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The trial against former Twitter influencer Douglass Mackey AKA “Ricky Vaughn” is underway in New York City.
The Biden Regime is accusing Mr. Mackey of “election interference” over a meme he shared that mocked Hillary Clinton voters.
Revolver covered this historical “free speech” case from the get-go and wrote a detailed article revealing exactly why this is the most important First Amendment trial in the US.
You might not know much about Mackey’s case. It’s far less notorious than the January 6 prosecutions, or the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. But in terms of how much the speech matters for American liberty, it is as important as either of those — perhaps more so.
In January 2021, shortly after the January 6 incident inaugurated a national anti-MAGA crackdown, the Department of Justice charged Mackey with “conspiring … to deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote.”
Mackey’s offense? Illegal memes.
Specifically, the DOJ claims that the above meme merits a prison sentence of up to ten years, for violation of 18 U.S. Code § 241. The law, which concerns “Conspiracy against rights,” is a subset of the Enforcement Act of 1871, better known as the Ku Klux Klan Act.
The DOJ’s argument is that, by posting the above memes on Twitter in 2016, and designing it to resemble a Hillary Clinton ad, Mackey deceived the public into casting invalid text message votes, as part of a conspiracy to deprive them of the right to vote.
As the trial gets underway, more and more people are paying attention to what’s happening, thanks in part to Elon Musk taking interest in the case, Tucker Carlson’s consistent coverage, and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s blistering letter to Merrick Garland.
MTG’s letter was a powerhouse:
Attorney General Garland:
I write to you expressing my profound dismay at the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) case against Douglass Mackey over his posting of memes on Twitter in 2016.1 Shockingly, Mr. Mackey is being charged with 18 U.S.C. § 241 2 , which is a subset of the Enforcement Act of 1870, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act.3 The charge that Mr. Mackey was “conspiring with others in advance of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election to use various social media platforms to disseminate information designed to deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote”4 is not only laughable, but also a clear indication that the DOJ does not have a sound grasp on how to interpret the law.
First of all, it is an affront to African Americans lynched and murdered by the Ku Klux Klan that the DOJ is equating their treatment at the hands of racist terrorists to a Florida man posting memes on Twitter. That the DOJ thinks these two things are commensurate should be concerning to anyone. The law Mr. Mackey is accused of violating is clearly intended to criminalize physical violence and intimidation used to prevent people from exercising their rights as outlined in the Constitution, not the sharing of memes on social media. Mr. Mackey caused no one physical harm, did not threaten or intimidate anyone, and certainly did not kill anyone.
The question, then, is whether the DOJ is deliberately contorting this statute to apply to the free speech exercised by individuals with dissenting political views. All the evidence points to this being the case. Unfortunately, these tactics are nothing new for the DOJ since your appointment as Attorney General. We have seen individuals charged with felonies for obstructing legal proceedings on January 6, 2021, despite, in many cases, being nonviolent protestors exercising their constitutional right to freedom of assembly. Mr. Mackey’s case is perhaps even more concerning because he was not involved in any sort of riot or protest, but rather he simply posted funny images on social media that the DOJ did not like.
It seems the DOJ is intent on criminalizing “disinformation,” a legally undefined term, in order to squash freedom of speech. These Soviet-style methods of enforcing the law seem better suited for the governments of China or Iran, not the United States of America. There is no evidence that Mr. Mackey’s meme-posting prevented anyone from voting in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, and there are no individuals claiming that it did. This case is simply the DOJ, on behalf of its puppeteers in the White House, versus Douglass Mackey, a.k.a. @TheRickyVaughn. This flagrant assault on free speech and political participation is utterly un-American, undemocratic, and incredibly dangerous.
I call on you, as Attorney General, to order the charges against Douglass Mackey to be dropped by the DOJ, and to immediately thereafter resign as Attorney General of the United States before your gross incompetence and twisted sense of justice further deteriorates the rights enumerated in and protected by the Constitution, and destroys the lives of more Americans.
You can read the full letter here.
In addition, famed journalist Glenn Greenwald has also chimed in on the case:
That I haven't covered this case more is an omission on my part, but it deserves a lot more attention than it's received. This is a helpful thread: https://t.co/bjWtMeriW2
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 14, 2023
And speaking of high-profile names, Charlie Kirk, who’s been covering this case from the beginning, spoke with James Lawrence, one of Mr. Mackey’s lawyers, regarding the government’s “star witness” who they’re protecting from traditional cross examination, by insisting he remain “anonymous.”
This violates Mr. Mackey’s 6th Amendment right to face his accuser.
Mackey Defense Fund Lawyer @jlawrencenc Joined @charliekirk11 To Discuss Two New Troubling Updates In The Mackey Case (Biden Regime Trying To Lock Up Douglass Mackey Over Memes)
-Government Depriving Mackey Of His Sixth Amendment Rights
-SPLC Interfering https://t.co/twK9kyAUy1… https://t.co/mjFaT9SOay pic.twitter.com/C1rDFqWmsd— The Columbia Bugle ?? (@ColumbiaBugle) March 15, 2023
And speaking of attorney James Lawrence, he recently appeared on Newsmax with host Rob Schmitt, to discuss the “triple play” strategy the DOJ plans to unleash on Mr. Mackey.
This politically-driven prosecution is a direct violation of Mr. Mackey’s First Amendment, Fifth Amendment, and Sixth Amendment rights.
And our corrupt government doesn’t care – they’ll violate all of your “rights” if you don’t walk in perfect lockstep with their twisted political ideology.
You can support Mr. Mackey and this very important First Amendment by donating to his legal defense fund: memedefensefund.com
Or send crypto: DouglassMackey.Substack.com/p/crypto
Or GiveSendGo:
givesendgo.com/douglassmackeycase
If you’re not familiar with this case, we encourage you to read the two Revolver pieces here and here.
And don’t forget the power of prayer. Please pray for Douglass Mackey as he battles for free speech in the United States.
Mr. Mackey himself is asking for prayers.
Friends: We need your prayers as much as we need your donations.
Please pledge to pray for my defense every day until this case is resolved.
Thank you and God bless.
— Doug Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) March 15, 2023
Please commit to praying for Mr. Mackey each day until the end of his trial.
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