Exclusive: Joseph Farah has plenty of questions about DOJ's case against pair of Capitol 'rioters'
First we were told Officer Brian Sicknick's death in the Jan. 6 Capitol skirmish was caused by the trauma of being hit in the head with a fire extinguisher.
That was reported first by the New York Times and then parroted by virtually all mainstream media.
It was a lie, admitted by the Times.
There never was any death by fire extinguisher – not at the Capitol incursion.
The only violent death we know of was 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by an unidentified police officer.
TRENDING: Washington Post admits anti-Trump story actually based on false quotes
Sicknick was the only police officer who died as a result of the "riot." Now the Justice Department is determined to prove the guilt of two men who were arrested recently on a charge of "assault with a dangerous weapon."
Julian Khater and George Tanios have been charged with nine criminal counts for actions taken on Jan. 6 just outside the U.S. Capitol building. What was the dangerous weapon? The duo were charged some kind of chemical spray of Officer Sicknick and two other officers.
While press outlets reported the men were charged with assault with a "dangerous weapon," that remains in doubt. The reason is simple. No one knows the cause of death of Officer Brian Sicknick. The coroner's report has not been released. No toxicology report has been released. In addition, Sicknick's body was rushed to a cremation for some unknown reason.
"The Million Dollar Question hanging over this trial in both criminal court and the court of public opinion is why these two men have been charged with assault, not murder," noted Revolver, which has reported most of what we actually know about the case. "Recall that 'murder' was both the mainstream media's and Congress's unrelenting meme for the first whole month following the events of 1/6, culminating in a full-on impeachment conviction at the House of Representatives."
And who are the two men charged in this offense?
Khater, 32, runs a smoothie shop called Frutta Bowls in Penn State's college town in Pennsylvania. George Tanios, 39, runs a sandwich shop trademarked "Sandwich U" or "King of the Fat Sandwich" in West Virginia.
Tanios is facing a hefty sentence of 60 years in prison. The criminal complaint does not charge Tanios with spraying Sicknick. It was Khater who allegedly did so, but the complaint does not even allege he entered the U.S. Capitol that day.
There are, at best, confusing photos of the spraying of Officer Sicknick. But there is little doubt he was.
His brother, Ken Sicknick, said: "He texted me last night and said, 'I got pepper-sprayed twice,' and he was in good shape." The spraying incident took place at 2:23 p.m. That night he was in good spirits.
It remains to be seen if Officer Sicknick was exposed to tear gas, widely used Jan. 6 by police that day – as was pepper spray.
Once again, what is the Justice Department doing here? We know they are attempting with their charges to promulgate a "domestic terrorism" case or cases. Will they make a victim of "domestic terrorism" out of a man who was "in good spirits" the night after his "attack"? Has he become the only "convenient" death of a police officer? Death by pepper spray – hardly a deadly weapon when employed elsewhere by civilians or cops?
Officer Sicknick was a good man. He was a supporter of President Trump. He was well-liked by one and all. It's bad enough his death was used in a lie – once – and maybe a second time.
Are they deliberately stacking the deck against Tanios and Khater, a couple of fast-food managers? Are these two desperadoes a threat to Americans everywhere?
For U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, or Joe Biden's Justice Department, to be engineering this case with SWAT teams and no bail, seems to be overkill – especially for Democrats who want to defund most other police forces in America!