Dustin Byron Thompson, an Ohio man accused of stealing a hanger from the Capitol, does not deny that he joined the mob on January 6, 2021. But his lawyer promised on Tuesday to show that Trump was abusing his power to to “authorize” the attack. Describing Trump as a man without hesitation or integrity, defense attorney Samuel Samansky said the former president was involved in a “weak” conspiracy to encourage Thompson and other supporters to “do his dirty work.” “It is Donald Trump himself who is spreading lies and using his position to authorize this attack,” Samansky told jurors Tuesday during the trial’s opening remarks. Justice Department Attorney Jennifer Rothsoni said Thompson knew he was breaking the law that day. “He chose to be part of the chaos and chaos,” he said. Thompson’s lawyer has called for Trump and Rudolph Giuliani to testify at this week’s trial. A judge rejected the request, but ruled that jurors could listen to recordings of speeches Trump and Giuliani delivered at a rally before the uprising. The Thompson jury trial is the third of hundreds of riots in the Capitol. The first two ended with jurors convicting both defendants on all charges for which they were charged. In a court appearance in February, Shamansky said he wanted to argue at trial that Thompson was acting on the instructions of Trump and “his various conspirators.” The lawyer called for others to be summoned from Trump’s inner circle, including former White House Chief of Staff Steve Bannon, former White House Chief of Staff Steven Miller and former Trump attorneys John Eastman and Sidney Powell. Prosecutors said Thomson could not prove that Trump or Giuliani had the power to “authorize” him to break the law. They also noted that the video of the rally’s speeches “perfectly captures” the tone, delivery and context of the statements to the extent that they are “marginally relevant” to the proof of Thompson’s intention on January 6. Thompson’s lawyer argued that Trump would testify that he and others were “orchestrating a carefully planned plot to question the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.” Samansky claimed that Giuliani incited the rioters by encouraging them to take part in “battle trials” and that Trump provoked the mob by saying that “if you do not fight like hell, you will have no country.” Shamansky said Thompson, who lost his job during the pandemic, became an avid consumer of conspiracy theories and lies about stolen elections. “This is the rubbish that Dustin Thompson hears from day to day,” Shamansky said. “It goes down to this rabbit hole. He hears this echo chamber. And it acts accordingly. “ U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled in March that any personal testimony from Trump or Giuliani could confuse and mislead jurors. More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes since January 6. More than 250 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. Thompson is the fifth person to be tried on riot charges. Thompson has a co-accused, Robert Lyon, who pleaded guilty to riot-related charges in March. Thompson, then 36, and Lyon, then 27, drove from Columbus, Ohio to Silver Spring, Maryland, spent the night at a hotel and then took a Uber ride to Washington DC on the morning of Jan. 6. After Donald Trump’s speech, Thompson and Lyon headed to the Capitol. Thompson was wearing a Trump 2020 winter hat and a bulletproof vest when he entered the Capitol and went to the Senate’s office, where he stole two bottles of alcohol and a rack worth up to $ 500, according to prosecutors. Thompson is charged with six counts: obstructing a joint congressional vote to certify voting in an electoral college, stealing government property, entering or staying in a restricted building or premises, disorderly conduct or harassment in a restricted building or premises, disorderly conduct or a Capitol building and parade, demonstration or picket in a Capitol building. Lyon pleaded guilty to theft of state property and disorderly conduct. Both charges are misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in prison. Walton is scheduled to sentence Lyon on June 3.
