Officer hailed as hero testifies at Capitol riot trial
2 years, 6 months ago

Officer hailed as hero testifies at Capitol riot trial

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A police officer lauded for his bravery during the U.S. Capitol riot testified Monday that a man carrying a Confederate battle flag jabbed at him with the flagpole before joining the mob that chased him up a staircase. In his first public testimony since the Jan. 6, 2021, siege, Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman described his encounter with the flag-toting Delaware man, Kevin Seefried, and his adult son, Hunter, at their trial on charges that they stormed the Capitol together. After rioters chased Goodman up a set of stairs, another Capitol police officer who confronted the mob near the Senate chamber recalled that Kevin Seefried asked, “Why are you protecting them?” “I assumed he was talking about Congress,” Officer Brian Morgan testified. “I’ve never seen anything like that ever.” Goodman said he had to retreat inside the building after getting pepper sprayed and exposed to tear gas deployed by police. In a court filing, prosecutors said the Confederate battle flag that Kevin Seefried brought from home was “a symbol of violent opposition to the United States government.” Mullin said Seefried didn’t intend “to send any kind of message” by carrying the flag into the Capitol and regrets doing so.

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History of this topic

‘The statements change every day’: Capitol rioters try to parse Trump’s pardon pledges
1 week, 5 days ago

‘The statements change every day’: Capitol rioters try to parse Trump’s pardon pledges

CNN  

CNN — President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged to pardon US Capitol rioters on Day One, but one month before Inauguration Day it’s not clear who among the hundreds of convicted rioters, defendants awaiting trial and remaining fugitives would receive clemency. “No matter what ultimately becomes of the Capitol Riots cases already concluded and still pending, the true story of …

Judge slaps down Capitol rioters' claim Trump win gives them get out of jail free card
1 month, 1 week ago

Judge slaps down Capitol rioters' claim Trump win gives them get out of jail free card

Raw Story  

Prosecutors don't intend to give up on cases against Jan. 6 defendants just because Donald Trump won re-election. Several alleged Capitol rioters have cited special counsel Jack Smith's decision to pause the election interference case against the president-elect to request a similar wind-down of their own cases, but prosecutors responded by arguing that Trump's case was unique and had no …

Jan. 6 Capitol rioters cheer Trump win, expecting the pardons he promised
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Jan. 6 Capitol rioters cheer Trump win, expecting the pardons he promised

LA Times  

Rioters storm the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Jacob Lang, a Capitol riot defendant who is jailed while awaiting trial in Washington, posted within hours of Trump’s victory that he and other Jan. 6 “political prisoners” were “finally coming home.” “There will be no bitterness in my heart as I walk out of …

Judge in Trump’s election interference case rejects ‘hostages’ label for jailed Jan. 6 defendants
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Judge in Trump’s election interference case rejects ‘hostages’ label for jailed Jan. 6 defendants

Associated Press  

See the latest on Donald Trump here. WASHINGTON — The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s election interference case rejected the notion Wednesday that jailed defendants charged with some of the most violent crimes of the U.S. Capitol riot are “hostages” — a label Trump and his allies have frequently used to describe the prisoners. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan …

Capitol rioter who attacked Reuters cameraman and police officer gets more than 4 years in prison
1 year, 2 months ago

Capitol rioter who attacked Reuters cameraman and police officer gets more than 4 years in prison

Associated Press  

A man who attacked a police officer and a Reuters cameraman during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Wednesday to more than four years in prison. Woods, of Auburn, Illinois, took a running start and tackled the Reuters cameraman “like an NFL linebacker hunting a quarterback after an interception,” federal prosecutors wrote in a court filing. Woods also attacked …

Man Who Told Jurors He Had 'Fun' At Capitol Riot Is Sentenced To 6 Years In Prison
1 year, 6 months ago

Man Who Told Jurors He Had 'Fun' At Capitol Riot Is Sentenced To 6 Years In Prison

Huff Post  

WASHINGTON — A Virginia man who told his wife — and a federal jury — that he had “fun” at the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison for attacking police as he stormed the building. He said Maly’s fundraising activities may have been “unseemly,” but he questioned whether there was a legal basis for …

Rioter who menaced officer with Confederate flag gets prison
1 year, 10 months ago

Rioter who menaced officer with Confederate flag gets prison

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A Delaware man who threatened a Black police officer with a pole attached to a Confederate battle flag as he stormed the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Thursday to three years in prison. Widely published photographs showed Kevin Seefried carrying his Confederate flag inside the Capitol after he and his son, then 22, entered the building through a …

