calling it a national embarrassment, wolf. so he's not drawing a blanket statement, saying that these prosecutors should get off the hook, but he is making the observation, he feels, that there are differences and he thinks it's worth pointing out. >> very interesting, indeed. whitney, thank you very much. whitney wild reporting. let's get some insight from our legal analyst, eliot williams. what's your reaction to the judge's decision that the january 6th rioters, at least some of them, are being treated more harshly or unfairly? >> look, wolf, we have to get off of this fantasy that exists in america that federal judges are not political figures. because he was making a broad point that we should all agree with that, yeah, all defendants should be treated equally. he could make that point without calling attention to another politically charged matter. it's rank, naked politics coming from someone tonight federal bench. >> because he said, they were being treated differently than the rioters who were involved in last year's racial unrest. >> it's apples and oranges,