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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Some U.S. Capitol riot defendants forgo lawyers
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
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65 Comments
Capuchin
Sad that these people are so deluded and self righteous that you can't even offer them help. Must be frustrating for the judges to watch their courts be turned into circuses and have their advice and warnings spat right back at them.
Unfortunately these people are going to learn the hard way that believing you're righteous doesn't place you above the law.
Peter Neil
Good. More chance of these knuckleheads heading off to jail. A person who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client.
PTownsend
Many in the far right Trump klans seem to want a return to the mythological days of the putative 'wild wild west' when men with guns ruled local areas before the town brought a lawman to protect the majority, see John Ford's "the Man who Shot Liberty Valance").
Others in the Trump klan, especially the white nationalists seem to want a return to the days of the Confederacy when their klan ancestors backed by rich slave owners attacked the US and its systems. The 'freedom' they're moaning ever loudly about is a child's cry saying no one can tell me what to do, because I've got guns, do not care about other people and do not care about the country and its citizens, they want to see the country further weakened.
fish10
@capuchin
I'm pretty certain that the Trump puppets are incapable of learning anything, regardless of jail or not.
Yrral
You never go before a judge, with contempt in America, they can make your life miserable as it already,
zurcronium
Most if not all of these clowns are evangelical christian types, Trump has 90% plus support in that group, so they believe God is on their side. Hence the delusion legal defense strategy and desire to charge the court for their crimes against the USA. Another example of how religion poisons everything as the late great Hitch expounded.
Jimizo
Have any of the low grade morons who believed Trump’s stolen election claim had a change of delirious tiny mind and saw they were being scammed?
Hoping for a cause for optimism on a Monday morning.
GdTokyo
Didn’t Trump say he loved the less-educated? No wonder. Nobody else would be dumb enough to do this and think they could get away with it.
ian
They're likely to end up in jail for playing lawyers for themselves.
Many others meanwhile might end up dead for playing doctors of themselves during this pandemic
dbsaiya
Don't need a law degree to plea bargain.
Chico3
And these are Trump's supporters. What an embarrassment. Even more embarrassing that they are forgoing counsel. Well, I guess they are shooting themselves in the foot. Maybe jail will be a wake-up call for them.
Bob Fosse
The equivalent of “doing my own research”. Is this what you meant by “get lawyered up?”
Nice T-shirt Mr Hostetter. Tell everyone you’re a lion on your first day inside, maybe it’ll help.
funkymofo
Displaying the same intellectually rigorous decision making process that brought them to the Capitol on January 6th. You know the old adage- the man who represents himself in court has an empty MAGA hat for a client.
James
The problem is Judges have a preconceived idea that representing yourself will result in you losing therefor you will lose even if the you are innocent. So it actually is foolish to represent yourself.
CaptDingleheimer
Bunch of rednecks... I'll bet that day was the first time half of those slobs stepped foot in a town of more than 20,000 people.
Bob Fosse
These folks sure like to keep things simple and basic. You can be a Lion or a sheep, that’s it. I guess that’s what got them into this mess. “Raaawr I’m a lion.”
Life is about to get a lot simpler too; won’t have to worry about daily routine and food menu.
ulysses
Hilarious.
Considering they did this for a man who slunk into the WH bunker after promising to March with them, I’d say the fact they are fools should be taken for granted!!!
lincolnman
Evidently all of MAGA-world thinks that since their Sainted Leader believes he's a stable genius, they all must be too....
Judge: "Sir, what qualifications do you have to represent yourself? Well judge, I watched every episode of Matlock"....
Maybe Alabama had it right to spend some of its COVID relief money to build more prisons...
Speed
Mind you, these aren't very bright people.
Paul
Morons will be morons...
Peter Neil
The Dunning-Kruger Effect strikes again.
GdTokyo
This is what happens when the less-educated watch "reality" TV and actually believe it's real.
spinningplates
The Best and the Brightest!
Shine on, you crazy diamonds! For most of them Prison will be an upgrade, they're probably weary from 'doing it wrong' their whole lives.
RichardPearce
Now, twice members of my family acted as their own lawyers, and won.
But that's probably because we were brought up in a household where logic and facts trumped emotion and 'everyone knows' (and having the encyclopedia set, the 4 dictionaries, and reference material and text books for a myriad of subjects on hand meant that facts were challenged against reputable sources) and consicion
RichardPearce
Concission of expression was valued.
stormcrow
Well, it's their choice, but I'd advise against it because they're basically a bunch of terrorists. A lot of judges and juries will probably view them in the same way.
BTW, where's Trump at? He's not throwing any of his money to help save these people, is he?
lincolnman
I can't wait to hear their defense in court.....
"Judge, I have a severe disease - it deadens brain cells and makes me constantly outraged and susceptible to kooky conspiracy theories......it's called Foxitis"....
"Judge, on Jan 6th I was 300 miles away from DC at home mowing the lawn...any close-up pictures and videos of me fighting with the police, sitting at Pelosi's desk, and shouting "Hang Mike Pence" are just deep fake CGI videos created by Hunter Biden and Hugo Chavez"....
"Judge, I'm an FBI-trained Antifa agitator....just disregard the "Trump Forever" and "Q Lives" tattoos all over my body....
"Judge, I'm a victim....on Jan 6th Bill Gates turned on his mind control machine and activated the chips in my body I got from the COVID vaccine and beamed violence into my brain from the Chinese-made thermostats in my house"....