EXPLAINER: Capitol riot investigation growing 2 years later
1 year, 11 months ago

EXPLAINER: Capitol riot investigation growing 2 years later

Associated Press  

The largest investigation in the Justice Department’s history keeps growing two years after a violent mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol and challenged the foundations of American democracy. Schaffer was one of at least eight Oath Keepers who pleaded guilty before the group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, and other members went to trial on seditious conspiracy …

Verdicts for three Capitol rioters could change the course of other Jan. 6 trials
2 years, 3 months ago

Verdicts for three Capitol rioters could change the course of other Jan. 6 trials

Raw Story  

The verdicts handed down Tuesday to three U.S. Capitol rioters could change the direction of future Jan. 6 prosecutions. Every defendant who has been tried before a jury has been convicted on every count, but mixed verdicts or acquittals for McCaughey, Stevens and Mehaffie could encourage others charged in the attack to opt for bench trials -- where McFadden, a …

Judges keeping Capitol riot trials in DC amid bias claims
2 years, 5 months ago

Judges keeping Capitol riot trials in DC amid bias claims

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — For some of the Washington, D.C., residents who reported for jury duty last month, a pro-Trump mob’s assault on the U.S. Capitol felt like a personal attack. Before a jury convicted retired New York City police officer Thomas Webster of assaulting a Capitol police officer during the riot, Webster’s lawyer said a survey of Washington residents found that …

Despite bias claims, 6 Jan US Capitol riot trials to take place in Washington DC
2 years, 5 months ago

Despite bias claims, 6 Jan US Capitol riot trials to take place in Washington DC

Firstpost  

A growing number of defendants are pushing to have their trials moved out of D.C., saying the outcome of the first trials proves that the odds are unfairly stacked against 6 Jan defendants in the nation’s capital Washington: For some of the Washington, D.C., residents who reported for jury duty last month, a pro-Trump mob’s assault on the US Capitol …

Confederate flag-toting man, son convicted in Capitol riot
2 years, 6 months ago

Confederate flag-toting man, son convicted in Capitol riot

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday convicted a Confederate flag-toting man and his son of charges that they stormed the U.S. Capitol together during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, to obstruct Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden delivered the verdict from the bench after hearing two days of testimony without a jury …

Judge to decide trial for Confederate flag-toting dad, son
2 years, 6 months ago

Judge to decide trial for Confederate flag-toting dad, son

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A man carrying a Confederate battle flag stormed the U.S. Capitol with his son because they intended to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory, prosecutors argued Tuesday at the close of the men’s trial. Widely published photographs showed Kevin Seefried carrying a Confederate battle flag inside the Capitol after he and Hunter Seefried, then …

Trial delayed for Maryland man charged with storming Capitol
2 years, 6 months ago

Trial delayed for Maryland man charged with storming Capitol

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has postponed for a trial for a Maryland man charged with storming the U.S. Capitol and breaking a window to enter the building during last year’s riot. McFadden already has presided over two bench trials for Capitol riot defendants, acquitting one and partially acquitting another. On Friday, jurors convicted Timothy Hale-Cusanelli of storming the Capitol …

Former US Army reservist found guilty in Jan. 6 riot
2 years, 6 months ago

Former US Army reservist found guilty in Jan. 6 riot

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A former U.S. Army reservist described by prosecutors as a Nazi sympathizer was convicted Friday of storming the U.S. Capitol to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. During the trial’s opening statements Tuesday, a Justice Department prosecutor said Hale-Cusanelli stormed the Capitol because he wanted to kick off a civil war and create “a …

Trial opens for Army reservist charged with storming Capitol
2 years, 7 months ago

Trial opens for Army reservist charged with storming Capitol

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Army reservist who worked on a Navy base stormed the U.S. Capitol because he wanted to kick off a civil war and create “a clean slate,” a federal prosecutor said Tuesday at the start of the New Jersey man’s trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Fifield played a video that captured Hale-Cusanelli yelling profanities at police officers …

Man on trial in Capitol riot case blames ‘rogue cop’
2 years, 7 months ago

Man on trial in Capitol riot case blames ‘rogue cop’

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A retired New York City police officer charged with assaulting a police officer during the U.S. Capitol riot testified Thursday at his trial that he was trying to defend himself against a “rogue cop” who punched him in the face. Thomas Webster, who took the witness stand on the third day of his federal trial, said it felt …

Officer describes fending off Capitol rioter at man’s trial
2 years, 7 months ago

