Springsteen. Moments ago. Washington DC #nokings

Per NYT, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew Boutros (yes, the one who just admitted to alleged misconduct in the Broadview Six case and dismissed it days before trial), opened this inquiry:

NYT says U.S. Attorney in Chicago, Andrew Boutros, has opened an investigation into Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll. Unclear why the Chicago office would handle. It comes the same week Boutros' prosecutors were accused of misconduct in another heater case. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/u...

The conduct of US Attorney Andrew Boutros in the Broadview Six case has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the office he leads. Prosecutorial credibility is based on public trust — and Boutros has shattered that trust. He should resign.

"The alarming pace of this erosion has reached a tipping point. In the past two weeks alone, several courts have chastised DOJ prosecutors for irregularities in the grand jury process and gone so far as to dismiss indictments for grand jury misconduct."

"Chris has demonstrated an understanding that we are not living in ordinary times and that these cases require fighting not just for his clients, but for higher principles. Time and again, Chris’ instincts, clarity of purpose, and understanding of what is at stake have proven correct."

"The faith community across northern Illinois stood with our immigrant neighbors outside Broadview — and have stood with me and the Broadview Six throughout this prosecution. Faith leaders have shown up to bear witness, pray with me, and lend me their strength at every hearing."

"Standing up against the full weight of the Department of Justice could have been a lonely experience. But I am writing today because my experience was the exact opposite . . . . One of the hardest periods of my life was made easier because of you: The community that stood with me since Day One."

Credit where credit is due, the Wednesday Journal in Oak Park knows how to write a subhead: 'Broadview 6': Straw man is free

JUST IN: Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros says he is implementing "sweeping reforms to internal grand jury practices" in the wake of the "Broadview Six" revelations:

New in PN: The case against Broadview 6 goes up in smoke "The govt tried desperately to cover up the rot at the heart of the case, even dismissing charges in an attempt to hide grand jury transcripts — all while snorting at the 'histrionic' suggestion anything was amiss. And the coverup continues."

"Standing up against the full weight of the Department of Justice could have been a lonely experience. But I am writing today because my experience was the exact opposite . . . . One of the hardest periods of my life was made easier because of you: The community that stood with me since Day One."

"Because of your support, we now have the opportunity to turn the page and hold accountable a system of injustice that too frequently does not face accountability for its actions. I don’t take your support lightly, and I will continue to fight until justice is truly served." [email protected]

JUST IN: Federal prosecutors in Chicago say they do not object to release of the grand jury transcripts in the "Broadview Six" case, subject to redactions for personal information and the personal feelings of grand jurors.

U.S. District Judge April Perry just took the bench for today's hearing in the case of the "Broadview Six." Defense attorneys want her to order the feds to preserve communications tied to the grand jury. The feds oppose the motion.

This administration believes that it operates outside the law. We have seen it in Chicago, Minnesota, and around the country. ICE's actions are unconstitutional, immoral, and repugnant. We all have a moral obligation to stand together and speak out against what is happening.

Instead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire. Civilians were tackled and restrained, and agents fired pepper balls and spray into the crowd. 2/4

I saw chaos inside and outside of the ICE detention center Delaney Hall today. Detainees protesting the lack of due process, the disgusting food and poor treatment while their families and advocates stood outside calling for help. 1/4

Hosting Christopher Parente, Damon Cheronis, and @meredithshiner.com celebrating not having to prepare for trial!

Judge Perry advances Brian Straw’s emergency motion for preservation of evidence to tomorrow morning. (Recall the government objected to it because, you know, you can trust them to follow the law and not destroy evidence related to the Broadview 6.)

Good morning! Bark is well established and now we let it cook to probe tender and rest. #boringsuburbandad

What does a #boringsuburbandad do when he unexpectedly finds himself no longer facing a trial for exercising First Amendment rights? Mows the lawn, smokes a brisket, and watches some baseball.

Key excerpt from the court hearing in Chicago “Broadview 6” case. Worth a read. For a federal prosecutor, this is shocking misconduct. They are destroying our beloved DOJ.

Ms. Mecklenburg discussing "every case I've had for 19 years" feels a little more ominous today than it did 6 months ago.

