Brandon Straka Assures MAGAts That He Didn’t Share Evidence of Any Pre-January 6 Crimes
Brandon Straka released a post-sentencing statement announcing that he is self-deplatforming to Rumble and GETTR and claiming that the “left wing media” turned DOJ’s discussion of Straka’s cooperation into a narrative that “Trump Ally Turning Over Significant Information About January 6th.” [emphasis Straka’s] The closest to that phrase I can find (aside from Straka’s own comments posted to 4chan) is Politico, which is owned by right wingers, as well as the gay press.
Straka may in fact be more worried that the right wing press labeled him a snitch, not least because he uses the phrase later in his own statement.
The statement is interesting for several reasons.
First, Straka doesn’t deny the obstruction of the vote count that he should have been charged with. He explains asking his followers to “HOLD. THE. LINE” after he had been instructed by Ali Alexander, ““Everyone get out of there … The FBI is coming hunting,” that this was just about a peaceful protest, not physically occupying the Capitol to prevent Joe Biden’s win from being certified.
Some of my comments on January 6th and the following days have been highly scrutinized and my intent speculated. In particular, one stated to “HOLD. THE. LINE.” in addressing the people at the Capitol. You should all know that I was present on the East side of the Capitol and never witnessed any of the violence taking place on the West side that day. I shot video of the thousands of peaceful protestors standing on the East side singing songs and holding signs. This was the scene when I left the grounds. My statement was to encourage the thousands of peaceful protestors to stand their ground- after all, peaceful protests are still protected by our constitution, right?
Straka doesn’t deny being told about the violence on the west side. He falsely claims to have filmed only peaceful activities, when he in fact filmed himself encouraging rioters as they stole a cop’s shield.
More importantly, he doesn’t address that he was encouraging these “protestors” to continue to obstruct the vote certification.
And, again, he was doing so after he himself had left after having been warned about an incoming FBI presence.
Particularly given something that Straka said to Trump appointee Dabney Friedrich at sentencing (which I’ll return to once I find the best video), I find this comment from Straka of particular interest.
In the three and a half years that I have been working in the world of politics, I have not attained ANY INFORMATION of ANY KIND about any criminal wrongdoing of any person in the MAGA movement. That includes every person from the very bottom of up to Donald Trump and every person in between. It would be impossible for me to “snitch” or “turn people over” because I have NOTHING to share.
I do not believe that there was any kind of plot or scheme to initiate violence on January 6th. I do not believe that any kind of plot or plan or scheme will ever be discovered because I feel 100% certain no such thing exists. Like most of you, I’ve employed common sense and come to the conclusion that a very small percentage of people did some very bad things that day, and that this was a spontaneous riot that broke out without planning. If any evidence of anything ever comes to light, I will be as shocked as anybody else.
I have NO INFORMATION of any kind of share about any crime others in the MAGA movement have committed at any point, even prior to January 6th.
Straka denies there was a scheme to initiate violence. That’s not the accusation though. The scheme — laid out in writing by Ali Alexander’s associates in the Proud Boys — was to spark others to commit violence, and then blame Antifa for starting things.
But he, again, does not deny there was a plot to obstruct the vote certification.
More interesting, given DOJ’s apparently belated discovery of Straka’s activities leading up to January 6, is his statement denying knowledge of crimes “prior to January 6th.”
Particularly given the way Straka sees what came earlier as separate from January 6th, Straka’s plea deal might not cover crimes he committed in that earlier period.
Why does Straka’s plea deal have an Epstein-esque plea deal feeling to it?
Thus far, Straka has not died suspiciously in federal custody.
Aw jeez, not this “suspicious Epstein death” junk again. Seriously?
hah. it has achieved (ahem) endemicity. everybody watched The Wire and knows exactly how it is you can hang yourself from a doorknob.
There are suspicions about it. That makes it suspicious. One thing that is not a matter of debate is that he’s dead.
Need evidence though, and there is little to none that it was not suicide. The original autopsy was by the NYC coroner, not some BOP shill. And she was clear that she found it suicide. The “suspicions” are from the family that wants a pocket to pick and their bought and paid for “expert”, Michael Baden, who is a go to guy for people looking for a desired result. And, trust me, he does not come cheap. Further, people who think there is no way suicides can’t happen in a jail simply don’t know jails. It can and does happen.
