Grand juror called DOJ’s controversial Chicago protest indictment ‘a crock’ before it was approved, transcript shows | CNN Politics

Some grand jurors in Chicago told the Justice Department in October they were skeptical of a proposed indictment of six Democratic politicians and activists who had protested outside a federal immigration detention center outside Chicago, according to newly released transcripts of the October grand jury sessions. “Do you have unlimited tries?” one grand juror asked prosecutors a week after the grand jury had already voted against the indictment. The Justice Department was trying again. Justice Department rushes to defense of Chicago US attorney after weeks of turmoil A federal judge in Chicago on Tuesday authorized the release of several pages of transcripts from October grand jury proceedings where the protesters, now known as the “Broadview Six,” were charged. It is exceedingly rare for full grand jury transcripts, showing prosecutors’ interactions with the grand jury members analyzing a possible criminal case, to be made public. In recent weeks, the grand jury issues in the Broadview Six case have sent the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago, and its US Attorney Andrew Boutros, into crisis. Pushback from defense attorneys and scrutiny from judges — on the Broadview Six