Online Group Uncovers New Clips Of Harford Co. Man Robert Reeder At Capitol; Sentencing Delayed

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(CNN) — The sentencing for 1 of the January 6 US Capitol rioters was abruptly postponed Wednesday aft caller videos emerged of the antheral allegedly warring with police, an unexpected twist successful the lawsuit due to the fact that prosecutors hadn’t antecedently accused him of committing unit that day.

Robert Reeder of Maryland was charged successful February with 4 misdemeanors. He pleaded blameworthy to unlawfully demonstrating wrong the Capitol and was acceptable to beryllium sentenced connected Wednesday afternoon, with prosecutors asking for 2 months successful jail, partially owed to his deficiency of remorse.

But connected Wednesday morning, the online radical known arsenic the Sedition Hunters tweeted recently discovered clips and photos, seemingly showing Reeder warring with constabulary connected January 6. Sedition Hunters is 1 of respective online collectives, galore comprised of anti-Donald Trump activists, who person combed done footage from the Capitol onslaught to place rioters. The Justice Department has cited their enactment successful galore cases.

Prosecutors said during the truncated proceeding that they notified the judge, arsenic good arsenic Reeder’s defence attorneys, astir the caller footage connected Wednesday morning. Prosecutors planned to spell guardant with sentencing and petition the maximum six-month jailhouse term, but aft reviewing much of the videos, they asked to hold the hearing. He is present scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected October 8.

US District Judge Thomas Hogan said helium was “concerned” astir the caller videos due to the fact that Reeder was antecedently portrayed arsenic “more arsenic an perceiver than a participant” successful the violence. Reeder’s lawyer successful tribunal said that “on archetypal blush, the clip is problematic” but said determination mightiness beryllium different footage that could assistance his defence arguments. Reeder is seeking a condemnation of probation.

“The @SedtitionHunters squad are highly grateful for each the challenging enactment the FBI and the DOJ are putting into each idiosyncratic lawsuit and their willingness to judge the assistance from our assemblage of researchers,” the radical told CNN successful a statement. “The speedy effect to past infinitesimal find of images showing a suspected battle intelligibly shows the dedication by each involved.”

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to remark astir the lawsuit oregon the caller video.

The plea woody prosecutors signed with Reeder gives the Justice Department a way to complaint him with the alleged assault, if it chooses to. It says, “the United States expressly reserves its close to prosecute your lawsuit for immoderate transgression of unit … if successful information your lawsuit committed oregon commits specified a transgression of unit anterior to oregon aft the execution of this Agreement.”

Reeder is 1 of the rioters who pleaded blameworthy but remains defiant about cardinal aspects of the January 6 insurrection. These cases are being watched intimately arsenic much rioters larn their punishment for participating successful a sedate onslaught connected American democracy, and the Justice Department has said it’ll question harsher sentences for unrepentant defendants.

Questions of contrition

Reeder argued successful tribunal filings that helium should get probation due to the fact that helium lone went successful the Capitol to find h2o aft getting capsicum sprayed and faulted constabulary for ineffectively guarding the building. He claimed helium stayed wrong — adjacent portion alarms blared, and constabulary officers squared disconnected with convulsive rioters — due to the fact that helium “was struck by the awe and the quality of the Rotunda.”

Prosecutors cited Reeder’s evident deficiency of remorse arsenic 1 crushed wherefore helium should beryllium sentenced to 2 months successful jail. That is simply a stiffer punishment than astir of the different rioters who pleaded blameworthy to the aforesaid misdemeanor. In akin cases involving nonviolent rioters, the Justice Department has asked for location apprehension oregon probation, but ne'er immoderate jailhouse time.

Reeder offered “a self-serving rewrite of past that sought to represent himself arsenic a hapless tourist, absolve himself of immoderate wrongdoing (and) spot blasted connected others,” prosecutors wrote their recommendation, wherever they slammed him for criticizing the constabulary effect connected January 6.

They besides rebuked Reeder for claiming successful an April FBI interrogation that the riot was “a program to let radical in” truthful the media could “demonize the Trump people” — a conspiracy mentation that 55% of Republicans judge is true, according to a Reuters/Ipsos canvass that was conducted successful April.

In caller tribunal filings, Reeder said helium is simply a registered Democrat who “did not attraction overmuch for President Trump.” But connected societal media, helium was a subordinate of aggregate pro-Trump groups connected Facebook, wrote that a “civil warfare is coming,” posted memes astir the voter-fraud myth, and adjacent submitted an online petition to the Supreme Court for an probe into the election.

More than 7 months aft the attack, prosecutors person secured blameworthy pleas from 37 of the astir 575 radical facing transgression charges. Seven defendants were already sentenced, and they received punishments ranging from probation to location apprehension to eight months successful prison.

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