US Capitol rioter who blames Trump for his actions is found guilty

Dustin Byron Thompson, 38, claimed he was following orders when he stole a coat rack from a Senate office

An Ohio man who claimed he was only following presidential orders" from Donald Trump when he stormed the US Capitol has been convicted by a jury that took less than three hours to reject his novel defence for obstructing Congress from certifying Joe Biden's presidential victory.

The federal jury on Thursday also found Dustin Byron Thompson, 38, guilty of all five of the other charges in his indictment, including stealing a coat rack from an office inside the Capitol during the riot on 6 January 2021. The maximum sentence for the obstruction count, the lone felony, would be 20 years' imprisonment.