Following the verdict, Federal Judge Reggie Walton criticized the behavior of former President Donald Trump. “The uprising, and indeed it was, is very worrying,” Walton said. “I think our democracy is in trouble because unfortunately we have charlatans, like the former president, in my opinion, who do not care about democracy and only care about power.” The trial marked the first time a Capitol riot suspect had tried to convince jurors that Trump was responsible for the violence on January 6, 2021. Thompson’s lawyer told jurors that Trump was a “bad and awful man” who he had instigated the uprising with his incendiary speeches at the Ellipse, where he told his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.” Thompson had testified that he believed he was acting on Trump’s orders. “Apart from the president’s order to go to the Capitol, I do not know what I was thinking,” Thompson told jurors Wednesday. “The moment caught me.” “If the President almost orders you to do something, I felt compelled to do it,” Thompson said. Prosecutors have mocked the idea, arguing that Thompson is an adult capable of making his own decisions, and told the court that Trump was not the one being tried.
“This is not President Trump’s criminal trial,” Prosecutor William Dreher said Thursday. “This side-show for the defense attorney trying to make you angry” with Trump “is just that, a side-show.”

Impact on future cases

The guilty verdict could have significant implications for many other defendants who sought to shift responsibility to the former president. Judges were largely skeptical of Trump’s arguments, but this is the first time a jury has formally rejected it. It could also resonate with Trump’s own legal challenges. Trump is facing many lawsuits for alleged mob incitement. A federal judge in California said last month that Trump was “more likely” to commit a crime by trying to influence then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject the Electoral College vote. The jury of seven men and five women debated for less than three hours on Thursday. As he immediately sent Thompson to jail awaiting sentencing, Walton said, “You make your bed, you lie on it.” Thompson then took off his tie, belt and jacket and was handcuffed behind his back by a U.S. lieutenant general and escorted out of the courtroom. The most serious charge for which Thompson was convicted – obstruction of formal proceedings, felony – carries up to 20 years in prison. He will be sentenced in July. Nearly 800 people have been arrested since Jan. 6, and more than 250 have pleaded guilty to federal charges. Three people have been convicted by jurors so far, with several more trials scheduled this spring. This story has been updated with additional details.