Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Capitol Rioter's Lawyer Throws Trump All The Way Under The Bus In Blunt Opening Statement

Capitol Rioter's Lawyer Throws Trump All The Way Under The Bus In Blunt Opening Statement
Department of Justice (DOJ); Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Samuel Shamansky, the attorney for Dustin Byron Thompson—a January 6 defendant who is on trial for several charges including theft of government property—took a clear shot at former Republican President Donald Trump during his opening statement.

Shamansky told jurors Trump was "spewing lies" before a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol in a failed bid to overturn the results of the 2020 general election. He added Trump used his presidential authority to essentially "authorize this assault."


He went further, saying Thompson was acting at the direction of Trump and "his various conspirators" and added Trump was part of a "sinister plot" to get Thompson and other Trump supporters to "do his dirty work."

Notably, Shamansky said Thompson fell down a "rabbit hole" of conspiracy theories after losing his job earlier during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thompson was influenced by an "echo chamber" of falsehoods that the election had been stolen, he said, and had chosen to act "accordingly."

Shamansky's statements were not a surprise given he'd stated in a February court filing he planned to argue at trial that Thompson was acting at Trump's behest.

At the time, he said he wanted to issue subpoenas to compel Trump and former New York City Mayor and Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to appear as witnesses, pointing to statements both men made at the "Stop the Steal" rally ahead of the attack.

Trump's call for his supporters to "fight like hell" and Giuliani's suggestion they should engage in a "trial by combat," Shamansky argued, offer ample evidence Thompson took their directions to heart.

Although a judge ultimately denied the subpoena request, they ruled jurors could listen to recordings of the speeches Trump and Giuliani gave at the rally.

While those following the trial acknowledged Trump had incited the insurrection, they felt Shamansky's defense would not absolve his client of responsibility for participating in it.




One of the more prominent faces to emerge from the January 6 insurrection has also made headlines for making claims in their defense.

In January 2022, Jacob Chansley—the infamous self-proclaimed "QAnon Shaman" who made headlines worldwide after he was photographed wearing a horned fur headdress and war paint in red, white, and blue while carrying a spear as he participated in the storming of the United States Capitol–claimed he was simply trying to "calm the crowd" during the attack.

Chansley, who is currently behind bars in Oklahoma serving a 41-month prison sentence, blamed the media for making him the public "face" of the attack.

His mother—who previously referred to her son as a "patriot"—suggested Trump invited everyone to go to the Capitol and stressed she is passionate "about how wrong I think it is that he [Chansley] is even doing any time at all."

Trump has continued to profess that he is the victim of a political smear campaign at the hands of Democrats.

In recent months, he has pledged to pardon rioters in the event he is re-elected and urged his supporters to protest in the event prosecutors officially charge him with financial crimes.

More from People/donald-trump

Alexnadria Ocasio-Cortez; Elon Musk
Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images; Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

AOC Rips Elon Musk After He Peddles Tired GOP 'Conspiracy Theory' About Rally Crowds

New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized billionaire Elon Musk on X after Musk questioned the legitimacy of the crowd at her recent rally in Denver with Bernie Sanders.

Musk echoed a claim made by right-wing host Mario Nawfal, who alleged that a rally in Denver last week, featuring Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, was attended primarily by professional left-wing protesters affiliated with funded organizations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson
David M Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage/Getty Images

Samuel L. Jackson Recalls How Sage Advice From Bruce Willis Came True With Marvel Role

It's hard to imagine someone as successful as Samuel L. Jackson taking advice from anyone, no matter how helpful.

Bringing to life characters in Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, Star Wars, and every major superhero franchise including The Incredibles, it seems like Jackson has done it all.

Keep ReadingShow less
Author Dragged After Whining That Target's Fantasy Book Section Only Has 'Chick Lit'
@J0hnADouglas/X

Author Dragged After Whining That Target's Fantasy Book Section Only Has 'Chick Lit'

Author John A. Douglas visited a Target recently and had some opinions to share with his Twitter followers.

In a clip that he filmed and then posted, he showed the Fantasy section of the book shelves at the big box store, which was full of books that he claimed were mostly by women and for women.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parents of the daughter who died from measles
CHD

Texas Parents Whose Daughter Died From Measles Reaffirm That They're Still Anti-Vax

The Texas parents whose 6-year-old unvaccinated daughter died from measles said they have no regrets for not vaccinating their child.

The infected child's preventable death from the virus was the nation's first measles fatality in a decade.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hillary Clinton
Kimberly White/Getty Images for Common Sense Media

Hillary Clinton Has Iconic Reaction To Trump Administration's 'Atlantic' Text Scandal

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a succinct response after Jeffrey Goldberg—the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic—revealed he was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen.

Goldberg revealed a highly unusual and concerning situation where senior Trump administration officials were allegedly discussing war plans over a group chat on Signal. Goldberg recounted that Representative Mike Waltz added him to an 18-person group chat, which he initially suspected was a hoax or disinformation campaign.

Keep ReadingShow less