The ostensible point of the law is to place violent anarchist rioters (like the ones at Trump’s inauguration that smashed windows, and broke my reporter’s iPhone and gave him a concussion) within the reach of racketeering laws. Anyone who loves limits on government power ought to be skeptical of racketeering laws, especially their expansion. Originally devised to go after the mob, racketeering laws are basically a way for law enforcement to slap big penalties people they just know are criminals, but on whom they don’t have any really good dirt.

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