A lawyer who defended former President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial against a charge of inciting the riot at the U.S. Capitol is now representing a man accused of storming the Capitol building with members of the far right Oath Keepers extremist group.
According to Huffpost, Philadelphia-based personal injury lawyer Michael van der Veen filed Monday to defend former marine Jason Dolan, 44 of Wellington, Florida, when he appears in Washington to face four federal charges connected to his alleged role in that riot.
Dolan is among 16 members of the Oath Keepers who are charged in connection with the deadly riot in Jan. 6.
Prosecutors say Dolan who went by the moniker “Turmoil” helped to form a stack of Oath Keepers toward the top of the steps of the Capitol and the group forcibly entered the building.
Dolan was arrested in Florida late last month and was granted pre-trial release, but the order was delayed after the government indicated it planned to appeal, Huffpost reports. Prosecutors argue that Dolan is a threat to society and would likely flee if he is released.
By aligning himself with the Oath Keepers, a right-wing, anti-government militia group, the former Marine has shown “contempt for our system of government and our democratic process,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto argued, according to the Palm Beach Post. “There’s a substantial likelihood he would not respect another important institution in our country, and that’s our courts,” he said.
At a virtual hearing last Wednesday van der Veen accused prosecutors of overreaching.
If Dolan knew he was going to be arrested soon, why didn’t he flee?, he asked.
“There is no evidence my client conspired to destroy government property,” he said. “There is zero evidence my client destroyed any property.”
Reading from the indictment, van der Veen argued that his client was inside the Capitol for only about 20 minutes. He also noted that Dolan is accused in the indictment of joining only one of the online Oath Keepers meetings to plan efforts to overturn the November presidential election.
But, a FBI agent testified, Dolan was at other meetings. While it might not be in the indictment, Spence said there is evidence that Dolan participated in many planning meetings with the Florida contingent, dating back to Nov. 17, according to The Palm Beach Post.
Dolan has been charged with conspiracy and entering a restricted building or grounds, as well as obstruction of an official proceeding, destruction of government property, and aiding and abetting.
The charges carry a maximum punishment of 36 years in prison.
