Crime and Punishment: Insurrection Day's Most Wanted, Pt. 40

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24. Some US Capitol rioters stay defiant, even while pleading guilty

Washington (CNN)Boyd Camper was set to join the ranks of those pleading guilty in the January 6 insurrection when the federal judge overseeing the case abruptly postponed the plea hearing over questions about whether Camper really believed he did anything wrong.

"Then this plea doesn't go forward," Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly told Camper's lawyer, who objected to a line in the plea deal that said Camper "unlawfully" entered the US Capitol. "If he's in there and doesn't think he did anything wrong, then there is no plea."

It's one example of the spectrum of contrition from the Capitol rioters. Some have offered emotional apologies and renounced the "big lie" about the 2020 election. Others remain defiant and see themselves as "political prisoners." Some rioters, even while pleading guilty, pushed back when pressed by judges to take responsibility, leading to hiccups and delays at several recent hearings.

The pushback from rioters comes at a key moment in the national reckoning over January 6 as Congress ramps up its inquiries and as former President Donald Trump and his allies continue to whitewash the deadly attack, often promoting the same self-serving narratives as the rioters.

A lack of remorse could also have legal consequences. Defendants who plead guilty aren't required to apologize, though it can persuade a judge to show leniency at sentencing. Federal prosecutors have said they're looking for contrition from the insurrectionists, and they've already cited defiant comments from some rioters to argue in court that they deserve time behind bars.


https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/17/politics/capitol-rioters-defiant-guilty-pleas/index.html

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215751896
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