Two days after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a top intelligence officer in the Washington, D.C., police department sent an encrypted message to one of his best and most unusual sources: Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right group the Proud Boys.
The officer, Lt. Shane Lamond, warned Mr. Tarrio that “the feds” were locking people up because of the riot, adding that he hoped that “none of your guys were among them.” When Mr. Tarrio responded that, at least for the moment, his men seemed to be fine, the lieutenant seemed relieved.
“Of course I can’t say it officially,” Mr. Lamond wrote, “but personally I support you all and don’t want to see your group’s name or reputation dragged through the mud.”
That message, which proved to be horribly misguided, was representative of the fraught relationship between the lieutenant and the far-right leader, a complicated bond that led last year Mr. Lamond being charged with obstruction of justice and lying to federal agents about passing sensitive law enforcement information to Mr. Tarrio.
On Monday, Mr. Lamond’s criminal trial is set to begin in Federal District Court in Washington. Mr. Tarrio, who was convicted last spring of seditious conspiracy for his role in the Capitol attack, is expected to be brought to court from prison as a witness for the defense.
The trial will lean heavily on hundreds of private messages that Mr. Lamond and Mr. Tarrio exchanged over more than two years. They offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the chaotic “Stop the Steal” protests that rocked Washington in the months after President Donald J. Trump lost the 2020 election.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.