Pelosi aide expected to testify in trial of Jan. 6 defendant accused of stealing speaker’s office laptop

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Fleet’s crook connected the basal comes astatine a fraught governmental moment, conscionable weeks aft an assailant broke into Pelosi’s San Francisco location and assaulted her husband. The onslaught renewed attraction connected the rising threats of unit toward members of Congress — and successful particular, Pelosi, who was the people of galore who breached the Capitol seeking to forestall Congress from certifying the 2020 election.

In summation to his relation arsenic a Pelosi advisor and unit manager connected the House Administration Committee, Fleet has served arsenic a cardinal strategist and advisor to the Jan. 6 prime committee. Now, aft 2 years of helping the sheet analyse Donald Trump’s relation successful attempting to subvert the 2020 predetermination — and sending an equipped mob to the Capitol — Fleet volition play a nonstop portion successful 1 of those rioters’ prosecutions.

Prosecutors are expected to telephone connected Fleet to picture the value of the associated league of Congress held each 4 years connected Jan. 6 to certify the statesmanlike election. He whitethorn besides beryllium asked astir his ain relation that day, which was to assistance fend disconnected efforts by legislature Republicans to situation the predetermination results — a strategy that was sidelined aft rioters, Williams included, broke into the gathering and forced Congress to flee.

Williams’ lawsuit has ever been antithetic among the astir 900 defendants charged for their activities astatine the Capitol connected Jan. 6. Video shows her playing an progressive relation amid the mob connected Jan. 6, appearing to motion a question of rioters toward the speaker’s office, wherever video shows her among the gathered crowd.

She’s aboriginal seen exiting the Capitol, wearing a garment that work “I’m with Groyper,” a notation to followers of achromatic nationalist property Nick Fuentes, who prosecutors accidental Williams had go obsessed with up of Jan. 6.

Williams was successful tribunal past week arsenic her attorneys attempted to bounds the contours of what prosecutors mean to present — astir Fuentes, allegations that she told friends she planned to merchantability Pelosi’s laptop to Russians, and astir her toxic narration with an ex-boyfriend who was among the witnesses that provided accusation to investigators astir Williams’ Jan. 6 actions.

The justice besides weighed whether to licence prosecutors to rise grounds that Williams stole a hard thrust and gavel from Pelosi’s bureau arsenic well, adjacent though she’s not charged with either offense.

Hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants person pleaded blameworthy to crimes ranging from elemental trespassing to seditious conspiracy — a convulsive crippled to forestall the modulation of powerfulness to Joe Biden. Hundreds much are continuing to negociate imaginable plea deals with the government, leaving conscionable respective twelve of the astir superior cases apt to spell to trial. So far, juries person reached blameworthy verdicts connected each number successful the astir 30 trials that person been held truthful acold against those who breached the Capitol oregon attacked constabulary officers connected Jan. 6.

Williams’ proceedings is the archetypal for a rioter known to person entered Pelosi’s suite. She’ll look jurors astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic different proceedings — the seditious conspiracy lawsuit against leaders of the Oath Keepers — is being concluded down the hallway astatine the national courthouse successful Washington, D.C., steps from the Capitol itself. Prosecutors accidental members of the Oath Keepers sought retired Pelosi arsenic they scoured the building.

In some cases, defence attorneys raised concerns that the caller onslaught connected Paul Pelosi could origin jurors to gully connections with Jan. 6 defendants similar Williams. Her attorney, Lori Ulrich, urged a justice to forestall prosecutors from playing a clip successful which rioters tin beryllium heard chanting “Where’s Nancy?” — noting that the caller assailant is likewise accused of uttering the aforesaid menacing chant arsenic helium entered her home.

In the Oath Keepers case, defence attorneys suggested Judge Amit Mehta canvass jurors astir whether they heard Biden’s caller code successful which helium explicitly drew a transportation betwixt Jan. 6 and the onslaught astatine Pelosi’s home, but they yet opted against it.

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