Congress members might soon come face-to-face with one of their attackers.
Republican members of Congress have invited Russell Taylor, a January 6 protester who stormed the Capitol with a tactical vest and a knife strapped to his chest, to attend Trump’s second inauguration, Politico reported Wednesday.
Taylor pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months’ home detention and three years’ probation in May for his role in ransacking the building. Ahead of the riot, Taylor organized a group of “fighters” to attend pro-Trump events, planning for chaos. Some of Taylor’s “fighters” included individuals who identified as Three Percenters, or people who subscribe to the Three Percent ideology, which the Southern Poverty Law Center identifies as an “antigovernment militia movement.”
At the time of Taylor’s sentencing, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said that he believed Taylor had testified truthfully and expressed sincere remorse, noting that the Californian could become a “poster child” for how January 6 cases “should be done.”
Chris Stewart, a former Republican representative from Utah, also asked that Taylor be allowed to attend the ceremony. “He is [a] caring father and reveres his family, his faith, and his love of our Country as his highest priority in life,” Stewart wrote in a letter to Lamberth. “I am honored to extend this invitation for him to attend the Inauguration as my guest.”
Stewart’s letter did not refer to Taylor’s actions on January 6 or their effect in delaying the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. It did, however, make mention of three other Utah lawmakers who are requesting Taylor’s presence at Trump’s inauguration, but did not specify which ones.
