'You attempted to punch police': Judge shoots down MAGA rioter's claim he wore tactical gear for self-defense

A man who wore tactical military gear to the January 6th riots at the United States Capitol building got slapped down by a judge after he tried to argue that he only wore the gear to protect himself from left-wing counterdemonstrators.

As reported by CBS News' Scott MacFarlane, defense attorneys representing Capitol rioter Robert Gieswein told D.C. District Judge Trevor McFadden at a sentencing hearing on Friday that their client was "wearing gear strictly for protection purposes" when he joined his fellow Trump supporters in violently storming the Capitol.

McFadden seemed skeptical of this argument and noted that Gieswein, a resident of Colorado, was caught on camera committing violent acts for an hour.

After taking a short break, McFadden returned and gave Gieswein a verbal lashing as he handed down his sentence.

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"You were a foot soldier in the most disturbing riot we’ve seen in years," he said, as transcribed by MacFarlane. "Your conduct was shocking... you attempted to punch a police officer."

In addition to trying to punch police, federal prosecutors also alleged that Gieswein "sprayed... aerosol substance at a group of officers who were in the process of arresting another rioter."

In the end, McFadden slapped Gieswein with a four-year prison sentence.