Remaining Broadview 6 defendants want records showing Trump administration's influence on conspiracy case

Four demonstrators who say they’ve been targeted for conspiracy charges because they spoke out against the Trump administration want a judgeto force prosecutorsto hand over records that could show the White Houseimproperly influenced theirindictment.A new 26-page motionlays out a casethat the charges leveled against the group, including congressional candidate KatAbughazaleh, is another example of President Donald Trump’s administration using the Justice Department to target his “perceived political enemies.”“The record readily shows how the Trump administration and its allies have expressly targeted Ms. Abughazaleh on numerous occasions in response to her public criticisms of it and its aggressive immigration enforcement tactics,” the defense attorneys wrote.Abughazaleh is running in Tuesday’s primary for the Democratic nominationfor Illinois’ 9th Congressional District.But the new motion also points to the activism of Abughazaleh’s co-defendants. They include Oak Park village trustee Brian Straw, 45th Ward Democratic committeeperson Michael Rabbitt and Andre Martin, a senior member of Abughazaleh’s campaign.The motion comes one day after prosecutors of the original six defendants in the case: JoselynWalsh, a musician, and , a Democrat who dropped her bid for Cook County Boardin Tuesday’s primaryto fight the charges.The conspiracy case is set for trial May 26. The charges revolve around events on the morning of Sept. 26outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcementfacilityin Broadview. Prosecutors on Friday said they intend to narrow the case to claims that the group conspired to prevent, “by force and intimidation,” a federal agent from discharging his duties.Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, facing charges of conspiracy for protest actions at the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza last November. Arthur Maiorella/For the Sun-TimDefense attorneys asked U.S. District JudgeApril Perryon Fridayto force prosecutorsto turn over records relating to “any improper influence exerted upon the U.S. Attorney’s office” that was tied to the targeting of the four defendants.They also sought a federal agent’straining recordsand internal communicationsbetween the feds related to crowd managementoutside the Broadview facility.The defense attorneys included a photo of Trump’s imageat the front entryway to the Justice Department’sheadquartersin Washington, D.C.,alleging the department is being used to retaliate against Trump’s enemies.The attorneys noted that far-rightinfluencerLaura Loomer, who reportedly has the president’s ear, “praised”an agentwho body-slammedAbughazalehduring a Sept. 19protestoutside the ICE facility.They also pointed to media reports placing Abughazaleh on a so-called “Enemies List.”An image from an MS NOW report that depicts congressional candidate KatAbughazaleh on a so-called Justice Department “Enemies List.” It was included in a motion filed Friday by lawyers for Abughazaleh and three others charged in a conspiracy tied to a protest in suburban Broadview.U.S. District Court recordsStrawhas spoken out against ICE as well,including by seeking terminationof Oak Park’s contractfor Flock’s automated license plate readers, according to the motion.He did so while notingthat the data it collectshas been used by ICEfor immigration enforcement, the attorneys wrote.Rabbitt was also among 47 congressional, state and local elected officials who signed a letterdenouncing violenceby federal agents, they noted.The indictment in the casealleges that, while a federal agentdrove a vehicletoward the Broadview facility, the defendants and otherssurrounded it. Members of the crowdallegedlybanged on the vehicle, pushed against it, scratched it and even etchedthe word“PIG”into it.The crowd allegedly broke a side mirror and a rear windshield wiperand forcedthe agent “to drive at an extremely slow rate of speed.”The defense attorneysinsisted Fridaythat none of their clients “utilized or exerted any force against the agent. No defendant threatened the agent or made any threat whatsoever. No defendant did anything to intimidate the agent.“No defendant scratched the vehicle,”they wrote. “No defendant etched the word ‘Pig’ onto the vehicle. No defendant pulled the wiper blade off the vehicle.”“The one commonality among these four defendants,” they insisted, “is that via social media platforms and public statements they were all outspoken critics of the Trump administration.”