Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has taken a beating on social media over a joke about quarantine being like jail, with many hailing it as insensitive and privileged.
Returning to her show Monday after a lengthy hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellen joined the legion of late-night comedians now conducting their comedy routines in the comforts of their living rooms. Keeping the situation light, Ellen joked about her time in isolation along with its many pros and cons. She started off by thanking the many people who have kept society stable during this time.
&#8220;This is crazy,&#8221; she began. &#8221; I wasn&#8217;t supposed to be doing my show from my house until next season. Today, I applaud you. Usually, I walk out and people applaud me, but I&#8217;m applauding you: nurses, doctors, hospital staff, supermarket employees, truck drivers, everyone who keeps us going. Thank you so much.&#8221;
Ellen added that she is keeping her show on the air to support her fine staff and crew that are staying home during this difficult time.
“Today I am filming this in my living room because it has the best light and sound and all the other rooms in my house are filled with toilet paper,” Ellen said.
After giving some words of encouragement while presenting her show as an escape from the harsh reality that people are under, Ellen later joked that quarantine was a bit like a jail.
“This is like being in jail,” she quipped. “Mostly because I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay.”
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For that, people on social media scolded Ellen for being insensitive, arguing that she is comparing herself to actual prisoners while being quarantined in her mansion.
&#8220;Really sucks to be isolated with people you love in a mansion,&#8221; said one Twitter user.
&#8220;Very uncool and Ellen should immediately advocate for every nonviolent prisoner (those in for misdemeanors or victimless crimes) or to be released or paroled or in hotels immediately,&#8221; said another user.
&#8220;Incarceration is leading to mass death in this pandemic. Also, I think by &#8216;gay,&#8217; what y&#8217;all are referring to is actually often called rape in jail/prison. Maybe think of comparing life in your mansion to something else?&#8221; said another.
&#8220;Incarcerated people are dying by the dozen every day from coast to coast in this country, from Rikers to the Tacoma ice detention center, and you want to make prison rape jokes? please f**k off forever,&#8221; said another.
Comments on YouTube were generally more positive; the show currently has 3.6k upvotes versus just 221 downvotes.
Ellen DeGeneres took <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanity-fair-scolds-ellen-degeneres-for-friendliness-with-george-w-bush">another beating on social media</a> in October of last year when photos surfaced of her and former President George W. Bush being friendly at a football came. When addressing the outrage, Ellen said she wanted to preach a message about unity.
“Here’s the thing: I’m friends with George Bush. In fact, I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have. We’re all different, and I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s okay,” DeGeneres said. “Just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean that I’m not gonna be friends with them. When I say, ‘Be kind to one another,’ I don’t mean only the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone. It doesn’t matter.”

77th Annual Golden Globe Awards &#8211; Arrivals

Trolls Blast Ellen DeGeneres For Joking Quarantine Is Like Jail

Comedy

Ellen Degeneres

Prison

Twitter

Federal prisons begin a 14-day lockdown on Wednesday amid fears the coronavirus could spread throughout the nation’s government-run penal institutions.
The Bureau of Prisons released <a href="https://www.bop.gov/resources/news/pdfs/20200331_press_release_action_plan_5.pdf">a statement</a> Tuesday evening announcing the quarantine and saying that it may be extended if needed. The Bureau said it would take the following actions to contain the spread of the coronavirus at federal prisons:
<ul>
<li>For a 14-day period, inmates in every institution will be secured in their assigned cells/quarters to decrease the spread of the virus. This modification to our action plan is based on health concerns, not disruptive inmate behavior.</li>
<li>During this time, to the extent practicable, inmates should still have access to programs and services that are offered under normal operating procedures, such as mental health treatment and education.</li>
<li>In addition, the Bureau is coordinating with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) to significantly decrease incoming movement during this time.</li>
<li>After 14 days, this decision will be reevaluated and a decision made as to whether or not to return to modified operations.</li>
<li>Limited group gathering will be afforded to the extent practical to facilitate commissary, laundry, showers, telephone, and Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TRULINCS) access.</li>
</ul>
The statement said this was “Phase 5” of its coronavirus Action Plan and that phases 1 through 4 occurred between January and March. Phase 4 was implemented on March 26 and consisted of revised preventative measures.
“The agency updated its quarantine and isolation procedures to require all newly admitted inmates to BOP, whether in a sustained community transition area or not, be assessed using a screening tool and temperature check. This includes all new intakes, detainees, commitments, writ returns from judicial proceedings, and parole violators, regardless of their method of arrival,” the Bureau said of Phase 4. “Asymptomatic inmates are placed in quarantine for a minimum of 14 days or until cleared by medical staff. Symptomatic inmates are placed in isolation until they test negative for COVID-19 or are cleared by medical staff as meeting CDC criteria for release from isolation.”
Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/01/federal-prisons-start-14-day-lockdown-to-fight-virus-158937">reported</a> that 29 inmates and 30 staff members within the federal prison system had tested positive for COVID-19 and that unions suggest the numbers are likely higher. So far, one federal prisoner has died from the coronavirus, the outlet reported.
Late last month, Attorney General William Barr requested the Bureau of Prisons look into sending some prisoners to home confinement if they were not dangerous, Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/26/federal-prisoners-coronavirus-150480">reported</a>.
“I asked if it was possible to expand home confinement, particularly for those older prisoners who have served substantial parts of their sentences and no longer pose a threat and may have underlying conditions that make them particularly vulnerable,” Barr said at the time.
The directive he issued included a non-exhaustive list of discretionary factors:
<ul>
<li>The age and vulnerability of the inmate to COVID-19, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines;</li>
<li>The security level of the facility currently holding the inmate, with priority given to inmates residing in low and minimum security facilities;</li>
<li>The inmate’s conduct in prison, with inmates who have engaged in violent or gang-related activity in prison or who have incurred a BOP violation within the last year not receiving priority treatment under this Memorandum;</li>
<li>The inmate’s score under PATTERN, with inmates who have anything above a minimum score not receiving priority treatment under this Memorandum;</li>
<li>Whether the intimate has a demonstrated and verifiable re-entry plan that will prevent recidivism and maximize public safety, including verification that the conditions under which the inmate would be confined upon release would present a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 than the inmate would face in his or her BOP facility;</li>
<li>The inmate’s crime of conviction, and assessment of the danger posed by the inmate to the community. Some offenses, such as sex offenses, will render an inmate ineligible for home detention. Other serious offenses should weigh more heavily against consideration for home detention.</li>
</ul>
Barr noted that many inmates may be safer in prison than outside due to the spread of the coronavirus in society.

William Barr

Federal Prisons Enter 14-Day Quarantine To Combat Coronavirus

Coronavirus

Nicolas Sutton was hit with multiple life sentences for killing three people, including his own grandmother. Then he received a death sentence for killing a child rapist while serving time in jail.
Sutton is scheduled to be killed via the electric chair on Thursday, and his clemency petition was rejected by the governor of Tennessee.
Correctional officers are asking for Sutton to be spared due to his transformational and apparently life-saving behavior in prison, pleading that the criminal serve out his life sentences and eventually die without being killed by the state. According to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nicholas-sutton-death-row-execution-petition-tennessee-2020-02-19/">CBS News</a>, Sutton&#8217;s victims&#8217; families don&#8217;t want him on death row, either.
A <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1G4TctOlHtmYld5VTNFSEdVUEtSOVB4ZTV0WVROTVFvb2NR/view">petition</a> for Sutton&#8217;s clemency, dated January 14, starts: &#8220;Nick Sutton has gone from a life-taker to a life-saver. Five Tennesseans, including three prison staff members, owe their lives to him. The support of his victims&#8217; families, correction staff, jurors and those whose lives he&#8217;s saved attest that a life sentence meets the imperatives of justice and mercy.&#8221;
Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee denied Sutton&#8217;s clemency petition on Wednesday.
“After careful consideration of Nicholas Sutton’s request for clemency and a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the State of Tennessee and will not be intervening,&#8221; reads a <a href="https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2020/2/19/statement-from-gov--bill-lee-on-nicholas-sutton.html">statement</a> from Governor Lee.
However, as noted by CBS, &#8220;A final decision can be handed down until the minute Sutton sits in the electric chair.&#8221;
&#8220;Sutton, 58, was convicted of killing four people, including his grandmother Dorothy Sutton, his high school friend John Large, and Charles Almon,&#8221; <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2020/02/19/tennessee-execution-gov-bill-lee-nicholas-todd-sutton/4794172002/">Knox News</a> outlined. &#8220;He was sentenced to death for his involvement in the stabbing and killing of fellow inmate Carl Estep in 1985.&#8221; Estep, according to the outlet, was a convicted &#8220;child rapist.&#8221;
Former corrections officer Tony Eden credits Sutton with saving his life during the 1985 riots at the Tennessee State Prison.
&#8220;I have four boys and a girl now who probably wouldn&#8217;t be here if that day turned out differently,&#8221; Eden told CBS News. &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t have the life I have today if it weren&#8217;t for Nick.&#8221;
The former corrections officer says Sutton could have asked to cash in a favor after saving his life, though he never did, except for when Sutton asked him to be his best man.
&#8220;He asked me to be the best man in his wedding,&#8221; recalled Eden. &#8220;That&#8217;s the only thing he ever asked for that I know of. And all he wanted was just for me to stand there.&#8221;
&#8220;The eldest daughter of the inmate Sutton killed has joined the effort to spare his life,&#8221; CBS reported. &#8220;In a clemency petition filed on January 14, she advocates against the execution, saying &#8216;the pain and suffering her family has endured would only be made worse&#8217; if Sutton was killed.&#8221;
Attorney for Sutton, Kevin Sharp, argued that folks like Sutton keep jails safer.
&#8220;You need people like Nick who make the place safer,&#8221; Sharp told CBS. &#8220;He&#8217;s not getting out, all we&#8217;re asking for is the governor commute his execution. He would still die in prison, just not by the electric chair.&#8221;
&#8220;He has saved the lives of three corrections officials during his incarceration; his request for clemency was supported by seven former and current Tennessee correction professionals, family members of victims, five of the original jurors and others,&#8221; Sharp added, according to <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/02/19/Tennessee-governor-denies-clemency-for-death-row-inmate/1541581729216/">UPI</a>.

