Mehta said that the defendants were paying for conduct that was largely enabled by Trump and his allies. The people who created the conditions that led to Mr. Lolos' conduct should be held to account.
Mehta said that Mr. Lolos was a pawn. You were a pawn in a game that people should not have been involved in. I think that reduces your conduct.
Mehta is one of the most notable commentators in Capitol riot cases. Mehta is presiding over the conspiracy case against 20 members of the Oath Keepers, charged with planning to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election. The case is seen as one of the most important in the investigation.
The judges on the federal court in Washington, D.C. hadn't fully emphasized the fact that many of the participants in the Jan. 6 mob had been fed a relentless diet of lies about the election.
He said that it was not surprising that people would believe the election was stolen.
Mehta has commentary on Trump that comes as the House Select Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is looking into the role the former president played in trying to overturn the election results. The Justice Department indicted Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress last week, after he ignored a committee subpoena, and the panel has subpoenaed Trump's top aides.
Mehta blamed Trump for inciting the riot, but the judge faulted him for not taking responsibility for his actions. Mehta believed the 14-day sentence would be enough to deter Lolos from committing future crimes.
After the sentence was imposed, Lolos continued to speak over the judge. On January 6th, he was heard defending his conduct towards the police and saying that the videos from the day will vindicate him.
Edward McMahon urged him to stop.
MacMahon said the hearing was over before reporters were disconnected from the audio line.
Josh Gerstein was involved in the report.
