Lawyer for the 22-year-old accused of stealing Pelosi's laptop blamed Trump for the Capitol riot, saying her client 'took the president's bait'
- The lawyer of the woman accused of stealing Pelosi's laptop blamed Trump for the January 6 riot.
- Riley June Williams "took the president's bait," Lori Ulrich told a Thursday court hearing.
- Trump had told supporters to "fight like hell" moments before a mob stormed the Capitol.
The lawyer for the woman accused of stealing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop during the Capitol riot has blamed the breach on former President Donald Trump.
On Sunday, the Justice Department charged Riley June Williams, 22, with entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct in relation to the January 6 riot.
Williams was arrested on Monday, and the Justice Department expanded the charges to include theft of government property and obstruction on Tuesday.
In a Thursday federal court hearing in Pennsylvania, Williams' attorney Lori Ulrich acknowledged that her client entered the Capitol, but added: "It is regrettable that Ms. Williams took the president's bait and went inside the Capitol," NBC Philadelphia reported.
Moments before the mob stormed the Capitol, Trump had told supporters gathered outside the complex to "show strength" and "fight like hell."
Some Republicans and Democrat lawmakers have directly blamed Trump for causing the Capitol riot, which resulted in the deaths of five people. A handful of his supporters who are facing charges have also told authorities that they were merely following Trump's orders.
Legal experts have said these statements by the president's supporters open him up to the possibility of criminal charges.
On January 13, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for inciting the rioters. The former president now faces an impeachment trial in the Senate. If convicted, he could be barred from running for public office again.
The FBI began investigating whether Williams stole Pelosi's laptop after receiving a phone call from a person identifying as Williams' former romantic partner, according to an affidavit released Sunday.
The person said he had seen a video of Williams stealing the laptop, and that she planned to sell it to a Russian spy agency via an intermediary, the affidavit said.
The location of the laptop remains unknown and Williams has not been charged over the accusation that she planned to sell the laptop to Russia.
Ulrich, the defense lawyer, told the court on Thursday that the accusations, which she said were made by an ex-boyfriend who was abusive to Williams, "are overstated."
A Tuesday update to the FBI affidavit said that on January 6 a person named "Riley" had posted a message on Discord, a social media platform, in which they boasted: "I stole s--- from Nancy Polesi [sic]."
Drew Hammill, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, said on January 8 that the laptop, identified by the FBI as a Hewlett-Packard device, was "only used for presentations."
If Williams is found guilty of all the charges she faces as many as 20 years in jail.
However, citing a lack of prior criminal convictions, the federal judge released Williams from detention at a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, jail on Thursday, and placed her in her mother's custody at their home in the county.
"The gravity of these offenses is great," Judge Martin Carlson told Williams at the hearing. "It cannot be overstated."
If Williams breaks the terms of her release, her mother Wendy Williams would also be charged, Carlson said.
"Your mother is making an enormous leap of faith on your behalf, and you are the one person in this courtroom who can make sure your mother doesn't have to choose between her love for you and her duty to this court," he said.
Williams is next due in federal court via video link on January 25.