A Trump-appointed federal judge acquits a defense contractor accused of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6

• Matthew Martin, a federal defense contractor, was found not guilty of storming the Capitol.
• He was acquitted by a federal judge appointed by Trump.

A US District Court judge acquitted a defense contractor accused of illegally entering the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

US District Judge Trevor N. McFadden found Matthew Martin not guilty of entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

McFadden is a former police officer and appointee of former president Donald Trump.

Martin, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, successfully argued at the bench trial that he was waved into the building by a Capitol police officer during the January 6 riot. CNN reported that at least one video was played at trial showing an officer moving his arm in a waving motion.

According to evidence filed in the court case, photos and video from Martin's phone showed him inside the Capitol rotunda on the day of the riot, and broken windows can be seen in the background.

Martin filed for leave from his government job ahead of the riot, the FBI said in the criminal complaint.

"If the cops weren't letting people in, I would not have gone in," Martin testified on Wednesday, according to CNN. He also called the Trump rally "magical" and compared it to a "block party."

Martin, who holds a security clearance with the federal government, was the first January 6 defendant to be fully acquitted at trial, according to NBC News.

McFadden told Martin that he "more likely than not" committed at least one of the misdemeanors, but said that "close calls" benefit the defendant in America, NBC reported.

After his acquittal, he told reporters that he hoped to get his job back, NBC reported.