There is an old maxim that says that a man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client.  Sometimes it’s even worse when you get a lawyer,

The attorney who represented Jake Angeli, the QAnon Shaman, negotiated a plea-bargain on his behalf.   It was a terrible deal.  Angeli received a sentence of 41 months in prison with virtually no right of appeal.  It now appears that Angeli was innocent of any serious wrongdoing.  In fact, I believe he tried to act as a peacemaker on January 6.

Why did Angeli agree to such a terrible deal?  I can think of two possible reasons.  First, the conditions in the DC jail were so bad that Angeli pled guilty in hopes of getting transferred to a less dangerous Federal facility.  Second, it’s possible that his lawyer misrepresented the plea-bargain to him.

Whatever the reason, it was a bad deal and an affront to justice.   I would love to see Angeli freed right now.   Unfortunately, it is much more likely that he will serve the entire 41 month sentence.