(TargetLiberty.org) – Multiple American cities lie in near ruins in the wake of months of racial and political unrest. Events promoted as peaceful protests quickly spiraled out of control, becoming full-blown riots destroying property and lives. It’s time the radicals behind the riots faced justice, and that’s precisely what Attorney General Bill Barr intends to do.
To put this in context, on Sept. 17, Fox News reported that damage to American cities due to summer riots and looting ranges cost the country somewhere between $1 to 2 billion. That estimate, provided by the Insurance Information Institute, only covers damages sustained from May 26 to June 8.
Additionally, scores of individuals reported being injured, and several people have lost their lives. The problem is serious, and AG Barr warned US Attorneys across the country last week that matters will likely worsen as the November 3 election approaches.
William Barr Ups the Ante
Barr is pushing back against those violent anti-American radicals by instructing federal prosecutors to explore a wide range of criminal charges, including sedition.
Seditious conspiracy is rarely used in modern times. Congress enacted the law during the Civil War in response to efforts by Confederate sympathizers to sabotage Union forces.
However, as former federal prosecutor and National Review columnist Andrew McCarthy recently wrote, the charge is “appropriate” against individuals who “use force against the government.”
Prosecutors do need to prove this, but actions of BLM and Antifa rioters and looters fall within that realm.
Additionally, McCarthy is no stranger to the use of section 2384 of the federal criminal code. He successfully prosecuted Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman and 11 others for their role in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
Although the country’s seditious conspiracy statute is rarely used, it’s entirely appropriate, as evidenced by AG Barr’s recent actions reinforced by McCarthy’s evaluation.
It’s high time un-American radicals faced the full weight of the American justice system.
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