First Jan. 6 felony defendant allowed to attend Trump inauguration

A felony defendant in a case related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol has been granted permission to travel to Washington this month to attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration, the first known instance of such a request being granted by the courts.

William Pope — whose pretrial conditions restrict him from most travel to D.C. — may visit the nation’s capital from Jan. 19-21, according to a court order signed Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras.

Contreras granted Pope’s motion despite objections from the Department of Justice.

The judge wrote in his order that he made the decision after reviewing both sides’ arguments and taking into consideration “the fact that Mr. Pope is not charged with assault or vandalism- related charges.”

In its filing opposing Pope’s request, the government wrote that he "presents a danger to the D.C. community, including the very law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and continue to serve the citizens of the District."

Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan granted permission to a misdemeanor Jan. 6 defendant to attend Trump's inauguration. Eric Peterson, who pleaded guilty to entering the Capitol, was authorized to travel for the event, and prosecutors did not file an objection.

Trump, who is scheduled to be sworn in in less than two weeks, has pledged to pardon many of the Jan. 6 defendants, who stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent the certification of his 2020 loss to now-President Biden.

Ella Lee contributed.

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