Nicholas Sutton

Man Who Killed Child Rapist In Jail Scheduled To Be Executed Thursday

Tennessee

A rash of knife attacks by recently released terrorists has put Britain on edge and serves as a reminder that the United States needs to do more itself to prepare for the imminent release from prison of convicted terrorists. In order to avoid the current problems of the British government, which is rushing to pass emergency legislation, American lawmakers should take advantage of our federalist system to bring state and local resources to play in tracking released terrorists.
The British government is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/02/streatham-attacker-was-released-terror-offender-sudesh-amman">struggling to address</a> the threat from dozens of convicted jihadi terrorists who are due to be released within months. Britain has seen several high-profile attacks from freed terrorists who received early release before serving even half their sentences.
Earlier this month, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02/03/wave-jihadi-terrorists-due-freed-early-release-within-months/">20-year old Sudesh Amman</a> strapped on a fake explosive vest before launching a knife attack on Streatham High Road in London. Despite being under direct police surveillance during the attack, the jihadist critically wounded one person. Amman had previously been sentenced to three years and four months in prison for multiple terrorism offenses in November 2018 <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-46592539">related to distributing Islamic State propaganda</a>.
The attack methodology of a fake suicide bomb vest and knives directly mirrored that of Usman Khan, another convicted terrorist, who in November 2019 <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50653191">killed two people</a> on London Bridge. Prior to the attack, authorities had considered Khan <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50653191">a model</a> rehabilitated prisoner. Khan was attending a deradicalization conference minutes before he launched his attack.
Official data show that the British government has reconvicted <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/12/six-terrorists-freed-from-jail-committed-further-terror-act-figures-reveal">an additional six British jihadi terrorists</a> released from prison between 2013 and 2019.
This newest wave of attacks is a reminder that the U.S. also faces a risk from previously convicted terrorists who are released; various “rehabilitation” schemes are highly suspect.
Aimen Dean, a former al-Qaeda member who later spied for Britain’s MI6, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/al-qaeda-spied-mi6-know-deradicalisation-doesnt-work/">told The Telegraph</a>, “there is no such thing as a rehabilitated jihadist.” Morton Storm, a Danish former al-Qaeda member who later helped to betray terrorist leader Anwar al-Awlaki to the CIA, agrees. Rehabilitation efforts, he says, ignore that jihadis are not confused or mentally ill, <a href="https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/joseph-perticone/denmark-aims-rehabilitate-not-punish-returning-jihadists">but are adherents of an ideology</a> to which they are committed. “[D]eradicalizing the jihadists doesn’t work, because they’re religiously motivated,” Storm told the Associated Press in 2017, in response to a Danish rehabilitation program.
Nearly two decades after 9/11, even high-level terrorist leaders facing long sentences are becoming eligible for parole and may even complete their full sentences. While there is very little information available on recidivism rates among convicted terrorists, the recidivism rate of jihadist fighters released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility was nearly 17% in 2018, with another 13% also suspected of returning to active terrorism.
In 2017, a National Counterterrorism Center <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/the-troubling-us-post-prison-experiment-to-rehabilitate-an-isis-supporter">report noted,</a> “more than 90 homegrown violent extremists incarcerated in the U.S. who are due to be released in the next five years will probably re-engage in terrorist activity.”
In order to address this challenge, U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement need tools in order to prepare for released terrorists. One such tool would be a terrorism registry, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/america-needs-a-national-terrorist-registry-to-keep-us-safe">which would provide law enforcement</a> the ability to track the location of former terrorists in the same way police and the public can keep tabs on sex offenders — with legal sanction for failure to register. Louisiana successfully passed the first terrorism offender registry law in 2019, and several states have expressed interest in following suit.
<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/america-needs-a-national-terrorist-registry-to-keep-us-safe">A nation-wide network</a> has also been proposed by Patrick Dunleavy, a specialist on terrorist activity in the prison system. Realistically, such a proposal requires both federal assistance with information-sharing, as well as state laws to establish the registries and allow state authorities to enforce them.
A nationwide system of state terrorism registries would also take advantage of American federalism, utilizing state and local law enforcement to help prevent federal counterterrorism agents from being overwhelmed with keeping tabs on prior offenders.
Public registries protect and empower the individual citizen without need for government controls. The Department of Justice maintains a <a href="https://www.nsopw.gov/">public sex offender registry</a>, which private companies often use as a database for <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fsp.android.h&amp;hl=en">websites and apps that alert citizens</a> about rapists, stalkers, and molesters living in their neighborhoods.
Pseudoscience models of rehabilitation treat convicted terrorists as emotionally stunted unfortunates rather than committed ideologues willing to use violence for a political purpose. This has proven to be a disaster. Instead, the U.S. should implement a registry system for terrorists, bringing state and local law enforcement resources, as well as private enterprise, to bear and improving communication and cooperation for law enforcement in order to ensure that terrorist re-offenders do not slip through the net.
&nbsp;
Kyle Shideler is the Director and Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy.

London

SHIDELER: Stop Releasing Jihadists From Prison

Al Qaeda

Great Britain

Islamic State (ISIS)

Jail

Radical Islam

Radical Islamic Terror

United Kingdom

On Monday, far-left New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio conceded that the recent high-profile surge in crime in New York City may, in fact, have something to do with New York state&#8217;s new deeply controversial &#8220;bail reform&#8221; law that de Blasio and his fellow leftist Democrats championed prior to its enactment.
&#8220;We had, for six years, steady decreases in crime across the board. There’s not a whole lot of other environmental things that have changed recently,&#8221; de Blasio said, as <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/02/07/de-blasio-admits-nyc-crime-jump-is-linked-to-bail-reform/">reported</a> by the New York Post. &#8220;It sort of stands out like a sore thumb that this is the single biggest new thing in the equation and we saw an extraordinary jump.&#8221;
“Of course there’s always a possibility this is plain statistical variation, that happens sometimes,” the mayor added, the newspaper noted. “But I think it’s pretty clear that there’s only one new major piece in the equation.”
De Blasio did offer one concrete proposed reform to the &#8220;bail reform&#8221; law: Offering judges the discretion to impose pretrial detention upon those defendants deemed a bona fide public safety risk. “I think judicial discretion should be clarified so that there are very clear checks and balances, so that we avoid any inkling of bias entering into the process, but I think a system predicated only on the question of flight risk misses the fact that there are some individuals who are just consistently, by their own actions, and by the proof of due process, consistently creat[ing] a threat to their neighbors,&#8221; he said.
New York&#8217;s new &#8220;bail reform&#8221; law, which outright eliminates bail for all but the most truly violent criminals, has faced mounting opposition amid a panoply of headlines showcasing the awful caliber of criminal defendants let off into the streets pretrial. In fact, as The Daily Wire&#8217;s Amanda Prestigiacomo <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disaster-dems-consider-changes-to-ny-bail-reform-just-one-week-after-implementation">reported</a> last month, even many Empire State Democrats have been pushing to tweak the pro-criminal law.
&#8220;After an onslaught of bad press over the disastrous first week of Democrat-implemented &#8216;bail reform&#8217; in New York, Democrats are considering changes to the legislation,&#8221; Prestigiacomo noted.
&#8220;Bail reform, which was reportedly implemented early in New York City by &#8230; de Blasio, led to a woman charged with an anti-Semitic attack to be arrested and released three times in five days,&#8221; Prestigiacomo continued. &#8220;[Tiffany] Harris &#8216;was nabbed for allegedly slugging three Jewish women and yelling &#8220;F-U, Jews!&#8221; but let go Saturday with no bail, despite an open assault case. Last month, she got no jail for a felony in another incident,&#8217; [the Post] <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/30/revolving-door-injustice-serial-slugger-gets-sprung-again/">reported</a>. &#8216;Nabbed again Sunday in a new attack, she was once more freed, on no bail, Monday.'&#8221;
Appearing last month on “Tipping Point With Liz Wheeler” on One America News Network, I <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-hammer-on-tipping-point-with-liz-wheeler-new-yorks-insane-pro-criminal-bail-law">strongly criticized</a> New York&#8217;s new criminal-mollycoddling law:
<blockquote>The problem with the Left is the Left speaks about justice and compassion and all these fancy words. They never focus on the people who actually suffer … from their policies. So in the case of border security and amnesty, there is no one who suffers worse from an open border and the human trafficking by drug cartels than the aliens themselves who are trafficked. In the case of “criminal justice reform,” “bail reform,” no one suffers more than victims of crime.
Where is anyone speaking for the victims of crime? But you know what the Left also does, Liz? The Left is amazing at getting the right version of language for their policies. “Bail reform,” it sounds so innocuous, right? What they’re doing is they’re throwing out a system of bail that has existed since at least 13th century England! That is how far back bail goes — cash bail, monetary bail. This is literally a centuries-old phenomenon that they are just throwing out.</blockquote>

Bill de Blasio

Jailbreak Is To Blame For Spike In NYC Crime, De Blasio Admits

bail reform

Crime

New York City

New York Post

True Crime

Violence

On Friday’s episode of The New York Times&#8217; podcast “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/podcasts/the-daily/weinstein-trial.html">The Daily</a>,” Donna Rotunno, a Chicago-based attorney who has represented dozens of men accused of sexual misconduct, was asked in a pre-recorded interview about her decision to now defend disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein. 
&#8220;My role in this is to represent him in a criminal case, and as I&#8217;ve said multiple times, there&#8217;s a difference between sins and crimes. You can believe that Harvey Weinstein is a sinner, and you can believe that he did things that you wouldn&#8217;t do or you wouldn&#8217;t like, but my question here is does that rise to the level of a crime,&#8221; Rotunno told Megan Twohey, the Times reporter who co-wrote the 2017 Weinstein investigation. 
“I think quite often, we look to the accusers and we talk about the effects that these things have on their lives, but we do not look at the effects that these types of allegations and accusations have on the person being accused,” said Rotunno. 
Rotunno remains particularly concerned with the long-term effects that sexual misconduct accusations have on men, invoking an observation her mother made about the media’s rush to condemn three Duke University lacrosse team players for a <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/lacrosse/2013/02/28/duke-2006-rape-allegations/1953607/">gang-rape allegation</a>: “When those boys die someday, their obituary is going to say the Duke Lacrosse players.” 
To clients who once felt hopeless, Rotunno’s legal acumen has made a world of difference. In 2013, Rotunno represented high-end fashion designer Elhadji Gueye, who was arrested when an acquaintance filed a police report alleging sexual assault, a charge Gueye maintained was filed only after he refused to pay her $50,000 in hush money, according to <a href="https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2018/The-Defender/">Chicago Magazine</a>. 
When police requested as evidence the clothing she was wearing at the time of the alleged rape, the accuser didn’t submit the pajama bottoms, and later told the court she didn’t know where they went. But during cross-examination, Rotunno pointed to a peculiarity, revealed by a security camera that recorded the accuser’s alleged hush money request: “Of all the clothes in your closet, the ones you choose to wear to meet your ‘rapist’ were the pants you were raped in?” 
Rotunno believes her pointed question led the jury to a prompt not-guilty verdict, and reflected on the trial during the Times’ interview: “He wins, but what do you win? You win your case in criminal court, and then you have to worry about building your reputation back, if you can, where people are then willing to come back and frequent your establishment.”
According to <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nishitajha/harvey-weinstein-lawyer-donna-rotunno-daily-times-interview">Buzzfeed News</a>, after the interview aired on Friday, &#8220;prosecutors argued it violated Judge James Burke&#8217;s previous order directing lawyers to not discuss the case and the witnesses in public.&#8221; Rotunno claims the interview was recorded &#8220;a long time ago&#8221; and didn&#8217;t know when it would air, but the New York Times claims the interview was recorded on January 28 and that Rotunno knew it would air Friday.
When it concerns the man who sparked the #MeToo movement, the court of public opinion has been swift and decisive. But while nearly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/05/us/harvey-weinstein-trial.html">80 women</a> have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, ranging from unwanted groping to forcible rape, the charges in the Manhattan trial are specific and concern only two criminal accusers. 
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weinstein-jury-forced-to-review-his-nude-photos-following-intersex-vagina-allegation">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, Jessica Mann, a former actress who is now a hairstylist, claims she consensually entered into a relationship with Weinstein after he forced her to permit him to perform oral sex. 
“I made the decision to be in a relationship with him,” said Mann, according to <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/jessica-mann-harvey-weinstein-trial-testimony.html">Vulture</a>. “And part of that was because I was sexual with very few people. I entered into what I thought was going to be a real relationship with him — and it was extremely degrading from that point on.”
Mann has also alleged that Weinstein violently raped her at a New York City hotel in 2013; Weinstein maintains that all encounters were consensual, and his defense team has produced emails from Mann showing that she maintained contact with him for years, and would provide him with updated contact information on multiple occasions. 
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvey-weinstein-accuser-he-ripped-out-my-tampon-and-performed-oral-sex-on-me">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, Weinstein has also been accused of forcibly performing oral sex on Mimi Haleyi, a production assistant for Project Runway, at his apartment in 2006. 
In total, Weinstein faces five criminal counts, including rape and predatory sexual assault, in connection with alleged assaults against the two accusers. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. 
This report has been updated to include additional information about the nature of the interview, including a statement by Rotunno and the New York Times about it&#8217;s timing and release.

