Alan Freed, Judge Hannah Dugan’s clerk, said he was not happy to learn an ICE team had arrived at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 18 to arrest an undocumented immigrant. And he let one of the federal agents know what he thought that day when he passed him in the courthouse hallway.
During this testimony on December 17, Freed was shown footage of himself walking past one of the agents, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling, the lead prosecutor, asked what Freed had said to the agent.
“I called him a fascist,” Freed said on the witness stand.
Earlier in his testimony, Freed had been asked about ICE’s presence in the courthouse.
“I was upset and a little bit outraged,” Freed said.
Freed may be a key witness in the case against Dugan, who is accused of helping the immigrant, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, evade arrest.
As he was leaving the federal courthouse at about noon, Freed told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he does not regret his words.
“Do I regret that? No. It’s what I think they are,” Freed said.
Freed said he did not want to talk details until after the trial’s conclusion, but said he firmly believes Dugan is innocent and that the trial is political theater.
“I just think its another example of this administration and this particular attorney general going after perceived political enemies,” Freed said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Dugan’s clerk reveals he called agent ‘a fascist’ during questioning on in day 3 of trial
Reporting by Mary Spicuzza, Kelli Arseneau and Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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