A few weeks ago, video evidence disclosed that during the events of January 6, a Capitol side door was largely unguarded and unlocked.

According to police security footage obtained by the media, more than 300 individuals were permitted unhindered entry into the Congress building, despite officers’ efforts to keep protesters out of other areas.

Now, a jury in Washington, D.C. has found Kenneth Joseph Owen Thomas, an Ohio resident, not guilty of a felony punishable by a 20-year prison sentence, dealing the Biden administration’s illegal, overbroad investigation into January 6 protesters its latest setback.

A twenty-year felony allegation of “obstruction of official proceedings” against Thomas, an Ohio father of four who served in the Navy, was dropped earlier this month.

The accusations of assault on a federal officer and disorderly conduct on Capitol premises were eventually dropped after the jury deadlocked.

According to the attorney who defended Thomas in court, John Pierce:

“This is an incredible win for Joe Thomas and all January 6th defendants… We picked apart the credibility of the government’s witnesses, and we made the strategic decision to put Joe on the stand in his own defense.

The jury obviously believed his testimony that he came to Washington, D.C. that day not to obstruct Congress but rather to have his voice heard regarding the 2020 election.

“We intend to take every one of these cases to trial and to win.

Whatever we are unable to win in district court, we will win on appeal. Also, it is evident that representing so many defendants is becoming a tremendous benefit for us.

Regarding these instances, there is a high learning curve. In terms of what transpired at the Capitol on that day, the fact that we have so many allows us to begin connecting the connections on a profound level.

It is impossible for a law firm with only one or two of these cases to replicate these years of work,” Pierce stated, urging the Republican-controlled U.S. House to disclose all of the videos from January 6.

“The GOP-controlled House needs to step it up. They promised the American people they would release the footage, and they have failed to do that.

Even though they promised to conduct a thorough investigation into the events of January 6, they have failed to do so. In terms of restraining the FBI and DOJ’s abuses in relation to these prosecutions, they have also entirely surrendered the leverage they had with the power of the purse.

I honestly do not know what they are doing. If the House Republicans did their job, we would win an increasing number of these cases in the future,” Pierce continued.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, first raised concerns about what transpired around 2:30 p.m. that afternoon, when other breaches began, two years prior to the release of the most recent video showing hundreds of demonstrators entering the Capitol Building through an open door.

According to the footage, a sign clearly identifies the fire evacuation door for an emergency exit on the private Upper West Terrace hallway, where Capitol Police officers direct a few protestors.

The sign reads “Emergency exit only” and instructs evacuees to “push until the alarm sounds” in order for the “doors to unlock in 10 seconds.” After one individual leaves, 308 people pass through it in less than 20 minutes; the doors then appear to open from the inside.

According to the video analyzed by Just the News and made available for distribution by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the Republican-led House Administration Committee, Capitol Police officers eventually made their way to the opened Upper West Terrace doors but did not block the entrance, allowing additional rioters to enter the building. Officers in the video were not wearing riot armor or helmets.

More on this story via The Republic Brief:

“Video footage of other locations of the Capitol that day show officers attempting to physically block entrances to stop rioters from coming into the building, with rioters at some times striking the officers or spraying them with pepper spray,” Just the News reported. CONTINUE READING…