In a recent trial unfolding in Washington, a military veteran, Taylor Taranto, faces significant charges linked to the events following the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Taranto, who has been charged with federal firearms offenses and making a hoax bomb threat, is one of the few defendants still in custody after ex-President Donald Trump extended pardons to numerous participants of the riot. His trial commenced this week, with testimony focusing on his arrest in June 2023 near the former residence of Barack Obama in the nation’s capital.
On the day of his arrest, Taranto was found in possession of two firearms, approximately 500 rounds of ammunition, and a machete, according to investigators. The arrest occurred shortly after Trump shared a post on social media purporting to reveal Obama’s home address. Prosecutors presented footage of Taranto livestreaming on YouTube, allegedly looking for “entrance points” to underground tunnels while suggesting he was aiming to get a “good angle on a shot.” He allegedly reposted Trump’s information alongside a provocative message targeting Obama and John Podesta.
Despite being part of the January 6 aisle, Taranto’s current charges are reportedly unrelated to the riot-specific pardon issued by Trump. Prosecutors emphasized that the allegations involving firearm violations and bomb threat hoaxes are independent of the Capitol insurrection. Taranto, a Navy veteran from Pasco, Washington, is charged with carrying firearms without a license, possessing high-capacity magazines and ammunition unlawfully, and perpetuating a bomb threat.
The case is being overseen by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump nominee who will determine the outcome without a jury’s involvement. The government’s first witness, an FBI agent, detailed the intense search for Taranto after his potentially menacing video surfaced. Prosecutor Samuel White, during the trial, underscored the video as outlining a “dangerous, threatening plan,” revealing Taranto’s statements during his so-called one-way trip to the National Institute of Standards and Technology from Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Defense attorneys argue that Taranto’s comments were made in jest without any malicious intent or possession of bomb-making materials. Pleasant Brodnax, representing Taranto, described his client as viewing himself as a hybrid of journalist and comedian, and that much of his online behavior was “avant-garde.” However, the judge regards Taranto as posing a threat to public safety, leading to his continued detention since his arrest.
In addition to recent charges, he faces four misdemeanors from his involvement in the January 6 Capitol breach. Footage reveals Taranto at the Speaker’s Lobby where Ashli Babbitt, a fellow rioter, was fatally shot while trying to enter through a barricaded window. According to investigators acting on information from Taranto’s wife, his presence in Washington was partly propelled by an intent to access unreleased Capitol riot footage promised by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Taranto also allegedly made concerning remarks towards McCarthy in one of his videos, suggesting imminent repercussions.
Following his arrest, Taranto encountered hostility and was assaulted by peers in a Washington jail’s wing holding other January 6 defendants. Reportedly, this treatment stemmed from his unflattering remarks regarding Babbitt, reflecting internal tensions among the detained insurrectionists. His attorneys have highlighted this incident, noting it as the harsh reality that those still facing trial must endure.