Federal judge ‘shocked’ by Jan. 6 ‘hostages’ rhetoric

The federal judge presiding over the case involving the Jan. 6 defendants harshly criticized some of the language used to describe the 2021 Capitol riot, calling out those convicted of crimes that day. He said in a court filing that he was “shocked” by the “hostage” rhetoric. ”

Judge Royce Lamberth said such rhetoric misrepresents the events of January 6, 2021, and that the rhetoric itself could be damaging to the country.

Lamberth, who was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, also warned that this rhetoric and the January 6 misinformation had become “mainstream.”

He said he is used to having defendants who are convinced they have done nothing wrong. “However, in my 37 years as a judge, I cannot remember a time when this senseless criminal act became a mainstream justification,” he said. stated in court answer.

“I was appalled to see the distortions and outright falsehoods seeping into the national consciousness,” Lamberth continued.

Although Mr. Lamberth does not mention Mr. Trump in his book, his comments echoed those of New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who on January 6 described the convicted defendant as a hostage. He seemed to be referring to the many Republicans who have downplayed the incident. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) compared those who entered the Capitol that day to tourists.

“Some celebrities are trying to rewrite history, claiming that the rioters behaved in an 'orderly' manner like ordinary tourists, or calling the defendants who were convicted on January 6th a 'political “I was shocked to see them martyred as criminals,” or, unbelievably, as hostages,” Lamberth said. I have written. “That is absolutely ridiculous. But the court is concerned that such destructive and misguided rhetoric could pose further danger to our country.”

The judge's comments were made during the sentencing of defendant James Little, who was charged with a misdemeanor on January 6th. He was initially sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years suspended.

He almost won his case on appeal, arguing that he was charged with a misdemeanor and could not receive both probation and prison. A federal appeals court remanded it to Lamberth. Meanwhile, Little completed his imprisonment.

“The court cannot tolerate the brazen attempts by Mr. Little and others to misrepresent and distort what happened,” Lamberth wrote. “The idea is that those who broke the law on January 6th did nothing wrong, or were formally convicted of a crime with all the protections of the U.S. Constitution, including the right to a jury trial in felony cases. We cannot accept the idea that the victims are political prisoners or hostages.”

Rep. Dan Goldman of New York introduced a bill last week that would condemn Stefanik for calling the Capitol attackers “hostages.”

More than 1,200 people have been charged with federal crimes since the Jan. 6 attack.