Thread by @ZoeTillman

Hello from Judge Emmet Sullivan's virtual courtroom, where back-to-back plea hearings are set to begin soon for Jan. 6 defendants Dawn Bancroft and Diana Santos-Smith. See below for more on them:

https://twitter.com/ZoeTillman/status/1442521307887902720

While we wait for the Bancroft hearing, closing an earlier loop: Like her friend Jennifer Parks, who pleaded this a.m., Esther Schwemmer pleaded guilty this afternoon to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol, sentencing set for Dec. 21

Okay we're on the line now for Dawn Bancroft's plea hearing, she's pleading guilty to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol — the same class B misdemeanor we've seen in most Jan. 6 cases so far, max sentence of 6 mos in prison

Sullivan asks Bancroft why she wishes to plead guilty (not a question I've heard many judges asks so directly in this way at the start of a plea hearing). She replies: "I would like to accept my responsibility for what I did"

AUSA describes the video where Bancroft says, "We were looking for Nancy to shoot her in the friggin’ brain but we didn’t find her." Sullivan calls it "horrible" and "outrageous" and questions why she wasn't prosecuted for making a threat...

...AUSA says the video was recorded as Bancroft was leaving the Capitol, so the govt decided not to prosecute. Sullivan asks Bancroft about it, she repeatedly says it was "stupid" and meant as a joke. Her lawyer notes for the record it wasn't posted online or meant to be public

Sullivan asks if anyone posted the video online, and Bancroft's lawyer says no, that her friend turned it over to the FBI. "That's what friends are for," Sullivan quips. Sullivan tells Bancroft he's going to address it more at her sentencing, so she should come prepared for that

Bancroft briefly talks about wanting to set a good example going forward: "I did it, I’m guilty, and I’m gonna take the consequences for what I did."

Sullivan accepts her guilty plea, sets sentencing for Jan. 25

Also, this line:

https://twitter.com/ryanjreilly/status/1442938477260132352

That's a wrap on Bancroft, Sullivan will be back on the line shortly to take the plea for her co-defendant Diana Santos-Smith

Jan. 6 defendant Diana Santos-Smith is now before Sullivan for a plea hearing, she's pleading guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol, same as her co-defendant Dawn Bancroft (see thread)

Sullivan asks if the govt wired the plea offers to Bancroft and Santos-Smith (meaning both had to accept or neither could get a deal), AUSA says no, not in this case (we've mostly seen that in the cases of married couples)

Sullivan says he doesn't want to "scare" Santos-Smith, but at sentencing "we're gonna have a looong talk about what the heck were you thinking about. How did you get yourself into this, this mess?"

Sullivan also says he agrees with George W. Bush's recent comments comparing Jan. 6 to 9/11 re: domestic terrorism — Bush didn't address Jan. 6 by name, but his remarks at a recent 9/11 memorial event were widely interpreted as alluding to the riots usatoday.com/story/news/pol…