Weaponizing The Department Of Justice
Oh No, Not That!
Last month, Kamala Harris warned voters that if elected, Donald Trump will weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies.
Kamala says Trump will weaponize the DOJ against his political opponents if he wins in November.😂😂
— Spitfire (@DogRightGirl) October 11, 2024
Who has done this already? pic.twitter.com/uFK4l2gpSf
This is, of course, another case of her side projecting--Kamala Harris's Department of Justice has already been weaponized against her political enemies, including Donald Trump. But the first victim of the politicized Biden-Harris Department of Justice wasn't Trump--it was a formerly pseudonymous Twitter poster named Douglass Mackey. Mackey was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for making essentially the same joke Jimmy Kimmel just did last week.
Below is a guest post by Mackey about that. Before we get to it, two brief programming notes.
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Now on to Douglass Mackey's guest post.
Authored by Douglass Mackey
The Right To Bear Memes
It’s hard to believe, but here we are. Sharing a joke—a meme meant to poke fun at Hillary Clinton supporters—has become a criminal offense. I posted a satirical meme in 2016, telling Hillary supporters they could skip the line by “voting by text.” It was an obvious joke, something that should have been protected under the First Amendment. Yet, the Biden regime has weaponized our justice system to punish me, labeling this obvious satire as “election interference.” Meanwhile, just recently, Jimmy Kimmel used his late-night TV show—broadcasted over federally licensed airwaves—to joke about Trump supporters voting on the wrong day. But there’s no FBI beating down his door, no threat of prison time for him. This glaring double standard makes it crystal clear: the justice system is being wielded as a weapon against anyone who dares challenge the regime’s narrative.
Jimmy Kimmel: "If you want to vote for Trump, vote late. Vote very late. Do your voting on Thursday or maybe Friday." pic.twitter.com/Il1Ch6S0eE
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 31, 2024
On January 27, 2021, five days after Joe Biden’s inauguration, FBI agents knocked at my door. I was the man behind the popular pro-Trump Twitter account @RickyVaughn99. Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York claimed that I violated 18 USC 241, which punishes conspiring to "injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person" for exercising their constitutional or federal rights, with penalties of up to ten years in prison. The statute is designed to prevent violent voter suppression. It has never been used to prosecute speech. In 2023, I was convicted at trial in the Eastern District of New York and sentenced to seven months in prison. During my trial, the DOJ couldn’t produce a single person who failed to vote because of the meme I shared. Not one single person. They even admitted my case was about setting a precedent, a “test” to criminalize satire that steps out of line. Scary, dystopian stuff.
Ep. 38 The First Amendment is done. Douglass Mackey is about to go to prison for mocking Hillary Clinton on the internet. We talked to him right before his sentencing. Remember as you watch that this could be you.
TIMESTAMPS: (3:12) The Hillary Clinton meme (4:20) Hillary’s… pic.twitter.com/MLwz2SboGr — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 9, 2023
The district court denied my request for an appeal bond despite the strength of the appeal. That decision was reversed by a bipartisan panel at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. My appeal was officially filed in January of this year and argued in April of this year.
I am gratified by today’s ruling and look forward to the Second Circuit’s resolution of the important questions presented by my appeal.https://t.co/7DExAUhLhV pic.twitter.com/1D8pGSVTip
— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) December 5, 2023
But his isn’t just about me; it’s about every American’s right to free speech and to criticize those in power without fear of prosecution. A favorable ruling in this milestone First Amendment case would severely curtail the ability of the federal government to weaponize the DOJ against conservative political speech–or really, any speech unfavorable to the administration in power. In fact, according to a Reuters article based on FBI and DOJ sources, my prosecution is a test case designed to set “the stage for new 'misinformation' and 'disinformation' cases against more prominent conservative actors" that the government doesn’t like. At trial, the Justice Department could not produce a single person that did not vote because of the meme, claiming that all they needed to do was to prove that a “conspiracy” to disenfranchise voters existed. Proof of such a “conspiracy” was entirely circumstantial–no direct evidence was offered that I conspired to create this meme, distribute it, or actually intended to disenfranchise any voters. My cause has been championed by President Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump, Jr., and many other political figures. The Harvard Law Review recognized the prosecution as a grievous attack on satire. My appeal in the 2nd Circuit featured an amicus brief by prominent First Amendment scholar Eugene Volokh, among others.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: "They're putting Douglass Mackey in jail for sharing a joking meme about Hillary Clinton seven years ago. Nobody ever heard of anything like that." pic.twitter.com/YXajRAz1Lh
— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) July 21, 2024
Prison for a Meme: They Want Us All Silenced and Locked Up, Douglass Mackey Speaks Out! Many of you if you were following online, may know him as Ricky Vaughan and outspoken original political Memer. Now they want to throw him in jail! Tonight 6pm! https://t.co/boMI1FspZ1
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 7, 2023
But legal battles are costly, especially when facing the deep pockets and power of the federal government. I need your help to keep fighting, not just for me, but for everyone’s right to speak freely---all the way up to the Supreme Court if necessary. You can support my defense by donating to the Meme Defense Fund at memedefensefund.com, a project of the registered 501(c)3 non-profit foundation the American Cause. Donations are tax-deductible. Check and cash donations can be made out to “American Cause—Meme Defense—10321 Hunt Farm Ln, Oakton, VA 22124.” Other options to donate, including sending cash or crypto, are available at douglassmackey.com. This case isn’t just mine—it’s ours, and it’s about the future of free speech in America.
THE RIGHT TO BEAR MEMES by Douglass Mackey Why I was sentenced to 7 months in jail for posting a meme READ: https://t.co/jNxfayEBXo
— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) August 12, 2024