Senior Judge Reggie Walton used a sentencing in a Capitol riot case to condemn those pushing the “bogus proposition” that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, saying the false claims are “tearing our country apart” and leading to threats against judges.

Walton, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, noted that the false belief that the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump continues to take hold, and wondered aloud what would happen to the country if defeated political candidates continue to refuse to acknowledge their loss.