Russell Taylor spent weeks planning for chaos on Jan. 6, 2021. He recruited anti-government activists to join him in Washington, and, when he arrived, surged to the U.S. Capitol with a knife and a tactical vest as a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters overran police lines.
Now Republican members of Congress are inviting him back to the Capitol to attend Trump’s second inauguration, an invite that could bring him face to face with the lawmakers and Capitol Police officers who fled the melee he helped unleash that day.
“He is [a] caring father and reveres his family, his faith, and his love of our Country as his highest priority in life,” wrote Chris Stewart, a former Republican member of Congress from Utah, in a letter to U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth. “I am honored to extend this invitation for him to attend the Inauguration as my guest.”
Stewart said “three other current members of the Utah congressional delegation” joined his invitation to Taylor, who must receive permission to travel to Washington under the conditions of his three-year term of probation. Stewart did not identify which of the Utah delegation’s six current lawmakers are welcoming Taylor back to the scene of his crime.
Nor did Stewart’s letter reference Taylor’s actions on Jan. 6 or anything related to his role in the attack. And he didn’t respond to an inquiry about whether he was aware of the details of Taylor’s criminal proceedings.
Still, the invitation to and praise for a former member of the mob who pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding” last year underscores the shifting power dynamic in Washington. Trump insists he will quickly pardon members of the Jan. 6 mob who stormed the Capitol in his name, though he has yet to clarify how sweeping his clemency will be and whether it will include people convicted of felonies. His allies on Capitol Hill have focused more recently on calls to investigate and prosecute those who investigated the Jan. 6 attack rather than those who perpetrated it.
Taylor’s case is a complicated one. He helped lead and organize a group of self-described “fighters” to attend pro-Trump events on Jan. 6. Some of those recruits were associated with the “Three Percenters,” which has been described as an anti-government militia movement. He advised them on the types of weapons they could carry in Washington and, after the riot subsided, told an associate that the next step would be “insurrection.”
On Jan. 5, 2021, Taylor spoke at a pro-Trump rally and said “in these streets, we will fight and we will bleed before we allow our freedom to be taken from us … we will not return to our peaceful way of life until this election is made right.”
But since facing charges, Taylor has become more contrite. In addition to his guilty plea, he testified against another member of his group who was later sentenced to 11 years in prison. Taylor, on the other hand, received a six-month sentence of home confinement, which Lamberth said was the result of his heartfelt remorse and efforts to take responsibility for his actions. Taylor has completed his home confinement but remains on probation.
Taylor’s lawyer Dyke Huish pointed to his client’s record of remorse in his request to the judge to allow Taylor to travel to Washington.
“Counsel submits that Mr. Taylor does not pose any risk or concern for this travel request,” Huish wrote. “He is traveling with his family, including minor children. He is the guest of a former Congressman, and has demonstrated over and over again that he is trustworthy in his travel and compliance with Court Orders.”
Huish emphasized that Taylor’s trip, from Jan. 16 to Jan. 21, would primarily be spent in Maryland.
Nevertheless, Taylor’s attendance at the inauguration would mean that he would be processed and protected by some of the same Capitol Police officers who were once steamrolled by the mob Taylor helped encourage. A spokesperson for the department declined to comment.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger is testifying to the Senate Wednesday about his department’s significant reforms since the Jan. 6 attack and planning for the upcoming joint session of Congress, which is expected to feature a massive security presence compared to the one four years ago.
A second Jan. 6 defendant, Cindy Young, who was convicted by a jury of misdemeanors in August, also asked Wednesday for court permission to attend Trump’s inauguration.