A judge challenged U.S. prosecutors’ allegations that key leaders of the Proud Boys planned in advance to threaten Congress and battle police in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, saying Tuesday that he had not yet seen a clear “invocation to violence” in their communications.
Whether the rioting was spontaneous or egged on by extremist groups planning on violence for their own reasons has been a central question as the government has charged more than 40 members or associates of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, both far-right groups, among 360 arrested in the Capitol attack.
At a hearing, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Washington said despite evidence that the Proud Boys leaders planned, fundraised and organized scores of members to converge on the Capitol with radios and protective gear in expectation of violence, it is less clear whether charged conspirators plotted beforehand to thwart police and disrupt Congress, or whether individual members opportunistically drove the chaos. Continue reading.