(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Michigan Assistant Attorney General Bill Rollstin has made a habit of attacking the free press during the ongoing trial of three men accused of helping plot to kidnap the state’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer.
Rollstin did it again Wednesday when he spazzed on independent journalist Christina Urso, who was in the courtroom covering the case. Urso apparently stood up to count the jurors while the prosecutor was making his closing arguments—and to Rollstin, this was unacceptable.
“This individual right here was standing up and pointing and counting to the jurors, and taking notes,” Rollstin said, turning beet-red and jutting out his finger at Urso.
“That’s very concerning to me! I don’t know who she is or why she’s doing that. I’d ask the court to instruct her to not in any way try to intimidate this jury, to remain seated, and—like everyone else in this gallery—behave!”
Rollstin’s claim to not know Urso is a bald-faced lie, as the government spied on the journalist when she interviewed two of the Whitmer kidnap defendants in prison earlier this year.
In any event, Judge Charles Hamlyn seemed to take the prosecution’s outburst with a grain of salt—giving a general warning to everyone in the courtroom before turning to other matters.
“I’ll instruct everybody to remain seated if they’re viewing this process. If somebody needs to move to see an exhibit, but basically if you’re not the attorney talking, remain seated,” the judge said.
While Rollstin’s attack was unbecoming of a prosecutor who swore to uphold the Constitution, it wasn’t the first time he has attacked the free press in this case.
In April, the red-faced prosecutor attacked another journalist, Eric VanDussen, after VanDussen had asked Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel why her office has repeatedly falsely said the men on trial were part of the “Wolverine Watchmen.”
VanDussen’s question was a good one. An FBI agent in the case has already testified that the defendants weren’t members of the Wolverine Watchmen, and defense counsel has raised concerns that referring to the defendants as Watchmen—the main group that allegedly conspired to kidnap Whitmer—will prejudice a jury against them.
Nevertheless, Rollstin accused VanDussen of being an “agitator”—accusing him of working with the defense, rather than being an independent journalist.
“If I had to guess, I’ll bet Mr. VanDussen’s in the courtroom today. He was out at the townhall meeting last Friday … And [the attorney general] was questioned by Mr. VanDussen about the Wolverine Watchmen,” Rollstin said. “And remember, Mr. Vandussen is working very closely with [the defense]. He’s somewhat of an agitator, if you will.”
Rollstin then doubled down on referring to the defendants as Watchmen.
“The defendants are part of the Wolverine Watchmen to the extent that they’re all co-conspirators,” he said.
That April attack on VanDussen also wasn’t the first time Rollstin has spread false information about the Whitmer case.
In March, he falsely accused one of the alleged plotters of issuing a $1,000 bounty against an FBI informant who betrayed him.
The closing arguments have finished, and the jury is deliberating as of the publication of this article. The defendants are Eric Molitor, Michael Null and William Null.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
