A CBS News poll reveals that while most Americans still condemn the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Republican disapproval has decreased over the past three years. The poll indicates a growing minority within the GOP, especially among the MAGA faction, that approves of the rioters' actions. Misinformation persists, with a significant portion of Republicans believing the rioters were imposters posing as Trump supporters. Despite legal consequences faced by participants, many Republicans support pardons for them. The nation is divided on whether Trump's involvement should bar him from future ballots, and there is widespread concern about the potential for violence in future elections and the threat to U.S. democracy. The survey was conducted with a sample of 2,157 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of ±2.8 points.
Two Oath Keepers, Jessica Watkins and Kenneth Harrelson, were sentenced to 8.5 years and four years in prison, respectively, for their involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Watkins recruited three others and was recorded on a walkie-talkie-style app saying she was walking with a group of about 30 to 40 people to the Capitol and “sticking together and sticking to the plan,” before she eventually met up with a group led by Kelly Meggs. Harrelson received firearms training with Meggs in Florida and served as “Meggs’ right-hand man” in setting up video meetings and relaying instructions to other Florida Oath Keepers about stashing weapons for a “Quick Reaction Force” if violence erupted.
Former FBI agent Jared Wise has been arrested and charged with four misdemeanor counts, including unlawfully entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct, for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Wise was captured on closed-circuit TV footage entering through the U.S. Senate wing door and raising his arms "in triumph." In body-worn camera footage captured by D.C. Metropolitan Police officers, Wise can be heard egging on protesters by shouting "Kill 'em!" Wise served as an FBI agent and a supervisory agent from 2004 to 2017.
Dominic Pezzola, a Proud Boy from upstate New York, testified in court that he smashed a Senate window with a stolen police riot shield during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol due to adrenaline, fear, and confusion, not as part of a carefully executed plot. Pezzola is facing charges of seditious conspiracy along with four other Proud Boys leaders. Prosecutors are expected to cross-examine Pezzola on Thursday.
A federal appeals court panel has upheld the government's use of an obstruction charge against hundreds of defendants arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The complex opinion appears likely to result in additional litigation and leaves questions about the future of the use of the statute. The case is likely to result in further litigation, and the Jan. 6 participants could ask the entire appeals court to review the statute’s use against Capitol riot defendants and potentially bring the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Anthony Puma, who admitted to breaking into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and posting it to Facebook, has been sentenced to nine months in federal prison for participating in the violent attack that sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Puma blamed former President Donald Trump for "tricking" him into rebelling that day, but a judge disagreed. Puma had asked to be spared a prison sentence, but prosecutors argued he belonged behind bars for his actions.
