Janet Reitman
New York Times journalist covering national security and extremism; author of The Inheritance
Janet Reitman (New York Times journalist covering national security and extremism; author of The Inheritance) has appeared as a guest on 1 episode in TMT. Topics they speak about most include Material support for terrorism, Prairieland Detention Center shooting, Antifa.
In their words
Positions and remarks grouped by topic, each with the exact quote and where it was said.
Material support for terrorism
Reitman concludes the Prairieland case marks a dangerous turn in how the U.S. brands political activity as terrorism.
“I think this is a dangerous corner that we've turned in this case”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 46:26
Reitman argues the defendants' belief system, which judges could consider at sentencing, drove the extreme sentence lengths.
“the judge who sentenced them could use the ideology to impose these extremely long sentences”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 39:21
Reitman says most people convicted of material support for terrorism receive under ten years, far less than the Prairieland sentences.
“most people who are prosecuted for material support for terrorism in this country receive under 10 years”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 38:12
Reitman argues that using the material support statute against protesters is a 'nuclear option' the DOJ had avoided because of First Amendment concerns.
“It's very close to treading on speech, treading on the First Amendment. And so to use it is kind of the nuclear option”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 27:24
Reitman says the Prairieland case was the first time the federal government tried American protesters on terrorism-related charges.
“this was really the first time that the federal government has ever tried American protesters on either the right or the left for terrorism-related charges”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 3:43
Prairieland Detention Center shooting
Reitman disputes that the jury was unsympathetic, saying jurors were boxed in by the terrorism framing.
“I don't even think this was an unsympathetic jury”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 40:31
Reitman reports Ben Song received 100 years although Lieutenant Gross's injury was minor.
“Ben Song, who shot at Lieutenant Gross, was given a sentence of 100 years. And Lieutenant Gross's injury was relatively minor”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 38:46
Reitman reports that Ben Song proposed taking the facility using suppressive fire, an idea the group rejected.
“And he says, oh, no, no, no, we're going to lay down suppressive fire. It's just suppressive fire”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 14:09
Antifa
Reitman describes Scheidler's testimony that the absence of violent talk in chats reflected security culture, which she called circular logic.
“And he says, well, of course not, because that would be a violation of security culture”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 35:03
Reitman says it was highly unusual for a civilian like Kyle Scheidler to help word a federal terrorism indictment.
“This is highly unusual for any civilian, non-DOJ employee, non-lawyer, to be consulting with the prosecutors on any wording of a federal terrorism indictment”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 34:04
Reitman argues Antifa is not an organization with cells but a loose, decentralized anti-fascist movement.
“It's a very loose, decentralized movement of left-wing activists whose ideology is kind of broadly anti-fascist”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 4:26
January 6 United States Capitol attack
Reitman warns the precedent could later be used against the right, noting January 6 participants could have been charged similarly.
“So while this was used against the left, For years or five years from now, it could easily be used against the right”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 42:58
Political violence in the United States
Reitman believes that without the police shooting the activists likely would not have been prosecuted, at least not as they were.
“Without the shooting of the police officer, I'm not sure these guys would have gotten prosecuted”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 43:36
United States Department of Justice
Reitman reports that, according to former prosecutors, Nancy Larson had been looking to please the Trump administration.
“had for a long time since she'd been appointed in the spring of that year, in fact, been looking to please the Trump administration”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 25:44
Designation of Antifa as a terrorist organization
Reitman says Trump's Antifa terrorist designation was symbolic because no legal mechanism exists for designating domestic groups.
“there is no actual legal mechanism to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 24:01
February 2021 North American winter storm
Reitman says Texas knew for years its power grid was weak before the 2021 storm and never fixed it.
“They had a very weak power grid. They knew it. They had known it for about 10 years”
The Daily: They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism. (Oct 27, 2026) · Listen from 7:34
Appearances
They Protested ICE. Now They’ve Been Convicted of Terrorism.The Daily · Oct 27, 2026 · 47 min
Michael Barbaro and Janet Reitman examine the Prairieland case, the first federal terrorism prosecution of American protesters, labeled an Antifa cell after an ICE protest shooting.
Often appears with
- Michael Barbaro · 1 shared episode