(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan surprised many by allowing a Jan. 6 defendant to attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Eric Peterson will be able to witness Trump take the oath of office for the second time on Jan. 20, 2025, after Chutkan, an Obama appointee, approved his request to travel to Washington, D.C.
Peterson pleaded guilty last month to what the Biden administration alleges was an unlawful protest inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. He is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 27 and faces up to one year in federal prison.
Chutkan permitted Peterson to remain free pending sentencing but imposed significant travel restrictions. He is based in Kansas City, Missouri, according to the New York Post.
The judge’s decision is especially surprising given her leftist record presiding over other Jan. 6 cases, including the Biden-led indictment against Trump related to his remarks about the events of that day.
Peterson’s attorney, Michael Bullotta, filed the special request, emphasizing that his client was not accused of committing any violent acts during his eight minutes inside the U.S. Capitol.
Bullotta also reminded Chutkan that the upcoming sentencing “will likely be rendered moot” as Trump has indicated plans to pardon most, if not all, the Jan. 6 protestors.
Prosecutors from the Biden administration claimed that Peterson was aware the building was “off-limits,” as he walked past a police officer.
Peterson is one of more than 1,500 Americans aggressively prosecuted by the Biden administration’s DOJ for their participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol protest.
In contrast to the Jan. 6 cases, Democrats and leftist rioters have engaged in worse acts, including arson and looting. Yet, these individuals have faced little to no consequence for their actions, critics suggest.
The DOJ has claimed that the protesters, including those who merely entered the Capitol, obstructed the proceedings of the 2020 election certification.
This broad interpretation of the law by the DOJ came under scrutiny from the Supreme Court, which ruled that prosecutors must establish that defendants impaired the integrity of an official proceeding before they can be charged with those crimes.
Before this ruling, the DOJ filed felony charges against some individuals who entered the Capitol.