Harvey Weinstein Trial Continues In New York

Lead Weinstein Attorney Speaks Out: Here’s Why I Defend Men Accused Of Rape

Harvey Weinstein

Lawsuit

MeToo

Rape

Sexual Assault

Sexual Harassment

During Super Bowl LIV Sunday evening, the Trump campaign released an ad on the president&#8217;s work on prison reform that has &#8220;triggered&#8221; some on the left.
The <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/trump-campaign-prison-reform-super-bowl-ad-alice-johnson">$11 million</a> ad features Alice Marie Johnson, a great-grandmother given a life sentence on drug charges who became the face of prison reform — and who, as she explained in a tweet promoting the ad Sunday, is now &#8220;a free woman&#8221; because of actions taken by the Trump administration.
&#8220;Two Super Bowls ago I was sitting in a prison cell,&#8221; Johnson wrote. &#8220;Today I am a free woman and my story was featured in a Super Bowl Ad. I will spend the rest of my life fighting for the wrongly and unjustly convicted! God Bless America!”
&#8220;Alice Johnson was sentenced to serve life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense,&#8221; the 30-second campaign ad begins. &#8220;Thanks to President Trump, people like Alice are getting a second chance.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m free to hug my family,&#8221; declares Johnson in the ad, which has garnered millions of views. &#8220;I&#8217;m free to start over&#8230; This is the greatest day of my life. My heart is just bursting with gratitude.&#8221;
&#8220;Politicians talk about criminal justice reform,&#8221; the ad states. &#8220;President Trump got it done. Thousands of families are being reunited.&#8221;
&#8220;I want to thank President Donald John Trump,&#8221; says Johnson. She follows the statement with a shout of joy that is met with cheers from loved ones circled around her.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Two Super Bowls ago I was sitting in a prison cell.
Today I am a free woman and my story was featured in a Super Bowl Ad.
I will spend the rest of my life fighting for the wrongly and unjustly convicted!
God Bless America! <a href="https://t.co/CGSyk54O37">pic.twitter.com/CGSyk54O37</a>
&mdash; Alice Marie Johnson (@AliceMarieFree) <a href="https://twitter.com/AliceMarieFree/status/1224122246471524352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The ad has been praised by many on the right, including some who are not shy about criticizing the president.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This was a good ad highlighting a very good thing Trump did. <a href="https://twitter.com/AliceMarieFree?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AliceMarieFree</a> is a good friend and a wonderful person. <a href="https://t.co/FP0T9cir5u">https://t.co/FP0T9cir5u</a>
&mdash; David French (@DavidAFrench) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidAFrench/status/1224122576630419456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But, as most things Trump-produced, the ad has sparked outrage from critics, some of whom responded by accusing Trump of having promoted racism and division in his campaigns and his presidency, separating families rather than uniting them, and acting like a &#8220;dictator,&#8221; among other criticisms.
In response, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale offered a theory on the blowback: Trump&#8217;s actions on prison reform has the  Left deeply &#8220;worried.&#8221;
&#8220;The triggered left is doing everything possible to make negative talking points about the [Donald Trump Super Bowl LIV] ad about criminal justice reform.&#8221;
&#8220;They are worried,&#8221; wrote Parscale. &#8220;Others did nothing. Trump got it done.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The triggered left is doing everything possible to make negative talking points about the <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperBowl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperBowl</a> ad about criminal justice reform. 
They are worried. Others did nothing. Trump got it done.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FOURMOREYEARS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FOURMOREYEARS</a>
&mdash; Brad Parscale &#8211; Text TRUMP to 88022 (@parscale) <a href="https://twitter.com/parscale/status/1224194927162273794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/during-super-bowl-kaepernick-pushes-article-crediting-himself-for-police-psa-blasting-nfl">During Super Bowl, Kaepernick Pushes Article Crediting Himself For Police PSA, Blasting NFL</a>
The Trump campaign followed up the Johnson video with another 30-second ad during the game.
&#8220;Our SECOND [Super Bowl LIV] ad just aired!&#8221; the campaign tweeted just after the ad aired during the game. &#8220;America is Stronger, Safer, and More Prosperous thanks to President [Trump].&#8221; 
&#8220;America demanded change. And change is what we got,&#8221; the narrator states. &#8220;Under President Trump, America is stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before.&#8221;
The ad then cuts to a series of reports highlighting record numbers for the economy, including unemployment &#8220;sinking to a 49-year low&#8221; and historic lows for both <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/historic-u-s-job-market-continues-african-american-unemployment-rate-hits-new-low/">African Americans</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/04/black-and-hispanic-unemployment-is-at-a-record-low.html">Hispanics</a>.
&#8220;And, ladies and gentlemen, the best is yet to come!&#8221; Trump declares.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Our SECOND <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperBowl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperBowl</a> ad just aired!
America is Stronger, Safer, and More Prosperous thanks to President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> 🇺🇸
If you liked this ad, text TRUMP to 88022! 
 <a href="https://t.co/NcmRzX2Dnm">pic.twitter.com/NcmRzX2Dnm</a>
&mdash; Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamTrump/status/1224171421221429248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-nfl-airs-patriotic-tribute-to-the-american-flag-during-super-bowl">WATCH: NFL Airs Patriotic Tribute To The American Flag During Super Bowl</a>

Super Bowl LIV

Trump Campaign Offers Theory On Why Left So ‘Triggered’ By Trump’s Super Bowl Ad

Alice Marie Johnson

Donald Trump

I recently received a letter from Martin Gottesfeld following the publication of the piece I wrote pertaining to his allegations against FCI Terre Haute’s Communications Management Unit (CMU), the secretive prison where he is being held.
With certain details understood, and looking to the postmark, the letter appears to have been written on or about January 8.
In the letter, Gottesfeld makes more allegations about what’s going on inside the prison, including that he is possibly going to be force fed due to his ongoing hunger strike. Gottesfeld also includes numerous names of the individuals with whom he is allegedly interacting. For purposes of this piece, any names that weren’t already published in my prior piece will be omitted.
Prior to reading this latest piece, it would behoove readers to check out my <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/guardian-hacktivist-martin-gottesfeld-alleges-toxic-water-in-secretive-cmu-prison-where-hes-being-held-prison-responds">previous article</a> in which Gottesfeld alleges vile conditions inside the Terre Haute prison, including “toxic” water.
Gottesfeld writes:
<blockquote>Now I know how Justina must’ve felt. Against my will, the Indiana MLT [possibly medical laboratory technician] puts her needle in my arm and takes my blood. Her name may be [omitted], but I cannot say.
The Indiana RNs have me chained and put in two sets of handcuffs to do things to my body without my consent. The first one of them threatens me with violence if I don&#8217;t comply. Their names may be [omitted], but again, I cannot say.
They may work for Indiana medical doctor [omitted] and soon [omitted] may order them to strap down my limbs and head, shove a tube up my nose and down my throat and force-feed me as a result of my protected speech, yet again though, I cannot say.
They ignore my requests for an Indiana Health Care Proxy and don&#8217;t notify my emergency contacts because there is no emergency to justify what they&#8217;re doing and I don&#8217;t think they want their actions known. They&#8217;ve pushed my blood pressure from normal to 175/115, shackling my body and violating me.
I haven&#8217;t eaten in 30 days and I&#8217;ve lost 30 pounds – it&#8217;s the only way I feel I can resist what they&#8217;re doing since they won&#8217;t let me call the court and my mail to federal Judge Paul G. Gardephe doesn&#8217;t make it onto the docket anymore.
I had just reached out to Religious Freedom Attorney Brandon Sample – whom they seem to fear – when I believe DOJ Attorney Alexander J. Hogan, advisor [omitted], and case manager Rebekka Eisele had me put in solitary confinement without my case files or a desk on which to write. I believe they didn&#8217;t like what I was about to file.
A lieutenant here called a team of thugs dressed in riot gear to my cell where I asserted my Miranda rights and asked for an attorney. The lieutenant then tried to punish me further for asserting my right to an attorney. The lieutenant’s name may be [omitted].
The warden personally green-lit the team. His name may be [omitted]. I feel that the warden and the captain are trying to make my life increasingly miserable in order to bully me into silence. The captain ordered more chains and that my cell be searched three times per day even though I almost never leave between the searches, and the searches are timed so that I cannot get eight hours of sleep at night. I feel that the captain&#8217;s name may be [omitted]. I wonder if they&#8217;re planning to plant something in my cell. Three times per day seems excessive.
The facility should answer a FOIA for the first names of its staff.
I don&#8217;t want to leave without exposing this place or voiceless others here will continue suffering like Justina did, but I can&#8217;t tell President Trump either because of 28C.F. R § 504.203. I can&#8217;t write, “Please help,” because they may punish me.
I asked for an attorney again. Then a CO stole two of the pens that I bought from the prison. His name may be [omitted]. He may be the one who first escalated things, [and] his retaliation may be unconstitutional.</blockquote>
It must be stressed that claims made by Gottesfeld cannot be independently verified. I reached out to FCI Terre Haute for comment twice by email, but as of publication, I have not received a reply. I also called the prison, but my calls went unanswered.
When Gottesfeld speaks of “Justina,” he is referencing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-daily-wire-speaks-father-alleged-medical-frank-camp">Justina Pelletier</a>, the young teenage girl who was allegedly medically kidnapped by Boston Children’s Hospital. When the Pelletier case was ongoing, Gottesfeld reportedly initiated a DDoS campaign against the hospital in order to draw attention to the alleged medical kidnapping.
Gottesfeld was tried and found guilty of conspiracy to intentionally damage a protected computer in violation of 18 U.S. Code § 371, and intentional damage to protected computers in violation of 18 U.S. Code § 1030 (a)(5)(A), and sentenced to prison.
He eventually landed in FCI Terre Haute’s Communications Management Unit (CMU), which is a secretive prison within the larger prison body in Terre Haute, Indiana.
There are only two known Communications Management Units in the United States – one in Terre Haute, and the other in Marion, Illinois. According to the <a href="https://ccrjustice.org/home/get-involved/tools-resources/fact-sheets-and-faqs/cmus-federal-prison-system-s-experiment">Center for Constitutional Rights</a> (CCR), these special prison units reportedly house “dangerous terrorists and other high-risk inmates,” the vast majority of whom are Muslim.
The inmates in these secretive CMUs are closely monitored, and have restricted access to computers. Their communication with the outside world, even family, is severely limited, and sometimes nonexistent, reports CCR.
As for whether or not Gottesfeld’s hunger strike is protected by the Constitution, I consulted UCLA law professor and First Amendment scholar Eugene Volokh, who said:
<blockquote>Prisoners have much-reduced constitutional rights – for instance, against searches and seizures, against speech restrictions, and more. There is a general constitutional right to refuse unwanted medical treatment, which might well extend to refusing food; but that too is sharply reduced for prisoners. Because of that, the great majority of courts that have considered force-feeding of hunger-striking inmates have held that such force-feeding is constitutionally permissible, as a means of preserving the inmates’ lives and of preventing disturbances among other prisoners; the D.C. Circuit’s 2014 decision in Aamer v. Obama summarizes the matter well.</blockquote>
In the 2014 Aamer v. Obama opinion, Circuit Judge David S. Tatel writes in part:
<blockquote>&#8230;given the government&#8217;s own description of its force-feeding protocol — we have no doubt that force-feeding is a painful and invasive process that raises serious ethical concerns.
For petitioners to be entitled to injunctive relief, however, it is not enough for us to say that force-feeding may cause physical pain, invade bodily integrity, or even implicate petitioners&#8217; fundamental individual rights. This is a court of law, not an arbiter of medical ethics, and as such we must view this case through Turner&#8217;s restrictive lens. The very premise of Turner is that a &#8220;prison regulation [that] impinges on inmates&#8217; constitutional rights&#8221; may nonetheless be &#8220;valid.&#8221; <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15686747716085264205&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6,33">Turner, 482 U.S. at 89, 107 S.Ct. 2254</a>. That is, although &#8220;[p]rison walls do not form a barrier separating prison inmates from the protections of the Constitution,&#8221; they do substantially change the nature and scope of those constitutional protections, as well as the degree of scrutiny that courts will employ in assessing alleged violations. Id. at 84, 107 S.Ct. 2254; see <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8145731021014747017&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6,33">Price v. Johnston, 334 U.S. 266, 285, 68 S.Ct. 1049, 92 L.Ed. 1356 (1948)</a> (&#8220;Lawful incarceration brings about the necessary withdrawal or limitation of many privileges and rights, a retraction justified by the considerations underlying our penal system.&#8221;). Thus, even if force-feeding &#8220;burdens fundamental rights,&#8221; <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15686747716085264205&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6,33">Turner, 482 U.S. at 87, 107 S.Ct. 2254,</a> Turner makes clear that a federal court may step in only if the practice is not &#8220;reasonably related to legitimate penological interests,&#8221; id. at 89, 107 S.Ct. 2254.
The government has identified two penological interests at stake here: preserving the lives of those in its custody and maintaining security and discipline in the detention facility. As the government emphasizes, many courts have concluded that such interests are legitimate and justify prison officials&#8217; force-feeding of hunger-striking inmates.</blockquote>
Martin Gottesfeld has now filed his first appeal to have his case re-examined, and has retained a layer.
For more information from Gottesfeld’s perspective, you can check out the official <a href="https://freemartyg.com/">FreeMartyG</a> website.

