History will judge Donald Trump.
That is the consolation of many in light of the former president’s statement on political impunity that was handed down for the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
But there is another open front. At least 200 participants in the Trump-encouraged uprising face lengthy prison terms. This week, the Senate held the accusation , in United States courts there has been a trickle of charges.
The Democrats who have brought up the charge in Parliament have repeatedly cited one of those prisoners, one of the first to break the siege and who in turn acknowledged his participation in the siege at the ‘invitation’ of the great leader of Trumpism.
His name is Dominic Pezzola, a 43-year-old ex-Marine, a resident of Rochester, New York, and an alleged member of the Proud Boys, one of the fascist groups that supported Trump’s words to avoid recognition in Congress. . of Joe Biden’s victory.
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Spatz , as they call him, is locked up for those events. “The president has cheated on us,” Pezzola said in his letter to the judge asking for bail, a case the court denied him due to the seriousness of the case. His attorney, Jonathan Zucker, presented that fifteen-page document where his client blames Donald Trump for everything that happened.
He says they were just one of the puppets in his role.
“Pezzola acted in the belief that he responded patriotically to the pleas of the commander in chief,” stressed the lawyer. “He is one of the millions of Americans manipulated by the president’s delusions,” he added.
“Many of those who heeded his call will spend a substantial portion, if not all, of their existence in prison, while Donald Trump will continue his life of luxury and privilege,” he stressed.
There is case law that the intellectual author is just as responsible as the author of the material.
Some say in court that they acted in the belief that they responded patriotically to the ‘commander in chief’
In addition to Pezzola, half a dozen of his colleagues were already behind bars. And the Justice Department last Thursday announced the arrest of five others for conspiracy. Some are accused of ordering masses of robbers to gain access to the legislative building, thus eliminating the police. They wore military-style equipment.
Chilling details are revealed as the investigation continues. Another relevant name: Thomas Edward Caldwell, 66. This former member of the Navy Intelligence and former FBI agent acted as coordinator among the paramilitaries of the Oath Keepers, one of the most prominent groups in the attack.
According to prosecutors, this group has drawn up plans to ship weapons on the Potomac River and provide urban guerrilla training for control and rescue after the attack.
Caldwell, who was found in possession of a list of officials to be killed, contacted members of the Three Percenters, other far-right paramilitaries, the day before the siege. In his text, he suggested using a boat to move equipment and provide “quick response” with “heavy weapons” around the Capitol.
Always from this version, the Oath Keepers waited for “orders” from Trump from the day Biden was declared the winner.
The investigation found that the group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, ordered his people to “be ready to support Donald Trump” on January 6.
There are those who, after the failed attack, assured that they had learned their lesson “for the next time”.
“Potus (acronym for President of the United States) also has the right to activate its units,” wrote Jessica Watkins, an oath-keeper. “If Trump asks me to go, I’ll be there,” he said.
And it was. Watkins, 38, a veteran of the military, was part of that fast-paced action force “if something goes wrong.”
They found a good armory at his home in Ohio. He viewed Biden as an existential threat. ‘Our republic will be over. It is our duty as Americans to fight, kill and die for our rights, ”he said.
Prosecutors said that, unlike many Americans, “Watkins trained and prepared for that.”
It was not going well. But Caldwell left another message for colleagues in his group after the botched operation. “Next time, and there will be another chance,” he emphasized, “we have learned our lesson and we will be stronger.”