cross-posted from: https://exploding-heads.com/post/86535
This is a problem of the Justice Department’s own making. They wanted to use the obstruction charge as a sword hanging over the head of January 6 rioters to get them to plead down. Facing 20 years in prison, most of the January 6 defendants took their deal.
If hundreds of rioters are freed, DoJ and the Biden administration will be facing a nearly unprecedented backlash. As they say in politics, “very bad optics.”