The mob at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, came there because of Donald Trump, and Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, now on trial for seditious conspiracy, was merely a “scapegoat” blamed for the violence and chaos that day, his defense attorney told jurors as opening statements got underway on Thursday.
The Proud Boys seditious conspiracy trial has taken weeks to reach this moment, and when prosecutors and the defense appeared before jurors, lines were sharply drawn.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough harkened the now infamous words of former president Donald Trump from a 2020 presidential debate when he told Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” That moment has long been considered to be a catalyst for the insurrection, by investigators and analysts of the Capitol assault alike.
McCullough emphasized this Thursday. When Trump made that remark, he said, it sent a message: Trump was for the Proud Boys, and Biden was for “antifa.” Referring to the Proud Boys defendants, McCullough said: “These men did not stand back. They did not stand by. They mobilized.”
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