New Hampshire Attorney General john Formella has cried uncle on the matter of charging nine “protesters” accused of disrupting an Executive Council Meeting Last October. The NH Nine did no such thing, and the State has decided that it would lose if it perused any charges.
Formella said the seven-month investigation showed that while there was “probable cause” some of the protesters at the Sept. 29 meeting may have violated state law by obstructing the proceedings, state prosecutors likely wouldn’t have been able to provide any criminal wrongdoing.
“Those individuals would have certain constitutional and statutory defenses available to them at trial and based on these defenses, and other evidentiary issues, the state would be unable to sustain its burden of proving these individuals guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” Formella said in a statement.
Some protesters “would have certain constitutional and statutory defenses available to them at trial.” ” [A]nd based on these defenses, and other evidentiary issues…”
Nice dodge. So, you’ve got no damn case. It was all a waste of time and resources.
And based on the extensive video evidence available from third-party observers – like this, for example – it is clear that there was no “protest” and that the accused were wrongfully arrested and detained.
I should add, at the behest of a whiny petulant governor who just wanted more federal money and was pissed that anyone would dare to object.
If you watch the video, no one obstructed the proceedings, which would become obvious in a trial.
I’m happy for the NH nine, but I am wondering if there is a legal path to punish the antics. Sununu was working an intimidation angle. He wanted to send a message and used the NH State Police to send it. But this is New Hampshire, where an above-average number of people know the law, sometimes better than the people in elected office, and these arrests were a joke from day one.
Not that corruptocrats running the Granite State wouldn’t do it or try to make it sick. That’s expected, but for AG Formella to admit they don’t even have enough for that is a thing.