GUILTY, next case....
u_s__reamer
“A fool for a client”, Orangecountyman, Alan Hostetter, looks, speaks and acts the part of rightwing Amerika's incarnation of its steroidal, twisted machismo, a kid raised on its mother's milk of the Marlboro Man and Rambo. Even the old orange wimp works the same shtick to prove his "patriotic" bona fides (until Uncle Sam, the American Bald Eagle, blew his cover, for anyone paying attention). Maybe some of these folk are counting on leniency from conservative judges who will overlook their crimes and "misdemeanors" and send them home with a slap on the wrist.
Ingvar
Political prisoners.
Stewie
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. It's just a shame the instigator of the insurrection isn't yet in front of a Judge.
Blacklabel
Im bored with the whole repetitive conversation.
"Exclusive: FBI finds scant evidence U.S. Capitol attack was coordinated - sources"
"Judges, public look for Capitol riot consequences as misdemeanor plea deals mount"
There doesnt need to be an almost daily article about this for a bunch of misdemeanors unrelated to any coordinated efforts of anyone.
Anyone who broke the law on Jan 6 will be punished as harshly as possible, and much more harshly than others who did similar on other days, this is clear.
Just a media way to avoid the real problems of inflation, supply chain, crime, lack of job creation, the economy, the border, Afghanistan, etc.
runner3
Fool's they all deserve what they get. Anyone notice Trump isn't offering to pay anyone's legal bills?
Ingvar
Guilty of what? Entering the Capitol building uninvited? A very serious crime indeed. Prolonged imprisonment is absolutely justified. USA already has the most people imprisoned as a total number and per-capita. It's not like people guilty of crimes such as trespassing can be fined and released.
bass4funk
In a few months when these people get out, they’ll have a hoard of lawyers waiting for them to sue this administration for not giving them due process, and see quite a bit of money coming to some of these people. In a democracy people have the absolute right to know what they’re being charged with.
Bob Fosse
3b chime in. All the hits!
Bob Fosse
Hint at future triumph? Check
Distract with unrelated waffle? Check
Random quotes with no context? Check
3b Bingo, just one more…
Blacklabel
a single misdemeanor count of "parading" for most.
lincolnman
Maybe assaulting and seriously injuring over 100 Capitol Police officers? Or did you miss that when you watched the video....
https://www.usatoday.com/storytelling/capitol-riot-mob-arrests/
They have lawyers available now yet they refuse them - what makes you think they'll be any smarter after they get out of jail?
And I wouldn't call Crazy Rudy, Sidney Powell, or Lin Wood a "hoard"....
Oops, that's right, Rudy has been suspended from practicing....guess that just leaves two...
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/giuliani-suspended-ny-faces-attorney-ethics-probe-dc-2021-08-06/
StevieJ
Clearly not the smartest bunch. But that was obvious from their open insurrection attempt to circumvent the election process based on a bunch of Russian misinformation.
Bob Fosse
I laughed out loud at this one. Bingo!
plasticmonkey
@bass
This is false. None of them have been denied due process. You keep pushing this idea without a shred of evidence.
@black
The Democrats are trying to pass legislation that attempts to deal with a lot of the problems you list. Legislation the GOP has no interest in even discussing. What the GOP is mostly focusing on is the Big Lie (since DJT is still ranting about that), the tyranny of mask and vaccine mandates, critical race theory, transgender bathrooms, and the war on Christmas.
Blacklabel
Legislation the GOP has no interest in even discussing.
because Democrats are in charge of all branches of government and can do anything they want without even one Republican.
its telling that even Dems have problems with their own plans an policies.
Biden really needs to stop publicly demanding the DOJ prosecute certain people.
Express sister
Excited to see the conspiracy theory sovereign citizen arguments crash and burn as they have every single time.
Express sister
Got to say, though, I'm not loving the classist "trailer trash, they've probably never been in a place with a roof" style comments here.
ArtistAtLarge
Indeed. But I am not surprised at their choice.
Express sister
"Criminals shouldn't face consequences" - a law and order Republican.
plasticmonkey
That wasn't your point. You were saying that "the media" (by which I take you mean the entire universe of liberals) is using January 6 as a distraction. Which I demonstrated not to be true.
bass4funk
No, it’s not.
Not what their sworn statements say. Funny, the DOJ and that genius Psaki when asked don’t want to elaborate….hmmm…
Not me, the White House.
plasticmonkey
The defendants' sworn statements claim their due processes were denied? Is that evidence?
You're not making a bit of sense.
bass4funk
In a court of law it is
Not me, Biden’s DOJ isn’t.
bass4funk
Not soft and crime, just want equal justice down the middle and applied appropriately and fairly, as well as legally.
Peter Neil
No! Don't shut it down. I'm still trying to figure out what "Concission of expression was valued," means.
ulysses
What wonderful thoughts dear sir.
Then you will surely agree that everyone subpoenaed in the trials should testify!!!
I mean if the courts cannot provide them justice who can?????
bass4funk
Maybe not you, but to the lawyers there is.
In the same way their civil rights were violated??? No one believes that.
All the reason why a lot of these people are raising money to get better legal representation, someone that can’t be bought.
Express sister
You have said in the past that your lawyer told you that perjury wasn't a crime. You thought that Julian Assange resisting arrest would benefit him him in court. You don't know anything about the law. You don't know anything about trial procedure. You should save your breath.
They weren't. Once again, you don't know what you're talking about. It's not a civil rights violation to arrest and charge someone actively involved in an attempt to overthrow American democracy.
"They want to buy someone who can't be bought".
One day, I believe you will be able to think.
Ingvar
I did miss that. As far as I understand it, one of the unarmed trespassers was shot and killed and one policeman had a heart attack and died.
But can we assume all those locked up assaulted police?
Bob Fosse
If you want to play that game ok. She was a combat veteran, of course trained and well experienced in close quarters combat. She was armed with a chair leg, a blunt weapon which is surely lethal in the hands of such an experienced soldier.
There. Try that for size.