Ronald “Ronnie” Sandlin is a Jan 6th insurrectionists who decided to videotape himself smokin’ weed in the U.S. Capitol Building, and I am reasonably sure that his lawyer is on something much stronger than weed. Sandlin’s lawyer argued that the certification of the Electoral College results is NOT an official act of Congress;therefore, how can Sandlin be charged with obstruction? It appears that even a Trump appointed judge didn’t buy that BS argument.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled on Friday he won't throw out obstruction charges in cases for two men accused of participating in the capitol riots on January 6.
Friedrich, a Trump-appointee, ruled to keep the obstruction charges in the Justice Department's case against Nathaniel DeGrave and Ronald Sandlin who were charged for allegedly storming the U.S. capitol to try and stop Congress's process for certifying the Electoral College vote of President Joe Biden's presidential win, according to the indictment.
DeGrave and Sandlin allegedly broke the law by attempting to stop the proceeding from moving ahead by "engaging in disruptive conduct" and assaulting police officers, the indictment said.
"The indictment in this case alleges obstructive acts that fall on the obviously unlawful side of the line," Friedrich wrote in his decision.
Now, why is that important?
If found guilty and convicted of obstruction, DeGrave and Sandlin could face up to 20 years in prison. Two other rioters, Jacob Chansley and Paul Allard Hodgkins were also charged with obstruction and pleaded guilty. They were sentenced to 41 months and 8 months, respectively, for their role in the riots.
So Sandlin and his buddy DeGrave are looking at maybe a few years in prison. And who is Sandlin and what did he do on Jan 6th?
Sandlin, 34, an internet marketer, lived in Las Vegas for several years before moving to Tennessee to be closer to family in 2020. He said he intended to return to Las Vegas soon after.
Sandlin had written on social media in January that he had planned to drive to Washington from Memphis. According to court documents, a post from Sandlin said he was asking for money through a GoFundMe page.
“Who is going to Washington D.C. on the 6th of January?” a post provided to authorities in court documents said. “I’m going to be there to show support for our president and to do my part to stop the steal and stand behind Trump when he decides to cross the rubicon. If you are a patriot I believe it’s your duty to be there.”
Crossing the Rubicon was what Julius Caesar did that started a civil war in the ancient Roman Empire.
But it gets better.
Sandlin, DeGrave and a third man, Josiah Colt, met in Washington to attend the president’s “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6. Prosecutors said the trio came to the area with weapons. Sandlin had a knife with him during the Capitol riot, but did not use or show it, prosecutors said.
“I’ve worn the MAGA cap outside and have had people spit on me,” Sandlin said. “We’ve had years where if you support Donald Trump — you are, you could be subject to violence. All of our conversations of, when we talked about violence was, ‘Hey we need to protect ourselves against violence. We need to make sure we are prepared to defend ourselves.’”
Really? A Trump supporter faced violence for his beliefs? Uh huh.
Anyway, we have a lot of supporting Trump and then this once Sadlin broke into the U.S. Capitol Building:
Sandlin was also seen on video smoking weed inside the building. He is heard on the video saying, “People are smoking weed in here. Thank you, patriot. We made history in here,” according to court documents…
Among the other evidence prosecutors have filed against him, a 10-minute video taken between the rally and the Capitol breach. In the video, Sandlin, DeGrave and the third man are eating at a restaurant and talking about their plan.
“I think it’s time to take the Capitol. I don’t say that lightly,” Sandlin said…
“Freedom is paid for with blood and tyranny always masquerades itself as safety and security,” Sandlin said in the video.
By the way, Sandlin didn’t bother to vote in the last election. There is no record of him doing so, even though he INSISTS the sent in his ballot by MAIL.
But once Sandlin was arrested and sitting in jail for a while, macho man changed his tune about Trump.
Sandlin told the I-Team his comments were taken out of context.
“It was a political rally,” he said. “There’s going to be political hyperbole, you know, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ We got caught up in the moment. We got caught up in a mob mentality.”
Sandlin said he believed something could be done to overturn the election by going to the Capitol, possibly by swaying lawmakers’ decision to certify the vote.
“The videos show one thing, but that’s not always the full truth,” Sandlin said. “If people actually talk to us, I think that they would realize that we’re normal Americans and we have a lot more in common with each other than differences.”
Fuck you Sandlin. You are not a normal American. You are a criminal who sought to overthrow our democracy. I pray you get several years in prison.