{"id":2391547,"date":"2025-01-17T07:39:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T12:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-should-pardon-d-c-s-good-cops-victimized-by-doj\/"},"modified":"2025-01-17T07:41:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T12:41:09","slug":"trump-should-pardon-d-c-s-good-cops-victimized-by-doj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-should-pardon-d-c-s-good-cops-victimized-by-doj\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Should Pardon D.C.&#8217;s Good Cops Victimized By DOJ"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-should-pardon-d-c-s-good-cops-victimized-by-doj%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2391547&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text\u2063 advocates\u200c for immediate pardons \u2064for two D.C. police officers,Terence Sutton and Andrew Zabavsky,following their convictions connected to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">fatal\u200b incidents involving suspects<\/a>. Sutton, a 13-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police\u200c Department, received a five-year sentence after a gang member died during a police pursuit.\u200c Zabavsky \u200dwas sentenced to four \u200byears for conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The author\u2062 argues that\u200d these pardons would signal a\u200b supportive \u2062stance towards <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-wave-of-conservative-women-elected-to-congress\/\" title=\"The Red Wave of Conservative Women Elected to Congress\">law enforcement<\/a> from the incoming Trump\u200c administration and \u2062encourage officers to combat violent crime without fear of\u200d legal repercussions from progressive \u200bprosecutors.<\/p>\n<p>The commentary highlights the increase in violence and \u2062crime\u200b in Washington,\u200b D.C., including a significant rise in murder \u2062rates and armed carjackings during Joe Biden\u2019s presidency, narrowly framing the Justice Department&#8217;s response as \u200binadequate. The narrative centers on Sutton&#8217;s case, detailing the \u200bevents leading up \u2064to the death of Karon Hylton-Brown, who fled police in an electric moped\u200b and was ultimately killed in a crash.The piece asserts that\u2064 Sutton,who did \u2062not physically\u2064 engage with Hylton-Brown,faced unreasonable prosecution\u200b despite the victim\u2019s own unlawful actions. The discussion implies a need for \u2063reforms \u2064in the treatment of police officers and the legal\u2063 system surrounding their actions in the line of duty.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>On day one, President Donald Trump&rsquo;s administration should issue immediate pardons to Washington, D.C., Police Officers Terence Sutton and Andrew Zabavsky.<\/p>\n<p>Sutton, a black, 13-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), was sentenced to jail for five years because a gang member died trying to escape police. Zabavsky was convicted of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice, receiving a four-year sentence.<\/p>\n<p>A pardon would send the message that changes are coming to the D.C. U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office and that the incoming Trump administration backs the blue. In turn, MPD officers will focus on fighting violent criminals without being worried that some progressive prosecutor will view them as the defendant.<\/p>\n<p>Joe Biden&rsquo;s Justice Department presided over D.C.&rsquo;s deadliest year in more than two decades. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/mpdc.dc.gov\/page\/district-crime-data-glance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crime data<\/a>, 274 people were murdered in our nation&rsquo;s capital, many of whom were innocent children. Compared to other large cities, D.C. had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/interactive\/2024\/dc-crime-homicide-victims-shooting-violence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the fifth<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-lefts-funny-new-lie-its-the-red-states-with-more-crime\/\" title=\"The Left\u2019s Funny New Lie: It\u2019s The \u2018Red States\u2019 With More Crime!\">-highest murder rate<\/a><\/a>. Armed carjackings, one of the most violent crimes imaginable, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/washington-dc\/2024\/01\/04\/carjacking-rings-arrests-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nearly doubled<\/a> from the previous year. The city that loudly championed defunding the police was forced to quietly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2024\/03\/05\/dc-council-public-safety-secure-overhaul-pinto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pass<\/a> emergency pro-law enforcement legislation in the face of a skyrocketing epidemic of violent crime.<\/p>\n<p>What has America&rsquo;s largest U.S. attorney&rsquo;s office done to respond to this violent outbreak?<\/p>\n<p>Short answer: not much.<\/p>\n<p>In Sutton&rsquo;s case, after a nine-week jury trial in D.C. in December 2022, the U.S. attorney&rsquo;s office made the incomprehensible decision to prosecute Sutton for second-degree murder. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wusa9.com\/article\/news\/crime\/prosecutors-seek-18-years-in-prison-for-officer-convicted-of-murder-in-fatal-chase-terence-sutton-karon-hylton-brown\/65-e78f9a5e-0fbe-428d-867b-c2fd576b9148\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recommended<\/a> an 18-year prison sentence.<\/p>\n<h2>Sutton&rsquo;s Case<\/h2>\n<p>On October 23, 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/wtop.com\/dc\/2024\/09\/5-and-1-2-years-in-prison-for-dc-officer-convicted-in-fatal-chase-of-scooter-driver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sutton<\/a> (&ldquo;the defendant,&rdquo; according to the DOJ) was on routine patrol on Kennedy Street, N.W. That night, a female MPD official informed Sutton that she observed Karon Hylton-Brown (&ldquo;the victim,&rdquo; according to the DOJ) in an altercation earlier that day and was concerned Hylton-Brown would return with a gun to finish the fight.