Gosh golly! Micah Beckwith [FN1] on FB posted a photo of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presides over trump’s prosecution on charges related to his attempt to subvert the 2020 election [FN2] and said trump “‘does not have the right to say what he pleases.’” 1/11

CNN reports Her Honor’s limited gag order bars trump from making public statements “about witnesses who might testify against him, as well as prosecutors and court staff.” trump still can campaign. Beckwith says “we fought a war against people like Madam Tanya in order 2/11

to say exactly what we want. ... if you can’t see “the witch-hunt this sham of an investigation has become you’re willfully ignorant.” It’s Beckwith who is ignorant, of both history and The Constitution. 3/11

First, Art. II, sec. 8 of The Constitution confers upon Congress the Power to “declare War.” The U.S. has fought five wars. [FN3] No Declaration of War against federal judges ever has been presented, much less passed, by Congress. 4/11

Second, Beckwith says we fought “a war ... in order to say exactly what we want.” None of the five wars we have fought concerned free speech issues. However, people were prosecuted for saying exactly they wanted during wars. Indiana’s own Eugene V Debs was prosecuted 5/11

and convicted for speaking out against WWI and the draft. He was brilliant and cared about other people. I see why Beckwith does not use “we” in regards to such a person.
Third, a “Christian nationalist” (as Beckwith calls himself) should not talk about “witch-hunts.” Puritans carried out the Salem witch trials. [FN4] 6/11

Fourth, 2 former trump lawyers this week pleaded guilty to charges related to January 6. Axios reports that, overall, about 632 people have pleaded guilty to federal charges. This is not a sham. Also the proceedings are past “investigation.” These proceedings are prosecutions. 7/11

trump is the most corrupt POTUS ever. I’ll be generous: Beckwith’s ignorance is not willful. He was born that way. However, Beckwith’s falsehoods and the inflammatory rhetoric could lead others to engage in violence. 8/11

Footnotes: FN1. Beckwith is a Hamilton county preacher who lost in the 2020 GOP primary for INCD5 and has said he seeks the GOP nomination for Indiana Lt Gov in 2024. FN2. Specific charges: conspiracy to defraud the U.S. (made/spread false statements trump knew to be 9/11

Footnotes: ... false about the 2020 election; obstruction/attempt to obstruct certification of the election results on 1/6/2021; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy to "oppress, threaten and intimidate" people in their right to vote in an election. 10/11

Footnotes: FN3. The War of 1812, the Mexican-America War, the Spanish-American War, WWI and WWII. FN4. “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials,” Smithsonian Mag, 10/24/22. 11/11