Martin and Dana Gottesfeld.

UPDATE: Gottesfeld Writes From Prison; Claims He Has Been ‘Threatened With Violence’ And Might Be ‘Force Fed’

Martin Gottesfeld

On Monday, Jelani Maraj, brother of famed rapper Nicki Minaj, was sentenced 25 years to life for repeatedly raping his then-11-year-old stepdaughter.
&#8220;A judge convicted Jelani Maraj of predatory sexual assault and child endangerment in November 2017. The victim testified during the trial that Maraj repeatedly raped her in 2015 while her mother was at work,&#8221; the <a href="https://apnews.com/5843c95f464f7195256c42b3ce83e384">Associated Press</a> reported.
According to <a href="https://www.revolt.tv/news/2020/1/27/21083986/jelani-maraj-sentence">Revolt</a>, the child claimed the first assault took place in April 2015 inside Maraj&#8217;s bedroom.
“He told me to take off my pants. &#8230; He told me to come under the covers with him, and he started to caress my back,” the child said, according to the outlet. “He took off his boxers … after that, we had <a href="https://www.revolt.tv/news/2020/1/6/21054044/harvey-weinstein-charged-two-counts-sexual-assault">sex</a>.”
“I was on my forearms on the bed and my pants were pulled down,&#8221; the girl added.
The abuse continued even after the child&#8217;s brother allegedly walked in on an assault. The victim said she told her brother not to say anything to their mother.
&#8220;Prosecutors have said DNA evidence recovered from the girl’s pajama pants was linked to Maraj. The girl’s younger brother also testified at the trial that he witnessed one assault,&#8221; the AP report added.
Maraj, who was convicted in 2017, reportedly pleaded for a &#8220;second chance&#8221; in the courtroom, highlighting his alcohol problem.
His defense team also noted that Maraj &#8220;suffered from health issues including hypertension, gout and anemia and requested the minimum sentence of 10 years to life,&#8221; the AP said.
According to <a href="https://thegrapevine.theroot.com/nicki-minajs-brother-jelani-maraj-sentenced-to-25-years-1841302924">The Root</a>, &#8220;Maraj’s attorney appealed conviction in 2018, claiming that there was jury misconduct. The judge ruled in October that the defense did not meet the necessary burden of proof.&#8221;
A <a href="https://pitchfork.com/news/nicki-minaj-set-to-testify-at-brothers-child-rape-trial/">Pitchfork</a> report in 2017 said Minaj was set to testify on behalf of her brother.
&#8220;Nicki Minaj plans to take the witness stand in defense of her brother Jelani Maraj in his on-going child rape case, a lawyer for Maraj confirmed to Pitchfork today,&#8221; Pitchfork outlined at the time. &#8220;Maraj plead not guilty after being indicted of felony sexual assault against a child in April of 2016. According to the lawyer, he intends to make the argument that the alleged victim and her mother tried to &#8216;shake down&#8217; Nicki to the tune of $25 million &#8216;to make the charges go away.'&#8221;
It&#8217;s unclear if Minaj did testify, though she did reportedly pay her brother&#8217;s $10,000 bail in 2015 shortly after he was arrested, according to the <a class="gnt_ar_b_a" href="http://pagesix.com/2015/12/05/nicki-minaj-bails-out-her-brother/" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a">New York Post</a>.
As noted by <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/12/04/nicki-minajs-brother-arrested-rape-charges-involving-child-under-13/76799100/">USA Today</a>, the rapper posted a photo of herself hugging her brother at his wedding to Jacqueline Robinson in August 2015.
&#8220;Jelani, I love u more than you&#8217;ll ever comprehend,&#8221; the Instagram post was captioned.
&#8220;I would cross the ocean for u,&#8221; a post on another photo said. &#8220;I would go &amp; bring u the moon. Promise u. For u I will. I love my brother so much man.&#8221;
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</a> 
 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/6tcnXpL8bQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Jelani, I love u more than you&#39;ll ever comprehend. 😢</a>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nickiminaj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Barbie</a> (@nickiminaj) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-08-23T03:03:45+00:00">Aug 22, 2015 at 8:03pm PDT</time>
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Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj Brother Sentenced After Repeatedly Raping 11-Year-Old Stepdaughter

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who previously represented adult film actress Stormy Daniels, was arrested last week in Southern California during a California Bar Association hearing for an unrelated offense. 
The “creepy porn lawyer,” as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U950t7M1Tbg">nicknamed</a> by Tucker Carlson, has since found himself in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Corrections Center in Manhattan, New York, the same jail that housed high-profile inmates such as Jeffrey Epstein and international drug trafficker &#8220;El Chapo.&#8221; 
But Avenatti’s legal team isn’t having it. 
“He is in a cell reportedly once occupied by El Chapo, on a floor that houses individuals charged with terrorism offenses,” reads a <a href="http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2020/images/01/21/avenatti.attorneys.letter.mcc.jail.conditions.pdf">letter</a> written to Manhattan judge Paul Gardephe that was obtained by CNN. “He is apparently under special administrative measures (SAMs), which almost completely restricts his communications with the outside world.”
The lawyer also complains that Avenatti has not been given the opportunity for phone calls, and that the temperature of his jail cell has made it so uncomfortable that he has “great difficulty functioning.”
“Mr. Avenatti was permitted two social calls upon arriving at the facility, but none since. He was told that his classification entitles him to one pre-scheduled social call per month,” continues the complaint. “The temperature in his cell feels like it is in the mid-40s. He is forced to sleep with three blankets.”
According to the letter, Avenatti’s legal team doesn’t understand why Avenatti has been placed in the special housing unit, the jail’s most secure floor, and wants him given access to materials and services that will allow him to prepare for trial, saying that the current “situation is truly hampering our ability to prepare for trial.”
According to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/21/judge-orders-michael-avenatti-prosecutors-to-explain-jail-conditions.html">CNBC</a>, Gardephe responded sympathetically Tuesday to the letter filed by Avenatti’s legal team, saying that prosecutors had to explain why exactly they decided to toss Avenatti into the housing unit usually reserved for people accused of terrorism and drug trafficking. 
The news agency notes that Avenatti has denied allegations that he unsuccessfully tried to extort the athletics company Nike, as well as allegations that he scammed his clients. 
Last week, Donald Trump Jr. responded to the impeccably poor timing of Avenatti’s arrest, considering that the lawyer was detained during a Democratic Party presidential primary debate and had previously garnered serious attention as a potential challenger to President Trump in 2020. 
“Again??? He would have been more entertaining on tonight’s [Democratic debate] than these jokers. What happened?” tweeted the president’s son. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Again??? He would have been more entertaining on tonight’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/demdebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#demdebate</a> than these jokers. What happened?
Michael Avenatti Arrested by Feds at California State Bar Hearing <a href="https://t.co/87uhv63hIH">https://t.co/87uhv63hIH</a>
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1217285644071964672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-jr-trolls-michael-avenatti-for-getting-arrested-during-dem-debate">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, Avenatti has seriously considered running for president on two separate occasions, changing his mind both times. The first time, he changed his mind, citing family concerns; the second time, he stated he was “50/50” about running.
“Never say never,” Avenatti told <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/03/michael-avenatti-is-mulling-a-2020-run-for-president-again.html">CNBC</a> last August. “The Dems need a non-traditional fighter. They have a lot of talent but not a lot of fighters.”

Michael Avenatti Attends Court Hearings On Fraud, Extortion And Theft Charges

Avenatti’s Lawyer Files Complaint: Same Cell As El Chapo, ‘Forced To Sleep With Three Blankets.’ Judge Responds.

Judiciary

Michael Avenatti

Every time I get the chance, I use my extended break between semesters to take a road trip through Mississippi where I was born, and then back to Texas where I grew up. Visiting friends and family and seeing my old childhood homes gives me a chance to think about where I’m going by reflecting on where I’ve been. This year’s road trip just happened to conclude on December 30th, which was the 20th anniversary of an important milestone in a larger personal journey. It was the day I interviewed John Paul Penry on Texas death row just a few miles from my parents’ house and just thirteen days before his scheduled execution.
John Paul Penry was a vicious rapist and killer. His first rape put him in prison, but he was paroled after just two years. While on parole, he committed his second rape, which concluded with his murder of the young victim. He beat her so badly that he burst both of her kidneys. He then finished her off by shoving a pair of scissors into her heart. When he was later convicted and sentenced to die, his lawyers argued that he was mentally retarded and thus should not be executed per the Eight Amendment ban on Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
After Penry’s case had wound its way through the justice system for twenty years, which included two trips to the Supreme Court, his execution date was reset for the third and what appeared to be final time. My dad had taken a retirement job in the very building where Texas executions took place. Furthermore, our neighbor happened to be the warden. Thus, when I expressed interest in interviewing Penry prior to his scheduled execution, it was not hard for me to make the arrangements.
My goal was pretty simple when I arrived on death row on that second to last morning of the 20th century. I simply wanted to gather important information so I could do a better job of teaching the case to my students. I had been teaching the Penry v. Lynaugh ruling (the one issued by the Supreme Court in 1989) for several years because it addressed some important constitutional and philosophical questions. I had no idea that the interview would affect me so personally.
As I spoke with Penry, we broached the topic of his alleged history of abuse at the hands of his mother. During that portion of the interview, I was convinced of two things. One was that some of his claims were valid. The other was that some of his claims had been manufactured in order to win sympathy in the court of public opinion, as well as leniency in a court of law.
Similarly, as we broached the topic of his claims of mental retardation, I was also convinced of two things. One was that there was objective evidence gathered prior to his criminal career, which demonstrated a clear pattern of at least mild mental retardation. The other was that his claims of mental deficiency had been exaggerated in order to win sympathy in the court of public opinion, as well as leniency in a court of law.
After I had gathered all of the information I was seeking, I stood up and placed my hand on the glass in order to do the so-called death row handshake with Penry – just as he placed his hand on the other side of the glass. That was the moment that something surreal happened. Shortly after telling me he was scared of being executed, he recited John 3:16 to me to the best of his limited cognitive ability.
Naturally, I had to ask Penry whether he had actually read the Bible. He indicated that after learning how to read and write on death row, he had read the entire Bible over the course of his many years as a condemned man. After he told me that, I turned and walked away. As I left the prison, I concluded that Penry had read the Bible out of sheer boredom over the course of two decades, but there were clear reasons to doubt that he had any kind of legitimate conversion experience.
As I made the drive back to my parents’ house, I was overwhelmed by the emotion of the day. Simply imagining a brutal rape or murder is overwhelming, but the details of Penry’s miserable life struck to the core of me as well. To compound things, there is just something sobering about being on death row. Even my dog knew I was upset when I got home. He followed me around and kept sticking his head under my hand to remind me that petting him would put me at ease.
But it was difficult for me to feel at ease knowing that a convicted murderer and rapist with substantial mental limitations had read the Bible while I had not. After all, I was already a tenured professor. How could I call myself educated having not read the most important book ever put in print? That question led me to make one of the most important decisions I ever made in my life. I was going to go home, buy a copy of the Bible, and read it from cover to cover in the coming year.
The rest of the story is fairly well documented. I decided to take six breaks and to read six apologetic books as I worked my way through the King James Version. When I finished, I converted and thus became the only conservative Christian in a department full of tenured Marxists. Although the transformation led to a lot of conflict and eventually seven years of litigation in federal court, it was certainly worth it. I had gone there on a mission to help save John Penry from death row, but I ended up being the one who had his death sentence commuted.
This story is not my testimony. It is not even about me. It is about those who consider their own past sins to be an irreversible judgment of death. I have told it before, but tell it again because I want people to consider the implications of the fact that God can use even a mentally retarded rapist and murderer for a larger kingdom purpose.
To state the rather obvious point of the column, if John Paul Penry can be used by God, then so can you. So, please, don’t wallow in self-pity. Get over yourself, and get to work. Know that you are still valuable, and you are still needed in doing the difficult work of reaching lost souls wherever you may find them.

