One of the leaders of the terrorist group the Proud Boys has been sentenced to a whopping 17 years in prison! Joe Biggs was convicted by a DC jury in regard to his actions around the January 6, 2021 insurrection. One of the most serious charges against Biggs was seditious conspiracy for trying to forcibly prevent the peaceful transfer of power.
Prosecutors initially wanted Biggs to face 33 years in prison, which would have been by far the longest sentence given down to any of the insurrectionists. But District Judge Timothy Kelly wanted to convey the seriousness of his offenses without creating “unwanted disparities.” Still, this is one of the longest sentences given thus far to anyone involved in the Trump-inspired riots. The longest sentence distinction right now goes to the leader and founder of another disgusting group, the Oath Keepers. Stewart Rhodes was handed down a hefty sentence of 18 years in prison.
Another member of the Proud Boys, Zachary Rehl, was also sentenced to 15 years. Rehl is a former Marine and the president of a Philadelphia chapter of the group. According to CNN, “During sentencing Thursday, the judge concluded that Rehl was less of an architect than Biggs of the violent plot but noted that Rehl repeatedly lied on the stand during the trial.”
We have seen that accountability is key with these people because if they don’t face serious consequences, what prevents something like this from happening again? Judge Kelly gave some insightful statements during the sentencing. He spoke about those who have served, saying (per CNN), “Our Constitution and laws give you so many important rights that Americans have fought and died for and that you yourself put on a uniform to defend.” Which is perfect. Republicans have spent decades branding themselves the party of “law and order” and that’s all crumbling to dust right in front of us. When it comes to those who serve or have served, either military or law enforcement, and yet support Trump, what are they doing? They do not have an allegiance to the country or to law and order because Trump is a traitor and a criminal. I feel too often the mainstream news media is afraid to go after Trump supporters in general, but they are particularly afraid to critique public “servants.” But we must condemn them for violating their oaths.
Kelly also went on to defend the 17-year sentence, stating “The nature of the constitutional moment we were in that day is something that is so sensitive that it deserves a significant sentence.” I wish more people talked like this. These people literally didn’t care about our Constitution and our country. If they had been successful, we would have catapulted into catastrophe. They all helped remind us how fragile democracy really is. Plenty of democracies globally have fallen to authoritarianism or otherwise failed, and what is to stop the United States from doing so as well? Our strong institutions are key in protecting our style of governance. But people like Trump and Biggs have tried to dismantle these protections.
In court, Biggs begged Judge Kelly for leniency, saying he was “seduced” by the mob and insisting he’s “not a terrorist.” “My curiosity got the best of me and I’m going to have to live with that for the rest of my life,” he said, tearing up.
Does anyone believe that? Biggs is the leader of a white supremacist organization. This wasn’t about “curiosity,” this was a coordinated plan to stage a coup. He didn’t get caught up in the mob, he was the mob. This also wasn’t just some rag-tag group that came together on the day and got carried away. There is a very direct link between these domestic terrorists and established politicians.
This is an important point because Americans must understand that this is a strategic partnership. We know that Trump was the top dog, using his fragile ego to lead a conspiracy-driven revolt. We know Republican members of Congress gave tours to insurrectionists ahead of January 6. But how deep does the involvement go? Much of this question is still left unanswered. People like Governor Abbott in that tweet above should have to explain their relationship to Biggs. This is unacceptable. Biggs’ sentence is an eye-opening reminder of how serious this event was. Hopefully, those at the top will continue to get the punishment that they deserve.
(via CNN, featured image: Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