Officer describes fending off Capitol rioter at man’s trial

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — One of the dozens of police officers injured during the U.S. Capitol riot testified Wednesday that he didn’t punch or pick a fight with a retired New York City police officer charged with attacking the officer. Thomas Webster, whose trial on an assault charge started this week, claims he was acting in self-defense when he tackled Metropolitan Police …

Trial opens for ex-NYPD officer charged in Capitol riot
2 years, 7 months ago

Trial opens for ex-NYPD officer charged in Capitol riot

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Body camera video captured a “rage-filled” retired police officer attacking one of the outnumbered police officers trying to hold off a mob of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol, a federal prosecutor told jurors Tuesday. But a defense attorney said another video from a different angle shows that former New York City police officer Thomas Webster acted in …

Jurors reject array of defenses at Capitol riot trials
2 years, 7 months ago

Jurors reject array of defenses at Capitol riot trials

Associated Press  

Jurors have heard — and rejected — an array of excuses and arguments from the first rioters to be tried for storming the U.S. Capitol. The next jury to get a Capitol riot case could hear another novel defense this week at the trial of a retired New York City police officer. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who will preside …

Man blaming Trump’s ‘orders’ for riot actions found guilty
2 years, 8 months ago

Man blaming Trump’s ‘orders’ for riot actions found guilty

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — An Ohio man who claimed he was only “following presidential orders” from Donald Trump when he stormed the U.S. Capitol was convicted by a jury that took less than three hours to reject his novel defense for obstructing Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, who is scheduled to sentence Thompson on July …

Capitol riot defendant: I was following Trump’s instructions
2 years, 8 months ago

Capitol riot defendant: I was following Trump’s instructions

Associated Press  

An Ohio man charged with storming the U.S. Capitol and stealing a coat rack testified that he joined thousands of protesters in ransacking the building last year on what he thought were orders from the president, Donald Trump. Dustin Byron Thompson, 38, of Columbus, Ohio, said Wednesday he took to websites after being laid off from his exterminator job in …

Capitol riot defendant: I was following Trump’s instructions
2 years, 8 months ago

Capitol riot defendant: I was following Trump’s instructions

Associated Press  

An Ohio man charged with storming the U.S. Capitol and stealing a coat rack testified Wednesday that he joined thousands of protesters in ransacking the building last year on what he thought were orders from the president, Donald Trump. Dustin Byron Thompson, 38, of Columbus, Ohio, said he took to websites after being laid off from his exterminator job in …

Jury Convicts Ex-Officer Of Storming Capitol On Jan. 6 To Disrupt Congress
2 years, 8 months ago

Jury Convicts Ex-Officer Of Storming Capitol On Jan. 6 To Disrupt Congress

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING WASHINGTON — A federal jury convicted a former Virginia police officer of storming the U.S. Capitol with another off-duty officer to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Jurors on Monday convicted former Rocky Mount police officer Thomas Robertson of all six counts he faced stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including charges …

Ex-officer convicted of storming Capitol to disrupt Congress
2 years, 8 months ago

Ex-officer convicted of storming Capitol to disrupt Congress

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A federal jury convicted a former Virginia police officer of storming the U.S. Capitol with another off-duty officer to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Jurors on Monday convicted former Rocky Mount police officer Thomas Robertson of all six counts he faced stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including charges that he interfered …

Jury deliberating in ex-police officer’s Capitol riot trial
2 years, 8 months ago

Jury deliberating in ex-police officer’s Capitol riot trial

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A defense attorney conceded Friday that a former Virginia police officer broke the law when he entered the U.S. Capitol during last year’s riot, encouraging a federal jury to convict him of misdemeanor offenses. Rollins said Robertson is “absolutely guilty” of illegally entering restricted areas of the Capitol and of engaging in disorderly conduct on Jan. 6, 2021. …

Ex-officer testifies against mentor at Capitol riot trial
2 years, 8 months ago

Ex-officer testifies against mentor at Capitol riot trial

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A former Virginia police officer who pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol with another off-duty officer testified on Thursday that he had hoped the mob could overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election that day. Under cross-examination by one of Robertson’s lawyers, Fracker said he didn’t have a “verbal agreement” with anybody to obstruct the joint …

Judge issues the first outright acquittal of a defendant charged over the Jan. 6 riot
2 years, 8 months ago

Judge issues the first outright acquittal of a defendant charged over the Jan. 6 riot

NPR  

Judge issues the first outright acquittal of a defendant charged over the Jan. 6 riot Enlarge this image toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AP Jose Luis Magana/AP WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday acquitted a New Mexico man of misdemeanor charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol and engaged in disorderly conduct after he walked into the building during …

