>> The federal government intended to put a half-dozen immigrant rights protesters known as the Broad view 6 on trial.

Instead, it is the federal prosecutors themselves who are facing scrutiny.

All of the charges were abruptly dropped last month.

Just days before the trial.

Now, newly released grand jury transcripts are fueling allegations of prosecutorial misconduct and amplifying calls for the resignation of Chicago's U.S.

Attorney Andrew Boutros.

Joining us now, our Ryan Straw, In-park Village trustee for the 5th Ward committeeman Michael Rabbit and Katharine Sharp chief of staff for the 40th Ward.

Thanks to all of you for joining us.

So before we get into some of what has as of late your reaction to the transcripts being released yesterday, I want to get your reaction if I can, Brian, because there's been news this afternoon that a federal judge in a separate also high profile case related to Loretto Hospital is ordering an evidentiary hearing in that case because the assistant U.S.

attorney leading that case is the same one that led years.

What is your reaction to that with what we understand is going on Yeah, I think you know, there's there's this concept in the federal courts, the presumption of regularity.

>> When you have the U.S.

attorney's office appearing and what's what's happening right now is sort of a crisis of confidence in this U.S.

attorneys office speech has this misconduct in the coverup of this misconduct that went on throughout our case, I think is demonstrating that.

There's good reason not to have confidence this U.S.

attorney's office.

And so now judges are having to ask more questions having to look at grand jury transcripts to make sure that proper protocols were followed.

that's that's a real problem for any U.S.

attorney's office.

And that's what we're seeing happen right now.

our viewers understand, in addition to Park village trustee, of course, you are a practicing attorney workers.

Litigator this just yet.

But you know, things about about the U.S.

attorney's office and how it works.

So >> let's back up and start from the beginning, right?

Take us back to what happened on September.

26 2025.

Yeah.

All of us were there to stand up for our immigrant neighbors and to stand up for core constitutional rights.

The first thing I did that day was tied the due process clause of the U.S.

Constitution on to the gate outside of the ICE detention facility and and that's the the spirit that I think all of us were coming to this protest with.

And truly the same spirit that's been a through line for how we have conducted ourselves through this case because we've been fighting for the First Amendment because the conspiracy charge in this case is a frontal assault on First Amendment right of Assembly, right protest what we've seen with the grand jury transcript issue that has evolved over the last 7 months.

is truly an assault on the 5th Amendment right to have a grand jury process that is that is fair.

And so we were all out there fighting for constitutional rights that should be afforded to all of our neighbors and throughout this process.

The reason all of us have continued to stand and fight is for those same types of core constitutional rights.

And I think that that's what you're seeing going forward as well where we're fighting for transparency and accountability and the kind of government that all of us can trust it can't remind me or take us back to where were that day.

I mean, you were just looking at the video.

Of course, I think it's already the crowd somewhere.

But where were you and what do you what what happens when?

>> When we see what happened?

So there's our videos from that day.

There are substantial number of videos that >> Protesters, including myself, were involved in what's called a walk.

You can see from the video that there is a stop sign there, their curb cuts.

It is a crosswalk there.

And we walking in the intersection.

There were broad new police on site who were folks asking them to step aside to allow for vehicles to come in and we did not see that instead are seeing, you ice >> From the videos we can see drive into a crowd.

I'm sure you did not anticipate an indictment would come from later on.

>> Michael, over to you.

What, what?

Where were you and when did you learn of the indictment later?

>> So my wife and I were actually in Portugal celebrating our 30 year wedding anniversary.

The call from the FBI came in overnight given the time difference.

So I woke up in Lisbon, port, Portugal and check messages on my phone.

And I saw today to messages from the FBI saying there was a entertainment.

I've been indicted and that had to turn myself in the next state.

So, you know, being out of the definitely feeling very insecure a shock to actually didn't think it was real.

I thought it was a scam.

But then I noticed that in the did mention being was a broad view on September.

26.

And then I looked up that they mentioned the USA's name a look that up.

And I saw that it was real.

So at that rapidly a secured an attorney.

you know, was concerned about getting back into the country.

To be honest with you, I was very stressed.

I talked to a member of Congress who warned me you know, you have to be prepared.

They might detain you.

And I said, well, my attorney, says that won't happen.

And they said, Michael, you need take this seriously because that's the Trump administration and they don't follow the law.

