Federal grand jurors in the nation’s capital have refused to indict two people who were charged separately with threatening to kill President Donald Trump, more evidence of a growing backlash against Trump’s law enforcement intervention in Washington, D.C.
It is extraordinarily rare for a grand jury to balk at returning an indictment, but it has happened at least seven times in five cases since Trump last month ordered a surge in patrols by federal agents and troops in the District of Columbia. One of the instances involved the case against a man charged with hurling a sandwich at a federal agent.
The latest example occurred Tuesday, when Justice Department prosecutors told a magistrate judge that a grand jury declined to indict Edward Alexander Dana. He is accused of making a death threat against Trump while in police custody on Aug. 17. Dana also told police that he was intoxicated that night.
Grand jurors also refused to hand up an indictment against Nathalie Rose Jones, who was arrested Aug. 16 in Washington on charges that she made death threats against Trump on social media and during an interview with Secret Service agents. Jones’ attorney disclosed the decision in a court filing Monday.
Dana’s lawyer, Elizabeth Mullin, said she has never seen anything like this in over 20 years as a public defender in Washington. She said prosecutors are responding to Trump’s surge by bringing “weak cases” that don’t belong in federal court.
Posted by John3262005
1 Comment
This is fantastic news. Go DC!💪🏻