Stewart Parks, a local entrepreneur and former candidate to represent Tennessee’s 5th congressional district joined the newsmaker line on Wednesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to share the latest on his fight to appeal his conviction for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
TRANSCRIPT
Michael Patrick Leahy: 12:20 p.m.; broadcasting live from our studios in downtown Nashville. We are delighted to welcome to our newsmaker line our very good friend Stewart Parks, who ran for the 5th Congressional District GOP nomination a couple years ago, and also has been unjustly convicted of a crime while just walking peacefully in J6 in the Capitol.
He was convicted. And then sentenced to eight months in federal prison by an Obama-appointed judge who hates anybody who’s MAGA.
Stewart Parks, how are you doing this morning? Thanks for joining us.
Stewart Parks: Doing well, sir. Thank you for having me.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Can you bring us up to speed? When last we spoke, Stewart, you were told to report to a federal incarceration center in Memphis in February for an eight month sentence.
When last we heard, you were going to appeal that sentence. Tell us where everything stands.
Stewart Parks: Yes, sir. So at this moment, there’s been an update since then. We received the transcript from the court recorder from all my court appearance as well as my sentencing and my appeal attorneys are reviewing them right now.
And there may be an update this week as to where you know what, from the records, we can use to go ahead and file the brief and there’s several avenues of which we can go about doing this. So that’s the update right now. And there may be a big update this week as to the date or time of the action of our first brief that we’ll file with the appeals court.
So we’re very, very close to doing that. So I’m thankful that they have moved quickly through the holidays to get us the document that we need for this appeal.
Michael Patrick Leahy: So what happens once you file that appeal? Is your sentence held in abeyance or do you have to report to this Federal Incarceration Center in February?
Stewart Parks: So how it’s been explained to me, and this is based on my understanding, there are several avenues by which we can do this. We can go back to the Obama-appointed judge that oversaw my bench trial, presided over my bench trial, and my sentencing, and we can say, ‘Hey, we need more time.’
We see a very credible list of ways that we can win the appeal and go to him and we can basically get like a release pending appeals-type scenario where he just gives us more time or whatever, have you.
If he declined that, then we can go to the court above in the appeals court and file with them, which I anticipate us having to do that.
You know, miracles still happen, but I just I think this judge, based on what I’ve seen, I’ve reviewed most of the transcripts, or a good portion of the transcripts, and this judge definitely has it out for me to get me in jail, give me the punishment.
I mean, they twisted my words in the testimony. There was several things in the transcript that I saw that this judge and this D.C. swamp judicial system want to punish me. That’s where we’re at.
And then we can always try to – I forget the correct terminology for it – but say that, ‘Hey, there’s new evidence’ and a lot of that new evidence well, there could be new evidence in the 44,000 hours that Mike Johnson had released.
So, but that would take, you know, they said it would take years because we’d have to almost go through and like it’s a new trial and get new evidence and present it and so forth. Which by then, I would already be released from prison. So the main thing is we’re trying to stop the unjust sentencing or, self-surrender at the Memphis prison.
So that’s like several avenues we’re looking at.
Michael Patrick Leahy: isn’t it standard operating procedure in the American judicial system that if you’re sentenced to a prison term and you appeal that sentencing, isn’t your reporting date typically postponed?
Isn’t that the standard operating procedure?
Stewart Parks: See, it’s a case-by-case basis. If we can show good evidence to the court that, ‘Hey, we have good evidence for an appeal, but we’ll win this appeal, you know, can you give us a stay or delay the sentencing?’
I’ve seen it where many people, while they’re in jail after they’ve self-surrendered, they filed the appeal and it’s sad that a lot of times they’re already out and then they’re on appeal just fighting for their name and so forth.
We’ve done expedited requests, done everything over the holiday to get the documents you need and move quickly on this. So; yes, sir.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Well, Stewart for our listeners who may be listening for the first time, tell everybody what you did on January 6th, what the Department of Justice claims you did, and what the Obama-appointed judge – who hates you and hates anybody who disagrees with his political philosophy tell them what he convicted you of and, and what he sentenced you to.
Stewart Parks: Yes, sir. So I was peacefully present – went to January 6th. Police let me in, and in the transcript, it’s just astounding that the judge, like their own, you know, accusation towards me doesn’t make any sense.
There are instances where the judge said something to the effect of, ‘You saw four lines of police and you still went in.’
And I almost want to say to them, “Yeah, I saw four lines of police and the police let me in.’
And so there’s just a lot of just crazy twists of wording, just to push a narrative through.
So, I peacefully walked into the Capitol; didn’t damage anything; saw, was with a lot of police, and it’s in the transcript that there was at least four lines, which means four large groups of police officers that I’m around. I’m with. And they never once told me to leave. They never once said, ‘Hey, you need to get out.’ Never stopped me once. And so I’m peacefully present in the Capitol.
And then for about 30 minutes, a little bit over that time, I leave, go back home. And then the FBI June 3rd of 2021 at 5:53am in the morning, raided my house, – machine gun, full armor – and first take me to an unmarked building in hopes of me not knowing the legal procedure and give them more evidence – and they didn’t even inform me of my right to legal counsel.
And then once I specifically request for a lawyer, that’s when they re-handcuffed me and led me to jail where I was released on my own bond. And then from there I go, many months later, I have my bench trial, because the jury pool is just politically hostile. It’s you know, they were They hate Trump, pro-Trump, Christian, pro-American people, so I wouldn’t have gotten a fair jury trial so that’s why I had to go to elect to have a bench trial. And even the bench trial was a risky move because it was an Obama-appointed judge.
And just several instances. He called me, I counted at least – no less than – eight times. He refers to me as “Matthew Baggett.”
Michael Patrick Leahy: That’s not your name. Your name is Stewart Parks.
He just hates your guts. Basically, that’s the bottom line. You didn’t get a fair trial.
Stewart, let me ask you this. What is your current date to report to the Memphis Federal Incarceration Center?
Stewart Parks: It’s my understanding that I have to be at the minimum correction facility in Memphis February 6th, no later than 2 p.m.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Here’s a question for you: what can our listeners do to help you as you fight these unjust charges and this unjust prison sentence?
Stewart Parks: Well that is a great question. At this point just pray; speak out. There are actually a lot of instances – and I’ll hear from my attorney this week on that. A lot of what we have to do now to get the appeal is we got to show what happened in the court.
And there’s a lot of things, a lot of unjust scenarios, and the judge was clearly biased against me. That we can use to win an appeal. So pray that I win this appeal. So that’s what I’m requesting right now.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Just prayer. All right. So I’m going to ask all of our listeners this evening after dinner, before you go to bed, sit down and say a prayer for Stewart Parks, justice for Stewart Parks, our good friend; and we support you, Stewart, and keep at it.
We really appreciate all of your efforts. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Stewart Parks: Yes; thank you for having me.
Michael Patrick Leahy: All right. Stewart Parks, a good man. I vouch for Stewart Parks, his character and his integrity. And you know, it would be a travesty if he is sent to prison by this biased Obama judge who hates everything MAGA.
Hey, we’ll have more when we get back.
Scott Cepicky, state representative from Murray County, will join us on a snow week for the Tennessee General Assembly. This is The Tennessee Star Report. I’m Michael Patrick Leahy.
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Photo “Stewart Parks” by Stewart Parks.