<\/p>\n<p>Moments later, Sutton and three other members of MPD observed Hylton-Brown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcwashington.com\/news\/local\/mother-sues-dc-officers-for-100m-over-death-of-karon-hylton-brown\/2842933\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">riding<\/a> an electric moped and tried to speak with him to ensure he did not have a firearm. Hylton-Brown refused to stop and instead drove through a red light, which caused an oncoming car to have to stop to avoid hitting him. For the next three minutes, law enforcement pursued Hylton-Brown. During that time, he blew past stop signs, drove the wrong way on one-way streets, and committed other traffic offenses. Another officer observed Hylton-Brown &ldquo;blading&rdquo; his body, a tactic in which criminals turn their body to hide their firearms. Ultimately, Hylton-Brown failed to yield the right of way and was killed by an oncoming vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>Sutton never made physical contact with Hylton-Brown. Moreover, Hylton-Brown fled police, committed numerous traffic infractions, appeared to be holding a firearm, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dcnewsnow.com\/news\/local-news\/washington-dc\/dc-police-officers-sentenced-in-unauthorized-chase-that-ended-in-fatal-crash-and-subsequent-cover-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">may have been intoxicated<\/a>. Yet the D.C. U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office charged Sutton with second-degree <em>murder<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The assistant U.S. attorneys prosecuting the case, Risa Berkower and Ahmed Muktadir Baset &nbsp;&mdash; who <a href=\"https:\/\/casetext.com\/case\/united-states-v-sutton-220\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">referred<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wusa9.com\/article\/news\/crime\/former-dc-police-officer-sentenced-to-55-years-in-prison-for-police-chase-that-killed-karon-hylton-brown-terence-sutton-andrew-zabavsky\/65-d2003ec5-02e8-4275-8aac-3a4763ab356e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alleged gang member<\/a> Hylton-Brown as &ldquo;not very dangerous&rdquo; &mdash; hysterically accused Sutton of killing Hylton-Brown &ldquo;in cold blood.&rdquo; Berkower was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dcbar.org\/news-events\/news\/charles-willoughby-and-risa-berkower-join-superior\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a member<\/a> of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights group in the D.C. U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office. The section&rsquo;s purported mission is to prosecute fraud and corruption. In reality, it serves to satisfy the whims of the political left. It should be reassigned to fight violent crime.<\/p>\n<h2>Double Standard<\/h2>\n<p>This is the same attorney&rsquo;s office that used thousands of taxpayer dollars to prosecute two of President Trump&rsquo;s closest allies &mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/steve-bannon-contempt-sentence-federal-prison-trump-77353a10250c36f77b2c1b7d188c5250\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steven Bannon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/03\/19\/politics\/peter-navarro-jail-contempt-of-congress\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Peter Navarro<\/a> &mdash; and seek six months of federal incarceration for both. The same group that sent four prosecutors, including <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/regulation\/court-battles\/4753974-supreme-court-jan-6-obstruction-charge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Berkower<\/a>, the prosecutor from the Sutton case, to Jack Smith&rsquo;s failed special counsel team. This &ldquo;elite&rdquo; group of prosecutors has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n<p>Even after securing a quick conviction of Sutton, the DOJ was not satisfied. At sentencing, the same Jack Smith acolyte asked that Sutton serve 18 years in prison &mdash; a sentence higher than what convicted murderers routinely receive in D.C. courts. Ultimately, even leftist D.C. Judge Paul Friedman found the recommendation too much, deciding on five years of incarceration for Sutton, a sentence he&rsquo;s currently serving.<\/p>\n<p>Years and years of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ig-bidens-1b-in-taxpayer-dollars-to-afghanistan-unaccounted-for\/\" title=\"IG: Biden\u2019s B in Taxpayer Dollars to Afghanistan Unaccounted For\">taxpayer money funded<\/a> the prosecution of a police officer while the DOJ watched D.C. burn to the ground.<\/p>\n<h2>Who Is Harmed?<\/h2>\n<p>The city is owed better. Our nation&rsquo;s capital is rife with gangs, carjackings, and shootings. The criminal justice system is so backlogged that trials for murders and rapes are often delayed for years, denying justice to victims and their families while greatly reducing the likelihood of conviction.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than focus on violent crime, corrupt prosecutors prefer to grab the low-hanging fruit of prosecuting cops for an all-too happy leftist audience.<\/p>\n<p>After all, who benefits from the conviction of Sutton? Not the people who live on Kennedy Street. Those residents &mdash; a majority are black &mdash; are subject to indescribable violence and crime on a daily basis. This pathetic prosecution incentivizes law enforcement to look the other way and not pursue criminals they know are armed and dangerous. The only people who benefit are publicity-seeking prosecutors who want fame for their roles as progressive prosecutors. They win and the residents of Washington lose.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A letter written in support of Sutton at his sentencing aptly summarizes the current environment in D.C. &ldquo;The community is suffering. The drug dealers, violent offenders, and other nefarious characters feel emboldened to operate with impunity. Every day is a zero-consequence holiday for them. For the community they feed off of and terrorize, it&rsquo;s another day of fear and pain.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>Change is coming. Beginning on January 20, 2025, the four-year, zero-consequences nightmare is over. The violent crime terrorists and their political enablers should be on notice.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Mike Davis is the founder and president of the Article III Project.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump should pardon D.C. officers Sutton and Zabavsky immediately<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1587,"featured_media":2391548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/14835426956_e6c2469a21_o-scaled-e1736949172138.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[16097,48664,7076,12737,3634],"class_list":["post-2391547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-law-enforcement","tag-d-c-cops","tag-doj","tag-pardon","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/14835426956_e6c2469a21_o-scaled-e1736949172138.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1587"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2391547"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2391552,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391547\/revisions\/2391552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2391548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2391547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2391547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2391547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}