DOJ Moves to Label John Sullivan (insurrectionist) a Professional Provocateur

[Nevilledog]

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emptywheel
@emptywheel
As I noted the other day, DOJ is moving to seize $90K that John Sullivan made off the video he filed of the insurrection.

DOJ Moves to Label John Sullivan a Professional Provocateur | emptywheel
Yesterday, the government released a superseding indictment for John Earle Sullivan, the guy who filmed video of the insurrection and then sold it to CNN and other media outlets. In addition to...
emptywheel.net
11:45 AM · May 21, 2021

https://www.emptywheel.net/2021/05/20/doj-moves-to-label-john-sullivan-a-professional-provocateur/

Yesterday, the government released a superseding indictment for John Earle Sullivan, the guy who filmed video of the insurrection and then sold it to CNN and other media outlets. In addition to adding two crimes for his possession of a knife he boasted of having in his own video but then allegedly lied to the FBI about, the government moved to seize almost $90,000 in forfeiture. The move is an aggressive step that may be justifiable for Sullivan, but has implications for the five or so other propagandists arrested as part of the riot.

Sullivan was first charged, with civil disorder and trespassing, on January 13, after several FBI interviews. His arrest affidavit described how, repeatedly during the video he filmed of the riot, he made comments egging on the rioters. At the moment he caught Ashli Babbitt’s shooting on film, he had pushed himself to the front of that mob by calling out that he had a knife.

When the government first indicted Sullivan on February 3, the added obstruction and abetting charges to the civil disorder and trespass charges. That happened at virtually the same time the government moved to revoke his bail, based off several violations of the limits imposed on his use of social media. Sullivan responded by arguing that all that media contact was his job; his lawyer even provided evidence of the funds CNN have paid him to obtain his video of the insurrection. In response, Sullivan remained on bail with more explicit limits to his Internet access.

*snip*

[Hekate]

1. Nice, very nice

[empedocles]

2. The feds are closing in.