One of the witnesses in support of protesters being prosecuted in relation to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, has been revealed by the federal government as a former “Confidential Human Source” since at least April 2021, according to Attorney Carmen Hernandez, who is defending Proud Boys leader Zachary Rehl in court.
The government did not reveal the identity of the former informant, though the court filing described the person as being a part of prayer meetings with the family of at least one of the defendants’ families.
Hernandez said that this human source “has been in contact via telephone, text messaging and other electronic means, with one or more of the counsel for the defense and at least one defendant.”
A few thoughts on this:
(1) DOJ knows they have a terribly weak case so they need to break the rules to find out what the other side is doing.
(2) The prosecutors must not be very good at what they do otherwise why cheat?
(3) They also know Judge Kelly will do nothing. https://t.co/ZjOMpGQuGb
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) March 22, 2023
Hernandez wrote to the court Wednesday, stating that the defendants are “preparing a separate motion to dismiss the Indictment or for an evidentiary hearing, raising serious and substantiated allegations of governmental misconduct.”
According to the attorney, the new motion will be made “surrounding the surreptitious invasion and interference of the defense team by the government through a confidential human source, at the government’s behest.”
The news also comes as the Justice Department previously disclosed having approximately eight informants within the Proud Boys prior to Jan. 6.
The latest statement corresponds with conservative criticism of the prosecution of a number of Jan. 6 protesters. According to many Republicans, including some in Congress, the charges against non-violent protesters on that day do not match the actions of the defendants.
Opposition to the prosecution of Jan. 6 protesters increased after the release of tapes from that day by Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Among the scenes shown on Tucker Carlson Tonight, the man often referred to as the “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, was seen being escorted down the corridors of the Capitol by police.
Furthermore, there has been considerable interest in the role of Ray Epps, who was present during the Capitol protests, including from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Epps was not arrested following the protests.
