John Pierce Represents More Capitol Riot Defendants Than Anyone. Should He?

Attorney John Pierce had been representing so many defendants charged in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot that he'd lost exact count.

"I believe it's around 18," he told NPR in a recent interview, adding, "Don't hold me to it."

The Justice Department recently put that number at 17, though that figure often changes. Pierce, a controversial lawyer with pro-Trump politics, has taken on more defendants related to the Capitol breach than any other attorney.

But those cases — and the fates of all of those defendants — were recently, and unexpectedly, put into limbo.

In late August, Pierce failed to show up to court for one of those clients, and prosecutors said they had lost contact with him. The reasons for Pierce's absence were initially tough to pin down.

Pierce's associates said at different points that he was hospitalized with COVID-19 and on a ventilator, that he was in an "accident," and that he had "dehydration and exhaustion." The phone at his legal office appeared to be disconnected, and calls to his cellphone went straight to voicemail. The Justice Department said that the confusion had effectively brought all of his cases to a halt.

Then, on Sept. 7, Pierce reappeared. He said he had been released from a hospital in the Los Angeles area after a 12-day stay but declined to discuss exactly what led to his hospitalization.

"I will not be elaborating further on my personal medical issues," he told NPR in an email. (He did say in his statement, "I have not taken any vaccination for COVID-19, nor do I plan to do so.")

Pierce said that "the morning I went into the hospital was extremely chaotic" and added, "This was an emergency situation that left us with no time to plan better" for the hearings he missed. His abrupt absence gave some clients misgivings about whether or not Pierce is the right lawyer for them. At least three have parted ways with him since his recent hospitalization. Prosecutors may be worried, too. If the Justice Department gets a conviction, and an