It’s been a while since I shared an update about Brian’s case. Many folks have graciously shared their relief that it’s over. We very much share that relief. But in so many ways, it isn’t over for our family yet.
Shannon Craig Straw
@shannonstraw.bsky.social
Faith, politics, parenting and a little baseball. She/Her/Hers
The U.S. Attorney believes that a "public rebuke" and an internal review are sufficient for egregious prosecutorial misconduct that put my family through hell. My seven-year-old is still having nightmares and panic attacks related to this case. Justice requires transparency and accountability.
Jon Seidel@jonseidel.bsky.social · 9h agoChicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros acknowledges 'mistakes' in 'Broadview 6' case but says sanctions, special counsel aren't needed. From @schuba.bsky.social: chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...
In 2025, "with federal judges producing misconduct findings at a rate nobody has seen before, PMRU authorized zero" referrals for state bar disciplinary proceedings. Trump also "fired the head of OPR and the Director of the Departmental Ethics Office."
Over 500 Former DOJ Lawyers Explain How They *Somehow* Managed Jobs Without Massive Ethical Violations - Above the Law
The Trump DOJ claims government lawyers need immunity from professional consequences. Past DOJ attorneys disagree.
abovethelaw.com
Chicago Tribune@chicagotribune.com · 11h agoUS attorney’s office offers mea culpa in ‘Broadview Six’ case, says no further inquiry warranted
Let's be clear: Republicans voted to move forward with support for an AG nominee who is aiding a massive cover-up of the Epstein files, who prioritizes his former client over the people of the U.S. and whose DOJ is repeatedly undermining the grand jury process in violation of the 5th amendment
He's still not qualified and should not be confirmed as attorney general.
The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · 2d agoBreaking news: Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis said they are prepared to offer their support for Todd Blanche’s nomination to become the next attorney general after he formally rescinded a key aspect of President Trump’s controversial deal with the IRS.
Epstein survivor Dani Bensky on meeting with Blanche: "Todd Blanche treated the meeting as a mere 'check-the-box' exercise intended to secure votes for his confirmation. He danced around his wording, repeatedly interrupted us and could not commit to anything that would demonstrate good faith."
Statement from Annie Farmer on meeting with Todd Blanche: "After meeting with Todd Blanche, I feel even more confident in urging senators to vote against his confirmation as the United States' Attorney General. "I found him abrasive, condescending, and intentionally noncommittal to survivors."
Meeting with survivors to check a box and give Republicans cover doesn't suddenly make Blanche qualified to be AG or make his handling of the Epstein files any better
Shannon Craig Straw@shannonstraw.bsky.social · 3w agoBlanche will rightly be asked a lot about Epstein, the anti-weaponization fund & prosecuting Trump's opponents. But, I hope senators also ask about people like the Broadview 6: regular folks whose Constitutional rights were infringed under Blanche's leadership because they oppose Trump's policies
(This is also the Tuesday before his birthday.)
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 3w agoFormer President Joe Biden has written a memoir that will be released two weeks after the midterm elections this fall, he said. “Promise Me, America” would cover Ukraine and “restoring our democracy” after the Jan. 6 attack by President Trump’s supporters and more.
By recess time, Blanche doesn't appear to have been pressed on the collapse of high-profile cases, ending in acquittal, no-bills and/or quashed subpoenas: Comey, James, Kelly, Powell, Abrego, Broadview Six, etc. Or 10K+ losses n ICE cases.
Schiff: The judge, in that decision on Monday, referred Blanche, basically, to the New York Bar Association because of his conduct. How is it possible that after being referred to the bar association for potential discipline on Monday, we’re contemplating this guy for attorney general on Wednesday?
Blanche will rightly be asked a lot about Epstein, the anti-weaponization fund & prosecuting Trump's opponents. But, I hope senators also ask about people like the Broadview 6: regular folks whose Constitutional rights were infringed under Blanche's leadership because they oppose Trump's policies
Jon Seidel@jonseidel.bsky.social · last mo.There have been plenty twists and turns in Chicago's federal courthouse since the "Broadview Six" case collapsed in late May. It's been a lot to keep up with. So here's where things stand, one month later, via @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...
