Trump Judge Issues First Acquittal Of DC Riot Cases

Politico reports:

Following a two-day bench trial in U.S. District Court in Washington, New Mexico engineer Matthew Martin was acquitted Wednesday on four misdemeanor charges by U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden. Martin claimed that he thought the police had allowed him into an entrance near the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, 2021.

McFadden said that, based on video of the scene, that assertion was at least “plausible” and that prosecutors failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. “People were streaming by and the officers made no attempt to stop the people,” said the judge, an appointee of President Donald Trump.

Read the full article.

McFadden has repeatedly questioned the cases brought against misdemeanor Jan. 6 defendants.https://t.co/IPm0UV1S7S

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 6, 2022

Though his entry wasn’t actively prevented, Matthew Martin did walk past fences with signs reading “AREA CLOSED” and recorded a video of a broken window, blaring alarms, police in riot gear, and people affected by tear gashttps://t.co/i73LgjXXUz

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 6, 2022

YAHOO! NOT GUILTY ! Matthew Martin found innocent on all counts !!! pic.twitter.com/FfY1U7PCRX

— Greg Kelly (@gregkellyusa) April 6, 2022

Matthew Martin’s strategy was essentially maintaining that he was really, really oblivious on Jan. 6 and proclaiming that he — a federal defense contractor with a top-secret security clearance — didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to enter the U.S. Capitol. pic.twitter.com/Q5zMLuNvjg

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) April 6, 2022