Dove stained glass.

ADAMS: Everlasting Life On Death Row

Christianity

On August 1, 2018, Martin Gottesfeld was found guilty of conspiracy to intentionally damage a protected computer in violation of 18 U.S. Code § 371, and intentional damage to protected computers in violation of 18 U.S. Code § 1030 (a)(5)(A).
Gottesfeld is the “guardian hacktivist” who allegedly initiated a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) campaign on Boston Children’s Hospital in protest of the hospital’s alleged medical kidnapping of Justina Pelletier.
I’ve been covering the Gottesfeld case for approximately two years now. You can read my previous coverage of his case (and Justina’s) below:
<blockquote><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/story-martin-gottesfeld-hacktivist-who-faces-15-frank-camp">The Story Of Martin Gottesfeld: The Hacktivist Who Faces 15 Years In Jail For Trying To Save A Young Girl’s Life</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/guardian-hacktivist-martin-gottesfeld-convicted-frank-camp">‘Guardian Hacktivist’ Martin Gottesfeld Convicted; Faces Up To 15 Years In Prison</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/prosecution-trying-keep-jailed-hacktivist-martin-frank-camp">Jailed Hacktivist Martin Gottesfeld Fires Back At Prosecutors Who Are Trying To Keep Him From Using ‘Torture’ Defense</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/potential-judicial-conflicts-interest-arise-martin-frank-camp">Potential Judicial Conflicts Of Interest Arise In Martin Gottesfeld ‘Guardian Hacktivist’ Case</a></blockquote>
In November 2016, while in custody and awaiting trial, Martin Gottesfeld was remanded to the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York City. While in the MCC, Gottesfeld was allegedly placed in the Segregated Housing Unit (SHU, sometimes called “special housing,” depending on the prison) for 81 days.
Following his conviction in 2018, Gottesfeld was transferred through several prisons, eventually landing in FCI Terre Haute’s Communications Management Unit (CMU) in Terre Haute, Indiana.
There are only two known Communications Management Units in the United States – one in Terre Haute, and the other in Marion, Illinois. According to the <a href="https://ccrjustice.org/home/get-involved/tools-resources/fact-sheets-and-faqs/cmus-federal-prison-system-s-experiment">Center for Constitutional Rights</a> (CCR), these special prison units reportedly house “dangerous terrorists and other high-risk inmates,” the vast majority of whom are Muslim.
The inmates in these secretive CMUs are closely monitored, and have restricted access to computers. Their communication with the outside world, even family, is severely limited, and sometimes nonexistent, reports CCR.
As of publication, Martin Gottesfeld’s wife Dana hasn’t spoken with her husband for more than eight months. The only means by which Dana and others can glimpse Gottesfeld’s activities is via court filings in his ongoing lawsuit with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP).
Rewind.
In November 2018, while Martin Gottesfeld was in the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts, he <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.2.0.pdf">filed a lawsuit</a> against acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) Hugh J. Hurwitz, acting Deputy Director of the U.S. Marshall Service David Anderson, MCC Warden Esker Tatum, and MCC Medical Director Anthony Bussonich, alleging mistreatment while in the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Gottesfeld claims in the lawsuit that he “never received written notice of the reason(s) for his placement in the SHU as required by 28 CFR 541.25 [a federal regulation],” and that he “was never offered the opportunity to attend any administrative detention hearing.” Gottesfeld even contends that “no such hearing(s) were ever conducted.”
According to Gottesfeld, who at that point had begun a hunger strike, the conditions in the SHU were objectionable, with “an uncontrolled rodent and insect infestation,” and poor ventilation.
<blockquote>The temperature in the SHU regularly approached that of the outdoors during the winter due to insufficient insulation in the exterior walls. Rather than fix the building or leave the heat at a sufficient level, the eventual amelioration effort of the MCC administration weeks after the problem’s annual emergence in late-2016 was to hand out thermal underwear, which did not cover the face, feet, or hands.</blockquote>
Gottesfeld also alleges that Medical Director Anthony Bussonich threatened to force-feed him during his “constitutionally-protected” hunger strike.
In a January 2017 <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/martin-gottesfeld-letter-new-york-prison_n_58879bede4b0b481c76b4498">letter</a> to then-Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, Inspector General Michael Horowitz, and Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) Thomas R. Kane, Gottesfeld wrote that “roaches are found in the food, and I have personally observed insect eggs as well.”
Gottesfeld added that certain cells “have hit the 50-degree range, while others are much colder,” and alleged that the warden turned up the heat to sufficient levels on inspection days before turning it back down.
<blockquote>There are also water leaks all over at least the 9th and 10th floors, with visible signs of rust and corrosion. Not only does this potentially impact the structural stability of the building, but the pools of standing water [resulting from the leaks] are a breeding ground for infection.</blockquote>
Since the lawsuit was filed in November 2018, the defense, represented by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander J. Hogan, has moved to have it <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.53.0.pdf">dismissed</a> on multiple grounds.
Gottesfeld has been able to effectively communicate with the outside world via court filings in the ongoing lawsuit. In a series of articles, Gottesfeld and former inmate Francis Schaefer Cox described alleged heinous conditions inside FCI Terre Haute’s Communications Management Unit. The pair even described an alleged CMU inmate homicide, which reportedly took place in November of 2018.
In a court <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.69.0.pdf">document</a> filed on August 12, 2019, Gottesfeld wrote about the alleged conditions inside the CMU and the CMU’s special housing unit (SHU), reportedly nicknamed “the burrito cooker” because a steam pipe allegedly runs underneath the floor that emits so much heat, one can reportedly cook food on the floor:
<blockquote>Multiple other survivors credibly and uniformly detail inhumane conditions during their extended stays in the FCI Terre Haute CMU&#8217;s &#8220;special housing unit,&#8221; including extreme heat, lack of ventilation, insect infestation, sleep deprivation due to constant loud noises, and contaminated drinking water that is known to cause convulsive vomiting and dangerously dehydrating diarrhea.
Without a single exception, these survivors all also described being deprived of their legal work, writing implements, paper, and postage stamps, thus leaving them unable to reach the courts despite sometimes facing imminent filing deadlines.
Those in the CMUs, moreover, cannot confidentially contact the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The OIG is the internal watchdog for the DOJ, so the inability of CMU inmates to send reports to the OIG without the FBOP pre-screening them presents serious issues and conflicts of interest. Indeed, federal inmates elsewhere can send private electronic messages to the OIG instantaneously, but not those in the CMUs.</blockquote>
A former inmate at the FCI Terre Haute CMU appears to corroborate Gottesfeld’s assertions about the conditions inside the facility, calling the cells hot and incredibly dirty. This former inmate also claims that the water does not run clear, has a terrible smell, and leaves corrosive marks in the toilets and sinks.
I reached out to FCI Terre Haute for comment on the allegations regarding the water, and received the following reply from Public Information Officer (PIO) Jenna Epplin:
<blockquote>Every staff member and inmate at FCC Terre Haute is provided with potable, non-toxic, drinking water. All drinking water at FCC Terre Haute is tested monthly, at a minimum, and is compliant with the State of Indiana’s Drinking Water Permit, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The water is tested by a third party agency and the results are sent directly to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for review.</blockquote>
Asked to comment on CMU inmates’ ability to speak with the Office of the Inspector General, PIO Epplin stated: “Inmates are afforded the opportunity to contact the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) directly, if they so chose. Inmates can add the phone number to their approved phone list or write a letter directly to OIG.”
I further asked Epplin: “Can inmates contact the OIG anonymously and without being monitored?” As of publication, Epplin has not replied. Additionally, the OIG has yet to return my request for comment.
When asked about Gottesfeld’s alleged placement in the SHU, as well as the claims of “insect infestation,” Epplin stated: “We do not discuss conditions of confinement for safety and security reasons.”
According to Gottesfeld, there was a <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.69.0.pdf">radical Islamic-inspired murder</a> that took place in the FCI Terre Haute CMU in November 2018. The alleged victim’s name was Robert David Neal.
Writing alongside Gottesfeld in the court document, Francis Schaeffer Cox reports that 68-year-old Neal’s alleged attacker stabbed Neal, then attempted to decapitate Neal with a wire. Following his murder of Robert Neal, the alleged attacker proceeded to stab another inmate approximately 12 times. The inmate reportedly survived.
There is little information available to the public about the alleged murder. The only news outlet to report on it was the <a href="https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_news/death-of-terre-haute-federal-prisoner-under-investigation/article_f0e44ec2-bcfe-5046-b97e-9c6770f0eb79.html">Tribune-Star</a>, which wrote in part:
<blockquote>An investigation continues into Saturday&#8217;s death of an inmate at the federal prison in Terre Haute. The manner of death of Robert David Neal, 68, was a homicide, Vigo County Coroner Susan Amos said Wednesday. She declined to release further information about his death due to the ongoing investigation.</blockquote>
When asked about the investigation of the alleged murder of Robert David Neal, PIO Epplin stated: “The investigation into the death of inmate Robert David Neal is being handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
The FBOP Office of Public Affairs declined to comment on the case, and the FBI didn’t provide me with any new information.
Fast-forward to December 2019.
In a recent <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.116.0.pdf">court filing</a>, Gottesfeld claims that he filed a “motion for sanctions” against Hogan. Separately, on December 6, Gottesfeld asked for a “true copy” of his “order of commitment.”
It was after these two filings that Gottesfeld was allegedly placed in the Communications Management Unit SHU.
According to D.C. Code 16-1905: “A person committed or detained, or a person in his behalf, may demand a true copy of the warrant of commitment or detainer. An officer or other person detaining a person, who refuses or neglects to deliver to him or to a person in his behalf a true copy of the warrant of commitment or detainer, if one exists, within 6 hours after the demand, shall forfeit to the party so detained the sum of $500.”
Gottesfeld <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.116.0.pdf">contends</a> in the filing that the only order of commitment he ever received was “missing the required seal of the court, the signature of the clerk, and the signature of a U.S. Marshal.” He also states that in his request for the order of commitment, he closely mirrored the language in the relevant code in order to “avoid &#8230; ambiguities.”
However, according to Gottesfeld’s filing, one Rebekka Eisele filed an incident report claiming that he had attempted to “extort” some 73 “individuals, agencies, and entities” by demanding a copy of his order of commitment under the law.
Gottesfeld doesn’t believe that Eisele actually penned the report herself, given the language used, as well as what he perceives to be an idiosyncrasy between her in-person behavior and what is written in the document.
<blockquote>In contrast to Ms. Eisele&#8217;s actual demeanor, whoever wrote the incident report claimed, “I feel threatened by inmate Gottesfeld’s demands and I believe he is trying to extort me&#8230; Inmate Gottesfeld is attempting to intimidate and compel me&#8230; by threat of financial demise.” Of course, demanding a “statutorily-authorized sum” with citation to a specific, applicable statute, such as D.C. Code § 16-1905, cannot be “extor[tion]”.</blockquote>
Gottesfeld claims that while Eislele has nothing to gain from him being placed in the SHU, Hogan and his clients do.
“With me in the SHU, [Hogan&#8217;s] opponent is significantly hamstrung in contesting whatever he may file,” writes Gottesfeld, “including motions for extensions, and a motion to withdraw or otherwise contest his client&#8217;s admissions.”
Gottesfeld also contends that he has “no access whatsoever” to a typewriter or a desk while in the Communications Management Unit SHU, and restricted access to a legal library.
<blockquote>I served upon AUSA Hogan a motion for sanctions &#8230; the merits of which I cannot yet bring before The Court due to the twenty-one-day safe-harbor provision of Fed.R.Civ.P.11(c). Fearful of retaliation from AUSA Hogan, the defendants in the case, and their agents here at FCI Terre Haute, I mailed a copy of the motion to a licensed attorney in Brooklyn for safekeeping and filing by my next friend in the case of interference here at the FCI.</blockquote>
[The attorney to whom Gottesfeld mailed his motion has come forward, and revealed their copy of the document.]
In the filing, Gottesfeld <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.116.0.pdf">writes</a>:
<blockquote>On Monday evening, December 9th, 2019 – after AUSA Hogan was served the motion, but before I could file it with The Court pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 11(c) – agents of AUSA Hogan and the defendants in the case placed me in the SHU inside the FCI Terre Haute CMU.</blockquote>
Two days after allegedly being placed in the SHU, Gottesfeld <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.116.0.pdf">claims</a> that one Captain Brogan of the FBOP said the following to him: “You know why you&#8217;re here, right?”
“I take Captain Brogan&#8217;s meaning to signify that the defendants in the case and AUSA Hogan want me to know that they are displeased with my recent motion practice, particularly the motion for sanctions,” Gottesfeld <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.116.0.pdf">writes</a>.
Gottesfeld states in his filing that while in the SHU at FCI Terre Haute’s Communications Management Unit, the only water to which he has access is from the sink. He writes that the water is “<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138/gov.uscourts.nysd.505138.116.0.pdf">toxic</a>” and appears corrosive of the metal basin. He further states that the only time he is able to drink is during the three times a week he is allowed to shower, and that a CMU medical professional allegedly had to administer fluids intravenously at one point.
Although the secretive CMU isn’t forthcoming with details, an individual with a second-hand knowledge of the situation at the facility told me that the water is indeed potable, and that Gottesfeld’s claims cannot be true.
At this point, it is critical to note that the veracity of Gottesfeld’s claims pertaining to the conditions in the Communications Management Unit cannot be independently verified.
This is due, in part, to the cloak of secrecy surrounding the CMU. Additionally, it’s highly unlikely that those heading an institution where abuses have been alleged to have taken place would readily admit that such abuses were taking place under their supervision. The same applies to employees of said institution.
I have reached out to multiple former and current employees of FCI Terre Haute in order to corroborate the conditions alleged by Gottesfeld. Several employees (current and retired) have rebuffed my requests for comment. I have also twice reached out to AUSA Hogan for comment on the ongoing litigation between his clients and Gottesfeld. As of publication, he has not replied.
Martin Gottesfeld has now filed his first appeal to have his case re-examined. Wife Dana and the Gottesfeld family are attempting to raise $50,000 to retain a new attorney for the appeal, even starting a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/hire-appeals-lawyer-for-marty">GoFundMe</a>.
For more information, you can check out the official <a href="https://freemartyg.com/">FreeMartyG</a> website.

