Judge in Trump’s election interference case rejects ‘hostages’ label for jailed Jan. 6 defendants

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s election interference case rejects the notion that jailed defendants charged with some of the most violent crimes of the U.S. Capitol riot are worthy of being called “hostages.” That’s a label Trump and his allies have frequently used to describe the prisoners who remain jailed in Washington, D.C., on charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. During a sentencing hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said the jailed riot defendants don’t deserve to be called hostages or heroes. The judge rolled her eyes and shook her head when she learned that supporters of Jan. 6 riot defendants refer to their nightly gathering spot outside the jail as “Freedom Corner.”