President Joseph Biden, Jr. is allegedly planning to use a controversial law that targets American Citizens according to a report
One America News Network reported that lawmakers are looking to use the 2001 Patriot Act against people arrested at the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot. The Act is controversial because it is an anti-domestic terrorism law.
"According to the ACLU, current law under the 2001 Patriot Act gives the government extensive authority to cease the assets of people they designate as domestic terrorists -- without trial. The 2001 Anti-Terrorism Law gives the government the ability to use the secret FISA courts to get warrants. These warrants are then used by the NSA to tap into private emails and phone calls of suspected terrorists even if those suspected terrorists are American citizens," OANN said.
As per OANN, the use of the 2001 Anti-Terrorism Law came into the fore as federal prosecutors look into options on charging members of the Proud Boys, an extreme far-right fringe group, that were caught from the U.S. Capitol riots with "crimes of terrorism." The said members being particularly looked into for terrorism charges are Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola.
USA Today reported that Nordean, who is also known as Rufio Panman, is the "sergeant-at-arms" of Proud Boy's Seattle chapter and was initially charged with "obstructing Congress, aiding and abetting and entering restricted grounds as part the mob that breached the Capitol building" and was arrested together six other members of the extremist group.
"While terrorism is only a federal offense if it is committed by or on behalf of a foreign actor, domestic terrorism is not an offense. However, prosecutors argue the label of terrorism could help judges inact lengthier sentences on the two Proud Boys," OANN explained in its report.
OANN said most notable proponents of the 2001 Patriot Act is Biden who said on January 7 that he will prioritize it to protect the country against the likes of those who rioted in the U.S. Capitol.
On the other hand, OANN cited Texas Representative Louie Gohmert who stated the 2001 Patriot Act needs to be repealed because "it can allow one political party to spy on another."
"The government looks to have all the tools at its disposal to convict U.S. citizens like Nordean and Pezzola and may even have the ability to extend their sentences under the pretense of terrorism. But even with all these tools at their disposal, some law makers are still looking at expanding U.S. Anti-Terrorism law even though any noticeable changes would further infringe on citizen's constitutional rights. Most notable of these proponents is Joe Biden," OANN revealed.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice Website, the USA Patriot Act's goal is "uniting and strengthening America by providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism" and was passed "nearly unanimously by the "Senate 98-1, and 357-66 in the House, with the support of members from across the political spectrum."
The Department of Justice identified four areas of the Act's importance as follows: "the Patriot Act allows investigators to use the tools that were already available to investigate organized crime and drug trafficking," "the Patriot Act facilitated information sharing and cooperation among government agencies so that they can better 'connect the dots'," "the Patriot Act updated the law to reflect new technologies and new threats," and "The Patriot Act increased the penalties for those who commit terrorist crimes."
