Proud Boys Defense Lawyer Accuses the FBI of Infiltrating a Informant Not Into the Proud Boys, But Into The Defense Team Defending the Proud Boys

Spying on the lawyers of Regime enemies now?

This isn't proven. It's merely an allegation.

But I have suspicions that it's perfectly true.

The purpose of the spying would be to find out what documents the defense will be seeking, what strategy they will employ, etc., to anticipate the defense's moves.

Center for Security Policy researcher Kyle Shideler points out that the FBI has done this before, infiltrating a spy into the defense team of a Black Panther called, improbably, Gerald Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt.

In 1972 following a protracted trial a jury convicted petitioner/defendant Elmer Gerard Pratt (hereinafter defendant and/or Pratt) of the [112 Cal. App. 3d 802] murder in the first degree (Pen. Code, [section] 187) of Caroline Olsen in Santa Monica on December 18, 1968 (known as the tennis court murder); of two counts of robbery in the first degree (Pen. Code, [section] 211); and of assault with intent to commit murder on Kenneth Olsen (Pen. Code, [section] 217). The jury also found he was armed with a deadly weapon (pistol) in connection with each offense. The judgment of conviction was affirmed on appeal by division four of this district in an unpublished opinion (2 Crim. No. 22504). The California State Supreme Court unanimously denied defendant's petition for a hearing.

Defendant Pratt is presently serving a life sentence in state prison for the murder of Caroline Olsen and the commission of the other crimes of which he was convicted. By this petition for writ of habeas corpus he seeks his release from prison essentially on the grounds that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports obtained through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act disclose that key prosecution witness Julius C. Butler during the trial in 1972 "was informing to the (FBI), a fact he denied, under oath, at petitioner's original trial," that "the FBI concealed and withheld surveillance evidence corroborative, in part, of [defendant's] alibi defense," and that the FBI "had a spy in the defense camp" during the trial.

Shideler points out that there was, at least in the Black Panthers case, reason to suspect the lawyers might be engaged in their own crimes, including facilitating gun smuggling and terrorism.

That predicate isn't present here. Unless the FBI now considers "conspiracy to facilitate trespassing and parading" a crime now worthy of domestic espionage on US citizens engaged in a constitutionally-necessary activity, namely, defending the accused in court.

He also points out that no one on the left ever forgave the FBI for doing this.

But something tells me they're eager to forgive the FBI for doing this now, if the allegations are true.

Which, let's face it, they almost certainly are.

posted by Ace at 12:18 PM

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