Woman convicted for storming Pelosi's office on Jan. 6 - POLITICO

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Williams instantly remanded to national prison, agreeing with prosecutors that she presents a formation hazard if released portion awaiting sentencing. Williams was “packed and acceptable to flee” aft Jan. 6, Jackson noted, and had a blase knowing astir however to screen her tracks. Her actions toward constabulary connected Jan. 6, Jackson said, eroded immoderate assurance the justice had successful Williams’ quality to obey tribunal orders portion released. Prosecutors noted that Williams faces a multi-year sentence, apt to beryllium enhanced by her efforts to delete messages and screen up her conduct.

“She was profane. She was obnoxious. She was threatening,” Jackson said. “She organized others to forcibly resist.”

Williams, who remained stoic arsenic her verdict was read, turned visibly distraught erstwhile she realized Jackson was going to nonstop her to jailhouse immediately. She smiled and thanked her defence attorney, Lori Ulrich, who called to her, “You won,” arsenic she was led distant — a notation to the 2 stalled counts.

The verdict closes a important section successful the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 investigation. Williams was among the archetypal defendants charged and arrested for breaching the Capitol, and is the archetypal convicted by a assemblage aft breaking into Pelosi’s office. She is besides the archetypal pistillate convicted by a national assemblage for Jan. 6-related offenses.

Prosecutors described Williams arsenic a “Groyper” — a word for acolytes of achromatic nationalist Nick Fuentes, who spent weeks prodding listeners to his podcast to reason the transportation of powerfulness to Joe Biden. Williams wore an “I’m with Groyper” garment during the Jan. 6 riot and sent Groyper-associated memes to her friends mocking Democrats for cowering amid the unit astatine the Capitol. One of Williams’ ex-boyfriends testified during the proceedings that she had go obsessed with Fuentes’ podcast successful the weeks starring up to Jan. 6.

The proceedings featured the astir vivid video grounds yet of the rioters who ransacked Pelosi’s bureau suite, including aggregate league rooms, unit offices and Pelosi’s idiosyncratic bureau itself. Rioters reveled arsenic they spilled folders onto the floor, mocked the enactment successful her tiny candy crockery and suggested stealing a brace of pinkish boxing gloves Pelosi kept connected a broadside table. As they rioted, prosecutors emphasized, immoderate of Pelosi’s staffers remained barricaded successful a adjacent office, unsure what awaited them connected the different broadside of the door.

A apical Pelosi aide, Jamie Fleet, testified astir the fearfulness his colleagues felt portion they were trapped, and discussed his ain harrowing acquisition connected the House level arsenic helium prepared to bash conflict with a mob trying to bash its mode into the chamber. Prosecutors pointed to Fleet’s grounds arsenic they rebutted claims by Williams’ defence lawyer that she was caught up successful a “fantasy” satellite successful the weeks starring up to Jan. 6.

For Fleet and his colleagues, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gordon said successful his closing argument, Jan. 6 was “very, precise real.”

Williams’ lawyers portrayed her arsenic a naive “girl,” with nary cognition of Congress’ proceedings and nary intent to harm Pelosi oregon anyone other successful the Capitol, and who initially believed she had breached the White House. Williams lied to friends astir stealing items from Pelosi’s office, similar a gavel and a laptop, defence lawyer Lori Ulrich said, deciding to inflate her engagement successful events, lone to reverse people erstwhile she realized she was successful superior ineligible trouble.

Ulrich said jurors could convict Williams connected 2 misdemeanor counts for disorderly behaviour and parading successful the Capitol.

“She should lone beryllium convicted for what she did,” Ulrich said.

Ulrich urged jurors to opposition Williams — who entered the Capitol unarmed, wearing fuzzy boots and carrying a zebra people backpack — with those who came wearing assemblage armor and wielding weapons. She showed a representation of members of the Oath Keepers wearing military-style covering and helmets, describing them arsenic “prepared to bash thing bad.”

But prosecutors said Williams didn’t request to amusement up equipped to perpetrate the crimes she’s charged with. Rather, she jumped astatine the accidental to articulation the mob breaching the Capitol, urged rioters to “take that fucking laptop” from Pelosi’s office, and counseled 1 to “put connected gloves” arsenic helium tried to region it.

Later, she joined a melee successful the rotunda, turning her backmost connected constabulary and pushing against them. Videos suggest she besides urged others successful the assemblage to fastener arms and set unneurotic to propulsion backmost against the constabulary line. An serviceman progressive successful the skirmish described it for jurors earlier successful the proceedings and recalled her pushing against him.

In addition, prosecutors sought to dismantle different defence argument: that Williams had nary intent to participate the Capitol oregon halt Congress from certifying the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination erstwhile she traveled to D.C. Gordon emphasized that it didn’t substance whether she had planned to spell into the Capitol anterior to the riot breaking out.

“When the accidental to participate the Capitol arose, she took it,” Gordon said. “That’s each that matters.”