In the wake of the death of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader who perished in a penal colony last month, condemnations came from both sides of the American political spectrum. President Joe Biden, fumbled through his remarks, per usual. Meanwhile, from his first take on the issue, former President Donald Trump made comparisons between Navalny and his own persecutions.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote:
The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country. It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION! MAGA2024
During a Fox News Townhall, Trump spoke of the $355 million New York civil judgment against him, saying:
It is a form of Navalny. It is a form of communism or fascism.
While Trump saw parallels in his own experiences and made several mentions of Navalny and events happening in America during last month's town hall, I knew the political persecutions expanded further to the January 6ers, many of whom are currently incarcerated.
My reaction to the events was to speak about an American. In an X (formerly Twitter) post, I wrote:
While everyone is thinking about political prisoners in other countries, Enrique Tarrio is serving 22 years based on a legal theory that says he thought thoughts and communicated by telepathy. He wasn't at Capitol. It was a modern Salem Witch Trial with media blackout. Shameful.
Tarrio has similar thoughts as those expressed by Trump and also draws comparisons to the January 6 prisoners, including himself. In RedState's exclusively obtained essay from Tarrio, who is serving the longest J6 sentence handed down to date, he agrees with Trump's comparisons to Navalny:
Maybe if I was mute, deaf, and blind, I could be persuaded that there is genuine outrage at President Trump's recent comments comparing himself to Alexei Navalny. As a person who is currently held in a remote federal prison that sits on top of a mountain, 1300 miles away from home, in the middle of nowhere, behind multiple barbed fences and concrete walls for the next 20 years of my life (Navalny was sentenced to 19...Me? 22.) for expressing my views on Joe Biden and the 2020 election, I think I'm the most qualified person in the United States to speak on this.
As important context of what Tarrio was convicted of, the sedition-by-telepathy theory earlier referenced, I encourage readers to revisit RedState's prior coverage of his case:
Tarrio continues:
President Trump is not only correct in his comparison, but he also hits the mark when it comes to his and others' persecution and detainment under the Biden/Garland regime. I do believe no one is above the law and I have stated multiple times I do not condone some of the things I saw happen on January 6th. I believe that those who caused damage and assaulted others should be prosecuted equally under the law. But this is not what we have seen in any of these cases, from Trump's four criminal trials to the hundreds of cases revolving around the events at the Capitol.
In every single case, we have seen novel uses of the law, exculpatory evidence withheld, defense witnesses threatened by federal agents with indictment, FBI agents violating attorney-client privileges and judges with no regard for precedents.
It's important to note that a potential witness for the defense in Tarrio and his co-defendant's high-profile case was Lt. Shane Lamond, who was a 22-year intelligence department veteran with the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department. Weeks before jury selection, it became clear that Lt. Lamond would plead the Fifth Amendment if called to the stand, as he was put on leave pending investigations into his conduct and relationship with Tarrio.
Lamond's job was to gather intelligence on protests in the interest of keeping opposing groups separated, and Tarrio often reported to Lamond the details of his group's plans and locations while in the DC area. (As someone who has organized protests, I can assure you that notifying law enforcement is a common practice.)
In a pre-trial hearing, Tarrio's lawyers, Sabino Jauregui and Nayib Hassan, claimed that federal prosecutors threatened to charge the D.C. police lieutenant with obstruction of justice to deter him from testifying. They asserted that testimony Lamond could provide would be both important and exculpatory. According to Jauregui, if Tarrio and his associates were openly communicating their intentions with the police, as Lamond's testimony could attest, there would be no grounds for the alleged conspiracy to overthrow the government, as outlined in the charges against them.
Defense counsel Jauregui spoke of the email received from Lamond's attorney, stating he wouldn't be available to testify, saying:
We are hearing at the very last minute, all of a sudden, the government is telling defense counsel for Mr. Lamond that they are looking into him for obstructing the investigation for Mr. Tarrio. They have known this for six months. This is a tactical decision. They are pressuring [Lamond] because they cannot prove at trial there was a conspiracy … How can there be sedition if the Proud Boys are informing law enforcement of their plans on Jan. 6?
The jury in Tarrio's and his co-defendant's case never heard Lamond's testimony, while it may have been exculpatory. Lamond has since been charged by the DOJ, as previously threatened.
Tarrio expresses that the Biden administration has stunk up the public's faith in the judiciary:
I do believe President Trump has Presidential immunity in every single one of these cases. Even if he did not, I think most people would agree that when deciding to bring charges on a former President and the nominee for the opposing party, there must be absolute clarity when it comes to the charges. There can be no wiggle room and there cannot be a hint of bias. Not only has the Biden/Garland regime crapped their judicial Depends; they've also crapped on the entire judicial system.
The Supreme Court will hear multiple cases involving President Trump in the coming months. Even barring their final rulings, this alone proves how weak these cases are and does nothing for Americans' faith in an unbiased and fair justice system.
I have been accused of 'trying to wreck the faith in our institutions,' in the media, which is an absolute farce. If that were the case both Biden and Garland have made me look like I brought a bicycle to an F1 race. I want our institutions to work. There is no peace without justice. Those that truly respect and honor the rule law should want no part in these show trials that we're witnessing.
Tarrio believes that the only way to heal and unite the country is to end the practices of political weaponization of our institutions. He admonishes Joe Biden for breaking his campaign promises of "unity," imploring that Americans need a "Uniter In Chief":
There is nothing I want more than to see our country unite again, to see it prosper again, and to simply be able to disagree with my fellow Americans without the over-the-top theatrics we've seen since 2008. We need to heal. In order to do that we need to stop advocating for the weaponization of our institutions for political gain and fundraisers. These trials on President Donald Trump and his supporters must be put to an end.
President Biden promised in late November 2020 to unite our country. He has failed on that promise. If President Trump is elected at the end of this year he should preemptively pardon Joe Biden and his son Hunter for their crimes. Not because they deserve it, but because the American people need a Uniter in Chief. And, the country needs to move on from the past four years of vindictive prosecution and the jailing of anyone critical of the current administration.
Tarrio directly addresses the media coverage of Navalny's death, questioning if they realize the irony in their selective outrage, stating:
While many media personalities are concerned with the recent death of Alexei Navalny, it leaves me wondering if they see the irony. There are 1400+ Navalnys in the United States, but they're worried about what happens in, 'RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA.'
Tarrio's conclusion is a simple yet poignant one: "Spare me the fake outrage and free the political prisoners."
Editor’s note: the author is acquainted with an individual named in this article.
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