Federal cases against people the Justice Department claims assaulted or obstruction federal agents—defendants President Trump has called "insurrectionists," "animals," and "thugs"—are falling apart, largely because of law enforcement misconduct. In its push to satisfy demands from the White House, the administration brought charges against more than 550 people it says interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents. Of the more than 400 cases resolved so far, nearly half have collapsed, the New York Times reports. That failure rate stands against the department's typical performance of winning more than 90% of its criminal cases.
A review of every case filed under a once-obscure federal assault statute, 18 USC 111, found repeated judicial rebukes and a pattern of overreach: Defendants charged when videos showed agents throwing the first punch, people ticketed simply for filming or shouting warnings, evidence destroyed or withheld, and claims in court that judges later called "flagrant" and in "bad faith." In many instances, people were acquitted after arguing self-defense. In others, prosecutors quietly dropped charges before key deadlines. The Times report includes audio, video, and names in documenting how a law meant to protect federal officers has been used as a tool to deter dissent. The full piece on the investigation can be found here.
- Federal prosecutors in Chicago have rebelled against a wave of doomed cases, per the Times.
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