UPDATE: Former "Broadview Six" defendant Brian Straw wants an order preserving emails, texts and other communication related to the grand jury proceedings. His attorneys write that they've "lost complete faith and confidence in this U.S. Attorney's Office to do the right thing on its own."

This is accurate. The Trump administration is weaponizing the DOJ against folks who speak out, like the Broadview Six, and folks who Trump vilifies, such as immigrants and trans people. It is all symptomatic of a broken system.

From @joshtpm.bsky.social: In the Trenches with the Law — Thoughts on the Broadview Six Case talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/in-th...

Ah, the good ole “self review”.

The feds had no intention to bring the unredacted grand jury transcript to court at a hearing earlier this month, emails show. You know, the transcript that eventually showed prosecutorial misconduct in the Broadview Six case that is now a DOJ scandal. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

This banner has been added to the website: (It may include a May 21 date, but the banner was added within the last 15 minutes.)

Attorneys for Brian Straw, one of the Broadview 6, move for a preservation order on USAtty's office "to make sure that all material information related to this scandal is preserved for purposes of the upcoming sanctions hearing." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Do justice. Love mercy. And walk humbly with your God.

NEW: U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's office reacts to Thursday's "Broadview Six" revelations. The former lead prosecutor in the case had serving as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Now Durbin's office says her detail from the Justice Department "has been terminated."

More than 18 hours ago, federal prosecutors "agreed to remove from its website the press release stating that the defendants had been charged" or add a banner noting that the charges were dismissed," according to the judge. That website remains active and unaltered: www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr...

When the host of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is talking about your life, is that: (a) a warning sign, (b) a sign of a life well lived, or (c) both?

Perry: "Mistakes happen. They happen to all of us. But as I tell my children, you own it. You admit to it. You apologize for it, and you move on. "What you do not do is hide it."

Truly, the main characters of this story are: my kids whose lives have been forever changed, my wife who has kept our family moving forward despite the chaos, and my community who has stood with me through all of this. Because we are standing together as a community, I believe that we will win.

Among the best moments today, telling our kids that all charges have been dropped and that the nightmare is over.

genuinely does the chicago us attorney's office have a worse W–L record than the 2024 white sox

Religion note: Brian Straw, featured in this profile, is a United Methodist. But anyone who has attended the various hearings in this case might’ve noticed that, because a rotating band of Methodist pastors has continuously shown up in court to show support for him. religionnews.com/2025/11/13/m...

I am so fucking proud of @brianstraw.bsky.social and his attorney Chris Parente for fighting tirelessly on the grand jury transcripts issue. Without them, there likely would have been an acquittal at trial, but no public awareness of the gross misconduct that took place in the Broadview 6 case.

“Thank goodness that the ICE agent didn't panic and murder someone” is a weird way to demonize the protestors.

Some notes now that I’ve seen the transcript of the hearing, thanks to @lizdye.bsky.social . First: the government dismissed the felony count in an effort to convince the judge not to make them produce full transcripts, knowing they showed serious misconduct.

I am relieved to be exonerated today, but I want to state clearly that fighting these unjust federal charges over the past seven months was never just about me or my co-defendants in this case. (1/8)

U.S. District Judge April Perry just took the bench. She's expected to hear arguments on a motion from news organizations, including the @chicago.suntimes.com, for access to today's "Broadview Six" hearing.

Judge Perry has taken the bench to hear the motion from the media to intervene

The Tribune, Sun-Times, WBEZ and BGA have asked for this hearing to be in open court, arguing in a motion overnight that DOJ has shown a pattern of abusing the grand jury process (ie. Ex-FBI Director James Comey indictments) and the public deserves access. Judge Perry will take that up at 10:45am

UPDATE this morning on the "Broadview Six" case: The @chicago.suntimes.com, @chicagotribune.com and @bettergov.bsky.social have moved to intervene, seeking access to today's hearing over grand jury transcripts. Full motion here: cst.brightspotcdn.com/9e/77/205924...

The Broadview Four as they stand now, much like the previous Six, are all just regular people. They may be politicians of some degree, but they saw what was happening and showed up for their neighbors. The federal government saw that for what it is: a threat to their power and exercise of force.

Truly, the main characters of this story are: my kids whose lives have been forever changed, my wife who has kept our family moving forward despite the chaos, and my community who has stood with me through all of this. Because we are standing together as a community, I believe that we will win.