Overview
- A federal jury in Alexandria found Peter Stinson not guilty after a two-day trial, returning the unanimous verdict in about two hours.
- The judge told jurors that speech encouraging violence at an indefinite time, without more, may be protected, and expressed concerns about the case’s adequacy.
- Prosecutors said Stinson’s posts since 2020 urged Trump’s assassination, citing statements like “I’d pull the trigger” and offers to support a “contract hit.”
- Investigators said he posted on X and BlueSky and he was banned from BlueSky after his June arrest, with records noting he had more than 3,000 followers there.
- Stinson, a retired Coast Guard and FEMA instructor, said he was thrilled with the verdict and did not regret his posts, as scholars cast the case as a First Amendment bellwether.