‘Guardian Hacktivist’ Martin Gottesfeld Alleges ‘Toxic’ Water In Secretive CMU Prison Where He’s Being Held. Prison Responds.

Last night, Daily Wire Editor-at-Large Josh Hammer, an attorney and former federal judicial law clerk, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cup29nPmOgo">joined</a> “Tipping Point With Liz Wheeler” on One America News Network to discuss New York state&#8217;s extraordinarily controversial new &#8220;bail reform&#8221; legislation. The law, which the New York Post editorial board <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/01/07/with-lives-at-stake-albany-must-bail-reform-failure-now/">decries</a> today as a flat-out &#8220;bad law,&#8221; eliminates the possibility of judge-imposed cash bail for the overwhelming majority of crimes committed in the Empire State.
Here is how the Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/01/07/with-lives-at-stake-albany-must-bail-reform-failure-now/">describes</a> some of the problems with the law:
<blockquote>One huge problem: The new law prevents judges from ordering most criminal suspects jailed, or even requiring them to post bail, no matter how clear a threat to public safety they pose. Judges retain discretion only if the charges include a handful of very violent crimes and they deem the suspect a clear flight risk.
This guarantees a revolving door for serious perps: Caught for a minor holdup, you’ll be charged and released — and can do it again, get caught again and be released again, time after time after time.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-bail-reform-woman-involved-in-anti-semitic-attack-arrested-released-for-3-crimes-in-5-days">previously reported</a> on the law&#8217;s noxiousness. The Daily Wire&#8217;s Amanda Prestigiacomo recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-bail-reform-woman-involved-in-anti-semitic-attack-arrested-released-for-3-crimes-in-5-days">reported</a> on a serial anti-Semitic assaulter who astoundingly committed three separate crimes in a span of five days due to the law&#8217;s inordinate leniency. As also reported by Prestigiacomo, all five borough district attorneys in New York City have gone on the record stating that the law goes too far in favoring defendants.
Hammer has consistently been very critical of this type of pro-criminal, &#8220;jailbreak&#8221;-style legislation. Last weekend, Giancarlo Sopo of TheBlaze <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/virginia_weak_on_crime_democrats">quoted</a> him in the context of a similar partisan Democratic initiative in Virginia:
<blockquote>Reached by telephone, constitutional law attorney and Daily Wire editor-at-large Josh Hammer told TheBlaze that [the proposed Virginia] bill is part of a pattern among Democrats and like-minded &#8220;weak-on-crime&#8221; Republicans.
&#8220;Across the country, we see so many leftist Democrats — joined by no small share of libertarian-leaning Republicans — subscribing to the same weak-on-crime agenda,&#8221; Hammer, who has been critical of similar so-called &#8220;criminal justice reform&#8221; efforts, said.
&#8220;New York&#8217;s harrowing recent &#8216;bail reform&#8217; proposal is a shining example, and this Democratic proposal in Virginia fits in neatly, as well. Americans have historically cherished law and order, and it is devastating to see these kind of jailbreak, pro-criminal policies take hold as we descend further into mass lawlessness,&#8221; he added.</blockquote>
Wheeler began the segment by asking Hammer about the New York lawmakers&#8217; purported aim — to reduce inequality and promote justice — and why the law&#8217;s authors do not seem to care about equality and justice for the actual victims of crime. Hammer launched into a rant about how the Left is able to effectively wield seemingly anodyne language, such as &#8220;bail reform,&#8221; as a cudgel to advance their lawless agenda:
<blockquote>The problem with the Left is the Left speaks about justice and compassion and all these fancy words. They never focus on the people who actually suffer &#8230; from their policies. So in the case of border security and amnesty, there is no one who suffers worse from an open border and the human trafficking by drug cartels than the aliens themselves who are trafficked. In the case of &#8220;criminal justice reform,&#8221; &#8220;bail reform,&#8221; no one suffers more than victims of crime.
Where is anyone speaking for the victims of crime? But you know what the Left also does, Liz? The Left is amazing at getting the right version of language for their policies. &#8220;Bail reform,&#8221; it sounds so innocuous, right? What they&#8217;re doing is they&#8217;re throwing out a system of bail that has existed since at least 13th century England! That is how far back bail goes — cash bail, monetary bail. This is literally a centuries-old phenomenon that they are just throwing out.</blockquote>
WATCH:
<iframe title="New York&#039;s No Bail Law Disaster" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cup29nPmOgo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hammer OANN 1.07.20

WATCH: Hammer On ‘Tipping Point With Liz Wheeler’: New York’s Insane Pro-Criminal Bail Law

Anti-Semitism

Hate Crime

Leftism

New York

Progressivism

On Sunday, Donald Trump Jr. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-jr-instagram-ar15-weapon-rifle-hillary-clinton-behind-bars/">decided to exercise</a> his Second Amendment rights at the local shooting range. And in an Instagram post, he shared an image of a very special magazine that was affixed to his AR-style sporting rifle.
&#8220;Nice day at the range,&#8221; Trump wrote on Instagram. &#8220;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/rarebreedfirearms/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">@rarebreedfirearms</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/spikes_tactical/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">@spikes_tactical</a> adding a little extra awesome to my AR and that mag &#8230; .&#8221;
It turns out that the magazine was an image of former first lady, senator, secretary of State, and two-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton &#8230; behind prison bars.
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</a> 
 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B67J4TTlnDn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Nice day at the range. @rarebreedfirearms and @spikes_tactical adding a little extra awesome to my AR and that mag&#8230;🔥🤣🔥🤣🔥</a>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/donaldjtrumpjr/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Donald Trump Jr.</a> (@donaldjtrumpjr) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-01-05T04:18:38+00:00">Jan 4, 2020 at 8:18pm PST</time>
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&#8220;The rifle was also adorned with a cross symbol used during the Crusades,&#8221; The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/477014-trump-jr-displays-gun-magazine-showing-hillary-clinton-behind-bars">reported</a>. &#8220;The Instagram post featured a variety of pictures of the AR-15 style rifle, which was made by Texas-based Rare Breed Firearms and named the Crusader. It remains unclear if Trump Jr. owns the weapon.&#8221;
&#8220;In response to some backlash online, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. told The Hill that the &#8216;Instagram post was strictly about him using a famous meme to mock Hillary Clinton, as he and many others have done on numerous occasions and will surely do again in the future, so long as it continues triggering humorless liberals,'&#8221; the outlet continued.
Trump Jr. is &#8220;an avid gun enthusiast and hunter,&#8221; as CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/06/donald-trump-jr-rifle-magazine-shows-hillary-clinton-cross.html">observed</a>.
As the Daily Caller <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2020/01/05/donald-trump-jr-ar-15-hillary-clinton-magazine/">noted</a>, the Clinton-behind-bars rifle magazine is a fairly direct reference to the &#8220;lock her up&#8221; chants that often dominated Trump presidential campaign rallies in 2016: &#8220;President Trump and his supporters have continued to chant &#8216;lock her up&#8217; at rallies when Clinton’s name is mentioned, something that was heard at nearly every rally when Trump was running for president in 2016.&#8221;
The Instagram post will only continue to stir up rumors about Trump Jr.&#8217;s possible future political plans. Politico recently <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/01/03/2024-presidential-election-candidates-091055">profiled</a> what it apparently considers the leading 2024 presidential contenders, and had this to say about Trump Jr.:
<blockquote>
While his sister Ivanka has earned a reputation as an ineffectual inside player who is ideologically out of step with her father and the Republican Party, Junior has been a caustic, partisan warrior on social media, and a rock star on the campaign trail for his father and congressional candidates. When speaking at a San Antonio event in October, a shout of “2024!” was heard from the crowd. One attendee told a reporter, “He’s just like his father and I can’t wait to vote for him someday too.”
That Trump voters would be intrigued by Trump Jr. should surprise no one. 
If Republican voters had a problem with a man born into wealth styling himself as a man of the people by lobbing verbal bombs at liberals and media figures, then Donald Trump, Sr., wouldn’t be president.
What to watch for in 2020: Will we see Donald Trump, Jr., get a prime-time speaking slot at the 2020 convention? Will we see the crowd launch into a “2024” chant? And if Pence does get dumped from the ticket, would Trump, Sr., replace him with someone who disavows interest in running for the presidency, making it easier to keep the Oval Office in the family?
</blockquote>

Donald Trump Jr

Donald Trump Jr. Shares Image Of AR-15 With Depiction Of Hillary Clinton Behind Bars

Donald Trump Jr.

