Another Trump Lover Hit With Criminal Charges Over Insurrection

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Another one of the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building on January 6 is now facing federal criminal charges. Abram Markofski — who is a soldier in the Wisconsin National Guard — has been charged with four criminal counts, according to the Justice Department, including violent entry or disorderly conduct. He is the fourth active duty service member to face criminal charges after participation in the January Capitol rioting. Others include a member of the Virginia National Guard and two Army Reserve troops.

As summarized by The Washington Post, Markofski and his friend, Brandon Nelson — who is now facing his own slew of criminal charges — “drove from Wisconsin to Washington to attend a rally in support of President Donald Trump,” and both of them have “admitted to entering the Capitol during the riot,” the Post report adds. Both Markofski and Nelson have been released from custody for now, with a virtual court hearing in their case slated for next week. In the meantime, both of them have been barred from entering Washington, D.C.

So far, federal prosecutors have brought hundreds of criminal cases in connection to participation in the Capitol rioting, but trial dates for these defendants appear to remain an open question at present. Unlike Markofski and Nelson, a selection of the Capitol riot defendants have been held behind bars ahead of their trials. For instance, just last week, federal Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered the continued pre-trial detention of Scott Fairlamb, a Trump supporter and former mixed martial arts fighter with a criminal history including several assault cases.

Another notable riot defendant who has been ordered to jail ahead of their trial is Kenneth Harrelson, who is affiliated with the far-right militia group known as the Oath Keepers and is suspected of participating in the stashing of weapons at a D.C.-area hotel around the time of the rioting. The weapons would have been meant for the usage of rioters on the ground in D.C., if requested. Harrelson is facing criminal charges including conspiracy against the United States and faces possible decades in prison if convicted.