Federal judge lumps Trump with ‘charlatans’ who don’t care about democracy

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Judiciary Federal judge lumps Trump with 'charlatans' who don’t care about democracy

By Debra Cassens Weiss

April 15, 2022, 11:39 am CDT

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Former President Donald Trump in August 2019. Photo from Shutterstock.

Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton of Washington, D.C., had harsh words for former President Donald Trump on Thursday, after a jury convicted an accused Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol rioter who said he thought that he was acting on Trump’s orders.

According to ABC News, Walton said: “I think our democracy is in trouble because, unfortunately, we have charlatans like our former president, who doesn’t, in my view, really care about democracy but only about power. And as a result of that, it’s tearing this country apart.”

CNN and Politico also had coverage. CNN’s version of the quote substituted the word “don’t” for “doesn’t.”

Walton spoke after ordering the jailing of 38-year-old Dustin Thompson of Ohio pending his July sentencing. He was convicted on charges of obstructing an official proceeding, theft of government property, illegally entering the Capitol, illegally protesting in the Capitol and disorderly conduct.

Thompson’s lawyer had argued that his client was incited by Trump’s words before the riot, including his entreaty to “fight like hell.”

Walton said he was concerned that some Americans had believed Trump’s claims of a stolen election, according to ABC News.

“I have a concern that we have, unfortunately, American citizens who were so gullible that they were willing to accept what was being said without any proof that the allegations about the election had any merit whatsoever,” Walton said.

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