Man, the mid- ’90s really ruined Baden and Lee (later, Wecht: Hold my Beer).
Yep.
Perhaps, your mind feels better having answers to discordant information.
This thought occurs to me: if he really were a cooperator, wouldn’t the Feds want him to convince his friends that he wasn’t a snitch, thus to receive more info from the insurrectionists? Could ongoing cooperation result in getting some time knocked off his sentence? If I read an earlier EW correctly, there was plenty of post plea BS, and not much reaction to it from the Feds.
Hmmm…didn’t know that about Politico. Here’s an informative article about its new owner Axel Springer.
https://countercurrents.org/2021/09/a-right-wing-german-news-conglomerate-bought-politico-for-a-billion-dollars/
Thank you for sharing this. I have noticed a change in Politico since they were taken over, but I had no idea how far into they slime they had gone.
Old repeated TV cop trick. Grab a guy they know won’t talk along with a few others, then just let him go without a word while the others stay a while. He knows he looks like a snitch and runs back for a deal including protection.
I can see that being used. Don’t see why it wouldn’t work, even if the first time I saw it was in black and white.
Lol, that doesn’t really work too often, and rarely occurs in federal cases.
Come on, it always works on TV.
Of course the same writer that comes up with the plan always writes the result as well.
When the argument whether Jack could have survived the Titanic came to Cameron his answer was there was no way Jack could survive because the script says he dies.
“Honest, I’m not a snitch” is less about gaining further evidence for the State, and more about not getting stitches, as the street advice goes.
…or it’s about the grift. Straka only continues to get paid if he doesn’t snitch. And/or a future Fox cable news or Newsmax anchor can’t have ‘Jan6 snitch’ on his/her resume.
“I want to show you that I’m honest in the worst way.”
(A. Pismo Clam, The Bank Dick)
so basically he sang like a bird.
Dude-man walking.
Besides the obvious “guilty dog barks first” thing going on here, I see another angle. A common refrain in all his statements is *I didn’t see/plan/participate in any illegal activity.* He is continuing to deny that anything he was involved in is illegal. And, as with many of the other participants, he continues to press the narrative that they were just Patriots participating in a peaceful protest.
I have to say I’m really quite confused about Straka. He’s been a talking head, an “influencer,” for the MAGA movement for several years, but this time he seems to have either fallen for his own line of bullshit, or have decided that he would very vocally join in, to add to the drama. He obviously stays in close contact with Ali “Alexander” Akbar and several other very visible provocateurs.
Besides all he said online about the coming “wild” time, encouraging others to fight a new civil war, and not back down, then, he actually wound up participating in the physical riot and insurrection. He was charged for that. That much I’m clear of, but it ends there.
His cooperation was announced months ago. In the meantime, he continued his very visible life as a genuine MAGAt. As the time drew near for his sentencing, his suggested punishment seemed dazzlingly light. And although that would also seem to point to his cooperation, it was revealed that he might have pulled some wool over his previous prosecutor’s eyes. She was replaced, then it was announced that the government needed more time to consider an appropriate punishment. Then it was announced that there were some issues with his recent testimony during FBI interviews. It was intimated (at least I understood) that the government wanted more time to consider the new developments, and perhaps reassess how cooperative Straka had really been. But then, only a few days later, we find out that he and the court went ahead with his sentencing, and without any apparent further investigation. What gives?
Straka’s trying very hard to sever himself from conspiracy charges — “a scheme to initiate violence,” “a plot to obstruct the vote certification” as Marcy wrote –but his actions certainly appeared to have supported and furthered the conspiracy.
Is that what all the weasel words are about, conspiracy charges (18 USC 371, worth another fine and up to 5 years incarceration) which have been negotiated away by his cooperation?
I’m sure those concerns play a big part in what he’s saying, and I’m certainly no stranger to those sorts of verbal gyrations. What continues to confuse me is the waffling on the part of the DOJ during his plea negotiations and, even during his drawn-out sentencing. Where, in “waffling,” the waffles are approaching the size of the Alps.