No Bail For Lawyer Arrested In Capitol Insurrection As Judge Says: 'He Probably Considers Me Scum Who Deserves A Headshot. So, No, I'm Not Gonna Release Him.'

Says the defendant's been 'seduced by dangerous and violent ideology.'

McCall Calhoun (Image via Twitter)

Today William McCall Calhoun, the Georgia attorney who allegedly said he was among the first who “kicked in Nancy Pelosi’s office door” and that Pelosi would’ve been “torn into little pieces” if the mob found her during the Capitol siege, had a bail hearing. He was arrested on January 15 and charged with entering a restricted building or grounds; violent entry or disorderly conduct; and tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant for his role in the January 6th insurrection. It looks as though Calhoun will be staying behind bars as U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle denied his request for bail.

Judge Weigle heard arguments from defense attorney Timothy Saviello that Calhoun was a “Georgia person through and through” with strong ties to the community that did “not have the funds to flee and finance a lifestyle on the run.” Saviello also argued that, as a lawyer, Calhoun “is the rare defendant who understands what it means to go to court when you have to go to court.”

Also presented to the judge was Calhoun’s social media presence across Twitter, Facebook, and Parler, which reportedly reveals violent impulses:

Calhoun also repeatedly expressed his desire for “violent retribution against the media and the Democrats,” and told one Black Lives Matter supporter on Twitter that they “won’t be laughing when patriots go door to door executing you commies.”

One such post, apparently taking up white knight status for the honor of Tiffany Trump, Calhoun promised “headshots” for certain members of the media who were apparently poking fun at her.

“God is on Trump’s side,” the veteran lawyer wrote in a separate post. “God is not on the Democrats’ side. And if patriots have to kill 60 million of these communists, it is God’s will.”

“Think ethnic cleansing but it’s anti-communist cleansing,” he added.

“We’ve got to get serious about stopping them with the force of arms,” Calhoun said in yet another post cited by the government. “I’m a lawyer saying these things.”

But the judge ultimately decided Calhoun presented too much of a risk to the community, saying, “He has been corrupted by or seduced by dangerous and violent ideology that considers the United States to be in a state of civil war, that considers every Democrat to be worthy of execution, that considers every member of the government part of a Deep State.”

The judge continued (as documented by Law & Crime’s Colin Kalmbacher), making a clear case against release:

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“When you and your friends went in there and tore the place to shreds, killed five people, including a police officer, you showed that there was nothing would hold you back except force…”

 

“And if you don’t respect the Capitol Police, if you don’t respect the Capitol Building of the United States, there’s no reason to believe you would respect anything I would tell you to do.” Judge says he would fear for the life of a probation officer sent to check up on Calhoun…

The judge concludes: “Again, because of the corrupting and dangerous ideology that has poisoned this man’s mind, I wouldn’t trust him to do anything I told him to do. He probably considers me scum who deserves a headshot. So, no, I’m not gonna release him.”

Calhoun faces over 20 years in prison for the charges.


headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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