Could we be so lucky? Something showed up, something that was available the day this happened. It’s a pity it wasn’t used then, but it’s being used now. It’s about time some of them paid for the abuse. This made me chortle. Your evening host has taken some time to make a guest appearance this afternoon, and this is so worth it. My gratitude to Raw Story:
Video recently obtained by The New York Times directly “contradicts” the Trump administration’s past claim accusing an immigrant of attempted murder, and may ultimately become critical evidence in potential criminal charges against two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the outlet reported Monday.
In January, Venezuelan immigrant Julio C. Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by an ICE agent, who later accused the immigrant of beating him with a shovel and broom for three minutes. Sosa-Celis was later accused by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of “trying to kill the agent.”
First of all, how did the agent know it was exactly three minutes? Second of all, he was armed, so why didn’t he pull his gun then? He just stood there and let the guy beat on him. Yea no. Lies, lies, damned lies. Anyone looking at this story will see the fallacies right away. There was no possible way Mr. Sosa-Celis could have made the agent fear for his life. And it gets better!
However, video from a city-owned camera recently obtained and reviewed by the Times severely undercut the agent’s claim, and to such an extent that a top Trump official said the agent – along with their colleague who also leveled accusations against Sosa-Celis – may end up facing criminal charges. “The agency’s acting director, Todd Lyons, said after the charges were dropped that two agents had appeared to have lied under oath about the events, adding that they had been placed on leave and could end up facing criminal charges,” the Times report reads.
Could we be so lucky? Could this be an example in the future? It’s doubtful that ICE will calm down with their methods, but at least *someone* could pay for their actions and lies. (It’s a pity something like this didn’t happen to Bozino. He really needs to face accountability.) There’s also the lying under oath issue. That was a bad mistake on their part. That’s potential charges right there. We can hope.
Furthermore, the Times learned that the Trump administration “had access” to the video it had obtained “within hours of the shooting,” but that prosecutors “did not watch the footage,” according to an official who spoke with the Times on the condition of anonymity, “until nearly three weeks after they filed charges.” “Bare due diligence would have shown that the agents were lying,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in a recent interview, the Times reported.
Did someone drop the ball, or was it deliberately hidden? That’s a question we may never have answered. On the other hand, all sorts of interesting things are continuing to come out about Noem’s tenure, so there might actually be an answer further down the line. We shall see. For now, it’s enough to have the possibility of having two ICE agents brought up on charges. Whether or not ICE changes its behavior is a different issue. But this is a start.
See you soon!
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise that among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest-working. We’re a group of elderly, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
We shall see if there’s any follow-through on these cases.
Exactly. The news is out there, though. And it’s probably from bigger places than RS or Pz. Having an article in the NY Times is one great start!