Judge says MAGA rioters 'morphed into terrorists' and cites threats made against Nancy Pelosi as evidence

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Tuesday said that some Capitol rioters "morphed into terrorists" on January 6th during a hearing for a defendant who threatened to murder House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to NBC 4 Washington reporter Scott MacFarlane.

During a plea hearing for MAGA rioter Dawn Bancroft, Sullivan zeroed in on her statement that she broke into the Capitol building to find Pelosi and "shoot her in the frigging brain."

Bancroft admitted to making the statement, and Sullivan questioned prosecutors why they did not charge her with making a threat against Pelosi's life.

Bancroft, for her part, told Sullivan that she made the remark while she was leaving the Capitol in a "jovial" manner, although she admitted that it was still a "dumb" thing to say.

It was shortly after this that Sullivan said many of the rioters had "morphed into terrorists" as they stormed the Capitol.

Bancroft pleaded guilty this week to a low-level misdemeanor related to the breach of the Capitol. Her sentencing will occur next year, Sullivan ruled.