Better in their words…

This is more public theater to put the fear of the deep state into conservatives; anyone who does not align with the ‘official narrative’. mrossol

By Susan Shelley, 12/5/2023   Source: The political persecution of Siaka Massaquoi – Orange County Register

“This has gone too far,” wrote Elon Musk on his X platform on Saturday.

Musk was reacting to a post by Seth Dillon of the satire site, the Babylon Bee.

Dillon wrote this about actor Siaka Massaquoi, a North Hollywood resident who was arrested by an FBI SWAT team at Burbank Airport when he and his pregnant wife Charlotte returned to Los Angeles after a trip to Nashville:

“If you’ve watched our Californians Move to Texas series, then you’re already familiar with Siaka,” Dillon wrote. “You know how funny and talented he is. But he isn’t just a talented actor and friend of the Babylon Bee; he also happens to be a Trump supporter. And he’s being punished for it by our government. As Siaka was returning home from a trip to Nashville for the Daily Wire’s latest premiere, the FBI was waiting to arrest him and charge him with crimes related to his presence at the Capitol on Jan 6. I couldn’t believe this when I heard it. This political persecution can’t be allowed to continue.”

Siaka was jailed overnight and hauled into a courtroom the next day. He was released on his own recognizance after posting a $1,000 bond.

I know Siaka personally. He was a candidate for the state Assembly in 2022. He is the elected 1st Vice-Chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County. He has volunteered his time to speak to political science classes at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, events that I have attended with him.

The arrest warrant for Siaka cites four misdemeanors (parading, trespassing, disorderly conduct) in connection with the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

“Absolutely unprecedented. 21 years as a fed prosecutor. Never knew of a misdemeanor case that was handled by arrest,” wrote a former federal prosecutor who is now representing January 6 defendants and who posts on X under the handle “Shipwreckedcrew.”

If Siaka Massaquoi posed some threat to the United States, it seems very unlikely that he’d be charged only with misdemeanors, that he would be released on his own recognizance, and that it would take the FBI three full years to arrest him for his (non-violent) actions at the Capitol.

But he is not a threat. He is a charismatic former college football player. He is a Black Republican. He wasn’t afraid to stand up for his rights, and with the help of Freedom Watch’s Larry Klayman, he sued the FBI and Director Christopher Wray in July 2021 after his home was raided the previous month by federal agents at 5:45 a.m. and his property seized, including his computer and cell phone. He was not arrested or charged at the time, and his property was not returned.

Massaquoi filed what’s known as a Bivens action against the FBI. That’s a civil rights lawsuit that can be filed if a person’s civil rights are violated by a federal agent. The federal officers can be held personally liable.

Massaquoi’s contention that his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure were violated made it up to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The judges accepted written briefs but canceled oral arguments. Then in August of this year, the case was dismissed. The court said the remedy is in the executive branch, apparently meaning Massaquoi could file a complaint with the Justice Department Inspector General.

It is now beyond any dispute that the FBI and Department of Justice are persistently engaging in disparate treatment of Americans based on their political views.

A new report by Christopher Rufo in City Journal observes that “accountability hasn’t been forthcoming” for the riots and violence during the summer of 2020. “In Portland, federal prosecutors quietly dismissed nearly half the cases against George Floyd rioters,” and “in Seattle, ringleaders of the ill-fated ‘autonomous zone’ in Seattle were never charged with crimes.”

But conservative influencer Douglass Mackey was sentenced to seven months in prison for posting a joke meme about voting by text for Hillary Clinton. A federal appellate court just ruled that he will remain free while his appeal goes forward.

This can’t continue. Even Elon Musk, who wants to go beyond the moon, thinks some things are just too far.

Write Susan@SusanShelley.com and follow her on Twitter @Susan_Shelley