Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Wednesday on CNN’s “The Lead” that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s speech about the Oath Keepers’ conviction for seditious conspiracy in connection with the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot was a direct message to former President Donald Trump and those who worked with him that the Department of Justice can prove sedition.
Guest anchor Kasie Hunt said, “Let me ask you about what we saw in the trial. Do you think the events of the last 24 hours have changed the calculation for the Justice Department in terms of whether or not to prosecute the former president since they were able to secure this conviction?”
McCabe said, “No question, in a couple of ways. The comments about the Oath Keeper verdict by the AG is a little more than just a chest-pounding session. He is sending a message to the attorneys representing the other Oath Keepers, whose trial is coming up, and the Proud Boys and whoever might be in the wings later that we can do this. We can put on these complicated, high-stakes political cases and get verdicts. Rethink whether you want to cooperate, provide evidence and seek an easier path. I think that’s a — it’s a very loud message to those folks who were in leadership positions, who may be being looked at for their role in organizing and instigating the attack. And first and foremost among those is, of course, the former president.”
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