Conviction of man imprisoned for 2016 meme mocking Hillary Clinton is thrown out
In 2021, the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecuted conservative social media user Douglass Mackey over posts that he made prior to the 2016 election.
Although Mackey was later convicted on election interference charges, that conviction was just tossed out.
Meme maker thanks God, family, and supporters
According to the Daily Caller, Mackey celebrated his exoneration in a Wednesday post to X, writing, "BREAKING: THE SECOND CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS HAS THROWN OUT MY CONVICTION FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE."
BREAKING: THE SECOND CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS HAS THROWN OUT MY CONVICTION FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE
THE CASE HAS BEEN REMANDED TO THE DISTRICT COURT WITH ORDERS TO IMMEDIATELY DISMISS
HALLELUJAH!
— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) July 9, 2025
"THE CASE HAS BEEN REMANDED TO THE DISTRICT COURT WITH ORDERS TO IMMEDIATELY DISMISS. HALLELUJAH!" he added.
Mackey also put up another post which read, "I would like to thank God, thank my family, thank my beautiful wife, attorney Andrew Frisch, the incredible attorneys at Jones Day, and YOU—the friends who prayed and donated and spread the word since day one."
Mackey was sentenced to 7 months in prison
As the Daily Caller explained, Mackey shared memes under the name "Ricky Vaughn," which suggested that those who supported former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could vote for her via text.
Former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace accused Mackey in a press release of having "weaponized disinformation in a dangerous scheme."
"This groundbreaking prosecution demonstrates our commitment to prosecuting those who commit crimes that threaten our democracy and seek to deprive people of their constitutional right to vote," Peace added.
The Daily Caller noted how Mackey was sentenced to seven months in federal prison but later rejected the idea of receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump, insisting that he wanted "total vindication."
Trump cited Mackey's case in campaign video
For his part, Trump referenced Mackey's case in a campaign video, calling it an example of how "Joe Biden and the radical left are attacking American democracy and destroying the constitutional order."
"While accusing President Trump and Republicans of being a 'threat to democracy,' Democrats are criminalizing free speech and attempting to throw their political opponents in jail," the president complained.
"In the latest shocking example, a corrupt court put conservative activist Douglass Mackey in PRISON for making a joke online," he continued.
"Biden and the Deep State are weaponizing government agencies designed to protect our country against foreign threats in order to spy on, intimidate, and harass American citizens," Trump added.