Judge Trevor N. McFadden of the DC District Court granted her request Friday. McFadden, a Trump nominee, noted that the Department of Justice did not oppose Cudd’s request to visit Mexico.
“The court also notes (Cudd) has no criminal record and there is no evidence before the court to suggest that the accused is a flight risk or poses a danger to others,” McFadden wrote in a written order.
Cudd is a flower shop owner and unsuccessful mayoral candidate from Midland, Texas. She was charged with two offenses – knowingly entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct on the Capitol site – and was released shortly after her arrest in January.
The justice department did not try to keep her in jail before the trial, an aggressive prosecutor reserved for the handful of accused of violent crimes and conspiracies.
A lawyer representing Cudd earlier told CNN she intends to plead not guilty. Her lawyers also said in court documents that she met all the conditions for release by the court.
Cudd’s lawyers had earlier said in court documents that even before the attack on the Capitol, she planned to visit Riviera Maya, a tourist hotspot near Cancun that remained busy during the pandemic.
In court documents, the Justice Department described Cudd as unrepentant for her role in the uprising, citing her comments in Facebook posts and interviews shortly after the riot.
“F — yes, I’m proud of my actions, I charged the Capitol with patriots today. Hell, yes, I’m proud of my actions,” Cudd told the court. records.
In the live stream, Cudd allegedly explained how she ‘pushed and pushed’ and ‘got up on top of the Capitol’. She claims ‘there was a door open and we went in’, and was later able to ‘break down Nancy Pelosi’s office door’, referring to the House’s Democratic speaker.
“I will absolutely do it again,” Cudd said in a local news interview two days after the uprising, referring to the storms of the Capitol building, according to court documents.