An accused participant in the January 6 Capitol riot has been given the green light to attend Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration, despite objections from prosecutors. William Alexander Pope, who is facing charges related to the Capitol breach, will be allowed to travel to Washington, D.C., from January 19 to January 21, thanks to a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras.
Prosecutors argued against Pope’s travel request, describing him as a “danger to the D.C. community.” However, Pope insists he’s not a threat and emphasized that he was peaceful on January 6. He pointed out that he hasn’t been charged with assault and claims he has had positive interactions with Capitol Police since then.
Pope shared some personal anecdotes to back his claims. He said that during a visit to Washington in May 2023, a former Capitol Police lieutenant bought him coffee while he was viewing CCTV footage of the January 6 events. In another visit last October, he toured the Capitol, shook hands with a police officer, and noted that the only people who seemed uneasy about his presence were government prosecutors and FBI agents.
Pope didn’t shy away from criticizing the government’s legal team. He accused prosecutors of overreacting to his movements, adding that allowing him to attend the inauguration could serve as a lesson in resilience for the attorneys. He also pointed out that U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, who opposed his travel request, plans to resign on January 16, suggesting that even Graves doesn’t believe strongly in continuing the cases.
In his plea to the court, Pope also referenced another January 6 defendant, Eric Lee Peterson, who was permitted to attend the inauguration by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. He said he had a friendly encounter with Judge Chutkan recently and praised her for her level-headedness.
Pope argued that the American people, through their votes, chose to end these prosecutions by electing a candidate who campaigned on stopping them. He claimed this was why he received an invitation to Trump’s inauguration.
Pope and his brother traveled to Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, to attend Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally. They later marched to the Capitol as Congress prepared to certify the Electoral College results. According to prosecutors, Pope livestreamed their journey on Facebook, saying they were there to “stand up for our country.”
Court documents allege that Pope entered the Capitol at 2:18 p.m. with his brother, who followed close behind. During a confrontation between police and rioters, Pope reportedly used a flagpole to block a door, preventing officers from closing it. He and his brother then walked through several areas of the Capitol, including Nancy Pelosi’s office suite, before leaving the building about 20 minutes later.
Pope was arrested on February 12, 2021, but has remained free while awaiting trial under certain conditions. One restriction was that he couldn’t travel to Washington, D.C., except for court-related purposes.
The case has seen several twists. In November, Pope successfully argued for a delay in his trial, warning that aggressive government actions could lead to “a dangerous cycle of escalating retribution.” Pope, who once ran for city council in Topeka, Kansas, continues to fight the charges while voicing his concerns about the broader implications of the prosecutions.
This decision to allow Pope to attend the inauguration has sparked strong reactions, highlighting the tensions and complexities surrounding the January 6 cases.
