A federal judge said Friday at a sentencing hearing for a Capitol rioter who participated in the storming of the building on Jan. 6 that he doesn’t understand why so many people are going to prison and yet failed, one-term former President Donald Trump hasn’t even been charged for inciting the horror that unfolded on that fateful day.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta was sentencing Capitol rioter John Lolos when he made his remarks, according to Zoe Tillman of Buzzfeed.
The judge noted that those who showed up on Jan. 6 and stormed the Capitol “were called to Washington, DC, by an elected official, prompted to walk to the Capitol by an elected official.
“People like Mr. Lolos were told lies and falsehoods and told that an election was stolen when it clearly was not. Regrettably, people like Mr. Lolos for whatever reason are impressionable and will believe such falsehoods and such lies… And they are the ones who are suffering the consequences.”
Judge Mehta went on to say that those are were behind the “Stop the Steal” rally which ended with rioting “in no meaningful sense of the word have been held to account.”
Turning to Lolos, Mehta remarked:
“You are a pawn in a game that’s played and directed by people who should know better.”
Here’s the full Twitter thread from Tillman’s reporting on today’s court hearing:
Of course, Judge Mehta is absolutely correct. Trump and others (Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, etc.) should all be charged with criminal offenses if the evidence supports them being prosecuted. And if they’re found guilty, they should have to serve prison time for inciting the crowds who did so much damage on that dark January day.
