Cleveland Meredith, who headed to Washington, D.C., with a significant trove of weaponry and intended to join a rally in support of then-President Trump on January 6 but got there too late, has been sentenced to over two years in prison for threatening officials including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Meredith had previously pleaded guilty to a single felony offense: transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, and he could have faced more time in prison, but the 28-month sentence that he received from federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson (with credit for time served) is still above what his side hoped for.
Just asked McConnell if he had any personal contact with Meadows or WH officials on Jan. 6 urging Trump to do more. Said no. But he added he’s interested to see all the participants involved
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 14, 2021
As Jackson explained things this week:
‘It needs to be crystal clear that it is not patriotism. It is not justified to descend on the nation’s Capitol at the behest of a candidate who lost an election and terrorize others.’
As summarized by a D.C.-area CBS affiliate, following Meredith’s late arrival to the nation’s capital, he “proceeded to text family members threats toward House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser while driving around D.C. over the next day.” In one text exchange, Meredith insisted that Trump “wants heads and I’m going to deliver.” In another text, Meredith said that he was “Thinking about heading over to [Pelosi’s]… speech and putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV.” Meredith’s family ended up turning him in to federal authorities, and members of his family have expressed concern about the actions that he has perpetrated.
Remember what Trump did finally say after hours of pleas to call off Jan 6 rioters: “I know your pain. I know you're hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side. This was a fraudulent election.”1/
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) December 14, 2021
What Meredith had with him in D.C. apparently included “two firearms, several high-capacity magazines and more than 2,500 rounds of ammunition,” per that same CBS affiliate — so yet again, those who have tried to depict the Capitol riot as not that bad or dangerous have been proven to be flat-out wrong. What if Meredith — with all of that weaponry in tow — had actually gotten close to Pelosi or Bowser? Jackson observed that she “cannot, as the defense encouraged me to do, cheerily dismiss the defendant’s own words and accept that he packed guns and ammunition for a holiday event with his sons in Colorado.”
Bottom line: Text messages to Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows appears to show that GOP members of Congress and the Trump White House conspired to overthrow Biden’s election victory on Jan. 6
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) December 14, 2021
Meredith tried to defend himself in remarks during his sentencing proceedings this week, saying his previous remarks were “political hyperbole that was too hyper.” He also said that he’s a “protector of people,” but he admitted that he was “out of control that day,” and expressed remorse. Going forward, Meredith will also be required to partake of treatment for drug and mental health issues, in addition to serving out his prison sentence. Read more at this link.
Sen. Lindsey Graham said he didn’t text with Meadows on Jan. 6 —- but told me he spoke with Ivanka Trump to deliver a message to her dad. He said he wanted then-President Trump to “tell his people to leave.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 14, 2021
