Kansas militia men blame Trump rhetoric for mosque attack plan

 

FILE PHOTO: L - R; Curtis Allen 49, Gavin Wright, 49 and Patrick Eugene Stein, 47, arrested and charged in connection with plotting to bomb an apartment complex in western Kansas, are shown in these booking photos in Wichita, Kansas, U.S., provided October 15, 2016. Courtesy of Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS

 

(Reuters) - Three Kansas militia members who were convicted of plotting to bomb the mosque and homes of Somali immigrants should be granted leniency in their sentencing because they were inspired by President Donald Trump's rhetoric encouraging violence, lawyers for the men said in court documents.

 

The defence lawyers, in filings made in federal court in Kansas, said the court had to acknowledge Trump's "rough-and-tumble verbal pummelling" in the 2016 election campaign that "heightened the rhetorical stakes for people of all political persuasions."

 

One of the lawyers said that Trump continued to stoke Islamophobia.

 

The sentencing memorandums, filed on Monday and Tuesday, are just the latest instances of people blaming Trump's nationalistic rhetoric for encouraging right-wing extremists.

 

A federal jury in April convicted Curtis Allen, Patrick Stein and Gavin Wright of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy against civil rights. The attack, planned for the day after the 2016 election in Garden City, Kansas, was thwarted by another member of the group who informed authorities.

 

Prosecutors are seeking life terms for all three men when they are sentenced in November.

 

Attorneys James Pratt and Michael Shultz, representing Stein, said Trump appealed to "lost and ignored white, working-class men" like their client, who was "an early and avid supporter" of the president.

 

"The court cannot ignore the circumstances of one of the most rhetorically mould-breaking, violent, awful, hateful and contentious presidential elections in modern history, driven in large measure by the rhetorical China shop bull who is now our president," the lawyers wrote in their sentencing memorandum for Stein.

 

Had the three not been arrested, Trump's surprising victory would likely have led them to call off their attack as an orderly transition from President Barack Obama to Trump would have largely disproved their conspiracy theories, the attorneys said.

 

Kari Schmidt and Tyler Emerson, lawyers representing Wright, said Trump continued to stoke Islamophobia, recently tweeting that "unknown Middle Easterners" were in a migrant caravan heading to the U.S. border from Honduras, and calling it an "invasion."

 

"As long as the Executive Branch condemns Islam and commends and encourages violence against would-be enemies, then a sentence imposed by the Judicial Branch does little to deter people generally from engaging in such conduct if they believe they are protecting their countries from enemies identified by their own Commander-in-Chief,” they wrote in a sentencing memorandum for Wright.

 

(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-31

Aha, that well known "a bad man told me to do it" defence strategy.

7 minutes ago, BigBadGeordie said:

Aha, that well known "a bad man told me to do it" defence strategy.

If the guy who "told me to do it" is the leader of the county and he tells the people that is what good patriots do than the argument sounds not too farfetched.

Orange man bad!

It's a brilliant defense, the media has already determined that Trump is the devil incarnate and even caused Eve to bite the apple. We should should all be able to absolve ourselves from every mistake and bad plan we ever made. What can a simple person do against the influence of Trumps words? We are mere mortals.

You know, I can't decide whether to howl with laughter or shake my head in despair at some of the things coming out of "civic life" currently in the United States.

1 hour ago, canuckamuck said:

It's a brilliant defense, the media has already determined that Trump is the devil incarnate and even caused Eve to bite the apple. We should should all be able to absolve ourselves from every mistake and bad plan we ever made. What can a simple person do against the influence of Trumps words? We are mere mortals.

You can joke about it all you want but it doesn't change the fact that while pandering to his base Trump uses language that fires up and emboldens the loonies.

OK, give them leniency and require Trump to serve the balance of their reduced sentences.

2 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

It's a brilliant defense, the media has already determined that Trump is the devil incarnate and even caused Eve to bite the apple. We should should all be able to absolve ourselves from every mistake and bad plan we ever made. What can a simple person do against the influence of Trumps words? We are mere mortals.

It's a realistic defense because it is true.

 

I doubt it has any legal value though.

5 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

It's a brilliant defense, the media has already determined that Trump is the devil incarnate and even caused Eve to bite the apple. We should should all be able to absolve ourselves from every mistake and bad plan we ever made. What can a simple person do against the influence of Trumps words? We are mere mortals.

They are not offering a defence, they’ve already been convicted.

 

They are confirming they acted as a direct response to Trump’s rhetoric.

 

Regardless of whether or not they receive any leniency in their sentencing these extreme rightwing white supremacist terrorists have provided a clear statement that their terrorism was encouraged by Trump’s words.

 

Trump’s rhetoric linked to extreme rightwing white supremacist terrorism by the terrorists themselves.

 

Bingo!

It’s a part of an excuse in seeking a lessor sentence.... mitigating circumstance.

