Justice Department Pushes To Bar Jan. 6 Defendants From Attending Trump’s Inauguration

Federal prosecutors are urging judges to deny requests from two January 6 defendants seeking permission to return to Washington, D.C., for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, citing terms of their convictions and public safety concerns.

Cindy Young, convicted of four misdemeanors for her involvement in the 2021 Capitol breach, has asked the court to lift her restriction from entering the nation’s capital. Similarly, Russell Taylor, who pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy charges stemming from his actions that day, has petitioned for permission to attend the historic event.

Both individuals are subject to sentencing provisions barring them from entering Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, at least one other Jan. 6 defendant, whose sentencing is pending, has been granted permission to travel to the capital for the inauguration.

As Fox News reports:

“Contrary to Young’s self designation that she ‘poses no threat of danger to the community,’ Young presents a danger to the D.C. community, including the very law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021,” U.S. attorneys said in response to Young’s petition. The federal attorneys cited calls from Young “for retribution against those involved in January 6 prosecutions” and argued that she has failed “to recognize the seriousness of her actions.”

A request from Taylor, who was invited to attend the inauguration by members of Utah’s congressional delegation, is also being challenged by attorneys at the Department of Justice who argue that the serious nature of his crimes should preclude him from being able to “return to the scene of the crime.”

“He is asking for the Court to bless his desire to return to the scene of the crime, and the Court should not look past his criminal conduct the last time he was on Capitol grounds,” the U.S. attorneys wrote in a filing to U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth. The attorneys added in their court filing that, while they had granted previous travel requests to other defendants involved in the Capitol siege, those approvals were to support people’s continued employment, and the requests did not involve travel to the nation’s capital.

However, another Jan. 6 defendant, Eric Peterson, who was convicted of a misdemeanor in November for his involvement in the Capitol riot but has yet to be sentenced, was given approval by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to travel to the District for Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, according to Peterson’s criminal case docket. Notably, the docket did not include any responses from the Department of Justice urging Chutkan to deny Peterson’s request.

In the weeks following the election, two federal judges postponed trials for defendants facing charges related to the Capitol riot, citing potential legal shifts as Trump prepares to take office. The delays also came amid rampant speculation that Trump would issue pardons for individuals involved in the events of that day, particularly nonviolent demonstrators.

Trump has since reiterated his intention to pardon his supporters involved in the riot, though the extent of his likely pardons remains unclear.

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