New: Members of the "Broadview 6" cite Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros' offer to Judge Perry to "come back and explain," and they suggest he join in their request for a hearing to get to the bottom of alleged misconduct in their case. Full filing: cst.brightspotcdn.com/76/d7/92ece2...
![were done specifically as it relates to the redactions, were done intentionally or with a desire to mislead the Court.6
5-21-26 Tr. at 50:23-51:2 (emphasis added).
Perhaps the most troubling statement by U.S. Attorney Boutros regarding is the message
he sent to all employees in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, literally within just a few hours of leaving the courtroom where this Court made clear its severe displeasure with the misconduct that occurred in this matter, and Mr. Boutros was forced to dismisss this case with prejudice. Rather than being chastened by all that had been exposed to date, immediately thereafter the U.S. Attorney wrote an office-wide email to publicly commend the conduct and actions of the AUSAs at the center of this self-created storm:
[T]oday was an important day for the Office. We saw three courageous prosecutors ...fight long and hard for a case they inherited when a colleague departed the Office. These prosecutors fought for the rule of law . . . Our Prosecutors were strong and courageous.
May 21, 2026 email from U.S. Attorney Boutros to all employees at U.S. Attorney’s Office (emphasis added). Thus, the public record created by U.S. Attorney Boutros regarding this case demonstrates he not only does not see or comprehend the grave misconduct committed by his prosecutors over the past nine months in directly deceiving this Court (among other things), but that he is actually sending the message to all the young (and old) prosecutors in the Office that the behavior of these prosecutors should be praised and thought of as “strong,” “courageous,” and having “fought for the rule of law,” when exactly the opposite should have been the message delivered from the lead law enforcement official in our district. The government’s general
6 Notably, U.S. Attorney Boutros offered to share with the Court (and presumably the public) why he holds such a sincere belief, “And if Your Honor wants to hear more about that, I'm happy to come back and explain why that…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:elipdmmf5istuvtyituspske/bafkreiexjvx6mbs7rbcammuffh5riept5lajt4w2ckjmp2mtsqw3tcm2ei)
![agreement to write a check should not cause the Court to divest its authority to bring to light the web of misconduct that has now only begun to be exposed.
This goal of transparency and further investigation, moreover, is one which U.S. Attorney Boutros has publicly stated he “fully supports” because he is “confident that upon careful, unbiased consideration, [no] misconduct by the United States Attorney” will be found. See supra n.3 (quoting U.S. Attorney Boutros). The Court should accept this invitation from the U.S. Attorney and complete the process that is required to bring this matter to a just and public-confidence- restoring conclusion.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:elipdmmf5istuvtyituspske/bafkreiddokialo5hnyi2bluu45542lbob7syj2m6vdfmxnotzezzcl5acy)
Jon Seidel@jonseidel.bsky.social · 4w agoThe feds just made it official: They won't fight a bid by members of the "Broadview 6" for attorneys' fees. They do "not concede that the United States has acted or done anything to warrant those fees." They also say there should be no discovery. Full filing: cst.brightspotcdn.com/dc/d1/e34a37...
PSA: Had the Supreme Court decision in Trump v. Barbara this week gone the other way, Folarin Balogun, who just scored for the U.S. in the World Cup, would likely not be considered a citizen. www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
World Cup 2026: Folarin Balogun, the US star who would not be allowed under Trump's plan
Folarin Balogun scored two goals on his World Cup debut, but he is the type of person President Trump is trying to ban under birthright citizenship.
bbc.com
The Supreme Court today addressed one of the most pressing threats to the nation today: banning this high school sophomore from playing school sports with her friends 🫡🫠🙃
From attorney Christopher Parente, whose firm represents one of the defendants seeing their charges dropped:
Jon Seidel@jonseidel.bsky.social · last mo.U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros' filing lays out plans to review "all available grand jury minutes of the prosecutor who indicted this case (Sheri Mecklenburg)," which he said "will likely lead to the review of grand jury minutes in more than 100 grand jury cases."
