In Support of a Young America First Scapegoat

Michelle Malkin
Tue, 11 Oct 2022 17:20:47 -0700
Opinion

Next week, a young college student will face a federal judge in Washington, D.C., at a sentencing hearing over his nonviolent participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol rally. UCLA undergrad Christian Secor was arrested last February and spent more than a month in solitary confinement. Think about that.

Unlike the weekly parade of repeat violent criminal rapists, robbers, pedophiles and murderers across the country with massive rap sheets who enjoy a no-bail revolving door, Christian had never, ever been in trouble with the law before his arrest.

The un-American Department of Injustice has made life hell for hundreds of peaceful Trump rally participants — locking them up, throwing away the key, harassing their families, withholding evidence and obliterating their constitutional rights to stifle dissent, punish the Democrats' political enemies and weaponize J6 till kingdom come. Don't take my word for it. A D.C. magistrate overseeing some of the cases, Zia Faruqui, decried the gargantuan prosecutions of nearly 900 defendants, including at least two Americans who were left to languish in custody after being "lost" for weeks without scheduled hearings.
Updated: Tue Oct 11, 2022

Next week, a young college student will face a federal judge in Washington, D.C., at a sentencing hearing over his nonviolent participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol rally. UCLA undergrad Christian Secor was arrested last February and spent more than a month in solitary confinement. Think about that.

Unlike the weekly parade of repeat violent criminal rapists, robbers, pedophiles and murderers across the country with massive rap sheets who enjoy a no-bail revolving door, Christian had never, ever been in trouble with the law before his arrest.

The un-American Department of Injustice has made life hell for hundreds of peaceful Trump rally participants — locking them up, throwing away the key, harassing their families, withholding evidence and obliterating their constitutional rights to stifle dissent, punish the Democrats' political enemies and weaponize J6 till kingdom come. Don't take my word for it. A D.C. magistrate overseeing some of the cases, Zia Faruqui, decried the gargantuan prosecutions of nearly 900 defendants, including at least two Americans who were left to languish in custody after being "lost" for weeks without scheduled hearings.

"It feels like the government has bitten off more than it can chew here," Faruqui complained in March.

Yes, the vengeful federal beast has an insatiable appetite and bottomless resources to ruin lives. The D.C. witch-hunt prosecutors threw a pile of charges at Christian that made sensational headlines, including "assaulting, resisting or impeding officers," as liberal National Public Radio reported. Christian pleaded not guilty to all charges in March 2021 but, 14 wearying months later, entered an agreement to plead guilty to a single felony charge of "obstructing a federal proceeding."

Here is what I wrote to the judge in Christian's case, the Honorable Trevor McFadden, to share what I know about this bright young man as he faces up to 20 years in prison next week.

Dear Judge McFadden,

My name is Michelle Malkin and I am writing on behalf of Christian Secor, whom you will sentence on October 19, 2022. I am a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, investigative journalist, author of 7 books, campus speaker, and mentor to countless young conservative activists across the country for the past 30 years.

In November 2019, I first met Christian before giving a speech at UCLA sponsored by the Bruin Republicans. I instantly found him to be polite, witty, and highly intelligent. He demonstrated broad and deep knowledge of world affairs. We share similar perspectives as passionate defenders of American sovereignty and unapologetic nationalism. I saw or communicated with Christian several times between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020. He was constructively engaged in student activism on campus locally and in helping to unite conservative students nationally on immigration and public health and safety issues as the pandemic era erupted.

Knowing my love of the outdoors, Christian sent me a beautiful mountain and rainbow photo from his summer 2020 vacation in flyover country. He thoughtfully messaged to wish me happy birthday in October 2020. Four months later, I learned of his arrest and the shocking 40 days he spent in solitary confinement.

A non-violent college kid with zero criminal record held in isolation for 40 days? This isn't the America my immigrant parents from the Philippines thought they were getting when they left an authoritarian regime that jailed political opponents and punished student activists.

Never in any of my conversations or interactions with Christian did he ever express support for violence.

Never in any of my conversations or interactions with Christian did he ever express any sentiments of "racism," "Nazism," "white supremacy," "fascism," or "insurrection."

As a veteran journalist who has worked in newspapers and on TV for the past three decades, as well as an Internet entrepreneur who founded two influential political news and opinion websites, I am deeply disturbed by the distorted media profiles of Christian that have baselessly savaged his character and transformed him from a peacefully provocative student activist into some sort of dangerous agent provocateur. This is patently untrue and unjust.

I understand Christian has pled guilty to one felony charge of "obstructing a federal proceeding."

I also understand that Christian did not bring any weapons, touch an officer, or ignore any police requests. I understand he walked in a door that Capitol police opened and then stepped aside. I understand that after entering the main Senate floor, he was told by a police officer to leave — and he dutifully complied.

Judge McFadden, I ask that justice be served in Christian's case by granting him probation and allowing this 24-year-old to continue his educational pursuits in freedom instead of continuing to serve as a political scapegoat behind bars. Thank you for considering this letter of support.

Pray for sanity and justice to prevail in this case and so many others still suffering in solitude and silence. End-stage America's victims are legion.