A former California police chief (La Habra) was convicted yesterday in U.S. District Court on four felonies from his participation in the January 6 Trumpist insurrection to overthrow the 2020 election. Alan Hostetter helped to organize a group of Californians to come to the Capitol with weapons such as knives, hatchets and bear spray, driving cross-country so that he could bring those kinds of weapons. During his trial, Hostetter remained defiant and in denial about the election's outcome, telling Judge Royce Lamberth that "our country has been overthrown," and falsely claiming that Federal agents in the mob had instigated the violence.
One of his delusions is that the police made it easier for the mob to enter the Capitol because they wanted fearful Republicans to quit their effort to decertify the election. The prosecutor in the case had a response to that insanity, according to the linked Washington Post article:
“There is no ‘the police didn’t stop me in time’ defense,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Mariano said in his closing argument. “If Alan Hostetter wants to know what could have been done to prevent Jan. 6, he could start by looking in the mirror.”
Mariano also pointed out that Hostetter was far from a naive participant, after calling on his fellow MAGA cultists in November to "execute" lawmakers who would certify President Biden's victory over the Malignant Loser, and organizing local cultists to come to Washington on January 6.
Hostetter now faces many years in prison, and should get the maximum time for each count, given his lack of remorse, continued excuse making, and threats of violence. To this day, he believes the election was stolen from the Malignant Loser and that "the day is coming" when he'll be proven right. Lock. Him. Up.
(Although hundreds of insurrectionists have been identified and arrested, there are still many out there. Please see if you can identify any of them by going to the DOJ / FBI site here)
(photo: Insurrectionist felon Hostetter. Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)
