THE ESTABLISHMENT TAKES CARE OF ITS OWN: Molotov cocktail lawyers finally plead guilty. Again.

Here are a couple of names that we haven’t seen in the headlines for a while. Urooj Rahman and Colinford Mattis are the two (former) New York City lawyers who constructed Molotov cocktails and firebombed a police vehicle during the summer of love back in 2020. They were identified almost immediately and arrested, leading to a series of plea deals that were announced and then rejected or withdrawn. The two could have been facing 30 years in prison or even life sentences under domestic terrorism charges. But this week they both entered a guilty plea (again) and will now very likely face far less time behind bars than had been originally anticipated.

In the end, the court accepted guilty pleas from each of the defendants on a single charge of conspiracy to construct an explosive device. The maximum sentence for that is just five years but prosecutors don’t expect them to receive more than one to two years and a fine. They will also be permanently disbarred in New York.

Does that really seem like enough? Rahman was caught on video throwing the bomb, as well as driving away from the scene. Colinford Mattis had a pile of firebombs in his vehicle and was recorded as he attempted to hand them out to other rioters, encouraging them to ramp up the destruction. They admitted doing it multiple times in public, so there was never any question of guilt. As to motive and intent, one week after the attack, Urooj Rahman famously told reporters that “the only way they hear us is through violence.” . . .

From the beginning, the media has played up the image of the bomb makers, describing them as “young and idealistic.” If this case had gone to trial, the press would no doubt continue doing it, claiming that the two were being “persecuted” by a racist system or whatever.

Compare the treatment of the January 6 protesters.