Marjorie Taylor Greene worries that some of the Jan. 6 prisoners being held in a D.C. jail are treated more like political prisoners of war, victims of their ideological persuasion. The Republican Congresswoman has been trying to gain access to the defendants and was finally able to visit the prisoners after "months of trying." There are approximately 40 Jan. 6 prisoners currently held for pre-trial detention at the facility.
Greene visited the "Patriot wing" of the D.C. Department of Corrections for three hours on Nov. 4. She says she "was greeted by men who never thought anyone would come [to] see them. It was like they were prisoners of war. They had lost hope and felt forgotten."
Greene and Rep. Louie Gohmert tried to enter on Nov. 3 but were stopped by corrections officers. This was one day after the Nov. 2 "U.S. Marshal's report revealed that conditions in the D.C. Jail do NOT even meet "minimum standards of confinement," Greene tweeted. She is heard below asking officers "what they have to hide." Gohmert said he's been "trying for months and months and months" to enter and it seems the only way to "get approval (for access) is to get a Federal judge to hold the Deputy Warden in contempt."
The U.S. Marshal (USMS) moved approximately 400 detainees due to "recent and historical concerns regarding conditions at the DC DOC facilities, including those recently raised by various members of the judiciary." The detainees were moved to a Lewisburg, PA facility, but the 40 Jan. 6 defendants were left in the D.C. jail, allegedly because they were not under the custody of the USMS.
Excerpt from Nov. 2 Marshal's letter
Notably, in October, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Washington reportedly "found the warden of the D.C. jail and Director of the D.C. Department of Corrections in contempt of court. Judge Lamberth "called on the Justice Department to investigate whether the jail is violating the civil rights of dozens of detained Jan. 6 defendants."
The Washington Post reported, "The failure of D.C. officials to turn over medical records is more than just inept and bureaucratic jostling of papers, Lamberth said in a hearing, raising the possibility of deliberate mistreatment."
Gohmert and Greene were accused of showing up without notice—an allegation Greene adamantly denies. They have been trying for months to gain access through the proper channels. After being denied entry the night before (Nov.3), several congressmen, including Taylor Greene and Gohmert, wrote a letter on Nov. 4 to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, "demanding oversight and transparency."
Citing the D.C. Home Rule Act of 2013, the letter states that congressmen are well within their rights and their "duty" to inspect a facility housing American citizens.
The defendants told Greene that they had not been allowed family visits and they were unable to speak with their attorneys. Some have fallen ill because of the food—due to severe Gluten allergy. Fresh air and outdoor exercise have been limited.
During her visit, she witnessed the defendants singing the National Anthem, something they do every night at nine p.m. Every night at nine p.m., the Jan. 6 defendants sing the National Anthem to a hand-drawn flag. The 40 or so defendants signed the flag and gave it to her at the end of her tour.
J6 Flag/MTG
J6 Flag/Signatures
Julie Kelly has been following the J6 defendants closely. She believes it is increasingly apparent that these particular defendants do not seem to have access to the legal representation they deserve and are allegedly being mistreated in a myriad of ways.
A perusal of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Capitol Breach Cases shows a number of defendants being detained and/or charged for "crimes" that, in other cases, would not be handled with the same level of severity. For example, there is no such DOJ list for Antifa members who "peacefully protested" during the spring and summer of 2020. Warren Beattie of Revolver News has also reported extensively on the Jan. 6 protests, alleging that FBI plants were acting as provocateurs in the crowd who have mysteriously escaped indictment. It is almost certain at this point that justice has not been blind in the case of these defendants.
Kelly tweets that the public is sorely ignorant of the treatment of the J6 defendants due to plea deals and the wrong politics. One defendant, Scott Fairlamb, fought the police. However, the context of the fight has been completely stripped from the public eye. Fairlamb said he fought the police because "cops had been attacking the crowd for at least an hour with rubber bullets, flashbangs, pepper balls, [and] tear gas," says Kelly.
Another defendant, Boyd Allen Camper, will go to jail for two months on "parading" charges. He was found with a Go Pro Camera inside Capitol grounds. He has requested to serve in "small chunks" of time because he has sole custody of his son.
Boyd Allen Camper/Parading at the Capitol
An attorney for a J6 defendant writes he "has practiced criminal defense throughout this country and have never seen such a blatant disregard for inmates' rights as I have seen from this D.C. jail." The attorney comments the jail is "more reminiscent of Solzhenitsyn's 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' than it is of any remotely acceptable American Penal institution."
Greene expressed her unhappiness with the treatment of the J6 defendants with Steve Bannon on Friday. She says defendants were allegedly sprayed with pepper spray for not properly adhering to the masking rules. One of the defendants was reportedly taken out on a stretcher, according to a lawsuit filed on Nov. 12. There have also been reports of J6 prisoners being beaten, stripped, and hogtied, among other abuses. Greene also explained that it is exceedingly difficult to obtain information on the ways defendants are being treated. Greene does consistently make it clear that she does not condone violent behavior as a way to protest injustice. Her interest is only to ensure the defendants are fairly and safely treated and given the representation they deserve. Greene has said she will write a letter documenting her experience at the jail. Bannon also plans to feature her experience on his Nov. 13 morning show.
J6 Defense Attorney/
