Current:Home > ScamsJudge in Trump’s election interference case rejects ‘hostages’ label for jailed Jan. 6 defendants -TradeWisdom
Judge in Trump’s election interference case rejects ‘hostages’ label for jailed Jan. 6 defendants
View
Date:2025-04-14 02:56:00
WASHINGTON (AP) — The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s election interference case rejected the notion Wednesday that jailed defendants charged with some of the most violent crimes of the U.S. Capitol riot are “hostages” — a label Trump and his allies have frequently used to describe the prisoners.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said the Capitol riot defendants who remain jailed in Washington, D.C., don’t deserve to be called hostages or heroes for their actions during the mob’s attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
“They’re being kept there because they are dangerous people,” Chutkan said during a sentencing hearing for Antony Vo, a man convicted of storming the Capitol with his mother.
During his trial, Vo attended a nightly vigil that supporters of Jan. 6 riot defendants hold outside the Washington jail. The judge previously ruled that Vo’s attendance at the vigil violated a condition of his release.
Chutkan rolled her eyes and shook her head when she learned from a prosecutor during Wednesday’s hearing that the vigil’s organizers refer to their gathering spot outside the jail as “Freedom Corner.”
“Is that what’s it’s called? Freedom Corner?” the judge asked, sounding incredulous.
At a November 2023 campaign event in Houston, Trump referred to the jailed riot defendants as “J6 hostages, not prisoners.” Trump campaign rallies have started with a recording of jailed Capitol riot defendants singing the national anthem. In June 2023, Trump spoke at a fundraiser benefiting Jan. 6 defendants.
“I’m gonna make a contribution,” Trump said. “There have been few people that have been treated in the history of our country like the people that you love, like the people that have gone through so much.”
Trump’s trial in Washington for the election interference case was scheduled to start March 4, but Chutkan agreed to place the case on hold while the former president pursues his claims that he is immune from prosecution. The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments for Trump’s appeal later this month.
Chutkan didn’t mention Trump’s name during Wednesday’s hearing, where she sentenced Vo to nine months of imprisonment. A jury convicted Vo of four misdemeanor counts related to the riot. His mother also has been charged with Jan. 6-related crimes.
More than 1,300 people have charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. The vast majority of them have remained free while awaiting trial or a plea deal to resolve their case.
Chutkan told Vo, 31, of Bloomington, Indiana, that he was fortunate that she didn’t order him jailed after his trial conviction. She said he has consistently refused to express remorse or accept responsibility for his conduct on Jan. 6.
“He has doubled down on his behavior,” she said.
Before learning his sentence, Vo said he is “sorry for everything” and knows he shouldn’t have entered the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“I wasn’t there to overthrow any democratic process or anything,” he told the judge.
In his bio for a social media account, Vo has called himself a “J6 wrongful convict.” In a post after his trial, he wrote that “there was zero jury of peers and 100% a kangaroo court.”
“I’ve been called worse,” Chutkan said, stressing that she wasn’t punishing Vo for his insult or his political beliefs.
“I’m thick-skinned,” the judge added.
Chutkan has stood out as one of the toughest punishers of Capitol rioters, often handing down prison sentences that are harsher than prosecutors’ recommendations. Vo’s attorney, Carmen Hernandez, told Chutkan that she appears to be an “outlier” compared to other judges who have sentenced Jan. 6 defendants.
“I may be an outlier, as Ms. Hernandez suggests. I don’t necessarily think I am,” Chutkan said.
veryGood! (5524)
Related
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- 'Kind of can't go wrong': USA Basketball's Olympic depth on display in win
- A Turning Point in Financial Innovation: The Ascent of DB Wealth Institute
- Photos of Lionel Messi with 16-year-old soccer star Lamine Yamal as a baby resurface
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Biden says pressure on him is driven by elites. Voters paint a more complicated picture
- A Paradigm Shift from Quantitative Trading to AI
- Copa America 2024: Everything you need to know about the Argentina vs. Colombia final
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- ABTCOIN Trading Center: The Significance of Cryptocurrency Cross-Border Payments
Ranking
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Blake Lively Reveals the “Best Compliment” She’s Received in Her Life
- Customer fatally shoots Sonic manager in San Antonio, Texas restaurant: Police
- Horoscopes Today, July 10, 2024
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Peter Welch becomes first Senate Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw from presidential race
- Powerball winning numbers for July 10: Jackpot rises to $41 million
- Chrysler recalls 332,000 vehicles because airbag may not deploy during crash
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Bed rotting every night? You're actually in a 'functional freeze.'
JFK's only grandson is doing political coverage for this outlet. It's not a surprise
Team USA defeats medal contender Canada in first Olympic basketball tune-up
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
North Dakota lawmaker reaches plea agreement after May arrest for impaired driving
Former ALF Child Star Benji Gregory Dead at 46
Bed rotting every night? You're actually in a 'functional freeze.'