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Lt. Dan Choi, in D.C. court Wednesday with Capt. James Pietrangelo II to face charges stemming from their arrests at the White House in protest of "don't ask, don't tell,"tweeted that the government had dropped the case.
"Victory for truth today!" Choi tweeted around 10:30 a.m. "Government drops case against us."
Choi and Pietrangelo were scheduled to stand trial in D.C. superior court for chaining themselves to the White House gate in March and April in protest of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
According to an earlier news release, the men were facing a nonjury trial on two counts of failure to obey a lawful order.
The trial was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in the courtroom in Washington, D.C.
The news release contains more background on the case:
“Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. James Pietrangelo II are each charged with two counts of failure to obey a lawful order, pursuant to D.C. Municipal Regulations 18 DCMR 2000.2 (1995); these charges stem from arrests at the White House sidewalk, on two separate occasions, March 18, 2010, and April 20, 2010. They face a nonjury trial on both charges, on Wednesday, July 14, 2010, in Courtroom 120 of D.C. Superior Court. This court is located at 500 Indiana Ave., N.W., in Washington, D.C. These are relatively minor charges (the defendants may only be fined, from $100 to $1,000, and may not receive jail time for these infractions). However, the defendants seek to use their trials to highlight the ongoing effects of the "don't ask, don't tell" law and policy of the U.S. armed forces toward gay and lesbian service members.”
