WASHINGTON – A judge denied a defendant’s Jan. 6 request to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration after the man was invited by a former member of Congress, according to a court document released Friday.
The defendant, Russell Taylor, was accused of organizing a group of “fighters” to travel to DC on January 6, 2021. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding and cooperated with the government by providing testimony against the Three Percenters militia. .
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said in a Friday filing that “this Court finds that the particular nature and severity of Mr. Taylor’s conduct in the Capitol riot advises against granting him the permission to travel that he now requests,” reviewing a list of Taylor’s charges. Actions during and before the attack on the Capitol.
“Attending the presidential inauguration, which celebrates and honors the peaceful transfer of power, is an immense privilege,” Lamberth said.
“It would not be appropriate for the Court to grant permission to attend such a sacred event to someone who carried weapons and threatened police officers in an attempt to thwart the latest inauguration, and who openly glorified ‘[i]’insurrection’ against the United States,” he added.
Taylor’s attorney, Dyke E. Huish, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. referred to previous filings by prosecutors. The DCUS prosecutor’s office filed a motion in December opposing Taylor’s request to travel to DC, urging the court “not to overlook his criminal conduct the last time he was on Capitol grounds.”
Former Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, wrote in a letter to the judge in December that he and three current members of Utah’s congressional delegation were inviting Taylor to the inauguration, although Stewart did not specify which representatives were extending the invitation.
“He is admired by many, and especially those in his community. Russ’ passion for what is right and good is reflected in his intentions to help others,” Stewart said in his letter praising Taylor.
Huish filed a request on December 11 asking Lamberth to allow Taylor to travel to Washington for the inauguration.
In his letter, Huish wrote that Taylor “has complied with all court orders and has not given any indication of trouble or concern,” adding that Taylor “has proven time and time again that he is trustworthy in his travels.”
Taylor’s sentence required him to obtain permission before leaving parts of California, where he lives. Taylor had been sentenced to periods of probation and home confinement.
In his January filing, Lamberth noted that Taylor had taken “responsibility for his actions and provided ample assistance to the Government” as a reason for Taylor’s lighter sentence compared to those of other defendants on Jan. 6.
“But Mr. Taylor’s cooperation and good conduct while on probation do not diminish the seriousness of his acts on January 6, 2021, which he voluntarily admitted, nor entitle him to the leave he now seeks,” Lamberth said in the filing. .
Taylor is not the only Jan. 6 defendant who asked permission to travel to the inauguration. Other defendants who have filed applications include Christopher Belliveau, whose application was denied; Eric Peterson, whose request was granted; and William Pope, who has not yet received a decision on his request according to court records.
