Let’s not fuck around. Let’s get straight to the point.
§2384. Seditious conspiracy
If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
President Donald Trump and his chief of staff Mark Meadows conspired to destroy by force the Government of the United States. They attempted to prevent, hinder and delay the execution of Congress’s ratification of the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. There were many other conspirators, but it only takes two to make a conspiracy.
The courts have already adjudicated three separate seditious conspiracy cases resulting in 14 convictions. There is no longer any debate that a seditious conspiracy occurred which culminated with the murderous storming of the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. By January 6, 2023, the government had prosecuted over a thousand people for their role in the siege. That number is higher today. Trump has so far escaped arrest on any charges related to his coup attempt, but no one should be any doubt about his culpability nor the probability that Special Counsel Jack Smith will soon bring charges. Justice cannot be served if more than a thousand of people are prosecuted and the ringleader is not.
The executives at CNN know this. They also know that the courts have been struggling to deal with his habit of inciting violence, leading them to create an anonymous jury in the E. Jean Carroll sexual assault case which just resulted in the ex-president being held liable and to the issuance of gag order in the Stormy Daniels hush money case prohibiting Trump from discussing the case on social media.
In case after January 6 case, both defendants and lawyers on their behalf have openly blamed Trump’s lies about the 2020 election being rigged or stolen as misleading them into committing crimes. And at no point has Trump stopped lying and inciting.
These are the reasons CNN was warned by so many people not to host a town hall meeting for Trump. They didn’t listen.
By providing a format for him to continue his lies and incitement, CNN did what the courts are desperately trying to prevent. That they did it on the pretext that he’s a presidential candidate for 2024 with strong showing in the polls just shows a basic misunderstanding of what it means to be a good citizen who supports the Constitution and opposes sedition.
Dozens of people have written condemnations of CNN’s decision and the resulting clusterfuck. I don’t need to add to their points here. CNN has disgraced themselves and they deserve every measure of brutal criticism they receive.