In the second Jan. 6 jury trial, Thomas Robertson 's lawyer claims he just went into the Capitol to get a friend. Prosecutors say Robertson was in a standoff with police, entered the Capitol during the riot and later bragged about it on social media.
The second jury trial stemming from the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, got underway Tuesday with an attorney for former Virginia police officer Thomas Robertson arguing that he never clashed with law enforcement at the Capitol and went into the building only to retrieve a friend who entered during the mayhem.
Aloi said Robertson was girding for a fight when he traveled to Washington, bringing a large wooden stick and three gas masks along for the ride. Defense attorney Camille Wagner quickly conceded that her client went into the Capitol on Jan. 6, but she insisted that Robertson — whom she referred to by his initials, “T.J.” — never tried to interfere with police or the electoral count.
“Let’s just say things were very chaotic,” Wagner declared. “There is a wild crowd behind him that is pushing and pushing and pushing.”“Social media is not reality. You can be or say anything you want on social media,” she said. “Hey, anything for the ‘gram or Facebook. It’s not reality.”“T.J. is going to admit to you his wrongs,” she said.
The biggest challenge for Robertson’s defense may be the obstruction of justice charge he faces over an allegation of getting rid of his and Fracker’s phones after Jan. 6. Aloi read jurors a series of what she called incriminating text messages Robertson sent. Next up for the prosecution was James Ervin, the former town manager in Rocky Mount. He said police officers hired by the town must pass a physical fitness test.
So far, of about 800 people charged with crimes related to Jan. 6, roughly 200 have pleaded guilty. They’ve received sentences ranging from probation to more than five years in prison.