Judge says Trump’s false election claims still pose threat months later

A D.C. federal judge says that former President Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election still pose a threat months after a mob of his supporters breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson made the remark in a strongly worded court ruling Wednesday denying a motion to revoke detention for Cleveland Meredith Jr., who threatened to injure Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a text message.

Remarking on Trump’s claims, Jackson wrote “the steady drumbeat that inspired defendant to take up arms has not faded away.”

“Six months later, the canard that the election was stolen is being repeated daily on major news outlets and from the corridors of power in state and federal government, not to mention in the near-daily fulminations of the former President,” Jackson wrote. 

More than 400 people have been charged in connection with the riot that saw supporters of the former president overwhelm the Capitol as Congress was certifying the Electoral College victory of President Biden in the 2020 election.

Several defendants have blamed their actions that day on believing Trump’s claims about the election.

Most recently, Albert Watkins, an attorney for self-described “QANon Shaman” Jacob Chansley,” told Talking Points Memo that some of the defendants were “subjected to four-plus years of goddamn propaganda the likes of which the world has not seen since f—ing Hitler.”

Meredith wanted to attend the events of Jan. 6 but was unable to attend because he arrived in D.C. a day later than anticipated.

On Jan. 7, Meredith sent a text message in which he said he was “thinking about heading over to Pelosi C—‘s speech and putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV,” according to an FBI affidavit.

When FBI agents searched his trailer, they found a Glock 19, 9 mm pistol, a Favor X95 assault rifle and approximately “hundreds of rounds of ammunition” in his trailer.

Meredith is charged with threatening to injure Pelosi, as well as three charges related to firearms.