Ordinary people have shown more bravery than billionaires, law firms, republican politicians, a lot of celebrities
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2mo agoObama shouts out "those ordinary people in the Twin Cities who braved frigid temperatures, risked their own safety, standing shoulder to shoulder to look our for their neighbors and sometimes for strangers because they knew that was the right thing to do"
The hat Straw wore that day bears a simple message: "Do Good." . . . He still wears it, [chemical] burns be damned. "The message still stands that, . . . we have to spend our time and our effort doing good, and sometimes that comes with a cost."
Cleared "Broadview 6" protester calls prosecutors' grand jury actions "shocking and horrifying"
A month after being cleared of all charges, one of the "Broadview Six" protesters spoke about the toll the case took on him, and criticized what he called "shocking and horrifying" misconduct by feder...
cbsnews.com
"…But hope is a choice. Whether or not we use our voices to speak up is a choice. Voting is a choice. Being a decent human being is a choice. Believing that we still hold the power to build a country that reflects us all is a choice."
Michelle Obama: "No one — and I mean no one — has the right to sit in judgment of who's American enough."
We'll pick up the pieces and in so many ways, our lives won't go back to how they were before. The 6 and their families are forever changed because of the experience. There are things my kids will never get back.
Kat Abughazaleh@katmabu.bsky.social · 2mo agoEXACTLY. I’ve said this a million times but I and the rest of the Broadview 6 are still picking up the pieces of our lives emotionally and financially. This is incredibly stressful in every way possible, and there is no guarantee for a just outcome.
Really need people to stop saying that the Minnesota 15 are going to be fine, that their charges will be dropped like ours. That was four days before trial, was NOT supposed to happen, and only did because of persistent, diligent, and incredible work by our lawyers.
“you can only prosecute people if you have the evidence to prove their wrongdoing” is objectively not the current policy of this administration and Department of Justice.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2mo agoVance: "I've always been creeped out by this story, because Epstein knew a lot of rich and powerful people and seemed to run in these circles while he was doing some very disgusting things with young girls, but you can only prosecute people if you have the evidence to prove their wrongdoing."
House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin writes to the DOJ's misconduct office and Illinois' attorney disciplinary commission urging them to investigate the Chicago-based U.S. attorney who tried to prosecute the "Broadview Six" (Kat Abughazaleh & co):
“To not appoint a special prosecutor here would enable the government's strategy to lay all that has happened on a single scapegoat, a convenient outcome for those who are eager to turn the page.”
Jon Seidel@jonseidel.bsky.social · 2mo agoJUST IN: Former "Broadview Six" defendants seek special counsel to investigate, and possibly prosecute, Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office officials for criminal contempt. Full filing: cst.brightspotcdn.com/ca/86/6e85af...
NEW: The House Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat is calling for an immediate investigation of Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros over revelations in the “Broadview Six” case. @chicago.suntimes.com story w/ @tinasfon.bsky.social: chicago.suntimes.com/politics/202...
'Broadview 6' fallout expands to Washington, as Raskin calls for probe of Chicago’s top federal prosecutor
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, joins a list of elected officials who have slammed U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros over his handling of the now-tainted case. In a letter exclusively obtained by t...
chicago.suntimes.com
I am incredibly grateful for the work of Christopher Parente in this case. We have been consistent that we would seek to do justice in this case. Here, the only way to do justice is to get true transparency and accountability for the prosecutors who have undermined the rule of law.
Chris Geidner@chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 2mo agoAnd, here is a statement from Christopher Parente, one of the attorneys who filed the requests: "The transparency and accountability we seek today will be the foundation of a stronger democracy tomorrow."
statement from @brianstraw.bsky.social attorney Christopher Parente on tonight's motions for discovery, hearing on misconduct and appointment of a special counsel to look into a possible criminal contempt prosecution of the Broadview 6 prosecutors who subverted justice:
