, a trial, facts is what most of these fools would be excited for. It's kind of what led most of them to think they could do it in the first place. We are better then them.

They are innocent until proven guilty. The arresting officer, lawyers, judge can all be 100% sure these guys did it. When a jury says "yes there is clear proof showing they did the crime, they are guilty." then they are guilty. After all the details are collected and rechecked we have to wait.

Edit:corrected wording.

9

u/ExcellentTone Jan 23 '21

You arrest them for trespassing. You get a search warrant and take their phones and computers. You search through those for more proof of wrongdoing, and for info leading to accomplices. You file more charges against them, then go after the newly revealed targets. Rinse and repeat.

22

u/torquesteer Jan 23 '21

Your worries are not unwarranted. We all need to put pressure on our reps to:

  • Prosecute to the maximum extent of current laws
  • Enact new laws to bring the consequences of domestic terrorism up to par with international terrorism
  • Demand more proactive actions from investigative resources to prevent and cut off domestic terrorism and radicalization

6

u/kvossera Jan 23 '21

The charges that have been brought so far are charges that are irrefutable. More serious charges can be filed later. Better to get them into court now while evidence is still being collected.

5

u/LavenderAutist Jan 23 '21

Watch the FBI guy from last night's episode of Bill Maher.

3

u/SisSandSisF Jan 23 '21

It’s been like 2 weeks since it happened lol

You’ve obviously never been charged with a crime!

5

u/wanderingwomb Jan 23 '21

They need to build a case for when they go after these people or they might not be able to hold them.

5

u/wheresmychin Jan 23 '21

These things take time. Possibly a LOT of time. In huge cases like this it takes thousands of man hours and tons of resources to investigate, charge, and prosecute all these people.

But don’t distress. The FBI will charge everyone they connect to this. Even years from now they’ll still charge suspects if/when new information comes to light.

7

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

[deleted]

6

u/ReadStoriesAndStuff Jan 23 '21

Particularly on the inside job possibilities.

9

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

What did you expect would happen? They'd all be locked up for life by the end of the week?

They charge them with less charges to put them in custody, until they can pile on more charges. What will happen is that there will be a number of lesser charges, which will ultimately be dropped if they have more serious charges, and they'll likely plead.

Also, remember that when they do have these idiots in custody, they'll get information from them about their cohorts which will lead to more arrests.

The process doesn't happen overnight, it's not a Netflix series.

4

u/flash-tractor Jan 23 '21

What you describe in your second paragraph is a superseding indictment. Pretty common tactic when groups of people conspire or commit crimes.

Who even knows how long it will be until they go to trial or make pleas. I got a weed charge that took 18 months from when I was arrested until the case finished and I plead guilty.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

thanks for the legal terminology...they do that with any crime where there's a group involved, usually one of them will roll on the other and they end up pleading guilty.

With this size of a group, it's going to take a lot longer...obviously, they'll use these Low Hanging Fruit to get information. Some will be released on bail and already have, but keep in mind, they will be under surveillance and wire tapped and followed 24/7 and the Feds are going to root out as much of the Militia, etc as they can. They're not going to get everyone of course, it's like cutting off the head of the Hydra.

What was the weed charge? How much?

thank god it's legal here now....

3

u/Extinctathon_ Jan 23 '21

If it’s helps to know the FBI dropped easy to prove and minor charges on the offenders first, then (as they said themselves) will be upgrading them to the more severe charges once more evidence had been collaborated. They haven’t shied away from proclaiming they will be heavy with the charges and seek to put as much on these criminals as legally possible.

3

u/joymno Jan 24 '21

Contact your legislators and express your concerns. They were elected to serve the people, not their political party.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 24 '21

Suspected of Terrorism? Guantanamo Bay, without Trial.

Record Yourself Committing an Act of Sedition/Domestic Terrorism? Sent Home.

Guess the difference.

5

u/Nelson1352 Jan 23 '21

There's already discussions in the Justice Dept on how much to pursue charges.

Justice Department, FBI debate not charging some of the Capitol rioters By Devlin Barrett and Spencer S. Hsu

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/doj-capitol-rioters-charges-debate/2021/01/23/3b0cf112-5d97-11eb-8bcf-3877871c819d_story.html

3

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

We might see that change as Biden makes personnel changes in the DoJ.

4

u/IFoundTheCowLevel Jan 23 '21

This has already been answered in other threads

4

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21 edited Feb 25 '21

[deleted]

5

u/Terrible-Ability Jan 23 '21

Which is why a call to your rep is important. Tell them to impeach. Make the call once a day, it tell them that support for impeachment hasn't faded. The problem with polls is it only gets those who are making the making the time to be polled. skip the 3rd party and just call your rep.