Guns

Hillary Clinton

Second Amendment

The year 2019 wraps up as one of the most anti-Semitic in the recent history of New York City — capped off by a slew of hate crimes occurring over the celebration of Chanukah and even extending into the nascent new year.
In just over a week, nine incidents were perpetrated against Jews in the greater New York area, among them a machete-wielding attacker injuring five individuals at a suburban Monsey Chanukah celebration, a shooting threat at a Jewish organization’s headquarters in Brooklyn, and a Hasidic man punched and thrown to the ground by a group of thugs. At least 13 anti-Semitic assaults have been reported in New York City just since December 23.
And while the latest wave of anti-Semitism carried out in the New York City metropolitan area is disturbing, the upward trend of anti-Semitic attacks over a span of several years demonstrates a much larger and more predictable pattern. Anti-Semitic incidents in New York state surged over 96% from 2016 to 2017, with over 50% of the anti-Semitic assaults committed nationally occurring just in the Empire State. For the year 2017, more than 60% of New York state anti-Semitism took place in New York City.
The year 2018 saw anti-Semitic assaults in New York proliferate yet again, this time by an order of 55% — all of that just within the five boroughs. And yet again, in 2019, anti-Semitism accounted for considerably over half of all hate crimes perpetrated in the city.
Nationally, similar patterns arise, with anti-Semitism consistently ranking as the most prominent form of religious discrimination, but the unenviable ascent of anti-Semitism in New York City remains unparalleled in any other big city.
And the logic for the rapid rise in New York City-based Jew-hatred lies, in no small part, with the leadership and neglectful inaction by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming narrative surrounding any form of discrimination — anti-Semitism chief among them — in New York City places blame squarely with those on the far-right. Ironic, perhaps, given that New York City consistently ranks among the most liberal urban areas globally, that the far-right might hold sway there. Nonetheless, de Blasio trudges forward, claiming last summer that “the violent threat, the threat that is ideological, is very much from the Right.”
Sadly, the vast majority of the recent anti-Semitic attacks have been perpetrated by <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/8240/black-on-jewish-violence-marks-the-new-new-anti">black and Hispanic individuals</a> and in some of the most liberal enclaves of an already left-leaning city. In the first four months of 2019, with anti-Semitic hate crimes on pace to increase by 82% from 2018, de Blasio denied City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s request for a fully-funded Office of Prevention of Hate Crimes. Speaker Johnson noted, at the time, that the funding necessary for a fully functional office would nearly double in the 2020 fiscal year, yet de Blasio has shown no intention to allocate any additional funds.
Beyond budgeting shortfalls, New York City’s criminal and bail reform practices have demonstrably returned virulent anti-Semites to the street without bail set. Thirty-year-old Tiffany Harris, responsible for the aggravated assault of three Jewish individuals last week, was released from police custody without bail following the first assault, only to commit the same heinous act twice more — a day later. She was again released with no bail. A policy enacted for the new year disqualifies swaths of crimes from being eligible for bail altogether in New York state. The laundry list of now-disqualified crimes includes third-degree assault, forms of aggravated assault, terrorist threats, arson in the third- and fourth-degrees, and even second-degree manslaughter. These crimes are often the direct criminal behaviors that have been taking place against Jews.
Tangible solutions and an end to the public safety crisis faced by Jews won’t come about by denying the realities of the situation. Pragmatically, significant fault lies with de Blasio himself and the state legislature, due to enacting poorly conceived policies and deflecting responsibility for the attacks to a preferred ideological foe.

Sunset in New York City

PHILLIPS: A Year Of Rampant Anti-Semitism In New York City

Judaism

New York Police Department (NYPD)

Tonight brings the year 2019 to a close. Please stay safe, everyone. And for you truly crazy masochists who will be packed like sardines tonight in New York City&#8217;s Times Square — well, as they say in the South, &#8220;bless your heart.&#8221;
This past year was an eventful one, from a political perspective. From the Covington Catholic High School media imbroglio back in January through the unveiling of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller&#8217;s much-anticipated eponymous report in April through a slew of horrific mass shootings over the dog days of the summer through House Democrats&#8217; (<a href="https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1207731722995023872">kind of</a>/<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/20/us/trump-feldman-impeach.html">sort of</a>) formal impeachment of President Donald Trump, 2019 pretty much saw it all.
As we enter 2020, I have two main substantive political wishes to complement my <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-here-are-three-reasons-why-i-plan-vote-josh-hammer">electoral wish</a> that the president be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-yes-any-moral-stain-trump-now-mostly-sunk-josh-hammer">re-elected</a>. We need less socialism and we need more law and order.
It is possible that, perhaps above all else in the broader political universe, the year 2019 will be remembered by historians as the year in which unvarnished socialism became truly ascendant on the American Left. Embodied by the harrowing all-freshman congresswoman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-aocs-squad-will-destroy-democrats-2020-josh-hammer">&#8220;Squad&#8221;</a> of economically illiterate would-be despots, socialism has likely not been this popular since the fall of the Berlin Wall itself. According to <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/257639/four-americans-embrace-form-socialism.aspx">Gallup</a>, an eye-opening four in ten Americans now support some form of socialism. Perhaps even more terrifyingly, MarketWatch <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/for-millennials-socialism-and-communism-are-hot-capitalism-is-not-2019-10-28">reports</a> that more than a third of Millennials approve of communism itself.
It is impossible to overstate how grossly irresponsible this flirtatiousness is with the economic <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2013/09/capitalisms-triumph-michael-tanner/">fool&#8217;s errand</a> of socialism and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-bernie-sanders-entire-worldview-grotesquely-josh-hammer">outright evil political totalitarianism</a> to which socialism inevitably leads: Communism. No ideology in human history has ever <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/100-years-of-communismand-100-million-dead-1510011810">killed more human beings</a> than has communism. None. Alas, as it is said, those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it. And as we enter 2020, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-will-win-democratic-primary-latest-2020-josh-hammer">leading presidential candidate</a> for the Democratic Party, Sen. Bernie Sanders (Loonbag-VT), is a former Soviet Union-honeymooning, hammer and sickle flag-waving communist who sided with America&#8217;s existential geopolitical foes at the very height of the Cold War. This is utter moral idiocy. Hopefully 2020 sees a resurgence of traditional American skepticism of socialism.
A similarly immensely dispiriting trend, and one that unfortunately has more bipartisan support, is the rise of an all-encompassing culture of lawlessness. From weak-on-sentencing judges to the <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/accused-cop-killer-bragged-prior-releases-jail-offered-bail/">decline of bail</a> to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/09/us/first-step-act-release-alleged-murder/index.html">&#8220;First Step Act&#8221;</a>-style early prison release of violent felons to leftist/libertarian assaults on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-in-defense-of-prosecutors">integrity of prosecutors</a> to the continued <a href="https://nypost.com/2017/05/07/fbi-confirms-the-deadly-costs-of-a-war-on-cops/">war on cops</a> to the misplaced calls for <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2019/09/19/beto-orourke-proposes-drug-war-reparations-funded-by-marijuana-taxes/">mass drug liberalization</a> to the neo-Confederate illegality of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-why-no-one-pointing-out-sanctuary-cities-josh-hammer">sanctuary jurisdictions</a>, 2019 was also marked by a general decline in pervasiveness of traditional American support for law and order.
The rule of law is an indispensable piece of the broader puzzle that is the American experiment. Without robust and diligent enforcement of the law, we are nothing. The bipartisan infatuation with mass jailbreak initiatives, the likes of which bamboozled Trump into signing the First Step Act federal <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/11/first-step-criminal-justice-reform-bill-whats-in-it/">legislative catastrophe</a> and which are locally responsible for recent high-profile criminals from <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/anti-semitic-terrorist-new-york-7-arrests-little-prison-time/">New York</a> to <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/texas-church-shooter-massive-rap-sheet-almost-no-prison-time/">Texas</a> being free to roam to streets and wreak havoc upon a vulnerable citizenry, simply must stop. The mentality of mollycoddling criminals and failing to stand for the victims of crime — most emphatically illegal alien crime, but certainly also crime committed from those American citizens who ought to be incarcerated — has long since moved from the realm of the merely pernicious to the realm of the full-on societally ruinous. Along with the<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1373"> inherent lawlessness</a> of <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlevi">Supremacy Clause</a>-defying sanctuary cities, the totality of all these attacks on law enforcement and the rule of law is to inculcate a culture of sheer anarchy. Anarchy, much like socialism and communism, is complete moral idiocy. Hopefully 2020 sees a resurgence of traditional American support for law and order.
Surely that isn&#8217;t asking too much for our political environs in the year 2020. Is it?

2020 goals on notepad

HAMMER: A Political Wish For 2020: Less Socialism, More Law And Order

2020 Election

Capitalism

Law Enforcement

Libertarianism

Police

Anybody who steals someone else&#8217;s private property and then burns it to smoldering ash deserves some kind of punishment under the law, but do they deserve a full 16 years in prison if this act of vandalism is charged as a &#8220;hate crime?&#8221; One Iowa man now finds himself at the center of that controversial question.
&#8220;A man has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for burning an LGBTQ flag that was flying at a church in central Iowa,&#8221; reports the<a href="https://apnews.com/195d858e100032f445209df50f876040"> Associated Press</a>.
For the crime of reckless use of explosives or fire, 30-year-old Adolfo Martinez received one year in prison. For the crime of harassment, he received just 30 days. For the hate crime of burning an LGBT rainbow pride flag, Martinez received a full 15 years.
&#8220;The sentences are to be served consecutively, Story County court records show,&#8221; continued the Associated Press. &#8220;A jury convicted Martinez in November. He was arrested in June. Martinez said he tore down the flag that had been hanging from the United Church of Christ in Ames and burned it because he opposes homosexuality.&#8221;
As already stated, Martinez clearly committed a crime when he stole the rainbow flag from the Ames United Church of Christ and set fire to it outside the Dangerous Curves Gentleman’s Club, but the sentencing of 15 years has sparked a broader debate on whether or not the government overreached, especially in light of the fact that burning the American flag is now considered protected speech. People took to social media to voice their concerns.
&#8220;[Sixteen] years. This guy just got 16 years in prison for burning the flag of a state-protected group. For context, the average sentence for rape is under ten years. Hate crime laws are out of control,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Joel_Kurtinitis/status/1207768349549174784?s=20">tweeted</a> Joel Kurtinitis, a contributor to The Federalist. &#8220;[Fifteen] of the 16 years were *just* for the hate crime. The actual vandalism sentence was under a year.&#8221;
&#8220;Unbelievable. We said decades ago, hate crimes laws are insane and dangerous. They would be abused. We were told we were heartless. And now, today,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/DrOakley1689/status/1207824813894430724?s=20">tweeted</a> pastor James White.
&#8220;Black people have their Civil Rights violated daily and no one is punished. But those same civil rights laws that FBA fought for, are now used to protect FLAGS from other groups,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/tariqnasheed/status/1207836989199831040?s=20">tweeted</a> Tariq Nasheed.
&#8220;Man sentenced to 16 years for stealing and burning an LGBTQ flag. This is going to be infamously controversial, or should be. Of course, stealing and destroying property is very wrong. But when the property is a flag, 16 years is ridiculously excessive,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/lsanger/status/1208032523235794944?s=20">tweeted</a> Larry Sanger.
&#8220;Crime: Man Burns Flag. Charge: Hate Crime. Sentence: 16 Years. What happens in the U.S. if you burn the Stars &amp; Stripes flag? Apparently, that is within the spirit of &#8216;Freedom of Expression&#8217; Insane!&#8221; said one Twitter user.
&#8220;And yet, we can burn an American flag, and we&#8217;re told it&#8217;s freedom of speech. That kind of selectivity is hypocritical. Hate crime laws have rendered/are continuing to further render freedom of speech a thing of the past, sadly,&#8221; said another Twitter user.
According to the U.S. Supreme Court case of Texas v. Johnson, the burning of the American flag is protected speech.

