Nearly two dozen people who faced criminal charges for their roles in the January 6 riots will be back in the Capitol this weekend after federal judges approved their request to attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration festivities .
At least 20 defendants who have been charged or convicted of crimes stemming from the capitol riots have petitioned various judges for permission to attend — with at least 11 getting the green light, according to an review of records by the Associated Press.
“While the Court is tasked with predicting the future, this is not ‘Minority Report,’” wrote Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui in a decision allowing Deborah Lynn Lee to attend the celebrations, citing Philip K. Dick’s science fiction classic. “There has to be credible evidence of future danger to justify related release conditions.” Lee had been convicted of four misdemeanors after posting social media messages calling for the execution of her political opponents.
Typically criminal defendants are not allowed to return to the scene of their crimes while still under court supervision.
Federal prosecutors have argued that allowing those convicted of Jan 6. related crimes would create an unsafe situation in the nation’s capitol and exacerbate security concerns already heightened by the inaugural festivities.
“What’s past is prologue, and the defendants could easily find themselves in another situation where they engage in mob violence,” wrote one prosecutor in opposition to a New York couple seeking to attend the inauguration.
More than 1,500 Americans have reportedly been charged with offenses stemming from the Jan 6 riot. Trump has promised “major pardons” for Americans caught up in the prosecutions. One Trump supporter was killed by police while inside the Capitol building.
With Post Wires
