A federal judge made a key point about the treatment of January 6 Capitol riot defendants while sentencing one of them on Friday, Danielle Doyle. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, made headlines for admonishing the U.S. Attorney's Office for not being more "even-handed," pointing out that it's affecting their credibility. His remarks were covered by Marshall Cohen of CNN:
"The US Attorney's Office would have more credibility if it was even-handed in its concern about riots and mobs in the city," District Judge Trevor McFadden said at a sentencing hearing for one of the Capitol rioters, citing year-old complaints from DC Mayor Muriel Bowser that the Justice Department was reluctant to charge rioters in the city after George Floyd's murder.
McFadden, who was appointed by Trump, invoked last year's civil unrest while sentencing Danielle Doyle, a former employee of the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for unlawfully protesting at the Capitol.
Rather than two months of house arrest, as prosecutors had recommended, District Judge Trevor McFadden gave Doyle a $3,000 fine and ordered her to pay $500 for damages to the Capitol complex.
"The fine was the heftiest financial penalty that a judge has levied so far against an insurrection defendant," Cohen mentioned. "Fadden himself has already rejected one attempt by a January 6 defendant to argue that the charges should be dropped because they were politically motivated," Cohen also wrote.
Judge McFadden admonished Doyle as well while bringing up other rioters, likening her to them:
"You were acting like those looters and rioters who attacked our city last year," McFadden said, noting that some buildings were boarded up for months in Washington. "... You participated in a shameful event, a national embarrassment that, like last year's riots, made us feel less safe and less confident that our country could be governed by democratic values and not mob rule."
In March, Katie reported that "DOJ Has Dropped Dozens of Cases Against Portland Rioters," reminding readers of how volatile the protests were for months on end:
As a reminder, the Portland federal courthouse was under heavy siege for weeks on end last summer. Rioters used industrial grade fireworks to attack federal agents. They attempted to cement doors of the courthouse shut in order to trap agents inside and burn them alive. Many have permanent vision damage from lasers used against them.
And, Tom Perkins, writing for the liberal outlet the Guardian, reported in April that "Most charges against George Floyd protesters dropped, analysis shows."
When it comes to McFadden's point about DC, the city is indeed facing a rise in violent crime and homelessness. As Landon covered, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee sent a letter which in part mentioned, as Landon wrote:
"The message coming from your office regarding the future role of, and funding for, the city’s police is contributing to the decline," the letter reads. "As the committee of jurisdiction for all matters involving the District of Columbia, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Republicans request information regarding this dangerous trend in the nation’s capital."
"Violent crime plagues the city, and the number of homicides this year is expected to meet or exceed the 16-year high of 2020. The violence is spread across all areas of the District, and scooter-related shootings are on the rise, as well," it continued, pointing out an incident from May in which a mother and her five-year-old daughter were gunned down on their walk home by someone riding a scooter.
The letter was dated Friday and asks Mayor Bower to "provide a briefing to Committee staff regarding the funding of the [Metropolitan Police Department] no later than October 8, 2021.