WASHINGTON (AP) – Mention of Donald Trump was rare in the first trials of people accused of attacking the U.S. Capitol, but things have changed: the latest accused in the Capitol uprising to appear in court blamed his actions on the former president and False statements on the stolen election.
Dustin Byron Thompson, an Ohio man accused of stealing a Capitol jacket, did not deny joining the crowd on Jan. 6, 2021. But his lawyer on Tuesday vowed to prove Trump abused his authority and “authorized” the attack.
Describing Trump as an unscrupulous and bonafide man, defense attorney Samuel Shamanski said the former president had carried out a “bad” conspiracy to encourage Thompson and other supporters to “do their dirty work. “
“Donald Trump himself is spreading lies and using his position to justify this attack,” Shamanski told jurors at the opening of the trial on Tuesday.
Justice Department attorney Jennifer Rosoni said Thompson knew he was breaking the law that day.
“He chose to be part of the chaos,” he said.
Thompson’s attorney requested that Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudolf Julian be summoned to trial. The judge denied the request, but ruled that jurors could listen to tapes of speeches made by Trump and Julian at a rally before the riots.
Thompson’s jury trial was the third of hundreds of court cases in the Capitol uprising. The first two ended with a jury conviction of both defendants in all cases filed against them.
In a court statement in February, Shamanski said he wanted to argue in court that Thompson was acting based on Trump and his “various conspiracies.” The lawyer asked for a call from Trump’s inner circle, along with former White House strategist Steve Bennon, former White House adviser Stephen Miller, and former Trump attorneys John Eastman and Sidney Powell.
Prosecutors said Thompson could not prove that Trump or Julian had the authority to violate his law. They also noticed that the demonstration video “perfectly reflects” the tone, message and context of the statements, as they were “highly relevant” to confirm Thompson’s intentions on Jan. 6.
Thompson’s lawyer said Trump would testify that he and others “prepared a carefully designed conspiracy to question the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.” Shamanski said Julian was pushing the rebels to join the “court brawl” and Trump incited the mob by saying “if you don’t fight like hell, you have no country.”
Shamanski said Thompson, who lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic, became a fan of conspiracy theories and lies about rigged elections.
“It’s the garbage that Dustin Thompson hears every day,” Shamanski said. “Go to this rabbit’s hole. He was listening to this echo camera. And it is acting accordingly. “
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled in March that any testimony from Trump or Julian could be confusing and misleading to jurors.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal offenses since Jan. 6. More than 250 of them have pleaded guilty, mainly for minor offenses. Thompson was the fifth person convicted of misconduct.
On Monday, jurors convicted former Virginia police officer Thomas Robertson for assaulting the Capitol building along with another officer on duty to prevent Congress from confirming victory in President Joe Biden’s 2020 election. Last month, a jury tried a Texas man, Guy Refit, with a gun attack on a Capitol building.
The judge, who heard testimony without a jury, heard cases against two other defendants in the riots at the Capitol in a separate hearing. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden acquitted one of them in all cases and partially acquitted the other.
Thompson was accompanied by a defendant, Robert Lyons, who pleaded guilty to rioting in March.
Thompson, then 36, and Lyon, then 27, traveled from Columbus, Ohio to Silver Spring, Maryland, spent the night in a hotel, and then, on the morning of Jan. 6, took an Uber to Washington. According to President Donald Trump, Thompson and Lyon went to the Capitol.
Thompson was wearing a Trump 2020 winter hat and bulletproof vest when he entered the Capitol and entered the Senate Parliament office, where he stole two bottles of wine and a jacket worth up to $ 500, prosecutors said.
Thompson and Lyon exchanged text messages during the riot.
“Some of the girls are dead,” Lyon said in a text, referring to the apparent shooting of Ashley Babbitt, a rioter, by a law enforcement officer.
“Is it Pelosi?” Thompson replied.
“I’m going back to our country,” Thompson then sent a letter to Lyon.
On Jan. 6, at 6 p.m., Thompson and Lyon were sitting on the curb, waiting for an Uber driver to pick them up when Capitol police approached and warned them they were in a restricted area. When they left, Thompson took a jacket that appeared to be from the Capitol, the FBI said. Thompson escaped when agents told him to lower the shelf and throw it on the run. Lyon stayed and introduced Thompson to police.
That night Thompson received a message from his wife saying, “I’m not going to pay bail.”
The FBI said agents searched Lyon’s cell phone and found a video showing the searched office, in which Thompson shouted, “Wow! Merika Hoy! ჩვენი This is our home! Surveillance video also recorded Thompson leaving the Capitol office with a bottle of bourbon, the FBI said.
Thompson was charged with six counts: delaying a joint session of Congress to certify a constituency vote, theft of government property, entering or staying in a prohibited building or area, improper conduct or misconduct in a building or a prohibited area, misconduct or misconduct. .
Lyon pleaded guilty to theft of government property and misconduct. Both cases are punishable by up to 1 year of imprisonment. Walton is expected to be sentenced on June 3 in Lyon.
Source: Huffpost
