Police

Jan. 6: Former NYPD Cop Convicted of Assaulting Officer

MAY 2 2022·Updated DEC 24 2022

#Police

Jan. 6: Former NYPD Cop Convicted of Assaulting Officer

Story

Image credit: AP [via Daily Mail]

The Facts

On Mon., a federal jury convicted NYPD veteran Thomas Webster of assaulting a Metropolitan Police Dept officer, Noah Rathbun, during the Jan. 6 riot. Webster is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 2.
Daily Mail
He was convicted of all 6 accounts against him, including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, a metal flag pole.
Al Jazeera
He stated the officer instigated the fight and that he grabbed Rathbun's gas mask so that Rathbun could see his hands.
CNBC
His defense was rejected by the jury due to video footage from a body camera that showed Webster yelling at Rathbun before throwing a bike rack at him.
New York Post
Webster will remain free but monitored by an ankle bracelet until he's sentenced, as he has no previous convictions.
Daily Mail
This case represents the 4th guilty verdict in cases brought by the Justice Dept. for the Jan. 6 riot.
Business Insider

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Left narrative

What happened on Jan. 6, 2021 was violent and extremely dangerous, and those who broke the law must be held to account. Jan. 6 could be a "trial run" if the GOP retakes the house in Nov.; there's a very serious risk to democracy if Republicans have the votes to de-legitimize the 2024 presidential election.

The Hill

Right narrative

All Americans, including the Jan. 6 rioters, have a Constitutional right to due process. Some Jan. 6 detainees were held for nearly a year without trial. To abandon Constitutional principles for political purposes is to abandon the very bedrock of American jurisprudence - many on the left should be ashamed for their actions in these cases.

FOX News