Jan. 6 defendant invited to Trump's inauguration by former GOP lawmaker
A former member and three current members of Congress invited a Jan. 6 defendant to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, according to a letter filed by the defendant's lawyer.
WASHINGTON — A Republican former House member and three current members of Congress from Utah invited a Jan. 6 defendant to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, according to a letter filed by the defendant's lawyer.
Jan. 6 defendant Russell Taylor organized a group of “fighters” to travel to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, in response to Trump’s tweet telling supporters the day "will be wild." Last year, Taylor pleaded guilty to a count of obstruction of an official proceeding and cooperated with the government against members of the Three Percenters militia group. Taylor, prosecutors wrote, went to the Capitol led a mob that overran a police line while he was "wearing an exposed knife on top of a bullet proof chest plate and carrying bear spray, a hatchet, and other weapons in his backpack."
Taylor's lawyer, Dyke E. Huish, filed a motion Wednesday asking U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth to allow Russell to travel to Washington with his wife and children for the inauguration.
Russell Taylor, right, makes an obscene gesture, obscured by NBC News, at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images fileThe filing, which was first reported by Politico, included a letter from former Rep. Chris Stewart, of Utah, who wrote that "three other current members of the Utah congressional delegation join with me in extending this invitation."
Huish told NBC News that Taylor had friends in common but didn't meet Stewart himself until after Taylor was sentenced to probation, along with six months of home detention.
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