Posted on 04/03/2023 7:10:29 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Friday, a federal jury in New York convicted 33-year-old Douglass Mackey of the grave offense of “conspiracy against rights.” This conviction means that Mackey is liable for as many as 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. So, what was this “conspiracy against right”? Mackey made a Twitter meme mocking Hillary Clinton and the stupid people who voted for her, among whom undoubtedly included the judge, jury, and prosecutors.
This is how the fascists heading this persecution of a political opponent describe the offense:
“Mackey has been found guilty by a jury of his peers of attempting to deprive individuals from exercising their sacred right to vote for the candidate of their choice in the 2016 Presidential Election,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s verdict proves that the defendant’s fraudulent actions crossed a line into criminality and flatly rejects his cynical attempt to use the constitutional right of free speech as a shield for his scheme to subvert the ballot box and suppress the vote.”
In 2016, Mackey established an audience on Twitter with approximately 58,000 followers. A February 2016 analysis by the MIT Media Lab ranked Mackey as the 107th most important influencer of the then-upcoming Presidential Election.
As proven at trial, between September 2016 and November 2016, Mackey conspired with other influential Twitter users and with members of private online groups to use social media platforms, including Twitter, to disseminate fraudulent messages that encouraged supporters of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to “vote” via text message or social media which, in reality, was legally invalid. For example, on November 1, 2016, in or around the same time that Mackey was sending tweets suggesting the importance of limiting “black turnout,” the defendant tweeted an image depicting an African American woman standing in front of an “African Americans for Hillary” sign. The ad stated: “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home,” “Text ‘Hillary’ to 59925,” and “Vote for Hillary and be a part of history.” The fine print at the bottom of the deceptive image stated: “Must be 18 or older to vote. One vote per person. Must be a legal citizen of the United States. Voting by text not available in Guam, Puerto Rico, Alaska or Hawaii. Paid for by Hillary For President 2016.” The tweet included the typed hashtag “#ImWithHer,” a slogan frequently used by Hillary Clinton. On or about and before Election Day 2016, at least 4,900 unique telephone numbers texted “Hillary” or some derivative to the 59925 text number, which had been used in multiple deceptive campaign images tweeted by Mackey and his co-conspirators.
Several hours after tweeting the first image, Mackey tweeted an image depicting a woman seated at a conference room typing a message on her cell phone. This deceptive image was written in Spanish and mimicked a font used by the Clinton campaign in authentic ads. The image also included a copy of the Clinton campaign’s logo and the “ImWithHer” hashtag.
What was missing from the evidence was that a single person who texted the number of the meme was deceived into not voting. Probably because the meme was sent under Mackey’s online profile, “Ricky Vaughan,” which had this avatar:
No person, sane or insane, could’ve mistaken the message or the messenger as anything other than a joke.
One also can’t help but notice that Mackey was arrested only a week after Joe Biden was inaugurated. I’m sure the two events aren’t related in any way, but it sure looks suspicious. The four years that elapsed between the “crime” and the arrest shows that people within the Department of Justice were just waiting for Donald Trump to leave office to start evening scores.
Not only was this a clown car prosecution, but a hate group Southern Poverty Law Center freelancer, Luke O’Brien contacted an expert witness for the defense, University of Alabama professor George Hawley, and pointedly asked him if his employer knew he was testifying for Mackey.
While the article by freelance journalist Luke O’Brien has yet to be published, Mackey’s attorney, Andrew Frisch, claimed it “unfairly disparages” Hawley and is partially based on the professor’s “private emails.”
“Mr. O’Brien waited until the start of trial to submit written questions to Professor Hawley in an apparent attempt to paint him as an extremist, including questions based on private emails which Mr. O’Brien obtained, simultaneously asking Professor Hawley if his employer, the University of Alabama, is aware of his proffered testimony at Mr. Mackey’s trial,” Frisch wrote in a letter requesting to delay the trial by at least 14 days.
In response to the unpublished SPLC report, Frisch told U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis that Hawley has requested to withdraw his name as a witness.
Douglass Mackey was convicted for posting a joke meme about Hillary Clinton. He is facing ten years in prison. Kristina Wong @mskristinawong posted the same joke meme about Donald Trump. She is running for office and is facing no time in prison. Why the different treatment?…
pic.twitter.com/2xYRdOeo1j— @amuse (@amuse) March 31, 2023
The prosecution of Mackey for political speech that the Biden regime wants to suppress is just part of a pattern that has long been in evidence. I’m confident that Mackey will eventually prevail, but as this bunch has shown, they are just using the process as the punishment. Even if Mackey doesn’t go to jail, his ability to participate in the political process has been frozen for over two years due to the pending court case. He’s further quarantined now, as his case will be appealed. His defense will run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, Mackey is not alone. Robert
Reeder, one of the January 6 protesters, may have had his sentence increased because of memes he forwarded.
Case of Robert Reeder–who pleaded guilty to parading in the Capitol in Oct 2021–is one that shook me.
Not just how DOJ ruined his life but how they cited memes as evidence to support 6 months in jail on a petty offense.
DOJ now full-out criminalizing memes#DouglassMackey pic.twitter.com/aow8Hd576N
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) March 31, 2023
We have moved past the point of “equal justice under the law” to one of federal law enforcement, including the courts, being weaponized to punish jokes. The question for the GOP officeholders is what they will do about it. If they are unwilling to go after the careers and property of law enforcement managers, prosecutors, and judges who went along with this crap, they are part of the problem.
the DOJ = America’s KGB
It has had all the power it needs for the last 15 years or so, particularly after Obama and Holder. Now its abuse is starting to roll down-hill and gather speed.
Thanks for the update. 👍
The “Thought Police” are waiting in the wings...
Trump and MAGA people are not a protected species. The entire Democrat Socialist genera is under a legacy protection declaration, as they are a collection of superior species in all their many manifestations.
His peers are other meme-makers.
We have moved past the point of “equal justice under the law” to one of federal law enforcement, including the courts, being weaponized to punish jokes.
Say the above while looking in the mirror.
This is a sick joke. Demonrats are the ones who belong in jail!
With the amount of fraud committed last election how was it possible that text votes were NOT considered legit, by democrats???
If Douglass Mackey deserves prison for his election lies, what do journalists at CNN, MSNBC, NYT, et al deserve?
Slow, painful deaths?
Garland is making Holder look like an amateur.
Remember when Schumer was nearly in tears, threatening all sorts of retribution when the Nomination of Merrick Garland to the USSC was put off, due to the Election nearness of 2020?
They got even via the Theft, and now Garland is getting even, too......
“Mackey has been found guilty by a jury of his peers.”
No, Conservatives have no (few) peers in in the leftist state of NY. Conservatives get no justice in NY with its corrupt and partisan DA and judges.
TOTAL BS. Take it to the SC.
"As proven at trial, between September 2016 and November 2016, Mackey conspired with other influential Twitter users and with members of private online groups to use social media platforms, including Twitter, to disseminate fraudulent messages that encouraged supporters of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to “vote” via text message or social media which, in reality, was legally invalid."
Still a bogus prosecution considering all the actual fraud out there, but, more than just a meme.
100%
The Justice Department, regardless of who is at the top is the Praetorian guard for the Democrat masters and like the classic Praetorian Guard they will come to select the rulers and control them.
These prosecutors and judges need to be put against a wall and....use your imagination
It is still a joke. I have seen equivalent posts from both sides for two decades every time there is a national election. This is purely intimidation for dissenters from the totalitarian orthodoxy.
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