Charges Abruptly Dropped Against Choi, Pietrangelo

Charges against 1LT Dan Choi and CPT Jim Pietrangelo for chaining themselves to the White House fence were dropped today, moments before trial was to start.  All parties were in the courtroom,  including arresting officers from the Secret Service and the DC Police who were apparently ready to serve as witnesses.  The prosecutor, Christina Chang, was asked if the decision to drop the charges was due to her readiness for trial, and she responded flatly, "I was ready."  

Ordinarily, charges are dropped at the last minute due to a plea deal or previously-undiscovered flaw in the Government's case.  There was certainly no plea deal as Choi and Pietrangelo were simply set free.   Further, Chang's words make clear that she had confidence in her case.  Choi and Pietrangelo subpoenaed President Obama, who was unlikely to be forced to appear, but clearly they were going to make every effort to put Don't Ask/Don't Tell on trial.  Now, they won't have that opportunity.

The White House incident was featured in last night's episode of Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D List in which Choi and Pietrangelo turned HRC's staged celebrity rally into the real thing through an act of civil disobedience.