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The protest of January 6 deepened the divide in the country, and it also heightened our own understanding of this divide. We now understand that this is not a difference of opinions and ideologies. We seem to live in complete parallel realities.
We saw images of people walking into the Capitol. Some were angry. Others were curious. We saw grandmothers take selfies and some interesting outfits. We saw an unarmed woman being shot dead by a police officer. We saw how the media called him a victim. What we did not see, however, was an armed insurrection and terrorist attack ordered by the 45th U.S. President, Donald J. Trump. Regrettably, that is what half of the country thinks happened.
The left has used that event as ammo for over a year against the GOP, conservatives, and Trump supporters and unfortunately for many of the attendees of the January 6th Trump speech, their life got turned upside down that day.
In June 2021, Democrats established a witch hunt committee—otherwise known as the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack—to investigate what they called a domestic terrorist attack. Many attendees in DC that day, that dared come near or inside the Capitol building were arrested and charged during this prolonged initiative, and have been waiting in a cell for their days in court. They are finally starting to get their verdicts.
On April 6, a Federal Judge acquitted Matthew Martin of all four counts for which he was charged, AP reports. Martin had been arrested under misdemeanor and disorderly conduct charges, which alleged that he illegally entered the Capitol.
Martin had testified that a police officer waved him into the building after the turmoil began. The prosecutor had dismissed that testimony as “nonsense.”
However, those of us who saw multiple videos from different angles, saw police officers standing aside and seemingly ushering naive people into the building. Almost as if they were about to do a sightseeing tour of the historic building.
District Judge Trevor McFadden, however, disagreed with prosecutors and said it was reasonable that overwhelmed police officers allowed him to enter the Capitol through the Rotunda on January 6th. Judge McFadden said he had seen videos of police officers standing aside and allowing people inside as Martin approached. The judge also said that Martin’s actions were “about as minimal and non-serious” as anyone who was at the Capitol that day. The Judge described Martin’s testimony as “largely credible.”
So far, Matthew Martin is the third “Capitol Riot” defendant whose case has been resolved by trial. He is, however, the first to be acquitted of all charges. The first two ended with convictions, although the same Judge acquitted one of those defendants of a disorderly conduct charge after a bench trial last month.
Our hope, of course, is that justice may be served as fairly as possible; and that the rest of the defendants that will soon get their date in Court, also get a fair trial and a fair hearing.
