(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Kansas State University student William Pope has been representing himself in court since he was arrested with eight crimes in relation to his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill protest.
Over the last three years, Pope has seemingly done more—and better—work than most Jan. 6 defense attorneys. He’s dug up footage of plainclothes FBI agents among the protestors, exposed illicit behavior by undercover Capitol Police officers, and even successfully moved to have some of his charges dropped.
Having been enmeshed in the Jan. 6 legal machinery for some three years, Pope now seeks to write a PhD thesis on the subject, he announced on Monday.
For the last 3 years, I delayed my Ph.D. dissertation as I fought my January 6 case. This fall, I will start my research on the J6 legal battles. Please consider making an educational grant so that I can put my entire focus on this important research work.https://t.co/SbBnWBCFV3
— 🇺🇸 (@FreeStateWill) July 1, 2024
“For almost four years, I’ve put my Ph.D. program on hold to defend myself against January 6 charges. This fall, I’ve decided to take my preliminary exams and finally begin my dissertation research,” Pope said on his GiveSendGo page, seeking donations.
“Following January 6, I lost my job teaching at Kansas State University. Since then, I’ve burned through savings and have done odd jobs to get by. I made the decision to not to ask for donations during this time, because I wanted to work to survive,” he said.
“My Ph.D. will require a lot of time and focus to complete. I intend to do my research on the legal battles January 6 defendants have faced because I believe I am in a unique position to thoroughly document this and preserve the historical record. But making this research work my focus will make it difficult for me to hold another job to support myself.”
Meanwhile, Pope’s own legal battles continue. His trial was set for July 22, but it was pushed due to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn the “obstruction of an official proceeding” charge that the Justice Department wielded against hundreds of Jan. 6 protestors. He’ll now have a status conference on what was going to be his trial date.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