>> Ok, so transcripts, as we've mentioned from grand jury proceedings, they were unsealed yesterday.

Here's an excerpt from October 9 where assistant U.S.

Attorney Sherry Mecklenburg.

This is where she told jurors jurors, quote, I know you and I trust you and you know me and you trust me and I would never ask you to charge somebody I didn't think there was probable cause.

And, you know, you've asked me before, well, what about this person?

And I said, don't charge people unless I'm absolutely sure.

Get.

What's your reaction to it when you learned that she said that jurors to grand jurors, I mean, this was just the start of a set of transcripts that show multiple instances of prosecutorial misconduct from the get-go.

I believe that's on the first page.

That is which prosecutors are not able to do.

They also removed grand jurors from the grand jury who disagreed with the basis of these charges to some of the evidence presented to them and decided that.

This case was I won't repeat the words that were used to So to see that they were willing to inappropriately excuse grand jurors in order to relentlessly seek these charges against Jones, resist a significant number of questions for me about why they were seeking these charges to the extent that they were willing to engage in this amount of misconduct that is present throughout the 3 days they met to discuss this case and the misconduct that took place in the cover up.

We know that there were assistant U.S.

attorneys as well as the U.S.

attorney who knew about this initial misconduct and did not inform the defense.

Judge Perry for the public.

You mentioned, you know, transcripts showing that the jurors themselves were skeptical on that October 3rd 23003th, transcriptions, Mecklenburg, acknowledging that she had even spoken to grand jurors outside of the hearings, which of course, we know she's not allowed to do.

Brian, what was your reaction these documents?

I was I was shocked by by what I saw.

>> and I was I had incredible amount of gratitude to the grand jurors because I think one of the things you see when you read the transcripts.

Grand jurors everyday people from the Chicago Land area saying, wait, this isn't this isn't right.

What what you're charging here is wrong.

And the only way that this indictment was handed up was by all of these various kinds of prosecutorial misconduct being layered upon one upon another and and so we wouldn't have been suffering last 7 months if it weren't for the incredible prosecutorial misconduct and the cover which the judge Perry talked about being.

Worse than the misconduct that we see in those transcripts because USA's played a shell game to try to prevent pass and prevent the judge from seeing this misconduct.

They redacted transcripts.

They dismissed some charges.

They did everything they could to prevent the judge from seeing this misconduct so that they could still proceed to trial.

can you talk about, you know, all of the suffering over the last 7 months or so?

>> What has this meant for your personal life?

Yeah.

I >> my time.

>> A couple weeks after the indictment was unsealed my family had to leave my house fall threatening call was investigated.

My children have had nightmares to figure out how my wife and I would be able to afford our legal defense.

And so the last 7 months have been help.

But one of my overwrite overriding.

>> Takeaways is gratitude because, well, we were standing up for community.

Our community was standing with us and standing behind us and we would not have been able to take on this fight.

Without that.

And so the government wants you to be afraid to stand up.

But I think that knowing that people will stand with you helps you to have the courage to stand up.

And I want to get to Michael in camp before we're out of time.

How's your life personally affected by this?

Michael?

>> Brian mentioned, you know, there's a personal toll.

It's really your family.

You know, we had show up for many hearings, had to take vacation days from work just to be at at the hearings you know, it prevented me from putting as much time as I'd like into my political organizing work and advocating for the issues that I'm passionate about.

>> It kept it impacted.

You are running a campaign at the same time yourself.

What?

What other ways?

Because it has this impacted.

Un, of course, here are working career life.

So I got married less than year ago.

We're coming up on anniversary.

And for me, you know, I think we were all thinking about what our futures will look like.

the charges that we're facing potentially have a prison sentence of up to 7 years.

So, you know, when my husband and I get to start a family, would folks get to see their children's weddings graduations is serious personal toll on thinking about what the future could look like when you're facing.

Not just prison, but now a significant amount of legal to that.

I think for each of us incurring fairly significant cost for me.

I was running for office and seeing all of that played out in front of me.

I made the decision that.

Have to choose one or the And obviously only one of those I could decide to opt out of was sending my political campaign.

course, we know that all of you are seeking you filed with called the Hyde Amendment, which means you are seeking to be recouped for those legal expenses that you've incurred.

>> That's where we'll have to leave it.

Best of luck to the 3 of Thank so much for joining us, Brian.

Strong, Michael, Robin.

Captain, sure appreciate it.

Thank you.