Jan. 6: Former NYPD Cop Convicted of Assaulting Officer

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. 2.1
  • He was convicted of all 6 accounts against him, including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, a metal flag pole.2
  • He stated the officer instigated the fight and that he grabbed Rathbun's gas mask so that Rathbun could see his hands.3
  • 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.4
  • Webster will remain free but monitored by an ankle bracelet until he's sentenced, as he has no previous convictions.1
  • This case represents the 4th guilty verdict in cases brought by the Justice Dept. for the Jan. 6 riot.5

Sources: 1Daily Mail, 2Al Jazeera, 3CNBC, 4New York Post and 5Business Insider.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by The Hill. 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.
  • Right narrative, as provided by FOX News. 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.