Judge Denies Trial Delay Request of J6 Defendant

One of the January 6 defendants who entered the Capitol as the rioting was taking place was hoping to have his trial delayed.

With Trump promising to pardon many of the J6 defendants, he figured why waste the time and money if Trump plans to pardon him anyway.

Well, the judge did not see it that way, and the trial of Christopher Carnell will move forward as planned.

Not Today

Carnell is hoping that Trump will make good on his promise to offer pardons or clemency to all J6 rioters who were charged.

In his filing, Carnell’s attorney wrote, "The Court has asked the parties to present status arguments on Nov. 8, 2024, but as of today, Mr. Carnell is now awaiting further information from the Office of the President-elect regarding the timing and expected scope of clemency actions relevant to his case.”

His request was denied by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, so the case would carry on as expected.

We have seen similar motions presented by numerous J6 defendants, including at least one Proud Boy who hopes Trump will pardon him.

As I have stated in previous reports, I really wish Trump did not put this out there on the campaign trail.

I will be the first person to agree that some people were overcharged or charged just to make an example, especially when we look at the lack of prosecutions during the George Floyd rioting.

Having said that, this is a no-win situation for Trump.

Let’s assume that Trump pardons all non-violent offenders, meaning those who were not linked to any damage at the Capitol or those who attacked police.

The media will still roast him for pardoning what they will surely call “insurrectionists.”

This is going to be a PR nightmare for Republicans across the board.

That would mean that Trump will not pardon the most violent of the defendants, which will then be criticized for Trump not having delivered on his promise.

To me, Trump should have kept quiet about this, then he could have put together a list over his four years in office, and pardoned the people he deemed were overcharged on his way out of office, and it would not impact 2026 and 2028 elections at all.

Now, this will become a talking point of the next two elections, which the Dems and media will use to hurt Republicans.

This is big-picture stuff, but I know few will actually see it that way.