Proud Boys seditious conspiracy trial: Live court updates on January 12 - The Washington Post

Again utilizing messages taken from cooperating Proud Boys’ phones, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough went from the hours starring up to the Capitol onslaught to the cardinal minutes erstwhile constabulary were overwhelmed and the gathering invaded.

First, conscionable earlier 1 p.m., barriers astir the grounds fell to the rioters.

“As the assemblage and these men poured into the westbound beforehand of the Capitol, Ethan Nordean, Joe Biggs and Zachary Rehl paused for a infinitesimal and exchanged precocious fives and fist bumps,” McCullough said. “They had breached constabulary lines, and they were present positioned successful the shadiness of the Capitol.”

The authorities is providing the assemblage with a minute-by-minute chronology of wherever the Proud Boys were and what they were saying successful the hours earlier the Capitol was overrun connected Jan. 6, 2021. The intent of the presentation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough said, is to amusement that the radical was not determination simply to protest, but planned each on to physically onslaught the Capitol.

The group’s leaders directed the men who had travel to D.C. to conscionable astatine the Washington Monument astatine 10 a.m. and not to deterioration the group’s emblematic black-and-gold colors. “From there, we’re marching to the Capitol,” suspect Ethan Nordean messaged the group, adjacent though the code from President Donald Trump was scheduled for aboriginal that greeting astatine the Ellipse, not the Capitol.

In his opening statement, authoritative Jason McCullough told jurors that 4 Proud Boys were stabbed extracurricular a barroom successful D.C. connected Dec. 12, 2020.

What does that person to bash with Jan. 6?

First, the altercation followed a pro-Trump rally adjacent the U.S. Capitol, which the House committee investigating Jan. 6 described arsenic helping far-right groups hole for the Capitol attack.

Second, McCullough argued the Proud Boys “would usage this arsenic a rallying cry” to enlistee for Jan. 6. Prosecutors allege then-Proud Boys person Henry “Enrique” Tarrio chose peculiar members for a “ministry of self-defense,” created successful precocious December 2020, due to the fact that of their quality to grip violence.

From the archetypal time aft the statesmanlike predetermination connected Nov. 3, 2020, members of the Proud Boys began posting messages saying the results were fraudulent and that they would combat to overturn the result, according to texts and posts shown successful tribunal by prosecutors. It’s the aforesaid attack the authorities took successful the archetypal Oath Keepers proceedings past fall, showing the assemblage aggregate texts and encrypted messages to physique a lawsuit that the defendants had the intent to halt the electoral ballot number connected Jan. 6 and disrupt the transportation of power.

At hundreds of hearings successful D.C. national tribunal implicit the past 2 years, prosecutors person said that portion an idiosyncratic suspect mightiness not person launched oregon led the onslaught connected the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021, they are culpable arsenic portion of the mob.

There was nary specified caveat successful tribunal Thursday: Prosecutor Jason McCullough enactment up pictures of 4 retired of the 5 Proud Boys connected proceedings and declared, “These were the leaders of the onslaught connected the Capitol.”

Proud Boys Chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio chose defendants Ethan Nordean and Joseph Biggs arsenic the Jan. 6 elder “leaders connected the ground,” McCullough said; Zachary Rehl was successful “the adjacent tier of operational leaders,” organizing men and instrumentality successful beforehand of the riot.

The defendants were neatly groomed, dressed successful acheronian suits and ties and achromatic shirts. Four are successful dark-rimmed glasses. Their appearances are a striking opposition from however each but Tarrio appeared astatine the Capitol connected Jan. 6 successful wide publicized images, holding radios, a megaphone and a constabulary riot shield.

Prosecutors played video for the assemblage of the celebrated infinitesimal from the 2020 statesmanlike statement erstwhile Donald Trump was asked astir the Proud Boys, and the president said, “Stand backmost and basal by.” It has been cited arsenic a infinitesimal the radical took arsenic a supportive telephone to action.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough followed the clip by saying, “It’s important for you to cognize the Proud Boys enactment is not connected proceedings today. Many Proud Boys who were aggravated astir the election, they took nary portion successful the ngo connected January 6.”

Invoking President Donald Trump’s infamous words astatine a 2020 statesmanlike debate, national authoritative Jason McCullough kicked disconnected the seditious conspiracy proceedings of 5 members of the Proud Boys by saying, “They did not basal back, they did not basal by.”

Echoing the statement utilized successfully astatine proceedings against Oath Keepers laminitis Stewart Rhodes precocious past year, McCullough began by calling the “peaceful transportation oregon power” betwixt presidents passim the nation’s past “nothing little than a miracle.” The Proud Boys, helium said, “sought to alteration that history.”

Five members of the Proud Boys are connected proceedings successful the 3rd seditious conspiracy proceedings of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, including Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the longtime president of the far-right group.

Learn much astir what the men are charged with and what they’re accused of doing here.

What is seditious conspiracy? Why is longtime Proud Boys person Henry “Enrique” Tarrio being charged if helium wasn’t astatine the U.S. Capitol connected the time of the riot? And are however are Donald Trump, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers connected? Washington Post reporters who person been pursuing the Jan. 6 probe for the past 2 years reply these questions and much here.

Jury enactment has been a dilatory process

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