Esquire: Still More About The Death Of Aaron Swartz

[marmar]

Still More About The Death Of Aaron Swartz

By Charles P. Pierce
at 11:45AM


United States Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who still has political ambitions beyond her current station, and her husband, and some unfortunate media enablers, have finally organized a response to the torrent of criticism she and her office have received in regard to her breaking-a-butterfly-on-a-wheel prosecution of activist Aaron Swartz, whom Ortiz's office tried to throw in prison for the crime of stealing stuff the actual owners eventually said that they didn't care that much about.

First, her husband, Tom Dolan, tweeted out his incredulity that his wife and her prosecutors were being blamed for Swartz's suicide, and criticized Swartz's parents for their belief that the prosecution was directly tied to their son's death: "Truly incredible that in their own son's obit they blame others for his death and make no mention of the 6-month ­offer."

This argument proved so compelling that Dolan deleted his Twitter account.

Then, last night, Ortiz released her own statement, which said, in part:

"As a parent and a sister, I can only imagine the pain felt by the family and friends of Aaron Swartz, and I want to extend my heartfelt sympathy to everyone who knew and loved this young man. I know that there is little I can say to abate the anger felt by those who believe that this office's prosecution of Mr. Swartz was unwarranted and somehow led to the tragic result of him taking his own life. I must, however, make clear that this office's conduct was appropriate in bringing and handling this case. The career prosecutors handling this matter took on the difficult task of enforcing a law they had taken an oath to uphold, and did so reasonably."

This is, of course, defending yourself with armed banality. Very few people are saying the prosecution itself was "unwarranted." Even Swartz's own lawyers say he was willing to accept probation and a fine. Nobody's accusing the prosecutors of violating their oaths. The problem is that, by the modern standards of how federal prosecutors behave generally, and how Ortiz's office has behaved in particular, she would see their actions as both appropriate and "reasonable." And the glibness with which her husband and her defenders toss off a "mere" six months in federal prison, low-security or not, is a further indication that something is seriously out of whack with the way our prosecutors think these days.

The complete piece is at: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/aaron-swartz-case-011713

[heaven05]

1. purely

the best of current american jurisprudence ability to kill people. No remorse also at this tragic death, doesn't surprise me.

[Jefferson23]

2. My take on this is that for an attorney to comment at all is pretty shocking..Ortiz feels

guilty imo. I don't give a damn what she said and what her husband tweeted is even more bizarre.

They can both go to hell.