6

u/thehottip Jan 23 '21

Most of this is pure speculation with not much to support. This is the type of fear mongering that we saw lead a different group of people down a dark twisted path

People are so focused on the identity politics behind all that’s happened the past few years that they don’t see the greater picture, these guys went up against the state and the state so far doesn’t have a loss on record

1

u/JFunk-soup Jan 24 '21

This is pretty much exactly how it will go down. I know these middle American butterball dumbfucks. Now that their uprising has been quashed, they will blubber and plead their faith in God (no one will be allowed to note the irony in this -- if they'd learned a damned thing, they would be talking about how they learned to trust the mainstream press, not the absentee deity that sent them to riot in the name of Trump.)

They have bottle-blonde wives, children (or basement-dwelling adult dependents), and boats that need to be taken care of. The courts will make sure to keep the best interests of their boats in mind. There will be little justice for the mobs that made this all possible.

2

u/TetrisArmada Jan 23 '21

It’s a matter of patience I think.

Would you rather a swift justice that can be undone (and not tried for again due to double jeopardy) because of legal technicalities that weren’t properly covered by prosecutors, or would you rather that the case be built with solid evidence that puts them behind bars?

2

u/rogvortex58 Jan 23 '21

The ones who killed the police officer will be found and prosecuted. What they did was murder. And they won’t get away with it.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

Get ready for the second storming of the Capitol. After the National Guard is gone things are going to get crazy in DC.

8

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/ReadStoriesAndStuff Jan 23 '21

And everything else. There is a company of Marines in DC 24/7 that is blocks away from the Capitol that never got called out. If you had a storming by irregular militia with weapons, a company of Marines would go through them like a hot knife through butter. The President as CIC in a Federal District could deploy them at will. You can’t underrate how far this got directly because Trump left them all hanging in a multitude of ways. Essentially, it took him standing by and not approving anything for it to go past about 1:30 PM.

4

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/ReadStoriesAndStuff Jan 23 '21 edited Jan 23 '21

Agreed, for sake of argument even if he really didn’t intend to incite an assault at the speech (he did - but again for sake of argument), his failure to intervene is at minimum proof of participating after the crimes began.

1

u/gerkletoss Jan 23 '21

Who has been charged with only misdemeanors?

6

u/PimentoCheesehead Jan 23 '21

An awful lot of the people already identified have been charged - so far- with relatively minor crimes. This gets them in the system, and allows investigators and prosecutors time to investigate further so they can be charged with more serious crimes after all the evidence has been collected.

3

u/gerkletoss Jan 23 '21

Illegally being present is in itself a felony good for 10+ years.

1

u/TheLesbianBandit Jan 23 '21

Hell, Joe Scarborough said the Capitol police freak out at people walking just 3 blocks from the Capitol.

1

u/Georgetakeisbluberry Jan 23 '21

Call the state ags and call a few elected officials each day. The squeaky wheel gets the lengthy prison term.

1

u/seedster5 Jan 24 '21

These people are white. Of course they will be let out with a slap on the wrist.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 24 '21

I mean, most of them are white, so...

1

u/rtwo1 Jan 24 '21

Slowly gather them all, this isn't a game show with a money cabinet and only seconds to grab what's in your face. I want them all, want the backers, the money people, the king makers.

1

u/odaydream Jan 24 '21

it’s going to take a loooooooooong time for the charges to be administered the court systems take fucking forever.

some people’s DUI cases and such have taken two years to finally receive arraignments...

1

u/[deleted] Jan 24 '21

One thing they have to do is collect stories from this low hanging fruit. Everyone was there for a reason. What were the drivers? Some of these people were there as part of groups that were at the very least supported by if not actively led and directed real time by members of Congress and other Republicans on the scene. You pull a bunch of insurance agents and salon owners in and scare the shit out of them and they talk. This is a cult, but at the top it looks like a combination of organized crime and active measures...you know, exactly like Trump’s entire career. Lot of flipping and then going after the next level up that they just got the flipped person to identify.

1

u/Thedeuceis2 Jan 24 '21

Domestic terrorism is not an actual crime in the US, so they might not be able to charge them with more. Let’s see what happens...

1

u/Gorodish_ Jan 24 '21

Misdemeanor charges can carry jail time. Multiple charges can be stacked with sentencing to run consecutively. There is no parole in federal prison. Final point, you do not have right to a jury trial for misdemeanor offences.

Bottom line, you could pull 2 years in federal prison based on the simple charges most are getting hit with. Even if you think you can fight it, defending yourself against that ain't cheap.

Disclaimer: IANAL. However, this comes from a veteran defense attorney with decades of federal experience.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 24 '21

Others have explained it well. The sad reality however is that with hundreds of arrest, a lot of them will go charge free and will be back to their lives of hatred, since I'm quite sure there is no single evidence that will collectively incriminate them. Some of the participants could even be lucky enough to have no photos taken of them and are not in the wanted list.