‘Hopefully, I’ll run into a few friendly faces’: US Capitol rioters return to DC to celebrate Trump inauguration
CNN
Some rioters charged or convicted in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol are returning to Washington, DC, for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to court filings in a dozen cases and multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Some rioters charged or convicted in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol are returning to Washington, DC, for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to court filings in a dozen cases and multiple sources familiar with the matter. But some federal judges also recently blocked a handful of other January 6 defendants from attending the inauguration, agreeing with Justice Department prosecutors who argued that letting the rioters “return to the scene of the crime” could put police officers in danger. Members of the January 6 community – who hold nightly vigils at the DC jail that houses some defendants – have already secured official inauguration tickets, according to multiple sources, and are tapping allies in Trump’s orbit to solicit additional tickets. At least one rioter was invited by members of Congress. Most of the defendants coming to DC to celebrate Trump were only charged with misdemeanors. But others, like William Pope of Kansas, are facing felonies. Pope pleaded not guilty to civil disorder and obstructing an official proceeding, for blocking police from closing off some doors near the Senate. “I think it’ll be a neat and historical moment,” Pope said in an interview with CNN. “In a way, coming full circle. With some appropriate symbolism. There are some other people I know that are going to be there. Some folks from Twitter want to say hello. Hopefully, I’ll run into a few friendly faces.” Trump has promised to pardon many of the nearly 1,600 January 6 defendants, and said he intends to take action on his first day in office, though he has not offered more specifics. The triumphant return to DC of even a small cadre of Capitol rioters has outraged prosecutors, judges, and police officers who defended democracy that day.
