White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller threw a tantrum for the stupidest reason imaginable.
A federal jury Sunday refused to convict Bobby Nunez, a 33-year-old tow truck driver in Los Angeles charged with stealing government property after he moved an SUV belonging to ICE that was blocking a driveway.*
Federal prosecutors alleged that Nunez had interfered with ICE’s violent arrest of Tatiana Mafla-Martinez, a 23-year-old Colombian woman suspected of being in the country illegally, who was later released. They claimed he had pressed the door of Mafla-Martinez’s car against one of the officers, before towing their car.
Lawyers for Nunez argued that federal agents were blocking the building’s driveway, and noted that Nunez had only moved the vehicle one block away. The SUV was reportedly returned to agents within 13 minutes. Nunez faced up to 10 years in prison.
Miller fumed over the ruling in a post on X Sunday. “Another example of blatant jury nullification in a blue city. The justice system depends on a jury of peers with a shared system of interests and values. Mass migration tribalizes the entire legal system,” he wrote.
Of course, there was no evidence to suggest that the ruling was so-called “jury nullification.” It is the latest in a string of weak cases brought forth by the Trump administration against protesters and civilians tied to immigration arrests.
* This story has been updated to reflect Nunez’s acquittal.