 

The more of these they cite, the greater the chance of a more lenient sentence..... and the worse it will look for the Don.

 

if this flies, then expect lawyers for sayoc and bowers to use the same tactic... which will be fun to watch.

 

i believe that part of the responsibility of the president is to lead the nation, for the good of the nation. Imo, he’s failing in this regard, by invoking fear and stoking hate, every time he addresses his flock

9 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If the guy who "told me to do it" is the leader of the county and he tells the people that is what good patriots do than the argument sounds not too farfetched.

yea, if you're a moron too.

Not all Trump supporters are racists.

But all racists are Trump supporters. 

It's a brilliant defense, the media has already determined that Trump is the devil incarnate and even caused Eve to bite the apple. We should should all be able to absolve ourselves from every mistake and bad plan we ever made. What can a simple person do against the influence of Trumps words? We are mere mortals.

At least the devil has scruples.

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You can joke about it all you want but it doesn't change the fact that while pandering to his base Trump uses language that fires up and emboldens the loonies.

Absolutely. Whatever it takes to win even if he totally destroys the country. The enemy of the people? He projects.

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Not all Trump supporters are racists.
But all racists are Trump supporters. 

More like if you meet a racist he probably supports trump. That is his base.

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Several things about these men have me thinking that they were perhaps influenced by Trump.  First, they look like dumb-ass shit-kickers. Second they live in Kansas.  And finally, shit-kickers are generally highly patriotic and these dumb-asses tend to believe in and follow the President's rhetoric, which was perhaps seen by them as a patriotic gesture.

37 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

More like if you meet a racist he probably supports trump. That is his base.

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Yep, doubt that this guy has ever worn one of the inane MAGA hats. Sometimes it's good to be reminded that there are lots of good guys out there.

If Trump was even a thousandth of one percent the man this guy is.....

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/mans-touching-act-kindness-mother-goes-viral-095546606.html

 

 

 

10 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If the guy who "told me to do it" is the leader of the county and he tells the people that is what good patriots do than the argument sounds not too farfetched.

Although Trump wasnt the leader of the Country at the time (Obama was) and Tump didnt tell them to carry out the planned attack

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

They are not offering a defence, they’ve already been convicted.

They are confirming they acted as a direct response to Trump’s rhetoric.

Regardless of whether or not they receive any leniency in their sentencing these extreme rightwing white supremacist terrorists have provided a clear statement that their terrorism was encouraged by Trump’s words.

Trump’s rhetoric linked to extreme rightwing white supremacist terrorism by the terrorists themselves.

Bingo!

Although they are just trying to get a lenient sentence and their statement should be viewed in that context .

  Its not an honest genuine statement , they are stating that in order to gain  their freedom and not to get sent to jail for life

7 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Although they are just trying to get a lenient sentence and their statement should be viewed in that context .

  Its not an honest genuine statement , they are stating that in order to gain  their freedom and not to get sent to jail for life

How do you know it is not an honest genuine statement? All sounds very plausible. Unless you're saying Trump didn't say that?

3 minutes ago, stevenl said:

How do you know it is not an honest genuine statement? All sounds very plausible. Unless you're saying Trump didn't say that?

I am quite certain that Trump didnt suggest that people bomb Mosques .

It's believable but should not reduce their personal responsibility.

 

 

https://www.prri.org/research/partisan-polarization-dominates-trump-era-findings-from-the-2018-american-values-survey/

 

"Encouraging White Supremacists

 

A majority (54%) of Americans say that President Trump’s decisions and behavior as president have encouraged white supremacist groups, compared to just five percent who believe the president has discouraged white supremacist groups. "

 

 

 

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54 minutes ago, sanemax said:

I am quite certain that Trump didnt suggest that people bomb Mosques .

Which is not what they are claiming. Any comments on that, after all that is what this thread is about.

Sounds like a classic case of trump derangement syndrome lol

then court should charge Trumph for causing such idiots doing harm around.

if they give a lower sentence for these guys, it means court accepts the responsibility of Trump for the recent spree of hate related crime.

"I am quite certain that Trump didnt suggest that people bomb Mosques ."

 

Yet.

 

It doesn't seem like a stretch that if Stephen Miller drafted such an Executive Order and put it in front of Trump, he would sign it.

 

In other parts of the world he's certainly not condemning it, now is he?

 

Mosques flattened in fresh Saudi airstrikes in Yemen

 

Saudi Arabian warplanes have flattened a mosque in Yemen's west-central Ma’rib Province, and stricken another in the northwestern Sa’da Province.

 

The first attack targeted the mosque in Ma’rib’s Sirwah district, Yemeni news website Sahafah24 reported on Sunday.

 

A day earlier, the aircraft targeted a mosque and other religious centers in Sa’ada’s Razih District.

 

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/02/25/553534/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-mosques-Marib-Saada