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Ohio man who said he followed Trump's orders on Jan. 6 convicted

Capitol riots
Posted at 4:04 PM, Apr 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-14 16:04:55-04

A federal jury convicted an Ohio man who testified that he was following orders from then-President Donald Trump when he stormed the U.S. Capitol last year.

Jurors heard attorneys' closing arguments Thursday in the case against Dustin Byron Thompson. The 38-year-old man was convicted of obstructing Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory and stealing a coat rack from a Capitol office during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Thompson was the fifth defendant to be tried among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. He is the first to mount a defense blaming Trump and members of his inner circle for the insurrection.