The week
Prosecutor: Evidence of Capitol Attack ‘Tending’ to Sedition Accusations
Michael Sherwin, the former US attorney in Washington, DC, told CBS News that the evidence collected as part of the January 6 Capitol riot investigation is likely to support allegations of sedition. “I personally believe that the evidence is tending to this, and it is likely to meet these elements,” he said during an interview with 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night. “I believe that the facts support these charges. And I think that, as we move forward, more facts will support this.” Sherwin led the Justice Department’s investigation into the attack until Friday, when he returned to his role as a federal prosecutor in Miami. Seditious conspiracy – conspiring to overthrow the government – is an accusation rarely invoked. The last case of federal sedition was in 2010, when members of a Michigan militia were accused of conspiring to start an armed conflict with the government, reports The New York Times. The defendants were acquitted and the judge said the Justice Department was unable to prove satisfactorily that militia members entered into “a concrete agreement to forcefully oppose the United States government”. Former President Donald Trump told his supporters to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally on the morning of January 6, and during a speech that day he repeated his baseless allegations of electoral fraud and a fraudulent election against him. Sherwin was at the rally and told 60 Minutes that he saw people in “tactical gear” and “Kevlar vests” with “military helmets. These guys, I realized, left speeches earlier. Where I was initially pro-Trump, I rambled for anti- government, anti-Congress, anti-institutional. “Sherwin told 60 Minutes that he was alarmed when he saw people on the Capitol climbing up the scaffolding and hanging flags, and thought,” This is going badly fast. ” Soon, the pro-Trump crowd stormed the building, trying to stop Congress from certifying the election results. So far, the government has accused more than 400 people in connection with the riot, Sherwin said, with many accused of trespassing and more than 100 accused of assaulting police officers. “It is unequivocal that Trump was the magnet that brought people to DC on the 6th,” said Sherwin. “Now the question is, is he criminally guilty for everything that happened during the siege, during the rape? We have people looking at everything.” More stories from theweek.comA leap in Social Security benefits Falling America’s fertility rate. The Baltimore chef goes to Vermont to cook his favorite dish for a customer