May 04, 2023 11:22 AM UTC

Proud Boys Convicted of "Seditious Conspiracy"

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Local Proud Boys self-appointed spokesman Louie Huey responds defiantly:

We figure it will at least muffle them. Federal prison tends to do that.

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As The Washington Post reports, former President Trump’s sort-of private army failed to convince a jury that the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection was just their patriotic duty:

Former Proud Boys chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and three other members of the extremist group were found guilty Thursday of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

A jury deliberated for seven days in Washington before finding Tarrio, 29, and other defendants guilty on 31 of 46 counts. The jury returned not guilty verdicts on four counts and continued deliberating on 11 remaining counts. The result was another decisive victory for the Justice Department in the latest of three seditious conspiracy trials held after what it called a historic act of domestic terrorism to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election.

Tarrio, dressed in blue suit and vest with red tie, gazed at his relatives in the courtroom gallery as the verdict was read. The other men fixed their eyes on the jury foreman…

…Legal analysts said the convictions on the historically rare and politically weighty crime of seditious conspiracy sent a necessary signal of deterrence to extremists contemplating political violence. [Pols emphasis]

Tarrio remains defiant, telling reporters in a call from jail that he is “standing on principle” and that his prosecution has something to do with the 2024 election being manipulated. It’s all nonsense, of course, and a jury saw right through it.

The New York Times underscores the seriousness of today’s verdict:

The sedition charge, which is rarely used and harks back to the Union’s efforts to protect the federal government against secessionist rebels during the Civil War, was also used in two separate trials against nine members of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers militia. Six of those defendants — including Stewart Rhodes, the organization’s founder and leader — were convicted of sedition; each of the others was found guilty of different serious felonies.

As the verdicts were read in the fourth-floor courtroom, Mr. Tarrio, Mr. Pezzola and the other defendants — Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl — remained steely. With the exception of Mr. Pezzola, the men were also found guilty of conspiring to obstruct the certification of the election, which took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6. All five defendants were convicted of a third conspiracy count as well, which accused them of interfering with the duties of members of Congress that day.

On the conspiracy counts alone, the men could face a maximum of nearly 50 years in prison. And they were found guilty of other felonies as well.

Today’s verdict is also another ominous sign for Trump himself. As MSNBC explains:

Today’s verdicts, which include convictions for multiple other serious crimes, are sure to bolster federal prosecutors in Washington and local prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, who are considering charges against former President Donald Trump in connection with events before and during Jan. 6…[Pols emphasis]

…The convictions add to the former president’s legal woes. Recall the first presidential debate in 2020, when Trump famously told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” The effect of that callout to the militants became visible to the nation on Jan. 6, and again to the jury here. At trial, the government introduced a message from one Proud Boy who wrote right after the debate that “Donald has given us a command.” Prosecutors also introduced the group’s messages suggesting that some coordination with the White House may have occurred before Jan. 6.

The outcome of this trial and previous prosecutions of the “Oath Keepers” makes it clear that the Jan. 6 insurrection was a planned and coordinated attack on democracy, all of which could (and should) embolden investigators as they look deeper into Trump’s direct role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The wheels of justice may turn slow…but they are indeed turning.