AS YOU WELL KNOW, He was told repeatedly he he was committing a crime and could get arrested. So he absolutely understand that it was a crime. There's your "mens rea". Once again you conveniently ignore facts. That's being disingenuous.
I just don't consider this a "crime" in the normal meaning of the word.
Well the law doesn't care what your feelings or definitions (litter) or considerations are.
Just because people tell me stuff, doesn't mean I believe them. If you told me what he did was a "crime", I would think you were batty.
So he absolutely understand that it was a crime.
That's not how "understand" works. Telling someone something does not make them "understand" it.
People tell me stuff all the time that isn't true.
Well the law doesn't care what your feelings or definitions (litter) or considerations are.
The "LAW" didn't care about people's opinions on hiding Jews or escaped slaves either, but fortunately they didn't go along with immoral laws.