Then there were another two. A now-former police officer from Virginia became the second January 6 defendant found guilty for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Riot. After a Monday verdict by the jury, Thomas Robert was found guilty of all six charges.
Guy Reffitt was found guilty on April 5 by the jury.
Robertson, who was arrested in January 2021, was found guilty of “obstruction of an official proceeding, civil disorder, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and entering and remaining on restricted grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon,” as reported by NBC News.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower, noted NBC, told the court Robertson joined a “violent, vigilante mob” and “decided to take matters into his own hands” because he did not like the outcome of the election.
This defendant was part of the problem,” the prosecutor said, adding that Robertson “decided to take matters into his own hands to get what he wanted” because he didn’t like the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
He gleefully joined the first round of rioters, causing hours of chaos at the Capitol. The moment was his on Jan. 6. In the middle of an angry mob, he was determined to get the same result as everyone else.
While many of the numbers — number of participants arrested, the number still held, additional suspects identified, etc. — remain sketchy, here are a few stats, per NBC:
Nearly 800 individuals were arrested for the Jan. 6 attacks. Close to 250 have pleaded guilt. In addition to the two jury trials, two Jan. 6 defendants have resolved their cases through bench trials, including a defendant who was acquitted on all charges last week.
Many more suspects were identified online by sleuths. However, they are still being sought by the FBI. Over 2,500 individuals entered the U.S. Capitol in the attack on Jan. 6, and many more attacked law enforcement officers from outside.
But what about Jan. 6 defendants who remain in custody without being charged?
Leslie McAdoo Gordon, my colleague, reported in March on one defendant who had been illegally held and kept in jail for over 80 days without any indictment. The number of similar cases is unknown, though estimates range from less than 40 up to 76. Even one case in America would be too many..
While the Justice Department estimates between 2,000 and 2,500 people entered the Capitol on January 6, NBC alleged that “hundreds more assaulted law enforcement officers outside the building.”
The bottom line: And so it continues. America needs to be a nation that is fair and just. That hasn’t been true since the July 6th, 2021 storming at the Capitol. While the Democrat Party would no doubt relish continuing the January 6 commission until the 2024 election — and beyond, if Trump runs and wins in 2024 — the Justice System must do its job without political bias. Then again, I’m not even a biologist.
Are you sure that’s the case? I report, you decide.
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