Reports of the treatment of the Jan. 6 political prisoners is wrong. Every American should be concerned about the lack of due process. These prisoners have the right to a fair and speedy trial.
Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning spoke to Right Side Broadcasting this week in a live interview in front of the U.S. Capitol following a press conference with Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Paul A. Gosar (Ariz.) and Louie Gohmert (Tex.). Earlier in the day, the members of Congress were denied entrance to the DC Jail where the Department of Justice has locked up prisoners for their alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. Congress has oversight over the DC Jail and the members were there to investigate reports of abuses of the Jan. 6 political prisoners.
Liz Willis: Why are you here today in front of the Capitol?
Rick Manning: Because liberty matters. People’s due process rights matter. Reports of treatment coming out of the DC Jail are reprehensible. The only disappointment about this press conference is there weren’t 435 Members of Congress standing here, rather than four, because it takes a great deal of courage for those four members to stand up and say something’s wrong. We have to make certain that individual liberties are applied to everybody equally. Otherwise, we’re nothing more than a dictatorship.
Liz Willis: What have you heard regarding the treatment of these prisoners?
Rick Manning: We’re hearing that people are in isolation. We know that one of the prisons, one of the guards that came out and whispered under their breath the words, “white supremacist.” So you can imagine what kind of treatment you’d get from a guard who looks at you as “other” and who wants to take away your rights. The fact they won’t open up their system to evaluation by the people who have congressional oversight is a crime. It’s a violation of their basic trust.
Liz Willis: Americans have the right to a fair and speedy trial but it appears that these political prisoners from January 6 are not getting their constitutional rights. Why are they being subjected to this?
Rick Manning: Because it’s politically correct to do so. These individuals have been tarred as insurrectionists who, according to Joe Biden, tried to attack in the worst insurrection since the Civil War. At least two-thirds of people who were in the Capitol were essentially taking selfies. The damage done here was a couple windows and a door broken. Not a single statue was overturned or broken. The beautiful artwork around the around the Capitol Rotunda was left intact.
Liz Willis: Nancy Pelosi has put together a committee to investigate the events of January 6. It is allegedly bipartisan. Do you think that that’s true?
Rick Manning: The commission is nothing more than a partisan attempt to keep the events of January 6 in the news. It is not designed to get to the truth. Why did Nancy Pelosi get three warnings that they needed to have the National Guard and refused all three warnings? In the hearing this week, a Capitol police officer testified that officer Brian Sicknick was killed by the so-called insurrectionists. The coroner has stated officer Sicknick died of natural causes. By definition that means his death was unrelated to the events of that day. The narrative that Pelosi is trying to create that this was a violent overt attempt to overthrow the government is false. Nobody had a firearm on them. The vast majority of charges are misdemeanor charges. It is wrong for people to be held for months and months on end on misdemeanor charges
Liz Willis: What do you think is Nancy Pelosi his ultimate goal of this commission?
Rick Manning: Reelection. She’s trying to build up her base to get them to remember how much they hate Trump. Pelosi has politicized our law enforcement and that is dangerous at it to his core. That’s why is was so great what these four members of Congress did by coming out here today. They are shining the light on these abuses. People need to know what is happening and stand up and say, this is America.
Catherine Mortensen is Vice President of Communications at Americans for Limited Government.