Rainbow flag waiving in the wind against blue sky

Iowa Man Gets 16 Years In Prison For Burning A Rainbow Pride Flag

Iowa

LGBT

Actress Felicity Huffman&#8217;s brush with justice for her role in the now-infamous college admissions scandal has allegedly now mobilized her into helping more women be released from prison.
&#8220;After she served 11 days of her 14-day prison sentence for her role in the nation-wide college admissions scandal, the 56-year-old actress reportedly has been dedicating her time to helping women in prison improve their lives,&#8221; reports Fox News.
A source close to Huffman told <a href="https://www.etonline.com/felicity-huffman-wants-to-work-with-inmates-following-prison-release-source-says-136792" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Entertainment Tonight</a> that &#8220;conditions at the prison were very difficult&#8221; and that there were &#8220;no real programs or initiatives to help the incarcerated women who were there.&#8221;
&#8220;Felicity felt like the women in that facility were being discarded and left behind; they were forgotten,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;She loved the women there and bonded with them. When she left she felt guilty leaving them behind.&#8221;
This past April, Felicity Huffman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/45733/felicity-huffman-enters-guilty-plea-i-am-ashamed-paul-bois">pleaded guilty</a> for her role in “Operation Varsity Blues,” confessing to paying $15,000 to an admissions consultant to manipulate her older daughter’s SAT answers. In a statement at the time, Huffman said she accepted full responsibility for her actions and apologized.
“I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions,” Huffman said in the statement. “I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them.”
“I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly,” she continued. “My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her. This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty.”
As a result of her confession, Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison while being ordered to pay a $30,000 fine, face a year of supervised release, and serve 250 hours of community service. The source close to the actress said that her community service will focus on helping the incarcerated women.
&#8220;She would like for her next community service work to be helping women who were recently incarcerated and need help re-entering society,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;This work will be a long-term commitment for her well beyond her community service hours.&#8221;
Felicity Huffman had previously <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/felicity-huffman-community-service-following-prison-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">worked as a tutor at the Teen Project</a>, which works with &#8220;at-risk homeless teenagers involved in sex trafficking and those who suffered from addiction issues,&#8221; as reported by Fox News.
&#8220;She&#8217;s been doing that for two years, well before this case happened,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;She&#8217;s been tutoring those girls two times a week for two years and this has been an amazing experience for her and her daughter. Felicity is not your average Hollywood actress.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-US-CELEBRITY-TELEVISION-COURT-EDUCATION

A New Leaf? Felicity Huffman Now Wants To Help Women Released From Prison

Felicity Huffman

Hollywood

On Wednesday, Daily Wire Editor-at-Large Josh Hammer, who is a constitutional attorney by training, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvpfIAdvldI">joined</a> &#8220;Tipping Point With Liz Wheeler&#8221; on One America News Network to discuss freshman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-aocs-squad-will-destroy-democrats-2020-josh-hammer">&#8220;Squad&#8221;</a> member Rep. Ayanna Pressley&#8217;s (D-MA) harrowing new &#8220;criminal justice reform&#8221; bill. As <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pressley-transgender-inmates-prison">reported</a> by Fox News, Pressley&#8217;s bill would &#8220;allow &#8216;transgender individuals to be housed in a facility that conforms with their gender identity&#8217; &#8230; [and] would also give incarcerated people the right to vote, repeal federal laws that criminalize illegal immigration, require inmates who are working to be paid no less than federal minimum wage, and increase support for inmates transitioning back into society.&#8221;
Hammer, who identifies as a traditional <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-dont-let-kim-kardashian-fool-you-america-josh-hammer">law-and-order</a> conservative with little in the way of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-in-defense-of-prosecutors">sympathy for criminals</a>, joined Wheeler to discusss Pressley&#8217;s far-reaching bill.
Wheeler began by asking Hammer whom, exactly, Pressley claims to represent when she says she wants to make our criminal justice system safer and more humane. Hammer responded by lamenting how there oftentimes seems to be strong bipartisan agreement to model criminal justice policy away from the victims of crime and toward the criminals themselves:
<blockquote>There is a bipartisan, across-the-political spectrum problem in our criminal justice political and legal discourse. We are always talking about that the victims of crime are the criminals — and not the victims. On the left, it speaks for itself — that&#8217;s what&#8217;s going on here [with Pressley]. But on the Right, there&#8217;s a lot of libertarian, &#8220;criminal justice reform,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-dont-let-kim-kardashian-fool-you-america-josh-hammer">Kim Kardashian</a>-flirting about letting violent people out of prison.
You know, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) in 2016 was not very popular when he said this, but he was absolutely correct: We actually have an <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/tom-cotton-under-incarceration-223371">under-incarceration problem</a> in this country. We have a lot of people in prison, but you know what? We&#8217;re also a very violent society. Nineteen percent of property crimes in America, we actually find the perp. Forty-seven percent of violent crimes — less than half of violent crimes in America — law enforcement can identify the perp. So we actually really need to be locking up more people and not letting people out, but you know — right here. Ayanna Pressley, she&#8217;s the Ringo Starr of the &#8220;Squad,&#8221; I mean, she&#8217;s auditioning for the John Lennon Paul McCartney role, I guess.</blockquote>
Wheeler responded by pointing out the possibility that Pressley&#8217;s plan does not attempt to find a happy median in criminal justice policy; rather, &#8220;she just straight-up wants to release anybody who is in prison for any reason.&#8221; Hammer replied by pointing out how there has been a recent rise in violent crime, thus paring back the gains made during the Reagan and Clinton tough-on-crime decades:
<blockquote>[I]t&#8217;s just over the past, really two to three, maybe four, years that the FBI crime statistics are starting to show an increase again [in violent crime]. This is pretty harrowing. I mean, you know what, a lot of these people on the libertarian-leaning Right were talking about &#8220;criminal justice reform&#8221; three, four, or five years ago. Maybe it made a lot more sense then; the statistics today just tell a very different story.</blockquote>
WATCH:
<iframe title="Dems Want To Do Away With Life Sentences" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AvpfIAdvldI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-dont-let-kim-kardashian-fool-you-america-josh-hammer">Don&#8217;t Let Kim Kardashian Fool You. America Has An UNDER-Incarceration Problem.</a>

Hammer OANN screen grab 11.20.19

WATCH: Hammer on ‘Tipping Point With Liz Wheeler’: Far-Left Democrats Love Criminals

Ayanna Pressley

Transgender

According to <a href="https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/QoXkxP/styckade-sin-exflickvan--flyttas-till-kvinnofangelse">Aftonbladet</a>, one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries, a biological male who was convicted of killing and butchering his ex-girlfriend has been approved to move to a woman&#8217;s jail facility after claiming to be transgender.
In 2013, Kristoffer Johansson, who now goes by Kim Marie, was convicted of killing and cutting up his ex-girlfriend, <a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&amp;sl=sv&amp;u=https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/gjorde-konskorrigering-i-fangelset-nu-flyttas-hon-till-kvinnoanstalt/&amp;prev=search">Expressen</a> reported last week. Johansson recently started a &#8220;gender correction&#8221; in prison, the outlet noted, citing Aftonbladet. He alerted authorities about alleged harassment following the &#8220;correction&#8221; and submitted a request to be transferred to an all-female jail. After initially receiving a rejection of the application, Johansson has now been approved to serve out the rest of his time in a woman-only facility. 
According to Expressen, Johansson&#8217;s murdered ex-girlfriend, Vatchareeya Bangsuan, 20, had her butchered body parts scattered in the forest. In the wake of her disappearance, a military-backed search for her body was launched and Johansson assisted in the search, additional <a href="https://www.womenarehuman.com/transgender-identified-man-who-killed-dismembered-his-ex-girlfriend-wins-transfer-to-womens-prison-kim-marie-ne-kristoffer-johansson/">reports</a> mentioned. 
But in the end, it was blood traces that led police to Johansson, who was 22 years old at the time, Expressen said. He was sentenced to 14 years in county court, but the sentence &#8220;was subsequently reduced in the High Court to ten years in prison for murder.&#8221;
In a letter sent to the Expressen, Johansson claims he knew he was transgender since kindergarten. 
“When I went to kindergarten, I was always forced by the kindergarten teachers to stand with the boys when we were going out on trips to the forest, which I thought was strange because I myself felt that I should stand with the girls,&#8221; Johansson said. &#8220;It took me several years before I realized why I was who I was, and felt as I felt.&#8221;
The convicted murderer made the request to move to an all-female facility, Hinseberg, in August, since Johansson was &#8220;tired of being sexually harassed by male inmates.&#8221;
“Based on an overall assessment of what has emerged in the case, it is judged not to have sufficient reasons for relocation to another institution,&#8221; the initial rejection to the request said. &#8220;The Västervik Norra facility is deemed to be the most suitable location where order and security can be maintained and where Kim Johansson&#8217;s need for appropriate enforcement content can be provided.&#8221;
However, reporting on Johansson from last week indicates that the winds have shifted. The convict&#8217;s new October application for prison transfer has been granted: &#8220;According to information to the Aftonbladet, the application was granted last week and Kim Marie Johansson will thus serve the rest of his sentence in the Hinsebergsanstalen where, among others, Johanna Möller previously served.&#8221;
As covered by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/number-british-prisoners-claiming-they-are-hank-berrien">The Daily Wire</a> this summer, there has become a growing trend in male inmates claiming to be transgender:
<blockquote>As <a href="https://www.christian.org.uk/news/male-prisoners-self-identifying-as-trans-for-perks/">christian.org.uk</a> reports, “One in 50 male offenders in prisons say they are transgender, according to a survey by the Inspectorate of Prisons.” The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke, said there could be as many as 1,500 prisoners claiming they are transgender in England and Wales, at least ten times the previous estimate. He commented, “Sometimes we find the numbers of people identifying as transgender are higher in our survey than the prison will think.” Chair of the Prison Officers Association Mark Fairhurst speculated there “would always be some trying to abuse the system.” </blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/number-british-prisoners-claiming-they-are-hank-berrien">Number Of British Prisoners Claiming They Are Transgender Explodes</a>

A prisoner behind bars with hands cuffed

Transgender Convicted Killer To Be Transferred To Female Prison

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