Another member of the mob that descended on Capitol grounds last year in hopes of blocking the certification by Congress of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory has been arrested. The newly arrested individual in question is 41-year-old Missouri resident Cale Clayton, who fought with police officers defending the Capitol across a span of hours on the day the violence unfolded. Now, Clayton is facing serious charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; civil disorder; theft of government property; and more. The last charge appears to be connected to Clayton’s theft of a police baton, which he still had on him when temporarily taken into custody on the day of the riot. Clayton was released before his eventual arrest all these months later.
New: Judge Reggie Walton gives a withering Jan. 6 rebuke of Trump: “Our democracy is in trouble because unfortunately we have charlatans like our former president who doesn’t, in my view, really care about democracy but only about power.”
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) April 14, 2022
According to the Justice Department, Clayton yelled at police around the Capitol: “We are going to win … You might spray me with pepper spray. I don’t give a f—. There ain’t enough for millions of people here and you know it,” and later, he shouted out: “You guys are losing a lot of bodies” and “Get that pepper spray out … not enough.” Later in the afternoon, Clayton twice “grabbed a police shield being held by a law enforcement officer,” the Justice Department says. “He also took a police baton that was dropped by a law enforcement officer. While holding the baton, Clayton grabbed yet another officer’s shield. Police attempted to recover the baton from Clayton, and he made contact with his right hand with one of the officers. He also grabbed a police officer’s helmet in another confrontation.” It’s disturbing that Trump inspired individuals like Clayton to believe that they could fight with police officers on Capitol grounds and presumably hope to get away with it. In what universe do these people live? Clayton is now among the more than 250 people and counting who have been charged for assaulting or impeding police in some form around the time of last year’s Capitol riot.
"We have conducted more than 830 interviews and depositions… Those witnesses didn’t hide behind thin claims of executive privilege. Those witnesses followed the law. They did their patriotic duty.
Mr. Scavino and Mr. Navarro didn’t show up."
-Chair @BennieGThompson— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) April 7, 2022
So far, three jury trials for defendants charged in connection to the riot have taken place, and all three have concluded with convictions on all counts, although none of these defendants have been sentenced yet, meaning the full ramifications of these convictions remain unclear. The most recent conviction was of Dustin Thompson, whose side argued during his trial that his actions should be credited to Trump’s influence. Now, he’s convicted of six charges including the felony offense of obstruction of an official proceeding, which comes with a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years if found guilty, although much shorter sentences are possible. Federal Judge Reggie Walton ordered Thompson to be held in custody ahead of his sentencing, which is slated for July. Relatedly, federal prosecutors scored a high-profile guilty plea with an admission by Oath Keepers member Joshua James to an offense of seditious conspiracy. Documented pre-planning went into what unfolded around the Capitol.
"We live in the greatest constitutional Republic in history. No citizen in our Republic can be a bystander. If we do not stand for our freedom and for our Constitution, we will lose them."
-Vice Chair @RepLizCheney— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) April 7, 2022
Featured Image (edited): via Blink o’fanaye on Flickr and available under a Creative Commons License
