The Department of Justice recently dismissed a case against New Yorker Christopher Kelly, who was charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S Capitol. Authorities confirmed that the government and defense counsel discussed the merits of the case and believe that “dismissal without prejudice” best serves the interests of justice. This is one of the hundreds of Capitol criminal cases that have been filed.
According to court documents, Kelly had been charged with obstruction of congressional proceeding, aiding and abetting, unlawful entry, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and relying partly upon an unidentified confidential source for information. They cited messages and posts from Kelly’s Facebook to argue that he had traveled to Washington D.C with his brother, an ex-NYPD officer, on Jan. 6.
“When good men do nothing, evil triumphs. Evil, sin, and sinful men must be opposed. God commands those who are good, not just to avoid evil but actively oppose it. Where will you be on 1/6?” Kelly wrote on his Facebook account on Dec. 28.
Another post from his account showed people inside of the Capitol, with one man holding a Trump flag while another man was wearing a “Make American Great Again” hat. An FBI agent claimed that the message and pictures were used to inform associates that he was inside the Capitol Building and that he wanted the image to be shared.
The bureau had even confirmed that Kelly was aware of the planned Joint Session of Congress and traveled to Washington D.C with the intent to disrupt. They said he was aware that other people were using force to gain entry to the U.S Capitol.
Kelly was arrested based on a complaint on January 20 and had his appearance before the court on February 9. He was one of more than 450 people charged in connection with the U.S Capitol attacks and has had the matter continued in court several times. This includes members of the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other organized groups. The next date for Kelly’s preliminary hearing and the status conference had been set for June 2, 2021, shortly before the counsel filed the motion to dismiss the Complaint without prejudice.
The DOJ also announced that they would not be pursuing charges against the Capitol officer who fatally shot 35-year-old Air Force veteran and Trump supporter, Ashli Babbitt, as she attempted to climb through a window near the Speaker’s lobby. They said that there was insufficient evidence to support any kind of criminal prosecution after investigating video footage and scenes of the shooting. They said that federal prosecutors could not prove that the officer violated any federal laws beyond a reasonable doubt.
A Black Lives Matter rioter is also facing charges for his actions on Jan. 6 on additional counts, including bringing a bullhorn to instigate Trump supporters to attack the Capitol. He even captured Babbitt’s death during the Capitol incident on camera and reportedly sold it to news networks for tens of thousands of dollars.
While the left-wing establishment continues to claim that there were no radical left rioters at the Capitol that day, any person with common sense could easily conclude that the violence is not limited to one political party. In fact, Republicans are arguably less violent. Just look at last summer.
