Blame Trump? Jury hears that defense at Capitol riot trial

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Ohio man charged with stealing a coat rack from the U.S. Capitol doesn’t deny that he joined the mob that stormed the building last year. But a lawyer for Capitol riot defendant Dustin Thompson vows to show that former President Donald Trump abused his power to “authorize” the attack on Jan. 6, 2021. That was the strategy that defense attorney Samuel Shamansky outlined Tuesday during opening statements for Thompson’s trial. A prosecutor told jurors that Thompson knew he was breaking the law that day. Thompson’s jury trial is the third among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions.