Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene surprised many on Tuesday when she introduced articles of impeachment against a witness who was testifying before the House committee on which she serves.
During a House Oversight Committee hearing, the Georgia Republican tore into U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves of the D.C. District, who has been supervising the prosecutions — and confinement — of January 6 suspects.
The Western Journal reported that Greene criticized Graves for allegedly failing to pursue charges for existing federal laws while focusing on prosecuting individuals accused of essentially trespassing in the U.S. Capitol Building on the day of the riot.
In addition, the congresswoman asserted that Graves has not taken any steps to prosecute those who committed offenses during the Black Lives Matter riots in the city in 2020. In addition, she cited several instances in which the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C. refused to prosecute violent criminals aggressively.
MTG also mentioned Graves’ “unique ability to prosecute both local and federal cases.”
“However, Mr. Graves, your office has declined to prosecute 67 percent of those arrested in 2022,” Greene said.
“Instead, you are solely focused on prosecuting Jan. 6 cases from one single day in our history,” she noted further, adding that rates for murders, sexual abuse, and property crimes have shot up dramatically in the nation’s capital in the past couple of years.
“Just yesterday morning, a little innocent 12-year-old girl was shot while sleeping in her own bed by another rampant, violent criminal who has probably been previously arrested and not prosecuted,” she said before wondering aloud if the federal prosecutor believes that city residents are more concerned about “catching a stray bullet” or “a grandma walking through the Capitol more than two years ago.”
“You have already abused your position by maliciously prosecuting at least 1,000 people from Jan. 6, but you recently announced that you’re going to arrest about 1,000 more,” she said.
Greene cited specific instances in which individuals who participated in the January 6 rally were subjected to aggressive prosecution by the office of Graves. The Western Journal noted further that she highlighted the tragic outcome of Matthew Perna, who tragically committed suicide while facing the aggressive legal actions taken against him.
“Matthew Lawrence Perna died on February 25, 2022 of a broken heart,” his family said in an obituary. “His community (which he loved), his country, and the justice system killed his spirit and his zest for life.”
Greene noted: “The time for weaponizing the Department of Justice needs to come to an end.”
“Because you refuse to prosecute real criminals that are violating all the crimes here in Washington, D.C. … I am introducing articles of impeachment on you, Mr. Graves,” she said before then yielding back the remainder of her time.
As pledged, Greene followed through: “With a total dereliction of duty as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves must be impeached,” her office stated in a statement.
The statement continued:
More on this story via Conservative Brief:
Graves has prosecuted hundreds of individuals who participated in a political protest and has sought lengthy pretrial detention, even for nonviolent defendants. His cruel and unusual tactics have driven innocent people, arrested on phony charges, to suicide, including Matthew Perna. CONTINUE READING…
