If Trump follows through on his promises, there are a few ways he can play. When WIRED reached out to Steven Metcalfe, an attorney representing several of the January 6 riots, including Lang and Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola, he wondered what Trump’s victory would mean for his clients.
Metcalfe said he was taking Trump’s promises with a grain of salt, “because that’s what I do, until I see something, I don’t believe it.”
He also had questions. For example, who would come first—people who are already doing time, or people who are currently incarcerated. What kind of advice was Trump getting, and who was he getting it from?
“Then you have to think about the group going forward, and ultimately, what their beliefs are about police attacks and/or vandalism,” Metcalfe said. “Will they draw a line in the sand, or will it be a blanket amnesty?”
Some of the January 6 defendants have already asked for a delay in their trial and extended their appeals. Nayib Hassan, representing Tarrio, issued a statement saying he looks forward to “what the future holds, both in terms of our client’s judicial process and the broader political landscape under the new administration.”
Lawyers for Christopher Carnell, who was convicted of inciting violence and four counts of rioting, asked for his hearing Thursday to be held in December, citing Trump’s promises of leniency.
Attorneys for Jaimee Avery, who is facing misdemeanor charges in connection with the riot, also asked for the trial to be delayed—for different reasons. “It will make a big difference if Ms. Avery can spend even a day in jail when the man who played an important role in planning and promoting the events of January 6 will now never face the consequences for his role in it,” they wrote.
His colleague, on the other hand, feels very confident because he was convicted of non-violent crimes, including obstruction of justice, which the Supreme Court decided earlier this year to be used in an extremely broad manner in relation to the January 6 cases. “It will be good to go like this, hey I was pardoned by the president.”
He told WIRED that he was sitting by his window in his DC apartment and cheering on passersby for Trump’s victory. He says: “I always looked dirty.
“HEY DONALD TRUMP IS WINNING, LET’S COME, LET’S DO IT GUYS, UP HERE,” shouted the guys, crying. “THEIR BODY, OUR CHOICE, AMIRITE.”
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