Karl Rove Citizen's Arrest Attempt in Iowa

(image source: DesMoinesCatholicWorker.org -- Kirk Brown reading the Citizen's Arrest Complaint to Rove on July 25, 2008))


Karl Rove was almost arrested in Iowa this week when 4 Iowans attempted a citizen's arrest of him as he spoke at a Republican fundraiser in Des Moines.

The four individuals have been named as retired Methodist minister and Peace and Justice Advocate, Rev. Chet Guinn, 80, and 3 Des Moines Catholic Workers, Edward Bloomer, 61, Kirk Brown, 25, and Mona Shaw, 57.

All four were arrested for trespassing just long enough for Rove to finish up and leave and then released. But not before they read from this Citizen's Arrest Complaint in the case of the United States of America versus Karl Christian Rove.

The complaint charges Rove with
-Election Fraud
-Conspiracy to Commit Offense or Defraud the United States, for false information leading to the war in Iraq
-Treason, Sedition, and Subversive Activities (also related to Iraq, as well as the torture being committed at Guantanamo)

...the United States code is cited in each charge -- these people really did their homework.

This is the second attempt by Kirk Brown and Mona Shaw to perform a citizen's arrest of Rove -- the first time was in March 2008 when he was speaking at the University of Iowa.

This is a significant event which unfortunately has received insignificant press coverage in the United States media. Weak. Very weak. Rove has a long list of criminal activities, not the least of which is his considerable role in the Valerie Plame CIA-leak investigation. (click here for the Saccharinist Guide to the Plame CIA Leak Case.)

Fortunately, it is a positive trend toward citizen action -- more people need to be out there attempting citizen's arrests (what about George W. Bushler? Condosleezza Rice? Dickless Cheney? John Asscroft? Alberto Bongzales...the list is endless.)

More Americans need to undertake citizens' arrests of these criminals and unlike this Iowa case the legal system needs to actually support these legal actions by members of the public. Clearly, the United States has a great deal of obstacles in place for people who actually attempt to abide by the law.