Thread by @ryanjreilly, NEW: The Trump administration is deploying a couple of rarely-used federal statutes [...]

NEW: The Trump administration is deploying a couple of rarely-used federal statutes from 1968 in their 2020 campaign against rioters.

Those statutes were intended to target Black activists. And Strom Thurmond played a key role in getting them passed. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anti-rioting-act-civil-disorder-law-doj-barr-trump-consitutional_n_5f6a012cc5b655acbc701ca2?kkh

William Barr, who has criticized federal prosecutors as “headhunters,” has encouraged DOJ to deploy rarely used statutes against violent protesters.

AG Barr recently said prosecutors shouldn’t be “headhunters” who search statute books to find “some esoteric crime” to take down targets.

DOJ previously called one of the statutes they’re using against protesters “obscure” and "seldom-used.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anti-rioting-act-civil-disorder-law-doj-barr-trump-consitutional_n_5f6a012cc5b655acbc701ca2?kkh

William Barr, who has criticized federal prosecutors as “headhunters,” has encouraged DOJ to deploy rarely used statutes against violent protesters.

2020 or 1968? “It seems a little unusual that some of those who are usually so interested in the preservation of states’ rights, and in so many instances, rightfully so, are so quick to abdicate the police power of the states in this particular situation.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anti-rioting-act-civil-disorder-law-doj-barr-trump-consitutional_n_5f6a012cc5b655acbc701ca2?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004

William Barr, who has criticized federal prosecutors as “headhunters,” has encouraged DOJ to deploy rarely used statutes against violent protesters.

The Kerner Commission was right — as they were about pretty much everything — about constitutional issues with rioting statutes.

They said a carefully considered, “tightly-drawn” federal rioting law might play a “limited” role.

Congress ignored them.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anti-rioting-act-civil-disorder-law-doj-barr-trump-consitutional_n_5f6a012cc5b655acbc701ca2?kkh

2020 or 1968? “We are in an era of lawlessness. If we are to maintain freedom by maintaining law and order, it is essential that we not put stumbling blocks before our police officers.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anti-rioting-act-civil-disorder-law-doj-barr-trump-consitutional_n_5f6a012cc5b655acbc701ca2?kkh

William Barr, who has criticized federal prosecutors as “headhunters,” has encouraged DOJ to deploy rarely used statutes against violent protesters.

As you may have inferred from this thread, I finally got around to cracking that @rickperlstein book open.

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