A man facing charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol can attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, a federal judge ruled on Jan. 7.
William Pope “is authorized to travel to Washington, D.C. from January 19, 2025, through January 21, 2025, for the Presidential Inauguration,” U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras said in a one-page order.
Pope, under a 2021 order, had been barred from traveling to Washington except for court hearings, although he had previously received exceptions to view video footage from Jan. 6 that was made available by Congress for in-person viewing, and for an evidentiary tour of the U.S. Capitol.
Pope is facing charges including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
In a recent motion for permission to attend Trump’s inauguration, Pope—who is representing himself—said he had been invited to attend the event on Jan. 20 and that he would be “entirely peaceful” if he were allowed to go.
Federal prosecutors in response said that Pope “presents a danger to the D.C. community, including the very law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and continue to serve the citizens of the District.”
They added later: “Allowing William Pope to return to Washington, D.C., specifically the Capitol building, could put him face to face with the officers that he resisted four years ago and place him in the same circumstance in which he already demonstrated a disregard for the law.”
Pope in a reply to the response noted that he was not charged with assault and that in his two visits to Washington since being charged, he had “nothing but positive interactions with Capitol Police.”
Contreras in his order said that he was granting Pope’s motion in part because Pope had not been charged with assault or vandalism-related charges.
At least one other defendant has been granted permission to attend Trump’s swearing-in. U.S. District Judge previously approved a request from defendant Eric Lee Peterson.
