U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by President Trump, praised two prosecutors removed from the case of a Jan. 6, 2021, rioter, saying they had “upheld the highest standards of professionalism.”

“In my view, both Mr. Valdivia and Mr. White did a truly excellent job in this case,” Nichols said during a Thursday sentencing hearing for Jan. 6 rioter Taylor Taranto.

His comments referenced Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White, who heard his comments from their place in the courtroom’s public gallery.

The two men were the original prosecutors on Taranto’s case but were

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