McCall Calhoun (Image via Twitter)
William McCall Calhoun is 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. Now, he’s out on bail.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle previously denied his request for bail, saying:
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“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.”
But in his latest hearing, Calhoun took a much more conciliatory tact, telling U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, “If I had to do it over again, I would not have gone into the Capitol. I know that I messed up doing that. I apologize for being difficult.”
Calhoun also lamented the end of his legal practice, and looked forward to a career in music.
Calhoun: My law practice is over – no one is going to hire someone for a serious felony case someone who might be going to jail. I might re-open it later. I can play music and make money.
Judge: That's aspirational. No need to broaden conditions at this point.— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) March 9, 2021
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Judge Friedrich ultimately released Calhoun, despite his “deeply disturbing” social media presence that was so influential in the magistrate’s previous no bail decision, saying he didn’t engage in violence and has a “long history of compliance with court orders as a criminal defense attorney.”
Judge will release Calhoun, says his social media posts are "deeply disturbing" but that he did not engage in violence and is not a risk of flight/obstruction – he has a "long history of compliance with court orders as a criminal defense attorney" https://t.co/9FMoqZikv0
— Rachel Weiner (@rachelweinerwp) March 9, 2021
But Calhoun will have a limitation on his internet usage, though the court ultimately determined complete monitoring of his online footprint would impinge on attorney-client privilege, he is subject to a ban on posting on social media.
Toward the end of the hearing Calhoun seemed to be looking forward to his post detention life, musing, “I know my friends are probably going to want to take me out tonight to buy me a steak and a glass of wine.”
Kathryn 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).