Capitol rioter writes letter to court blaming ‘tyrannical’ Trump’s ‘lies’ for violence

Defendant admits most others still wouldn’t admit to scope of the violence

A man accused of battling with police on January 6 and even using a fire extinguisher as a weapon against them has changed his tune and now blames former President Donald Trump for spreading lies about the 2020 election that he says spurred the riot.

HuffPost first reported a letter authored by Robert Scott Palmer, one of the defendants charged by the Justice Department for their involvement in the Capitol attack, which describes the former president as “tyrannical” and claims that “we[,] meaning Trump supporters[,] were lied to by those who at the time had great power”.

“They kept spitting out the false narrative about a stolen election and how it was ‘our duty’ to stand up to tyranny. Little did I realize that they were the tyrannical ones desperate to hold on to power at any cost even by creating the chaos they knew would happen with such rhetoric,” wrote Palmer, according to a PDF published by the news outlet.

The Justice Department has charged hundreds in connection with the riot. The efforts to identify others involved in the attack remains ongoing.

Palmer pleaded guilty in October to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding a law enforcement official.

His lawyers are seeking two years in jail; federal prosecutors, seeking to make an example of those responsible for fighting with Capitol Police, want a five-year sentence handed down.

In the days shortly after the attack, Palmer was still posting conspiracy theories about the election on social media, according to HuffPost. The news outlet was the first to report his identity as the man seen on video attacking police with a fire extinguisher in March, working in coordination with online sleuthing groups that emerged after the riot to help federal officials identify rioters.

His attorney previously said in March that he was “hoping there’s a resolution that does not include incarceration”.

“He regrets his involvement,” the attorney said at the time. “He can’t change what happened, but he can show everyone that there’s not going to be any more problems from his end.”

Palmer’s sentencing hearing is set for Friday. If a judge were to accept the sentencing recommendation from prosecutors, Palmer would become the defendant to receive the steepest punishment yet for involvement in the riot.

Washington DC’s attorney general filed a civil suit on Tuesday against members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, two far-right organisations, for instigating and planning violence on the day of the Capitol attack. Palmer was not named in the suit.