Ex-cop testifies that he and former colleague hope to ‘overturn’ election on January 6

WASHINGTON – A former Virginia police officer testified against a fellow former officer in a trial on January 6 this week, telling a DC jury that both stormed the U.S. Capitol and hopes to “overturn” the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Jacob Fracker, who pleaded guilty to a felony charge also said last month that he thought officers at the Capitol “should have been on our side,” working with crowds on the day of the riots, rather than protecting the building and the people inside.

Fracker testified during the trial of Thomas Robertson Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. Both men are arrest immediately after the attack on the Capitol and Fired out of their jobs within a few weeks.

Fracker and Robertson are two of more than 775 defendants arrested in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. More than 225 defendants pleaded guilty and Hundreds of other cases are being worked on. One defendant, Matthew Martin, was acquit by a judge on Wednesday.

Testifying at the second case on January 6 to appear before the jury, Fracker said he had a close relationship with Robertson, who is 17 years older than him. He said he calls Robertson “dad” and Robertson calls him “son”.

Fracker said Robertson even gave him $30,000 after they were fired to help him pay legal fees and take care of his family.

He testified that Robertson was carrying a cane on the day of the attack and that they both brought gas masks to the Capitol. He also said he felt the need to help protect Robertson on January 6: “He’s my son… I have to make sure he’s good to go.”

Fracker indicated that he believes the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. While he testified that he didn’t really know how the electoral college vote confirmation process worked, he had hoped the presence of too many protesters would have an impact on the outcome. .

“I feel like we could have been heard by whoever we needed to be heard,” Fracker said, adding that actions by Trump supporters would “may, possibly, result.” the election was overturned”.

Fracker testified that he thought of himself as a “pretty good officer” and Robertson acted as a mentor, helping to train him and shape his career. He said he knew Robertson was a Republican but was “not the biggest supporter of Trump himself.”

Fracker said that neither he nor Robertson were members of any extremist organizations such as the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys, and that he did not recall discussing those groups with Robertson. If we did, he said, “we might be mocking them.”

He said he was proud of what he did and did not believe he obstructed Congress after the attack, but he now understands the broader impact of his actions.

In addition to a brief example, Fracker said he is not supporting his fellow law enforcement members who are trying to protect the Capitol and those inside from the mob. “As a police officer, I feel like they should have been on our side, like marching with us and doing things instead of trying to hold us back.”

The rioters were united in their actions on the day of the attack, even if there was no specific verbal agreement between them, he said, comparing it to pulling up to a rider’s side another car at a stop and rev up your throttle with an unspoken word. racing intention.

“We all understood that we had the same goal,” says Fracker.

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here