GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "NewsHour."

A partial verdict has been handed down for members of the far right extremist group the Proud Boys and their involvement in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

AMNA NAWAZ: A federal jury today found four members of the Proud Boys guilty of seditious conspiracy.

That includes the group's former leader, Enrique Tarrio, along with members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl.

A fifth member, Dominic Pezzola, was found not guilty of seditious conspiracy.

But he and the others were convicted of obstruction and destruction of property.

Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke about the Justice Department's victory earlier today.

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. Attorney General: The department has secured more than 600 convictions for a wide range of criminal conduct on January 6, as well as in the days and weeks leading up to the attack.

We have secured the convictions of defendants who fought, punched, tackled, and even Tased police officers who were defending the Capitol that day.

AMNA NAWAZ: NPR's national justice correspondent, Carrie Johnson, has been following all of this closely from the courtroom and joins us now.

Carrie, let's begin with that sedition conviction, four of the five defendants there.

What did prosecutors argue they did on January 6, and how did they prove their case?

CARRIE JOHNSON, NPR: Prosecutors basically argue that these men lined up as a fighting force for former President Donald Trump and agreed to do everything they could, including force, to keep Trump in power and basically overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

They started the story with that presidential debate, where Trump asked the Proud Boys to stand back and stand by, continued it through December 2020 with Trump encouraging people to come to the Capitol and saying "It will be wild," and then tracing a number of chat messages and videos and podcasts to the day of January 6 itself, when some of these men were involved in some of the earliest breaches at the Capitol Complex that day.

AMNA NAWAZ: Carrie, as you as you have reported, as many have, Enrico -- Enrique Tarrio wasn't even at the Capitol on January 6.

He wasn't in Washington.

What did we hear from their defense attorneys?

CARRIE JOHNSON: Tarrio's lawyers basically said he's a scapegoat for the former president, that it was too hard or too complicated for the Justice Department to charge Donald Trump with wrongdoing, and so the government went after Enrique Tarrio.

Instead, they did point out the Tarrio watched the events of January 6 from a hotel room in Baltimore, in part because he was in trouble for defacing a banner at an African American church in D.C. in December of 2020.

But the government said that Tarrio was monitoring the action from afar and sometimes directing his troops on the ground.

They pointed to a chat message Tarrio posted on January 6, saying: "Make no mistake, we did this."

AMNA NAWAZ: As you know, the Proud Boys are a far right extremist group.

They were founded in 2016.

More than 20 of their other members have been charged in connection with the January 6 attack.

How much did the trial reveal about their culture and how much of a danger do they still post today?

CARRIE JOHNSON: (AUDIO GAP) much about their culture.

The Proud Boys call themselves a Western chauvinist organization.

The defendants tried to portray themselves as involved in like a drinking club and in a partying group.

But the government cast a much darker shadow and said that there were people actively fomenting violence, encouraging it, posting videos, expressing themselves as so-called lords of war, and taking a victory smoke after the siege on the Capitol.

And so there was this tug-of-war between the party boy culture of the Proud Boys and the rally boy culture.

And the jury seem to believe in the government's view that these defendants were bent on violence on January 6, and before as well.

AMNA NAWAZ: Carrie, you covered the previous sedition prosecutions against members of another far right extremist group, the Oath Keepers and their role in January 6.

Did that trial and outcome in any way relate to today's outcome?

CARRIE JOHNSON: Only in that the Justice Department has now successfully convicted leaders of both of these far right groups, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, of seditious conspiracy, the most serious charge we have seen to come out of this sprawling investigation of January 6.

And that certainly is a vindication of the Justice Department's strategy in this case.

Those charges are very hard to prove.

Now they have proved that leaders of two different far right groups that played enormous roles on the ground on January 6 were engaged in a violent effort to overthrow the government.

And that's significant as part of this broader investigation, which continues, as Attorney General Merrick Garland said today.

AMNA NAWAZ: As part of today's outcome, there was a mistrial declared on a few counts on which the jury could not reach a verdict.

What's important to understand about that?

CARRIE JOHNSON: Well, these defendants, including Dominic Pezzola, who was acquitted of seditious conspiracy, were all convicted on other pretty serious felonies.

Some of them carry a 20-year maximum behind bars.

So, when they're sentenced, probably some time in August, these men are all certainly facing a long prison term.

And it's not clear to me the Justice Department is going to want to pursue a retrial on those 10 counts.

So it may be that they will take their victory and go home.

AMNA NAWAZ: Carrie, is there any word on whether or not the men will appeal?

CARRIE JOHNSON: There's a strong word on appeal.

In fact, Tarrio's lawyers said that they're disappointed in the verdict, and they're placing their hopes in the appeals courts.

Throughout this trial, there have been so many motions for a mistrial, I can't even count them.

All of these defense lawyers have been raising objections and making them for the record.

I think there will be a very hearty appeal moving forward from all of these defendants who were convicted today.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that is NPR's national justice correspondent, Carrie Johnson, joining us tonight.

Carrie, thank you.

Always good to talk to you.

CARRIE JOHNSON: Thank you.