A felony defendant in a case associated to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol has been granted permission to journey to Washington this month to attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration, the primary identified occasion of such a request being granted by the courts.
William Pope — whose pretrial circumstances prohibit him from most journey to D.C. — might go to the nation’s capital from Jan. 19-21, in accordance with a courtroom order signed Tuesday by U.S. District Decide Rudolph Contreras.
Contreras granted Pope’s movement regardless of objections from the Division of Justice.
The choose wrote in his order that he made the choice after reviewing each side’ arguments and bearing in mind “the fact that Mr. Pope is not charged with assault or vandalism- related charges.”
In its submitting opposing Pope’s request, the federal government wrote that he “presents a danger to the D.C. community, including the very law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and continue to serve the citizens of the District.”
Final month, U.S. District Courtroom Decide Tanya Chutkan granted permission to a misdemeanor Jan. 6 defendant to attend Trump’s inauguration. Eric Peterson, who pleaded responsible to getting into the Capitol, was approved to journey for the occasion, and prosecutors didn’t file an objection.
Trump, who’s scheduled to be sworn in in lower than two weeks, has pledged to pardon lots of the Jan. 6 defendants, who stormed the Capitol in a failed try to forestall the certification of his 2020 loss to now-President Biden.
Ella Lee contributed.
