According to the Justice Department, protestors who occupied areas outside the Capitol on January 6 will be targeted, even if they didn’t enter the Capitol building.
Late last week, the DOJ discussed how they’ve been focusing on prosecuting individuals who committed criminal acts against law enforcement during a 2020 presidential protest.
On Friday, a federal appeals court ruled protestors would be targeted even if they weren’t violent or destructive. Over the last three years, hundreds of defendants were charged with misdemeanor counts related to the Jan. 6 protest.
The panel ruled that individuals who attended the protest would be judged even if they knew what was occurring around them.
“A lone hiker on a mountaintop can sing at the top of his lungs without disturbing a soul; a patron in a library cannot,” Judge Henderson said.
“Even passive, quiet and nonviolent conduct can be disorderly,” Henderson added. Judge Henderson referred to proceedings, mentioning that even protests that blocked traffic are considered disorderly.
The three-judge panel included Judith Rogers, Florence Pan, and Karen Henderson. These judges will hear Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution for his election moves sometime next week.
Many Jan. 6 protestors still maintain their innocence, even if they were outside of the Capitol. “We have used our prosecutorial discretion to primarily focus on those who entered the building, on those who engaged in violent or rough conduct on Capitol ground,” Matthew Graves announced last week.
DC U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves is making clear that the DOJ is now going to target Americans who were around the Capitol on J6 but did not enter the building pic.twitter.com/bj4i3QfHe9
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) January 6, 2024
Today, over 1,200 individuals have been charged with crimes related to the 2020 presidential election protest. Charges include trespassing to felonies. Over 700 of those individuals pled guilty to charges, with more than 100 individuals being convicted.
On Saturday, President Biden continued his remarks about the number of individuals who’ve been sentenced to prison since the supposed “insurrection.” “And what has Trump done? Instead of calling them criminals, he calls these insurrectionists ‘patriots and promises to pardon them if he returns to office,’” he stated.
Former President Donald Trump refers to protestors as “J6 Hostages” and says no one has ever been so mistreated in our country, promising that he would pardon Jan. 6 protestors who have served prison time.
