Lawmakers slam DOJ prosecution of Swartz as 'ridiculous, absurd'

DOJ prosecution of Swartz listed as "ridiculous, absurd" by members of Congress

Lawmakers slam DOJ prosecution of Swartz as 'ridiculous, absurd' - The Hill's Hillicon Valley: " . . . Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) says his Oversight panel will look into whether federal prosecutors acted inappropriately. Meanwhile, two other members of the House Judiciary Committee said prosecutors acted too aggressively. “The charges were ridiculous and trumped-up,” Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) told The Hill. “It's absurd that he was made a scapegoat. I would hope that this doesn't happen to anyone else.” Polis called Swartz — a co-creator of Reddit who was accused of stealing articles from a computer archive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — a "martyr" for why Congress should limit the discretion of prosecutors. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said the government's handling of the case was “pretty outrageous.”“Based on what I know, I think the Department of Justice was way out of line on the case,” she told The Hill.  All three lawmakers serve on the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Justice Department. The lawmakers worked with Swartz and his group Demand Progress last year to defeat online piracy legislation backed by the entertainment industry. . . . "

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/277353-lawmakers-blast-trumped-up-doj-prosecution-of-internet-activist#ixzz2IBZabr3E

Tweet    Follow @johnmpoole