Trump embraces the Jan. 6 rioters on the trail. In court, his lawyers hope to distance him from them

By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers have suggested their strategy in his election interference case in Washington involves distancing their client from the horde of U.S. Capitol rioters, whom the former president has embraced on the campaign trail. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team has signaled it will make the case that Trump is responsible for the chaos that unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021, and point to Trump’s continued support of the rioters to help establish his criminal intent. The competing arguments highlight the extent to which the riot serves as an inescapable backdrop in a landmark trial set to begin on March 4 in a courthouse just blocks away from the Capitol.