Thursday, November 17, 2011

Accused domestic terrorist Schaeffer Cox claims it wasn't HIS idea to attack the government, it was the FBI informant's idea. Yeah, that's the ticket! Update!

Courtesy of TPM:

An Alaska militia leader accused in a plot against the government is accusing an FBI cooperating witness of “pushing and pushing” him to mobilize against the government and fanning the flames of government overthrow. 

Francis “Schaeffer” Cox recalls in an affidavit filed in federal court on Tuesday that he (accompanied by Jeremy Baker and Les Zerbe) met with gun dealer Bill Fulton in Fairbanks in August 2010. Cox says Fulton was in town to participate in a fundraiser for the Interior Conservative Coalition that was being held at Far North Tactical, which is owned by Fulton “protege” Aaron Bennett. 

Cox’s attorney Nelson Traverso wrote in a motion to dismiss the indictment that Fulton’s “complete role has yet to be disclosed.” 

Cox’s affidavit claims that Fulton “kept pushing and pushing the question ‘what my plan was’ and that his men were being mobilized to attack the government.”

I had heard earlier that attacking the informants was going to be the defense's strategy in this case, so this is not surprising. Naming Fulton by name might be an attempt at intimidation, though it comes a little late as I already identified him as the informant back in March.

William Fulton
This tactic of blaming the FBI for "fanning the flames of government overthrow" is going to be a little difficult to prove considering that Cox was recorded laying out EXACTLY what his plan entailed:

Cox and his associates had been plotting in the days before the scheduled court hearing, according to prosecutors. The militia leader detailed his plot at a meeting on Feb. 12 that was secretly recorded by the FBI. 

Cox wanted militia members to respond with violence if authorities tried to arrest him on the misdemeanor warrant, the charging documents say. He allegedly told the militia members, "I know you're ready to die, but you have to be ready to kill," according to an FBI recording referred to in the criminal complaint. 

"At that February 12th meeting COX specifically unveiled his "241" (two for one) plan which called for his militia to respond to attempts to arrest or kill him by responding against state court or law enforcement targets with twice the force and consequences as happened to him or his family," according to the criminal complaint. "If he was arrested, two state targets would be "arrested" (kidnapped). If he was killed, two state targets would be killed. If his house was taken, two state target houses would be burned."

That is a little specific to have simply been the result of flame "fanning" by the FBI informants. 

The defense going after the feds that put the case together is standard operating procedure with these trials involving militia types, but I have to imagine that having that tape of the February 12 meeting played in the courtroom is going to make it quite difficult for Schaeffer Cox to effectively play the victim.

Perhaps he can ask his old friend Sarah Palin (Reference at the 2:56 mark) if she has some tips for him.

Speaking of Palin I REALLY wish the feds were going to work harder connecting the dots between her, Schaeffer Cox, and the militia, but from what I understand they are not willing to go there. I seriously doubt her luck can hold out forever though.

Update: Today presented more bad news for Francis:


An Anchorage grand jury returned new weapons charges Wednesday against militia leader Schaeffer Cox and associate Coleman Barney. 

The new 10-count indictment replaces a six-count indictment returned after Cox and Barney were arrested with three others March 10. 

The new indictment does not not mention any kind of illegal weapon not previously alleged, but adds a new charge against the two men for having firearms “during a crime of violence” on the day they were arrested. The indictment also accuses Cox of making a silencer earlier than previously alleged, back in 2008 when he was a primary candidate for the Alaska Legislature.

Gee I wonder who Cox will blame THIS on?

13 comments:

  1. hedgewytch2:56 PM

    These guys are seriously stupid. They get caught on video, voice recorded, and it's the "What 'cha going to believe? What I tell you, or what your lying eyes (and ears) tell you?" defense, that and it's always somebody else's fault.

    Hope he enjoys the penal system, he should be in their custody for quite a while.

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  2. Gasman2:59 PM

    I'd be willing to bet my nuts that Cox's defense is not going to do him a damn bit of good. It rather smacks of desperation. Seriously? "The FBI MADE me do it?"

    Cox should just start stretching his sphincter now and avoid the rush.

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  3. Anonymous4:13 PM

    HIs parents should have thought better before naming him "Francis".

