WASHINGTON — Over the past four years, judges at Washington's federal courthouse punished hundreds of rioters who in an unprecedented assault on the nation's democracy. On the cusp of the next presidential election, some of those judges fear another burst of political violence.
Before recently , U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said he prays Americans accept the outcome of next month's election. The veteran judge expressed concern that Donald Trump and his allies are spreading the same sort of conspiracy theories that fueled the mob's Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
"That sore loser is saying the same things he said before," Walton said this month without mentioning the Republican presidential nominee by name. "He's riling up the troops again, so if he doesn't get what he wants, it's not inconceivable that we will experience that same situation again. And who knows? It could be worse."
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Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington.
Walton, a nominee of President George W. Bush, is not alone. Other judges said the political climate is ripe for another attack like the one injured more than 100 police officers at the Capitol.
As Election Day nears, judges frequently stress the need to send a message beyond their courtrooms that political violence can't be tolerated.
"It scares me to think about what will happen if anyone on either side is not happy with the results of the election," Judge Jia Cobb, a nominee of President Joe Biden, said during a sentencing hearing last month for .
Judge Rudolph Contreras lamented the potential for more politically motivated violence as he sentenced a Colorado man, , who helped other rioters drag a police officer into the mob. Sabol later told FBI agents that a "call to battle was announced" and that he "answered the call because he was a patriot warrior."
"It doesn't take much imagination to imagine a similar call coming out in the coming months, and the court would be concerned that Mr. Sabol would answer that call in the same way," Contreras, a nominee of President Barack Obama, said in March before sentencing Sabol to more than five years in prison.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump gestures Friday at a campaign event in Detroit.
Trump's distortion of the Jan. 6 attack is a . The former president denies responsibility for the crimes of supporters who smashed windows, assaulted police officers and sent lawmakers running into hiding as they met to certify Biden's 2020 victory.
Trump vowed to pardon rioters, whom he calls "patriots" and "hostages," if he wins in November. He said he would accept the results of the upcoming election only if it's "free and fair," casting doubts reminiscent of in 2020.
Judges repeatedly used their platform on the bench to denounce efforts to downplay the Jan. 6 violence and cast the rioters as political prisoners. Some raised concerns about what such rhetoric means for the future of the U.S. and its democracy.
"We're in a real difficult time in our country, and I hope we can survive it," Walton said this month while sentencing a Tennessee nurse who used a pair of medical scissors to smash a glass door at the Capitol.
"I've got a young daughter, I've got a young grandson, and I would like for America to be available to them and be as good to them as it has been to me," he added. "But I don't know if we survive with the mentality that took place that day."
Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer, Aquilino Gonell, describes what it was like to defend the capital against Jan. 6, 2021, rioters.
More than 1,500 people were charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6 siege, which disrupted the peaceful transfer of presidential power for the first time in the nation's history. More than 1,000 rioters were convicted and sentenced. Roughly 650 of them received prison time ranging from a few days to .
Justice Department prosecutors argued in many cases that a prison sentence is necessary to deter convicted Capitol rioters from engaging in more politically motivated violence.
"With the 2024 presidential election approaching and many loud voices in the media and online continuing to sow discord and distrust, the potential for a repeat of January 6 looms ominously," prosecutors warned in court filings.
Special counsel Jack Smith says Trump "resorted to crimes" in his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Prosecutors argue that defendants who show little or no remorse for their actions on Jan. 6 could break the law again. Some rioters even seem to be proud of their crimes.
The texted his mother, "I'll go again given the opportunity."
A man from Washington state who stormed the Capitol with fellow Proud Boys extremist group members , "You can give me 100 years and I'd do it all over again."
A Kentucky nurse who joined the riot that she would "do it again tomorrow."
Members of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department help U.S. Capitol Police clear the West Front Senate Plaza of rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.
A Colorado woman known to her social media followers as the "" avoided a prison sentence in August when a magistrate judge sentenced her for disorderly conduct and trespassing on Capitol grounds. Rebecca Lavrenz told the judge that God, not Trump, led her to Washington on Jan. 6.
"And she has all but promised to do it all over again," prosecutor Terence Parker said.
Prosecutors sought 10 months behind bars. After her April trial conviction, Lavrenz went on a "media blitz" to defend the mob, spread misinformation, undermine confidence in the courts and boost her celebrity in a community that believes Jan. 6 "was a good day for this country," Parker said.
Magistrate Zia Faruqui sentenced Lavrenz to six months of home confinement and fined her $103,000, stressing the need to "lower the volume" before the next election.
Images of chaos: AP photographers capture US Capitol riot
Rioters scale a wall at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Supporters loyal to then-President Donald Trump attend a rally on the Ellipse near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Trump supporters participate in a rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Trump supporters participate in a rally Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Then-President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak at a rally in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
People listen as then-President Donald Trump speaks during a rally Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Supporters of then-President Donald Trump try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A supporter of then-President Donald Trump is injured during clashes with police at the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A rioter pours water on herself at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
A Trump supporter holds a Bible as he gathers with others outside the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
A demonstrator supporting then-President Donald Trump, is sprayed by police, Jan. 6, 2021, during a day of rioting at the Capitol.(AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Rioters try to enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
U.S. Capitol Police try to hold back rioters outside the east doors to the House side of the U.S. Capitol, Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Rioters gather outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Protesters gather outside the U.S. Capitol, Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Jacob Anthony Chansley, center, with other insurrectionists who supported then-President Donald Trump, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber in the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Chansley, was among the first group of insurrectionists who entered the hallway outside the Senate chamber. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
U.S. Capitol Police hold rioters at gun-point near the House Chamber inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Lawmakers evacuate the floor as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Police with guns drawn watch as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Congressmen shelter in the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Members of Congress wear emergency gas masks as they are evacuated from the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The House gallery is empty after it was evacuated as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2021, after rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Members of the DC National Guard surround the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., read the final certification of Electoral College votes cast in November's presidential election during a joint session of Congress after working through the night, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, Pool)
A flag hangs between broken windows after then-President Donald Trump supporters tried to break through police barriers outside the U.S. Capitol, Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
A flag that reads "Treason" is visible on the ground in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2021, after rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
An ATF police officer cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2021, after rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Fencing is placed around the exterior of the Capitol grounds, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 in Washington. The House and Senate certified the Democrat's electoral college win early Thursday after a violent throng of pro-Trump rioters spent hours Wednesday running rampant through the Capitol. A woman was fatally shot, windows were bashed and the mob forced shaken lawmakers and aides to flee the building, shielded by Capitol Police. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
