# Branch 70 in Their Own Words - The Response to Michael Rivera's Conviction Appeal (Part 1 of 2)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/classes-of-mail-6306410/branch-70-in-their-own-words-the-response-to-michael-rivera-s-conviction-appeal-part-1-of-2
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/classes-of-mail-6306410/branch-70-in-their-own-words-the-response-to-michael-rivera-s-conviction-appeal-part-1-of-2.md
Podcast: [Classes of Mail](https://stenobird.com/podcast/classes-of-mail-6306410)
Published: 2026-07-07T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://rss.com/podcasts/classesofmail/2925165
Audio file: https://content.rss.com/episodes/203340/2925165/classesofmail/2026_06_18_13_22_46_76a0981b-91cc-46e3-a6c8-6ed73d837dd6.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3649

## Resource

This is the other side of the story. Branch 70 prepared a reply to Michael Rivera, and I am going to read every word of it and discuss it with Michael Brasaemle. This is part one of two. While listening, bear in mind the two statements, written within an election appeal and shown to be false, that have caused all this trouble. To summarize, one is that the Branch President didn't relinquish his microphone to accept his nomination. The other is that there was going to be one microphone for nominations, but there wound up being three. Again, both of those allegations wound up being false. Think about the harm those statements caused to the branch in general, and specifically to the members of the election committee. Financial harm? Emotional distress? Loss of work? Or did nobody care, because they're insignificant accusations. The Branch makes its case for why Michael Rivera deserves an 18 month suspension for those two statements. Listen and decide for yourself.

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## Transcript

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