Tag: republicans

State Passes Bill That Could Jail People for 30 Days for Filming the Police

Frequent readers of the Free Thought Project know that filming the cops is not a crime. Despite this being a widely known provision — held up with multiple court precedents — cops continue to violate the First Amendment protected right of citizens to film the police. Last month, the Arizona House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would criminalize filming cops on the job, dealing a massive blow to First Amendment rights. And this month, the Senate passed it.

It now moves to Governor Doug Ducey’s desk for signature, where it will become law.

Republican Representative John Kavanaugh, who is a former police officer, is the lead sponsor of the legislation. According to the bill, it is illegal “for a person to knowingly make a video recording of law enforcement activity, including the handling of an emotionally disturbed person, if the person does not have the permission of the law enforcement officer” and is within 8 feet of the cop.

Kavanaugh originally stipulated a 15 foot radius, however it was later amended after multiple objections. But for many, this is still too far.

As Valera Voce, points out, the law also classifies unlawful video recording of law enforcement activity as a petty offense, unless a person fails to comply with a verbal warning of a violation or has been previously convicted of a violation in which case an offense is a class 3 misdemeanor. A class 3 misdemeanor comes with a minimum of 30 days in jail. Finally, the bill explicitly declares that it “does not establish a right, or authorize any person, to make a video recording of a law enforcement officer.”

“It’s crazy thinking about that for a second. The video that led to the criminal conviction of the police officer who killed George Floyd would itself be a criminal act. And that makes no sense whatsoever,” attorney Dan Barr told FOX 10.

“We believe that this bill stacks the deck against the public check on officer misconduct,” Timothy Sparling, a lawyer and legislative advocate for Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice, said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week. Sparling argued that the bill leaves too much up to the discretion of the officers. “When officers have such wide discretion to determine, say, what is lawful conduct or what is unlawful conduct on the ground and that is not properly defined … it’s ultimately up to whatever the officer wants it to be,” Sparling said.

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Fortenberry resigns from Congress after felony convictions

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) announced Saturday he is resigning from Congress after being convicted of three felonies related to a federal probe of illegal campaign contributions.

His decision, which he announced after he returned to his home state, caps a remarkable political fall and came after top House leaders prodded him to end his nine-term career in the lower chamber following the guilty findings Thursday night by a jury in Los Angeles.

“Due to the difficulties of my current circumstances, I can no longer serve you effectively,” Fortenberry said in a statement.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday suggested Fortenberry should resign from Congress, indicating he would talk with the congressman that day.

“I think when someone’s convicted, it’s time to resign,” McCarthy told reporters on the final day of the House GOP retreat. The news shocked many of Fortenberry’s colleagues who cited the nine-term congressman’s commitment to his faith.

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Republicans Received Judge Jackson Records Hours Later Than Democrats

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee received Judge Kentaji Brown Jackson’s court records hours after Democrats received them, Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) admitted.

Since before Jackson’s hearings began, Republicans have said that they were having trouble receiving the full documents of Jackson’s record with the U.S. Sentencing Commission, a group created in 1984 for the stated purpose of “[reducing] sentencing disparities and [promoting] transparency and proportionality in sentencing.”

“So far, the Sentencing Commission has refused to turn over all Judge Jackson’s records from her time there,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in a March 16 Twitter thread discussing Jackson’s “alarming pattern” of leniency toward those in possession of child porn. In light of what we have learned, this stonewalling must end. We must get access to all relevant records.”

During the first round of Jackson’s hearings Monday, Judiciary Republicans still had not received the documents.

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Rep. Van Taylor Offered ‘ISIS Bride’ Hush Money to Keep Her Quiet

Following National File’s bombshell revelations regarding an extramarital affair between U.S. Rep. Van Taylor and former “ISIS Bride” Tania Joya, Breitbart News has obtained a banking statement from Joya which, she claims, proves Taylor offered “hush money” in order to keep her quiet. The $5,000 payment took place during Taylor’s time in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Joya — who was formerly married to high-ranking ISIS fighter John Georgelas before being freed in 2013 — claims to have had an extramarital affair with the congressman from October 2020 through June 2021. Joya provided Breitbart with banking records that demonstrate she made a $5,000 deposit into her account when she says the affair occurred.

Joya mentioned a $5,000 payment during her 35-minute testimony, which was published by National File on Saturday. Joya also alleges that Taylor offered to buy her home for $600,000. The alleged deal would have given Joya $150,000 to use to pay for utilities and other expenses. Additionally, Joya claims Taylor offered her $15,000 in order to help her launch a fitness studio, adding that the two had drawn up a business plan.

The two first became acquainted while Joya was working with a program called “Preventing Violent Extremism” (PVE) in August 2019, according to Joya’s testimony. From there they reportedly exchanged messages until October 2020, when Joya alleges the messages increased in frequency. Some of the texts reportedly from Taylor are extremely graphic, including one in which the congressman reportedly asked for a “long slow rim job.”

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