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous4:17 PM

    I do not understand why the IRS, FBI, CIA and whatever other alphabet organization applies, is not going after Sarah. She obviously lied about how her house was built. She cheated on her taxes for many years before she was finally caught..yet no action was taken against her. She has incited murder and committed treason on a foreign soil. She has milked thousands of people out of money....and so on and so forth...way too many examples. WHY does she get away with it?

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  5. Anonymous4:35 PM

    Wait a minute. Cox is (at least) an admitted liar and a blowhard. He lied about the size and strength of his "militia." He lied about his weapons. He lied about his network. But we think he was being truthful about knowing Sarah? Really?

    Alaska is a small state. If they knew each other wouldn't there be a picture somewhere? A letter? Something other than this wingnut's word?

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  6. Anonymous4:56 PM

    "The FBI made me say it" bwahahaha "You can't put crap back in a horse, and bake a cake once it's baked" . I do have to say this though, the kid's not going to have any problems finding companionship and a shoulder to cry on in prison.

    Yeah, your last paragraph has always had me scratching my head. But I'm sure SOMETHING will come up to spike their interest.

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  7. Anonymous5:20 PM

    Your honor the defense has attempted so serve a subpoena on a Mr. Yon Dung who is supposed to be someone that is familiar with the harmless ideas and patriotic intents of the defendant.

    The servers haven't been able to find Mr. Dung, but it has just come to our attention that the last name is spelled incorrectly.

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  8. Anonymous5:34 PM

    Sounds a lot like SOME (not all) of the mosque leaders who initially let the FBI in to infiltrate, but then found the arrangement/relationship stickier and more complicated than they first imagined. I can see the points on both sides. I even really want to take an open mind re: Cox, because the issue at hand affects all American protesters, violent and non-violent (see gray area).

    I am unsympathetic to Cox, because he is anathema to my view of what it means to be and benefit from being an American. But the larger issues here must be parsed by American law enforcement and the judiciary, and we must accept it. As imperfect yet superior they are in comparison to most countries in the world.

    You might not agree, but our system of governance, judicial and law enforcement, though imperfect, protects our rights as well as those with whom we disagree.

    Even if Cox gets out of jail free, I would like to think that there is another "estate" beyond that of the law, or journalism, that of the People, who simply will not allow this man to walk free on this earth, should he be vindicated on any technicality, like, much like, OJ Simpson. Not violently, just clipping his horns wherever he may wander, watchfully.

    To wring your hands over the possibility that Cox might go free, should make you think twice about the fact that Ayers and his wife also went free and were supported to reassemble their lives in profitable fashion after their involvement in violent protests in the 60s and 70s (thanks to Ayers's father, prominent politician/lawyer in Chicago). I don't think that was right, either. Just sayin' and I am a stone Liberal.

    Goose, Gander. Read your history.

    MicMac

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  9. Anonymous5:39 PM

    Hey "Cox," hope you like tossed salad (let's see if you're still smiling then.)

    Moron.

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  10. Totally off topic, but this woman is absolutely amazing...

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/opinion/kristof-the-face-of-modern-slavery.html?_r=1&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=OP-E-FB-SM-LIN-TFO-111711-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click


    and then there's this one...

    http://thinkprogress.org/health/2011/11/17/370181/two-minutes-of-crazy-michele-bachmann-unleashes-outrageous-new-attacks-against-health-reform-law/

    ugh.

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  11. Anonymous7:10 PM

    Update- New charges filed against Schaeffer Cox and Coleman Barney.

    www.newsminer.com/view/full_story/16476233/article-Additional-weapons-charges-filed-against-Fairbanks-militia-leader-?instance=home_news_window_left_top_2

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  12. Does the Cox arrest mean the low hanging fruit have been picked and waiting waiting waiting for higher ups in organization to be named?

    Someone is Palin's "fixer".... I sure
    hope the feds have Cox guarded in prison cause I really feel this guy is a squealer. There are just too many instances of burnings, deaths, drugs, prostitution, etc. in Alaska....

    Thanks Jesse for all you do!

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  13. MicMac @5:34 said;

    "To wring your hands over the possibility that Cox might go free, should make you think twice about the fact that Ayers and his wife also went free and were supported to reassemble their lives in profitable fashion after their involvement in violent protests in the 60s and 70s (thanks to Ayers's father, prominent politician/lawyer in Chicago). I don't think that was right, either. Just sayin' and I am a stone Liberal."

    Wrong. Bill Ayers did do time.
    Look it up. He even wrote a book about the entire episode of his life.

    ReplyDelete

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