But prosecutors have not yet publicly linked all the spots between members of the group, leaving Democrats in Congress to fill those gaps Wednesday when they filed their indictment against former President Donald Trump.
The House executives dropped the hefty court record to highlight the most militant members of the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol last month. And the Democrats turned one alleged member of the Proud Boys, Dominic Pezzola, into their poster child for the violence, and told the senator jurors strongly that he “came to the Capitol on January 6 with deadly intentions.”
As prosecutors gradually and slowly unfold their cases in court, Democratic House executives envision a maximum immediate impact, making their case on TV and in front of one of the most biased juries imaginable.
The House executives mentioned the Proud Boys on Wednesday more than a dozen times, mostly during their methodical minute-by-minute discussion of how the Capitol was violated.
“As we go through this evidence, I want you to keep these words in mind by President Trump when he is asked to condemn violence: ‘Stand back and stand by,'” said US Virgin Mary Stacey Plaskett. islands. “And see example after example of the kind of people like the Proud Boys where he stood by on January 6.”
Democrats played footage of Pezzola using a police shield to smash one of the Capitol’s windows. In addition to the widespread social media footage, House executives showed some angles of the incident, never seen before, from surveillance cameras in the Capitol, showing dozens of rioters flooding the halls after Pezzola left the window. crushed it.
What prosecutors are currently saying in court
The court cases have so far not closely linked the group to Trump’s inner circle, nor have they outlined a broader group-wide attempt to attack the Capitol.
So far in court, prosecutors have joined men behind the Proud Boys one by one, or sometimes in pairs. A major conspiracy case or sedition indictment has not yet taken place as of Wednesday night, although prosecutors have indicated they are considering continuing the kind of case against right-wing extremist groups that took part in the January 6 attack.
In two cases over the past week, prosecutors have described how the Proud Boys could promote ‘rebellion’ if key members can be released from prison because they are facing charges in connection with the riot.
In one case, against Seattle Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean, prosecutors described in court documents how the group could come together again for attacks.
“There is no reason to believe that the accused, or any of his Proud Boy collaborators, are more interested in ‘complacency’ or less interested in inciting rebellion than on January 5. If nothing else, the events in January 6, 2021, exposed the extent and determination of right-wing fringe groups in the United States and their willingness to put themselves and others at risk to advance their political ideology, to release the accused to rejoin their plans and planning their next attack poses a potentially catastrophic threat to the community, ‘Justice Department prosecutors wrote to a federal judge in Seattle Friday night in some of their strongest language to date regarding the group.
Prosecutors on Wednesday argued that Pezzola could also rejoin his group, which could promote rebellion, although the Department of Justice is careful not to refer more explicitly to the group in Pezzola’s proceedings.
Prosecutor Erik Kenerson described how Pezzola “was not a one-time actor” who came to DC – and rather could have planned and coordinated with others, and would even meet with contacts on the morning of the pro-Trump rally.
Pezzola pleaded not guilty and continued to plead guilty. His lawyer tried to distance himself from the Proud Boys on Wednesday and said he did not have a history with the group.
Over the past few days, a federal jury has also charged two men with conspiracy to obstruct the score of the Congressional Electoral College – Nicholas Ochs, who heads the group’s chapter in Hawaii, and his associate Nicholas DeCarlo.
In the court documents in the Ochs-, DeCarlo and Nordean case, prosecutors claimed the men were looking for money while planning their trip to Washington on January 6, while Nordean even asked for help on social media for ‘protective equipment’ and ‘communication equipment’ for sale. “
Ochs and DeCarlo were charged last week on several charges, including conspiracy. They have not yet appeared in court to formally respond to the charges. Nordean has not yet been charged but is being held in jail awaiting further proceedings.
CNN’s Kay Jones and Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.