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[link removed] [[link removed]] John,

Today, our trial in Colorado challenging Donald Trump’s eligibility for the ballot continued with more testimony from the defense. Witnesses called by Trump’s team described [[link removed]] the “Stop the Steal” rallies leading up to and on January 6th, and claimed the crowd was overwhelmingly "peaceful" and "patriotic."

The defense also called [[link removed]] other witnesses who went to the rally but did not engage in violence. It also called Representative Ken Buck who revealed [[link removed]] that he wanted to participate in the January 6th Committee, but then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy would not allow him to.

Tomorrow will be the last day of witness testimony in the trial. Next week, we have a deadline to file proposed factual and legal findings, and then we expect to make closing arguments the following week.

Witnesses Called by Defendants

*
Amy
Kremer,
founder
of
Women
for
America
First,
a
pro-Trump
group
that
organized
[[link removed]]
“Stop
the
Steal”
bus
tours,
ending
in
Washington
DC
on
January
6th
*
Thomas
Van
Flein,
general
counsel
and
chief
of
staff
to
Congressman
Paul
Gosar
*
Tom
Bjorklund,
treasurer
of
the
Colorado
Republican
Party
who
testified
as
a
private
citizen
and
attendee
of
the
January
6th
rally
*
Representative
Ken
Buck

Key Moments

“Amy Kremer, an organizer of the Jan. 6 rally on the Ellipse, called the rally attendees ‘freedom-loving citizens’ and ‘happy warriors,’ and said she had seen no indication of violence or violent intent while Mr. Trump was speaking. Under cross-examination, she acknowledged that she had been inside the area that required magnetometer scans, and that she would not have seen anything that happened outside that area.” — The New York Times [[link removed]]

“[Kremer] maintained that people were ‘happy’ and ‘full of love.’ Van Flein made similar comments during his testimony. ‘It was more like a festival than a rally,’ Van Flein said. ‘There was no anger.’ During cross examination, lawyers for the plaintiffs drew attention to the fact that both witnesses were unable to view everyone in attendance at the rally, nor did they know who everyone was. Reports and testimony delivered after Jan. 6 indicate that far-right militia groups attended the rally, where weapons were also present.” — The Messenger [[link removed]]

“Bjorklund says he joined his brother there and the pair intended to also go camping. It was his first ever visit to Washington D.C. ‘Everybody was just there having a good time, listening to speeches.’ He says Trump was funny and very entertaining.” — Colorado Public Radio [[link removed]]

“Buck described a chaotic scene on Jan. 6 as Capitol Police attempted to barricade the House chamber from approaching rioters. ‘A police officer came to the microphone and said that tear gas had been dispersed. And we were advised that there were gas masks under our seats and we should deploy those gas masks,’ Buck said. ‘There was clear indication that there was a danger at that point.’” — The Hill [[link removed]]

Livestream

C-SPAN aired today’s portion of the trial in full, which you can watch here [[link removed]] .

Selected News Coverage

*
Testimony
from
election
deniers
begins
Trump’s
defense
in
Colorado
14th
Amendment
trial
[[link removed]]
,
Colorado
Newsline
*
Trump
team
defends
his
eligibility
for
office
in
historic
hearings
about
14th
Amendment,
Jan.
6
[[link removed]]
,
ABC
News
*
Ken
Buck
testifies
in
Trump
14th
Amendment
hearing
in
Colorado
[[link removed]]
,
The
Hill

Thanks for following along during our 14th Amendment trial challenging Donald Trump’s ballot eligibility in Colorado. We’ll be back tomorrow with more updates.

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