Guess Who Will Be Back In DC For Trump Inauguration: 11 Capitol Rioters, At Least, From 2021

Donald Trump inauguration: Despite objections from prosecutors, 11 Capitol riot defendants, including those convicted of misdemeanors, have been granted permission to attend the swearing-in on Jan 20.

File photo of rioters at US Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021.

Source : Getty Images

As Donald Trump prepares to be sworn in for his second term, an unusual twist has emerged: some individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots have been granted court approval to attend the event. At least 20 Capitol riot defendants sought judicial permission to travel to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration, news agency Associated Press reported after a review of court records. The decision on these appeals varied based on the nature of their involvement in the Capitol riots and legal circumstances.

At least 11 defendants, including individuals convicted of misdemeanors, have been allowed to attend.

These include Deborah Lynn Lee, convicted of non-violent charges, who received approval despite prosecutors’ concerns about public safety. As quoted in the AP report, Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui observed that Lee’s intentions were celebratory rather than disruptive: “While the Court is tasked with predicting the future, this is not ‘Minority Report.’ There has to be credible evidence of future danger to justify related release conditions.”

Other attendees include a New Jersey man who self-reported to the FBI, and a New Hampshire woman with a pending prison sentence. Even Rebecca Lavrenz, a Colorado woman on probation and dubbed the “J6 praying grandma” received clearance. Her daughter reportedly worked on Trump’s campaign last year, and is serving as the deputy director of his swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

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Not All Requests Granted

Judges denied travel requests for individuals accused of violent offences, including Jared Miller, charged with assaulting police, and Russell Taylor, who had weapons during the riot, the AP report said. Judge Royce Lamberth, in denying Taylor’s request, remarked that attending such a “hallowed event” is a privilege not suitable for someone who undermined a previous peaceful transition of power.

Prosecutors expressed reservations about allowing any Capitol riot participants to return to the scene, citing the potential for re-traumatising law enforcement and the risk of renewed unrest. "What’s past is prologue,” one prosecutor warned, arguing against a request from a New York couple to attend the inauguration, saying there could be another situation where they could engage in mob violence.

District Judge John Bates, however, disagreed, stating the context of the inauguration differed significantly from the chaotic events of January 6, the AP report said.

Some attendees plan to use the occasion to urge Trump to issue mass pardons for Capitol rioters, aligning with his previous descriptions of them as “patriots” and “hostages".