This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A man who was sentenced to months in a federal prison for an online joke about Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential race, which she lost, has been formally cleared.
Douglass Mackey posted on social media the statement "TOTAL EXONERATION" along with a copy of a federal court order declaring, "It is ordered that the defendant is acquitted, discharged, and any bond exonerated."
He was charged, by a Department of Justice weaponized by Joe Biden, with interfering with an election, and convicted and sentenced to seven months in prison. His appeals kept him out, and while the court case was dropped as illegal some time ago, the final ruling just arrived.
He had joked, about Clinton, that her supporters should avoid the lines on election day and vote online.
Leftist prosecutors wildly claimed that Mackey tricked some 5,000 people into voting by text or social, even thought that was impossible, since there is no process for online voting.
It was in 2020, right after Biden moved into the White House, "one of the very first things his weaponized DOJ did was launch a political hit job on Douglass Mackey, a conservative influencer who dared to mock Hillary Clinton with a satirical meme during the 2016 election. The meme was obviously a joke and clearly protected speech. But that didn't matter. What mattered was the message it sent: mock the regime, and we'll destroy your life. So, that's exactly what the Biden regime did," Revolver commented.
That publication contacted Mackey after the court released its order.
He said, "Although personally satisfying, this victory is for the American people. This victory is for all who donated and prayed and lawyered and spread the word to help win this case. It was an honor to stand for free speech," he said. "After pouring many hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars into this case, I look forward to winning a settlement with the Trump DOJ, which is doing a great job righting the wrongs of the last administration."
He cited a lawyer he's retained for those negotiations.
He also said he's excited to have another legal team to pursue "accountability and reforms" inside the DOJ to prevent future weaponization like that which Biden demanded.
WND had reported when he confirmed his plan to seek damages.
It was the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that destroyed the Biden administration's years-long war against Mackey by vacating his conviction.
Revolver reported, "Many also believe the Mackey case was a test run. Because if they could twist a meme into a federal crime and throw a young guy in prison, could they also go after a former president? Turns out, yes. They could. And they did."
Mackey's lawyer said it's a priority to secure compensation for damages Biden's DOJ inflicted.
Also possible? Suing DOJ attorneys in their personal capacity and filing misconduct complaints against them, the report noted.
Also they will work with Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate how the case could come about, "who originated it, and whose heads need to roll for it."
When the Biden DOJ weaponization was at its strongest, Mackey was convicted and sentenced to prison.
He pointed out in his appeal that the government's case, left standing, would criminalize not just political misinformation and satire, but also "lies about also whether and for whom to vote. Such a sprawling political speech code is in the teeth of every applicable canon for reading criminal laws, and grossly offends the First Amendment."
WND also reported that a "progressive activist told Trump supporters to vote by text, but Biden's weaponized DOJ gave her a pass.
