MAGA rioter tells court he wanted Trump's 'approval' because he had no other 'strong male figures' in his life
April 13, 2022
The MAGA rioter who was famously photographed holding a coat rack stolen from the United States Capitol building explained in court on Wednesday why he decided to travel to Washington on January 6th.
As relayed by NBC News' Ryan Reilly, MAGA rioter Dustin Thompson told jurors that he stormed the Capitol because he thought it would win Trump's "approval" and "respect."
"If the president is giving you almost an order to do something, I felt obligated to do that," said Thompson, who also added that he didn't have any "strong male figures" in his life, and that Trump filled that void.
Earlier in the day, an attorney representing the 38-year-old Thompson told the jury that the "genesis" of the attack on the Capitol came from former President Donald Trump, whom he alleges "authorized this assault" on Congress.
Before the trial began, Thompson's attorney also threatened to subpoena Trump, podcaster Steve Bannon, and former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, although that threat apparently never came to pass since none of those men are slated to testify at Thompson's trial.
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