On Friday, a Virginia court disbarred Jonathan Moseley, an attorney who has represented several high-profile Jan. 6 defendants.
His clients have included Proud Boys leader Zachary Rehl, Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and Stop the Steal founder Ali Alexander, according to Politico, the first to report Moseley’s disbarment. Both Rhodes and Alexander have been subpoenaed by the House Jan. 6 committee
The exact reason Moseley was disbarred isn’t immediately clear, but the Virginia State Bar said he had violated rules regarding “safekeeping property; meritorious claims and contentions; candor toward the tribunal; fairness to opposing party and counsel; unauthorized practice of law, multijurisdictional practice of law; bar admission and disciplinary matters; judicial officials; and misconduct.”
Moseley told Politico he’s planning to appeal the disbarment, but that’s a lot of alleged rule-breaking by a person who’s made quite a fool of himself in recent months.
Politico noted Moseley once filed a claim saying Kelly Meggs, one of his Oath Keeper clients, should be released from jail to avoid being forcibly injected with the Covid-19 vaccine. A judge ruled those claims were “fantastic fears” that lacked evidence. Moseley also suggested in a TV interview that the Jan. 6 rioters who broke into the Capitol didn’t break the law because “it’s not illegal” to enter the Capitol. (Breaking into the Capitol as part of a violent mob, of course, is illegal.)
However Moseley’s appeal shakes out, he’s yet another reminder of the nutty characters who’ve emerged to defend the Capitol riot and its participants. Perhaps you remember the attorney for the so-called QAnon Shaman, who called his client and other Jan. 6 defendants “f—ing short-bus people.” And, of course, there’s Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and John Eastman — all of whom have made absolutely ridiculous legal arguments on behalf of then-President Donald Trump in an effort to overturn the 2020 election.
In America, everyone is entitled to a defense — even alleged insurrection plotters and participants. There’s no guarantee that defense won’t be argued by a someone like Moseley though.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.