Who is Michael Sherwin? Former DC attorney claims Trump could face sedition charges for Jan 6 insurrection
Former president Donald Trump was acquitted of inciting the insurrection on January 6 during his second impeachment trial but he is far from off the hook yet. Michael Sherwin, a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor who was in charge of the investigation into the event has shockingly claimed that Trump and the rioters who were involved in the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol could face charges of sedition. So far, Trump has managed to avoid being prosecuted for his alleged role in the events, but that could change if Sherwin's claims turn out to be true.
It is important to note that this is just a claim made by Sherwin and that the DoJ could change course and decline to charge Trump. However, if federal prosecutors decide to press ahead with the case against Trump, the former president could face up to 20 years in prison. The same applies to all those arrested for their role in the riots. So far, the FBI has arrested nearly 400 individuals, mainly through tips from friends and families as well as videos posted to social media.
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Sherwin believes the charges will likely stick, telling CBS "I personally believe the evidence is trending towards that (sedition), and probably meets those elements." Does his claim have any merit though? To understand that, we need to know more about Sherwin.
Who is Michael Sherwin?
Appointed by Trump's Attorney General Bill Barr, Sherwin was the interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia. He served in the role from May 2020 till March 3, 2021. It was at this time he was at the head of the investigation into the insurrection, which has so far resulted in 400 arrests and criminal charges. Prior to that, Sherwin served as the Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. In 2019, he was the lead investigator into the December shooting at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola.
In that role, Sherwin also won a conviction against Yujing Zhang, who was caught trespassing at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. These two high-profile cases made him popular with Barr and Trump, leading to his appointment in DC. During his time in DC, Sherwin dropped an investigation into the alleged financing of Trump's 2016 campaign by an Egyptian bank. He also played a critical role in the dismissal of the guilty plea against Michael Flynn.
Prior to his career in law, Sherwin served as a Naval Intelligence Officer between 1999-2004. He was involved in Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. A native of Cleveland, Sherwin graduated with a BA in political science and liberal arts at the Ohio State University in 1994 and a JD at the University of Notre Dame in 1998.
Trump to face sedition charges
In an interview with 60 Minutes on CBS, Sherwin confirmed that Trump was also being investigated for his role in the insurrection. "It's unequivocal that Trump was the magnet that brought the people to D.C. on the 6th," he said. "Now the question is, is he criminally culpable for everything that happened during the siege, during the breach?" To make matters worse for Trump, a lot of video footage and testimony from the rioters said that they were present at the Capitol at the behest of the former president.
"'We have plenty of people - we have soccer moms from Ohio that were arrested saying: 'Well, I did this because my president said I had to take back our house. That moves the needle towards that direction. Maybe the president is culpable for those actions," he added. It's not just Trump thought, a large number of those arrested could also face similar charges. Sherwin said that a majority are facing federal felony charges, and nearly 100 will be charged for assaulting federal and local law enforcement officials.
More disturbingly, his interview revealed that two major plots did not succeed. One involves a series of pipe bombs placed around DC, that thankfully did not detonate. The FBI is still looking for the perpetrator and has released footage of the individual in hopes of public help in arresting him. Bombs were planted outside the DNC and RNC headquarters the evening before the January 6 insurrection.
The other involves 70-year-old Lonnie Coffman from Alabama. Coffman was arrested for parking a truck with Molotov cocktails and a cache of firearms a block from the Capitol. "The Molotov cocktail components were created so as to be particularly lethal, with a napalm substance inside that would stick to the target and continue to burn," prosecutors wrote in a detention motion. "'It's actually amazing more people weren't killed," he said referring to these two plots.
Sherwin has been succeeded by Channing Phillips, who is also serving in an acting capacity role. Once the transition is complete, Sherwin will return to the US Attorney's Office in Miami. So far, the DoJ is yet to bring charges against Trump, but from Sherwin's interview, it is clear that his legal troubles are far from over. The extensive investigation is still ongoing, and hundreds of those involved are yet to be identified.
Trump is yet to respond to the interview.
These remarks were made by the Internet and individual organizations, MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and nor does it support these claims being made on the Internet.