WASHINGTON — A Donald Trump politician who attempted to storm the Capitol on January 6 was found guilty of seven felonies Thursday, the same day that a grand jury deciding to indict the former president for his efforts to stop the peaceful transfer of power was hearing testimony from former White House adviser William Russell.
Federico Klein, who worked at the State Department during the Trump administration, was convicted by US District Judge Trevor McFadden, also a Trump appointee, after a bench trial last week. Klein was represented by Stanley Woodward, a lawyer for several former Trump officials, including Russell, who was testifying elsewhere in federal court. Klein, who was 42 at the time of his arrest, was facing charges of assault, resisting or impeding officers; obstruction of an official proceeding; civil disorder; as well as petty crimes.
Klein was originally going to go to trial along with two other co-defendants, but one of the men, Christopher Quaglin, pleaded guilty. Instead, Klein went to trial along with Steven Cappuccio of Texas, who authorities say ripped off an officer’s mask and joined an effort to try to charge law enforcement.
Klein was present in a tunnel leading to the United States Capitol, where the worst violence against police took place on January 6, prosecutors argued. However, he did not enter the building.
During the trial, Woodward argued that it was in «the eye of the beholder» what Klein was doing in the tunnel. She acknowledged that Klein’s presence at the front of the police line was not a factor in his favor, but that the government had not proven Klein’s intent that day.
“This case is based on reasonable doubt,” Woodward said. «What they can’t prove is what the intent was here.»
Woodward also encouraged McFadden to take a close look at the evidence to see if there was anything to suggest that Klein actually assaulted the officers, though McFadden noted that that «doesn’t get him out of the bramble zone» because the statute (assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers) also makes it illegal to interfere with officers in the performance of their duties.