MORE CASES LEFT TO RESOLVE.
ITS A TON TO KEEP TRACK
CASES LIKE A HAWK.
THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.
I THINK THE QUESTION A LOT OF
PEOPLE HAVE IS THERE IS PROBABLY
BEEN NO INCIDENT IN RECENT
HISTORY THERE IS SO MUCH VIDEO
FROM SO MANY ANGLES AND
CORROBORATING WITNESSES AND
PEOPLE ADMITTING AND POSTING ON
SOCIAL MEDIA THEMSELVES THEY
WERE THERE AND TAKING PRIDE IN
IT.
WHY ARE THERE NOT WAY MORE
CONVICTIONS AND GUILTY PLEAS AT
THIS POINT?
>> YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THE
ANSWER IS BUREAUCRACY.
LOOK AT THE EXTENT OF THIS
INVESTIGATION.
IMAGINE AN INBOX OF 200,000
TIPS.
THATS A LOT OF TIPS.
THATS MORE THAN THE FBI
RECEIVED AT THIS POINT AND TO
ORGANIZE IT IS DIFFICULT IN A
LOT OF WAYS IS OLD SCHOOL.
THE FBI THERE SAY REAL
RESISTANCE TO PUTTING THINGS
DOWN IN WRITING.
THERE IS A HEAVY RELIANCE ON
EMAIL.
WHEN THERE IS THIS SYSTEM THAT
DOESNT NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW,
INDIVIDUALS MONTHS AGO AND WATCH
HIM GO TO RALLIES ARE CONFUSED
WHY ITS TAKING SO LONG.
THEY HAVE INDIVIDUAL
RELATIONSHIPS WITH FBI AGENTS
BUT OTHERS ARE DUMPING THIS INTO
A BLACK HOLE WHEN THEY SEND
SOMETHING TO THE FBI AND DONT
KNOW WHERE THE TIP GOES.
SO THE SAM LAZAR CASE HAS BEEN
OUT THERE AWHILE AND NOW THE FBI
DOES SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
HIM SITTING OUT THERE FOR A LONG
TIME IS SOMETHING THATS
DIFFICULT FOR THE FBI TO EXPLAIN
AND MIGHT BE SOMETHING THIS
COMMISSION IS INTERESTED IN, AS
WELL.
>> SO THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
BEING CHARGED.
THERE ARE VIRTUALLY NO PEOPLE
THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THAT
ARE LET OFF THE HOOK BUT THE
GRAVITY OF THESE CHARGES IS
DIFFERENT.
YOU MAY BE OF THE MIND ALL OF
THEM SHOULD BE CHARGED BECAUSE
THEY ALL DID SOMETHING WRONG BUT
SOME OF THEM ARE BEING CHARGED
WITH RELATIVELY MINOR CHARGES.
NOT GENERALLY BEING LET OFF THE
HOOK BUT CHARGED WITH MINOR
THINGS.
THERE IS A LOT MORE ENERGY GOING
INTO THE SERIOUS STUFF.
>> THATS RIGHT.
THOSE CHARGES THAT A LOT OF THE
MISDEMEANOR CHARGES THAT MOST OF
THE DEFENDANTS ARE FACING ARE
THE SORT OF THING YOU WOULD FACE
IF YOU WENT TO THE CAPITOL,
PROPERLY WENT THROUGH SECURITY
AND INTERRUPTED A HEARING.
THE SAME CHARGE.
THERE IS A LITTLE PUSH BACK FROM
PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT
THIS IS A MUCH DIFFERENT EVENT
THAN A CODE PINK PROTESTER THAT
HOLDS UP A SIGN DURING AN
UNFOLDING CONGRESSIONAL HEARING.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THATS BASICALLY
WHAT THE CHARGE THAT PROSECUTORS
HAVE AT HAND AND YOU DONT WANT
TO OVER REACH, OF COURSE,
BECAUSE THATS SOMETHING THAT
ALREADY REPUBLICANS AND SOME OF
THE DEFENSE ATTORNEYS ARE
ACCUSING THE GOVERNMENT OF DOING
EVEN THOUGH IF YOU COMPARE THIS
TO A LOT OF RECENT CASES THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HANDLED, THEY
ARE GOING MORE LAX THAN THEY
WERE AGAINST ANTI TRUMP
PROTESTERS BACK IN DURING THE
TRUMPS FIRST INAUGURATION.
SO I THINK THATS SOMETHING THAT
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT KEEPS IN
MIND BECAUSE IF THEY DO OVER
REACH AND THEY DO OVER CHARGE
SOMEONE, THAT WILL HAVE
TREMENDOUS CONSEQUENCES NOT ONLY
IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM BUT ALSO
IN THE LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
BECAUSE THATS WHERE WELL SEE A
LOT OF POLITICAL PUSH BACK IF
THERE IS OVER CHARGING BY THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
>> OFFICER HODGES, ONE OF THE
FOUR POLICE WHO TESTIFIED TODAY
SAID MOST OF THE OFFICERS USED
THE TERM TERRORIST.
OFFICER HODGES HELD UP THE U.S.
CODE TO BACK IT UP SO THEY WERE
MAKING A DISTINCTION BETWEEN
SOMEBODY THAT INTERFERES IN A
HEARING AND WHAT THESE FOLKS
WERE DOING.
>> YEAH, THIS IS AN INTERESTING
LEGAL DISTINCTION BECAUSE THERE
ISNT A LAW THAT MAKES IT
ILLEGAL.
THAT SURPRISES A LOT OF
AMERICANS.
ON THE BACK END, YOU CAN GET A
TERRORISM ENHANCEMENT AND
CLASSIFY SOMETHING AS AN ACT OF
TERRORISM BUT BROADLY SPEAKING,
THERE IS NOT JUST ONE LAW THAT
SAYS THIS MAKES AN ACT OF
TERRORISM, DOMESTIC DERRIS MTERR
ILLEGAL.
NOTABLY, GUNNING DOWN PEOPLE IN
A MOB ISNT ONE OF THEM SO
THATS NOT SOMETHING THAT WOULD
NORMALLY BE CLASSIFIED AS A
DOMESTIC TERRORISM INCIDENT.
IF YOU LOOK AT DYLANN ROOFS
CHARGES YEARS BACK, THAT WASNT
DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
UNDER THE LEGAL DEFINITION, I
THINK OFFICER HODGES IS RIGHT
THIS MEETS THE DEFINITION.
THAT IS SOMETHING FEDERAL PROLS
CUE TORE
-- PROSECUTORS HAVE BEEN SAYING
AND THE DOJ REFERENCED DOMESTIC
TERRORISM STATUTES AND CALLS IT
A DOMESTIC TERRORISM
INVESTIGATION AND THERE ARE MANY
DOMESTIC TERRORISM PROSECUTORS
THAT HANDLE CASES ASSIGNED TO IT
AND HANDLING IT AS SUCH.
THEY WILL BE CAREFUL TO DEPLOY
THAT CHARGE BECAUSE THATS OF
OBVIOUSLY A POLITICALLY LOADED
CHARGE.
YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT
DEPLOYING IT PROPERLY BUT THERE
IS NO OTHER WAY TO DESCRIBE WHAT
HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6th.
WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO DO IS
INFLUENCE THE GOVERNMENT AND
THIS IS A VIOLENT ACT TO INFLEW