While more than three dozen people charged with various offenses related to the January 6 protest on Capitol Hill now rot in solitary confinement in a D.C. jail, Joe Biden’s Justice Department is letting off the hook violent protestors involved in the ongoing siege of Portland.
Politico today reported federal prosecutors are seeking “deferred prosecution” for at least six people charged with disorderly conduct, attacking police officers, and interfering with law enforcement in that city last year. “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,” Josh Gerstein wrote April 14. “Some of the assaults described in the Portland cases bear similarities to the Capitol violence.”
This includes assaults on law enforcement with various weapons including a shield—a few Capitol defendants face multiple charges for use or possession of a “deadly weapon,” a riot shield, inside the building on January 6—and flashing a laser at police aircraft. Offenders also face “civil disorder” charges similar to the “obstruction of an official proceeding” charge filed against more than 130 Capitol protestors.
Portland protestors, once the quasi-plea arrangement is settled, will come away with a clean record and serve no jail time. But legal observers admit the special treatment poses a stark difference in how Biden’s Justice Department is handling its “unprecedented” manhunt for January 6 perpetrators. Read more…