CHESAPEAKE, Virginia: Donald Trump said on Friday that his supporters prosecuted for their actions in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol should be freed, citing a Supreme Court ruling in favor of a man who challenged an obstruction charge related to the riot — a charge Trump also faces.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Virginia, the former president pointed to Friday’s ruling, which raised the legal bar for prosecutors pursuing obstruction charges in the federal election subversion case against Trump and defendants involved in the attack.
“Free the Jan. 6 hostages now. They should free them now for what they have gone through” Trump said, as the crowd cheered.
“They’ve been waiting for this decision for a long time,” Trump added.
Trump is the Republican candidate challenging Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 US election.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to throw out a lower court’s decision that had allowed a charge of corruptly obstructing an official proceeding — the congressional certification of Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump that the rioters sought to prevent — against defendant Joseph Fischer, a former police officer. The justices directed the lower court to reconsider the matter.
The ruling was a potential boost for Trump, who was hit with two obstruction-related charges as part of a four-count criminal indictment in a case brought last year by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case.
“That is a great thing for people that have been so horribly treated,” Trump said of the ruling.
Trump has often valorized his supporters convicted for their roles in the attack on the Capitol, calling them “patriots” and “warriors.” Among other crimes, some of them were prosecuted for violence against police officers.
The Supreme Court on Monday is expected to issue its ruling in Trump’s claim of presidential immunity from prosecution in the election subversion case brought by the special counsel. It is the final day of the court’s current term.
Citing Supreme Court ruling, Trump demands release of imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters
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Citing Supreme Court ruling, Trump demands release of imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters
- The Supreme Court had ruled 6-3 to throw out a lower court’s decision ton an obstruction charge against a former police officer involved in the January 6 pro-Trump riot
- Trump has often valorized his supporters convicted for their roles in the attack on the Capitol, calling them “patriots” and “warriors”
California joins UN health network following US departure from WHO
- California Governor Gavin Newsom decried the United States’ move on Friday, calling it a “reckless decision” that will hurt many people
CALIFORNIA: California said on Friday it will become the first US state to join the World Health Organization’s global outbreak response network following the Trump administration’s decision to pull Washington out of the WHO.
The network, comprised of more than 360 technical institutions, responds to public health events with the deployment of staff and resources to affected countries. It has tackled major public health events, including COVID-19. The state’s decision to join the network comes more than a year after US President Donald Trump gave notice that Washington would depart from the WHO. On Thursday, it officially withdrew from the agency, saying its decision reflected failures in the UN health agency’s management of the pandemic.
California Governor Gavin Newsom decried the United States’ move on Friday, calling it a “reckless decision” that will hurt many people.
“California will not bear witness to the chaos this decision will bring,” Newsom said in a statement. “We will continue to foster partnerships across the globe and remain at the forefront of public health preparedness, including through our membership as the only state in WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network.”
The governor’s office said he met with the WHO’s Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, where they discussed collaborating to detect and respond to emerging public health threats.
The WHO did not immediately respond when reached for comment.
