Conservative donations pour in for ex-Marine facing charges for NYC subway death

WASHINGTON (TND) — A wave of conservative support is pouring in for 24-year-old ex-marine Daniel Penny who now faces second-degree manslaughter charges for placing 30-year-old Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on a NYC subway.

GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy donated $10,000 to Penny’s legal defense fund. Ramaswamy showed public support in a tweet writing, “we must restore the rule of law in America.”

As of Monday — about 40,000 individuals donated more than they $2 million for Penny’s defense.

After a video of the chokehold was made public, protests erupted around the city demanding justice.

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg bypassed a grand jury to charge Penny. The charges came amid increasing pressure from the Left for officials to take action against Penny. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the lack of action "disgusting."

"Certainly a reasonable jury would not believe that Daniel Penny intended to kill Jordan Neely but a jury could believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the actions were not justified and that they were reckless," said CBS legal analyst Rikki Klieman.

Eyewitnesses say Neely was yelling and behaving erratically on the subway. Penny’s lawyers claim he was acting in self-defense, protecting himself and other passengers.

Neely was reportedly on a "Top 50" list NYC city officials keep of homeless people who repeatedly cause trouble. Neely was arrested and jailed in February for assaulting a 67-year-old, breaking several bones in her face.

Alvin Bragg and Eric Adams almost certainly colluded on this decision. It’s a political decision, not a criminal justice decision, which is not the way our system is supposed to work and that’s the shame of it," said Paul Mauro, a former NYPD inspector.

Donations for Penny's legal fight increased exponentially following a tweet from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that read in part, “we stand with good samaritans like Daniel Penny. Let’s show this marine... America’s got his back.”

If convicted, Penny could face up to 15 years behind bars.