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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Cindy Hernandez

Springfield man who waved Trump flag on U.S. Senate floor on Jan. 6 found guilty of federal charges

Federal authorities say this photo depicts Thomas B. Adams Jr. holding a Trump flag on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. District Court records)

A Springfield man accused of carrying a Trump flag onto the floor of the U.S. Senate during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol was convicted of federal charges on Monday.

During a trial before a federal judge in Washington, D.C., Thomas B. Adams Jr. was found guilty of entering a restricted building and obstructing an official proceeding. He will remain free until his sentencing on June 16, according to the U.S. attorney’s office there.

An FBI special agent explained in a court affidavit that authorities first noticed Adams because of an interview he gave to the publication Insider following the riot. The article said Adams trampled over police barricades, made his way into the Capitol and eventually reached the Senate chamber after lawmakers had been evacuated, according to the affidavit. 

The article quoted Adams as saying, “It was a really fun time,” and it said he described the scene as “hilarious.”

Adams allegedly said he heard people yelling “Let’s take the White House,” “Let’s storm this place and show them they can’t make us leave,” and “They can’t arrest us all.”

Adams confirmed to an FBI agent that he was the person in a photograph holding a Trump flag on the Senate floor.

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