Capitol riot defendant: I was following Trumps instructions

An Ohio male who acknowledges he joined the mob at the U.S. Capitol last year and neglected a variety of caution indications says he was just following orders from the president, Donald TrumpBy JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated PressApril 14, 2022, 4:19 AM – 4 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleAn Ohio male charged with storming the U.S. Capitol and taking a coat rack testified that he signed up with thousands of protesters in rummaging the structure last year on what he thought were orders from the president, Donald Trump.Dustin Byron Thompson, 38, of Columbus, Ohio, stated Wednesday he took to sites after being laid off from his pest control man job in March 2020 and in his pandemic doldrums fell under Trumps sway as he bought into conspiracy theories and “went down the rabbit hole on the web. Last month, a jury convicted a Texas man, Guy Reffitt, of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun.A judge hearing testament without a jury decided cases versus two other Capitol riot defendants at different bench trials. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden acquitted one of them of all charges and partially acquitted the other.Thompson is charged with six counts: obstructing Congress joint session to certify the Electoral College vote, theft of federal government home, staying or entering in a restricted structure or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or premises, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.A co-defendant, Robert Lyon, 27, pleaded guilty in March to theft of federal government property and disorderly conduct.

An Ohio guy who acknowledges he joined the mob at the U.S. Capitol in 2015 and ignored a range of caution indications says he was just following orders from the president, Donald TrumpBy JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated PressApril 14, 2022, 4:19 AM – 4 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleAn Ohio male charged with storming the U.S. Capitol and taking a coat rack affirmed that he signed up with countless protesters in raiding the structure in 2015 on what he believed 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 task in March 2020 and in his pandemic doldrums fell under Trumps sway as he bought into conspiracy theories and “decreased the rabbit hole on the web.”On trial in U.S. District Court in Washington, Thompson affirmed that the claim that the election was stolen seemed trustworthy to him since it was coming from the president. His defense group is the first to argue that Trump and those linked to him were responsible for the actions of the mob that day.”It looks like everybody was attacking him (Trump). He required someone to defend him, and I was attempting to do that,” Thompson said.Under questioning by the prosecution, Thompson acknowledged that he neglected indications he should not be at the Capitol– broken glass, alarms, chemical irritants in the air– and said he stole the coat rack to keep others from using it as a weapon. He also stated he saw strong battling between authorities and rioters outside the building, and later fled from officers. He said he realized weeks later that what he had actually done was wrong and now feels shame for his actions.Thompsons jury trial is the 3rd among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions. The first two ended with jurors convicting both accuseds on all counts. Thompsons defense group is the very first to argue that Trump and those connected to him were responsible for the actions of the mob that day.”If the president is giving you nearly an order to do something, I felt bound to do that,” Thompson testified.Thompsons legal representative sought subpoenas to call Trump and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani as witnesses, but U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton rejected that request. Jurors on Wednesday began listening to recordings of speeches that Trump and Giuliani delivered at a rally before the riot. They were expected to complete listening to recordings Thursday early morning and begin deliberations later in the day.Thompsons partner, Sarah Thompson, affirmed that she chose Democrat Joe Biden, in addition to Democratic presidential nominees Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. She said her husbands views were more moderate then however shifted throughout the Trump years as he started experiencing conspiracy theories. She said she did not share his views but helped organize his travel to Washington for the “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House because he had a right to demonstration and she enjoyed having a quiet house.Much of the prosecutions case was built around statement from several Capitol Police officers putting Thompson at the scene, using a bulletproof vest that he stated he discovered, and bring a coat rack he took from the Senate Parliamentarians Office.More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes emerging from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Over 250 of them have actually pleaded guilty, mainly to misdemeanors. Thompson is the 5th individual to be tried on riot-related charges.On Monday, a jury founded guilty a previous Virginia law enforcement officer, Thomas Robertson, of storming the Capitol with another off-duty officer to block Congress from licensing Bidens 2020 electoral victory. Last month, a jury founded guilty a Texas guy, Guy Reffitt, of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun.A judge hearing testament without a jury chose cases versus 2 other Capitol riot defendants at different bench trials. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden acquitted one of them of all charges and partly acquitted the other.Thompson is charged with six counts: blocking Congress joint session to license the Electoral College vote, theft of federal government property, remaining or going into in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a limited building or premises, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, showing or picketing in a Capitol building.A co-defendant, Robert Lyon, 27, pleaded guilty in March to theft of government home and disorderly conduct. Both counts are misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of one year imprisonment. Walton is set up to sentence Lyon on June 3.