Judge acquits man of misdemeanors in Capitol riot trial
2 years, 8 months ago

Judge acquits man of misdemeanors in Capitol riot trial

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday acquitted a New Mexico man of misdemeanor charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol and engaged in disorderly conduct after he walked into the building during last year’s riot. A prosecutor dismissed that testimony as “nonsense.” The judge, however, said video shows two police officers standing near the Rotunda doors and allowing …

Trial opens for police officer charged with storming Capitol
2 years, 8 months ago

Trial opens for police officer charged with storming Capitol

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — An off-duty police officer stormed the U.S. Capitol because he believed the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump and he wanted to interfere with the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday at the start of the Virginia man’s trial. Jacob Fracker, the other off-duty Rocky Mount police officer who entered …

Ex-Police Officer Faces Jury Trial On Jan. 6 Insurrection Charges
2 years, 8 months ago

Ex-Police Officer Faces Jury Trial On Jan. 6 Insurrection Charges

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Over a year ago, two off-duty police officers from a small town in Virginia were charged with storming the U.S. Capitol together. The trial of former Rocky Mount police officer Thomas Robertson will be the third among hundreds of people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Robertson was carrying a large wooden stick …

Official guilty of illegally entering Capitol grounds Jan. 6
2 years, 9 months ago

Official guilty of illegally entering Capitol grounds Jan. 6

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday convicted an elected official from New Mexico of illegally entering restricted U.S. Capitol grounds but acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct during the riot that disrupted Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. The outcome of Griffin’s trial could have a ripple effect, helping other Capitol riot defendants decide whether to …

First US Capitol riot trial: Defendant convicted on all counts
2 years, 9 months ago

First US Capitol riot trial: Defendant convicted on all counts

Al Jazeera  

Guilty verdict could give US prosecutors more leverage in plea negotiations with other January 6 riot defendants. During the trial’s closing arguments on Monday, Assistant US Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors that Reffitt drove to Washington, DC, intending to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Reffitt proudly “lit the fire” that allowed others in a mob to …

Jury to begin deliberating in 1st trial over Capitol riot
2 years, 9 months ago

Jury to begin deliberating in 1st trial over Capitol riot

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — An armed Texas militia member led a “vigilante mob” that overwhelmed police officers and became the first group of rioters to breach the U.S. Capitol last year, a federal prosecutor said Monday at the close of the first criminal trial over the riot. Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors that Reffitt drove to Washington, D.C., intending to …

Witness: Jan. 6 rioter wanted to remove ‘corrupt’ lawmakers
2 years, 9 months ago

Witness: Jan. 6 rioter wanted to remove ‘corrupt’ lawmakers

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The first person to be tried in the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol was a Texas militia member who advocated for physically removing and replacing “corrupt” members of Congress as he drove to Washington, D.C., a former group member testified Friday. Rocky Hardie, a key government witness at the trial of Guy Wesley Reffitt, said he …

Prosecutor: First Capitol rioter on trial ‘lit the match’
2 years, 9 months ago

Prosecutor: First Capitol rioter on trial ‘lit the match’

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A Texas militia member who is the first person to be tried for the assault on the U.S. Capitol “lit the match that started the fire” when a mob charged at police officers guarding the building, a prosecutor said Wednesday during the trial’s opening statements. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said Reffitt’s own words and actions, captured on …

Many Capitol riot cases could hinge on 1st trial’s outcome
2 years, 9 months ago

Many Capitol riot cases could hinge on 1st trial’s outcome

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department launched one of the largest and most complex criminal investigations in its history after a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol over a year ago. Reffitt “truly is the canary in the coal mine,” said Gregg Sofer, a former federal prosecutor who served as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas …

Risky business: Some Capitol riot defendants forgo lawyers
3 years, 2 months ago

Risky business: Some Capitol riot defendants forgo lawyers

Associated Press  

Some of the defendants charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol are turning away defense lawyers and electing to represent themselves, undeterred by their lack of legal training or repeated warnings from judges. “I would never represent myself if I were charged with a crime,” U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth told Alan Hostetter before allowing him to handle his …

Judge orders Capitol rioter and Nazi sympathizer to remain in jail while awaiting trial
3 years, 9 months ago

Judge orders Capitol rioter and Nazi sympathizer to remain in jail while awaiting trial

CNN  

CNN — An Army reservist who was a well-known Nazi sympathizer among his colleagues was ordered Tuesday to remain in jail while awaiting trial on charges tied to the Capitol insurrection. A federal judge said the defendant, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, posed a threat to the public and that there was a potential for an “escalation of violence” from his long-held neo-Nazi …

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