Jordan Kushner

A year ago the Republican National Convention opened at the Xcel Energy Center. The St. Paul Police Department pledged that protesters and Republican delegates alike would be welcome on the city’s streets. The reality was that roughly 800 people were arrested, primarily in mass sweeps. The contentious four-day gathering continues to play out in the state’s courts through both criminal cases and civil lawsuits.

Supporters of the so-called RNC Eight believe electoral politics is at the center of Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner’s decision to drop terrorism charges against the defendants. But the prosecutor — and gubernatorial hopeful — says she’s simply doing what it takes to obtain convictions in the high-profile cases.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office is preparing to drop terrorism charges against the so-called RNC Eight, according to a source close to discussions about the high-profile prosecutions. The group of activists, who have been accused of a criminal conspiracy to disrupt the Republican National Convention, will still face felony charges of criminal conspiracy to riot and damage property.

Andrew Clark Darst was a key FBI informant in building a case that eight activists criminally conspired to disrupt the Republican National Convention. But criminal charges subsequently filed against Darst have raised questions about his credibility.

In the days leading up to the Republican National Convention, a series of police raids led by the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the arrest of eight people for allegedly conspiring to disrupt the political gathering. On Wednesday the individuals were each charged with a single count of “conspiracy to commit riot in the [...]