Raven 23: Presumption of Guilt

How did four highly decorated American soldiers become prisoners of war in their own country? This series re-examines the US Department of Justice’s controversial prosecution following a controversial battle in Baghdad. Why did the DOJ hold multiple trials for over a decade? Was the DOJ seeking justice? Or playing politics?

On September 10, 2001, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld presents his vision for a new type of military that relies heavily on privatization. Rumsfeld claims that he is not trying to destroy the Pentagon, but “save it from itself.” At the exact time that he is giving his speech, four radical Jihadists are checking in to the Marriot Hotel in Herndon, VA. Less than 24 hours after giving his speech, Donald Rumsfeld would no longer be talking about war in the figurative sense. He would be involved in it literally, as he bravely rushed into the embers of the West Wall of the Pentagon to save lives.

What would you do if nearly every institution we are supposed to trust - the government, the media, and the judiciary - conspired to lie about you? That is exactly what happened to four Blackwater contractors who now sit behind bars for crimes that they did not commit. George Orwell famously stated that “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” After years of interviews and research, the revolution officially begins with this episode.

The decision of a notoriously vindictive judge destroys the career of a promising FBI agent and creates a chilling effect among every branch of law enforcement. As a result, several known terrorists travel freely in the United States before murdering 3,000 people on 9/11. As American soldiers risk their lives overseas, different law enforcement employees reveal how that decision prevented them from sharing information about the HIjackers with the FAA and other law enforcement agencies.

As the civil war in Iraq grows, the United States looks to private contractors to provide critical security services. Blackwater emerges as the poster child of private military contractors (PMCs). They are willing to take on any mission, regardless of the danger it presents both to their contractors' safety and the company's portrayal in the media.

The U.S. government’s mistakes in its occupation of Iraq coalesce in a deadly firefight on Sept. 16, 2007 in Nisour Square, in the heart of violence-ravaged Baghdad. The gun battle between Blackwater’s Tactical Support Team and armed insurgents echoes the struggle of U.S. Armed Forces to distinguish friend from foe in a country teetering on the brink of civil war. Innocent lives are tragically lost in the crossfire.

Clint Lorance served as a First Lieutenant in the US Army in Afghanistan when he was selected for the dangerous job of Platoon leader in June, 2012. The following month, Clint ordered HIs men to defend themselves against three Taliban soldiers speeding towards them on motorcyles. Rather than receiving a commendation, he was unjustly found guilty on two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He was confined in the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for over six years until he was fully pardoned and ordered released by President Donald Trump in November, 2019. ​Similar to the case of the Biden Four, Clint did not receive a fair trial. The government withheld key information from the jury. The prosecutors did not disclose evicence which would have cleared Clint of any wrong-doing - "biometric data" (fingerprint and DNA evidence).The prosecution also failed to notify the jury that witnesses against Clint were themselves initially accused of murder, given immunity from prosecution, and were ordered to cooperate with prosecutors.Clint Lorrance walked into the Army recruiting station in Greenville, Texas on hIs 18th Birthday to join the Army as a military policeman. ​On December 13, 2002, Clint's 18th birthday, Clint walked into the Army recruiting station in Greenville, Texas, and joined the Army as a military policeman (MP). For the next decade, he served HIs country with honor and distinction, only to find HImself unjustly imprisoned for six years. So more than half of HIs entire life has been spent either defending HIs country or serving time in prison for crimes that he did not connect. Miraculously, Clint has refused to yield to anger or bitterness. Since being released, he has dedicated substantial time and energy to making sure other veterans who were unlawfully imprisoned finally recieve the justice they deserve and the freedom stolen from them by a political prosecution. The majority of this time hahahahas been spent raising awareness about the political prosecution of the men of Raven 23.

Several eyewitnesses directly contradict the US government's two primary charges against "The Nisour Four." First, they prove that these wrongly accused military veterans faced major enemy fire in the battle at Nisour Square. Second, they show that the US government's star witness - Jimmy Watson - was a major catalyst in the debacle. In fact, the incident originated with a rogue decision by Watson to disobey a direct order to stand down. Instead, he commanded his men directly into the eye of the storm. And Watson's disobedience on the battlefield would soon lead to dishonesty about what really happened that day in Nisour Square.

Just hours after being attacked, the men of Raven 23 discover that the truth of what happened in Nisour Square will immediately come under attack as well. They are about to discover that their own government is willing to prosecute innocent men in a criminal court for political purposes.

For most of its history, Iraq was considered the cradle of civilization. They pioneered life-changing inventions in agriculture, travel, medicine, and the law. In fact, King Hammurabi established the earliest set of written laws, which codified the concept of "innocent until proven guilty." Paul, Nick, Evan, and Dustin risked their lives in Iraq to restore the country to its former glory. They risked their lives to rescue Iraq from tyrants and terrorists who were preventing the Iraqi citizens from basic freedoms. They wanted a free Iraq where the Iraqi people were safe and their opportunities to thrive and tap into their historic talents and collective genius. In a tragic irony, they will soon find themselves wrongfully convicted of a crime that they did not commit. And the US government would deprive them of the key freedom established by Hammurabi and enshrined in American law - the presumption of innocence.

Gina recently interviewed Derrick Miller, the Executive Director of the Justice for Warriors Caucus and Military Adviser to Texas Representative Louie Gohmert. Thanks to Representative Gohmert's leadership, Miller spends every day advocating for military justice reform.

Today, on May 12, the Congressional Justice for Warriors Caucus sent a letter to President Trump formally requesting a Presidential Pardon for the men of Raven 23. Representative Gohmert took the time to speak with Gina about the growing movement in Congress for a Presidential Pardon for Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard - four decorated military veterans unjustly serving time in prison for over five years now.

The Department of Justice aggressively moves forward to prosecute the men of Raven 23, employing every unethical and unjust trick in its playbook. The Department of Justice recreates the events of the day through a series of "alternative facts," falsehoods, witness coaching, and intimidation. Any inconvenient evidence that does not support their revisionist hIstory is concealed. US District Judge Ricardo Urbina is outraged by the DOJ's behavior and throws the case out in a scathing 93 page opinion on New Year's Eve, 2009. Their celebration would be short lived. Their Kafkaesque nightmare of defending themselves against the full power of the Department of Justice and politically motivated members of the Obama administration has only just begun.

Any relief experienced by the Nisour Four and their families from their decisive victory in the US District Court is short-lived. Vice President Joe Biden openly challenges the decision of Judge Ricardo Urbina - a distinguished and revered judge appointed by President Clinton. Biden makes it his personal mission to seek an appeal and continues to publicly parrot the false charges made against the four veterans - the very charges Judge Urbina had just thrown out in a scathing 93 page decision. And where does Biden decide to make this shocking announcement? Biden chooses to do his grandstanding in Baghdad, before the corrupt Iraqi regime that has been infiltrated by Iranian terrorists yet still supported by his administration.

Eric Holder and his Department of Justice resurrect their prosecution against the Nisour Four. Their reason? Pure politics. Join us as we review the show trials where the DOJ commits every element of prosecutorial misconduct to collect political points rather than dispense justice.

In our final episode, Gina visits with Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nick Slatten and Paul Slough three months after President Donald J. Trump issued unconditional pardons to free them from prison. They talk about hearing the news that they were coming home to their families for Christmas, and about their hopes and dreams. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thinkthink)

The men of Raven 23 resist mounting prosecutorial pressure to plead guilty, and must finally face trial -- a legal odyssey that dragged for seven more years and encompassed three trials. In this episode, Gina chronicles the repeated violations of the men's civil rights at the hands of prosecutors who are aided by a complicit judge.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thinkthink)