The U.S. attorney’s office put one of its most aggressive prosecutors in charge, a veteran who typically handled homicide cases. The judge also asked Goodhand’s office to review the cases to see which defendants might qualify to have their arrest records sealed. But Goodhand also informed the judge about details revealed during an internal investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office. When reached by phone, Kerkhoff referred inquiries to the U.S. attorney’s office, which declined to comment on the internal investigation. “This was an in­cred­ibly reckless prosecution, completely unnecessary from the get-go, that was only aimed at chilling people’s free speech,” said Austin, a former prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office.

Source: Washington Post March 24, 2019 20:25 UTC