The Department of Justice’s decision to let a bunch of Portland rioters off with a mere slap on the wrist may make the blatant political persecution of Capitol protesters more difficult, according to a report from Politico released Wednesday.
From Politico, “Leniency for defendants in Portland clashes could affect Capitol riot cases”:
Federal prosecutors’ show of leniency for some defendants charged in the long-running unrest in the streets of Portland could have an impact on similar criminal cases stemming from the Capitol riot, lawyers say.
In recent weeks, prosecutors have approved deals in at least half a dozen federal felony cases arising from clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Oregon last summer. The arrangements — known as deferred resolution agreements — will leave the defendants with a clean criminal record if they stay out of trouble for a period of time and complete a modest amount of community service, according to defense attorneys and court records.
Some lawyers attribute the government’s newfound willingness to resolve the Portland protest cases without criminal convictions to the arrival of President Joe Biden’s administration in January and to policy and personnel changes at the Justice Department.
Remember folks, as Biden-appointed DOJ head Merrick Garland said during his confirmation hearing in February, the Portland riots were no big deal because they happened at night!
Politico continues:
Five of the Portland cases in which deals were recently struck involved a felony charge of interfering with police during civil disorder. Some defendants are accused of punching or jumping on police officers during the street battles. One individual was charged after being accused of shining a high-powered green laser into the eyes of officers seeking to disperse a riot outside a police union building.
The civil disorder cases are notable because the charge of police interference is also being wielded by prosecutors in dozens of the criminal cases brought over the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 by pro-Trump protesters. In the Washington cases, prosecutors have filed the felony anti-riot charge in tandem with others, like obstructing an official proceeding or assaulting police officers.
Some of the assaults described in the Portland cases bear similarities to the Capitol violence. Prosecutors said one of the civil disorder defendants, Alexandra Eutin, used a wooden shield and hoses to strike a Portland police officer in the head while he was trying to make an arrest. Several Capitol riot suspects are accused of using riot shields to shove police or obstruct their efforts to secure the building from the mob.