The reason to seek to end the political career of Ms. Ortiz is not because her hounding of aaronsw was inconsistent with the behavior of other federal prosecuto

The reason to seek to end the political career of Ms. Ortiz is not because her hounding of aaronsw was inconsistent with the behavior of other federal prosecutors, but rather precisely because it was "what any good federal prosecutor" would have done. There are so many criminal laws on the books--and federal law enforcement powers are so great--that any individual who is identified as a political target can have their lives ruined, regardless of the moral justice of the charges they face. Furthermore, in spite of what this article says, prosecutors frequently use their discretion when choosing to file charges. The beneficiaries of that discretion are often the politically connected, examples of which are numerous and infamous. In other words, the filing of these charges against Aaron Swartz was an inherently political act and requires a political response. That these charges were morally odious cannot be doubted, and yet articles like this ask, were they nonetheless correct? By asking that question they attempt to exculpate Ms. Ortiz and her subordinates. This prosecution was "correct" only because people like Aaron Swartz who seem powerless are the kind of people who go to jail all the time. The effort to end Ms. Ortiz' career is an effort to make prosecutions like this "incorrect" by making people like Aaron Swartz more powerful, because just as the powerless are targeted in this very way all the time, similar digressions by the powerful are frequently overlooked. When mercy and proportionate justice is granted only to the powerful, then any quest for mercy and justice must concern itself first and foremost with power. In the American political system, power is gained and exerted by imposing political consequences on those politians who transgress against your objectives.