Donald Trump’s legal troubles are being viewed as a source of hope for some Jan. 6 defendants, The Washington Post reports.
The report notes that before Trump was indicted in the Jan. 6 election conspiracy, more than 1,000 people had already been charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol, and that Trump’s inclusion in that group has left Jan. 6 defendants in the D.C. jail “trading legal theories on how Trump’s case could affect their own — and joking about which empty cell could house the 45th president of the United States.”
“We’re like, if Trump comes in here, we’re gonna put him in 45 cell,” said Shane Jenkins, 46, of Houston, who was found guilty of several charges in connection with the riot, including one Trump now faces, and is being held in the D.C. jail. “We definitely talk about Donald Trump. I don’t think they’ll ever put him in jail, per se. And if they do, I hope they would bring him here. We would have a good time, and it would be awesome to get to meet Donald Trump.”
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Tamara Perryman, the wife of Jan. 6 defendant Brian Jackson, put it this way: “Welcome to the club, Trump. You’re a J6er now.”
Such hopes aren’t completely without merit, defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi told The Post, noting that the obstruction charges against Trump in his estimation are “hanging by a thread” given the Supreme Court’s configuration.
“Having Trump as part of the equation,” Rossi said, “that does help the other Jan. 6 defendants charged with obstruction,” but Rossi noted that Trump along with 300 others still face other serious charges of which many have already been convicted.
