It seems [at this time] that Trumpf's last gasp 'legal' attempts to retain being hater in Chief will not prevail. That said, I'm am sure he and his team will try to do as much damage as possible in the next 10 weeks - and that can be a lot! I also have no illusions about Biden and the Democratic Party. Is Biden less bad than Trump? Answer: Yes, by a long shot. But Biden is beholden to powerful corporate and capitalistic, militaristic, oligarchic forces. He has the politics of a centrist Republican and was chosen for that reason. It will be a return to the way things were before Trump - but let us not forget how bad that was for most people in the USA and the World. Biden will undo much of the damage Trump has inflicted and make a few cosmetic positive changes, but any REAL change will only come if the People force the Government to represent them and not the powerful few! Anyone who thinks they can now sit back and ignore politics because Trumpf is gone is naive. Trumpf showed just how many in the USA are rascist, sexist, homophobic, believe in a twisted version of religion, believe in US imperialism and 'exceptionalism', believe greed is good, want an authoritarian state and ruler, don't mind the Police and prison-industrial complex along with the Courts treating the poor and non-white disproportionately harshly or even with summary execution, and are happy with a small rich elite running things, not to mention science denial from evolution to the coming climate catastrophe, and where everything is a natural heirarchy of men over women, rich over poor, white over non-white, humans over Nature....on and on. What we need in the USA are other parties, or at least one other party along the lines of the Greens or Social Democracy, as the Democrats while less poisonous than the Republicans are only slightly less so and more sophisticated in hiding many of the exact same goals. Time to roll up our sleeves and push hard to make real positive change. It has never come from the top down and has always come from the bottom up! My guess is that Trump will move to some nation without extradition treaty with the USA to avoid all the lawsuits, but his horde of followers will still be around, as will his Militia Groups, to do damage. Many were fooled by the Obama administration, which the Biden administration will mimic. Yes, some social programs will be less bad, but the military and police will still be getting half of all money in the country; the rich will be getting richer and everyone else will be sinking further. The secret agencies will still be spying on everyone and doing extrajudicial killings and other dirty tricks. Only people in the street and with concerted and constant action can push the US to become a better, more equal, more just society and drag the knuckle draggers along with us.
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
(08-11-2020, 06:01 AM)Peter Lemkin Wrote: It seems [at this time] that Trumpf's last gasp 'legal' attempts to retain being hater in Chief will not prevail. That said, I'm am sure he and his team will try to do as much damage as possible in the next 10 weeks - and that can be a lot! I also have no illusions about Biden and the Democratic Party. Is Biden less bad than Trump? Answer: Yes, by a long shot. But Biden is beholden to powerful corporate and capitalistic, militaristic, oligarchic forces. He has the politics of a centrist Republican and was chosen for that reason. It will be a return to the way things were before Trump - but let us not forget how bad that was for most people in the USA and the World. Biden will undo much of the damage Trump has inflicted and make a few cosmetic positive changes, but any REAL change will only come if the People force the Government to represent them and not the powerful few! Anyone who thinks they can now sit back and ignore politics because Trumpf is gone is naive. Trumpf showed just how many in the USA are rascist, sexist, homophobic, believe in a twisted version of religion, believe in US imperialism and 'exceptionalism', believe greed is good, want an authoritarian state and ruler, don't mind the Police and prison-industrial complex along with the Courts treating the poor and non-white disproportionately harshly or even with summary execution, and are happy with a small rich elite running things, not to mention science denial from evolution to the coming climate catastrophe, and where everything is a natural heirarchy of men over women, rich over poor, white over non-white, humans over Nature....on and on. What we need in the USA are other parties, or at least one other party along the lines of the Greens or Social Democracy, as the Democrats while less poisonous than the Republicans are only slightly less so and more sophisticated in hiding many of the exact same goals. Time to roll up our sleeves and push hard to make real positive change. It has never come from the top down and has always come from the bottom up! My guess is that Trump will move to some nation without extradition treaty with the USA to avoid all the lawsuits, but his horde of followers will still be around, as will his Militia Groups, to do damage. Many were fooled by the Obama administration, which the Biden administration will mimic. Yes, some social programs will be less bad, but the military and police will still be getting half of all money in the country; the rich will be getting richer and everyone else will be sinking further. The secret agencies will still be spying on everyone and doing extrajudicial killings and other dirty tricks. Only people in the street and with concerted and constant action can push the US to become a better, more equal, more just society and drag the knuckle draggers along with us.
Sorry Peter. This analysis would fit a decade ago. You should have been reading the stuff I have been putting up on the Great Reset, Human Capital Bonds, digital currency, linked to global vaccination programs utilizing 5G tech. We are seeing the turning the world into a global concentration camp governed by AI.
"We'll know our disinformation campaign is complete when everything the American public believes is false." --William J. Casey, D.C.I
"We will lead every revolution against us." --Theodore Herzl
(08-11-2020, 08:03 PM)Lauren Johnson Wrote: Sorry Peter. This analysis would fit a decade ago. You should have been reading the stuff I have been putting up on the Great Reset, Human Capital Bonds, digital currency, linked to global vaccination programs utilizing 5G tech. We are seeing the turning the world into a global concentration camp governed by AI.
I'll stick with my analysis and beliefs. You, I find, are a bit too easily caught up in the latest 'total threat'. All of the things you mention have merit to be watched and considered and in most cases stopped and / or reversed. It sounds as if you are channelling the likes of Corbett and his friends. He has done a lot of good work on certain things. On others he has IMHO gotten trapped in his own echo chamber. Each to their own. Part of your post above strikes me as overly paranoid - even if I think there are some who would like to see such an end. I find it a bit alarmist and over the top, linking separate bad trends into one giant overall interlinked conspiracy octopus. I'm no conservative nor afraid to see a conspiracy when there is one....but I need more proof that Corbett on most of his claims lately. I used to watch him fairly regularly, now I rarely do.....he still does some [some] good shows, but most are akin to the unbelievable all encompassing notions on the right [to me]. You are welcome to your beliefs, but I caution a bit more consideration of what is real and what is fear of what could [I agree] come to pass - but has not yet and is not so diabolically in the works - and certainly not all one global octopus with its tentacles around us all........
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
He tricked the Bush administration into thinking he could detect terrorist signals in al Jazeera broadcasts. Now Dennis Montgomery has a new set of believers.
Will Sommer
Updated Nov. 09, 2020 3:14AM ET / Published Nov. 08, 2020 9:04PM ET
As Donald Trump refuses to concede the election, some of his most loyal allies have become obsessed with a bizarre new conspiracy theory about the race, insisting that Trump only lost the election because a deep-state supercomputer named “Hammer” and a computer program named “Scorecard” were used to change the ballot count.
The head of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has called the claim about supercomputer election fraud “nonsense,” and urged Americans not to promote it.
But the mythical supercomputer claim has been embraced by prominent Trump backers, including former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik, former Trump 2016 campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, right-wing pundit John Cardillo, and Newsmax White House correspondent Emerald Robinson.
The election fraud claims center on Dennis Montgomery, a former intelligence contractor and self-proclaimed whistleblower who claims to have created the “Hammer” supercomputer and the “Scorecard” software some Trump fans believe was used to change the votes.
“He’s a genius, and he loves America,” Thomas McInerney, a retired Air Force lieutenant general and one-time leader in the birther movement, said of Montgomery on Tuesday on Bannon’s podcast, as Bannon praised an article on Montgomery’s claims. “He’s the programmer that made all this happen, and he’s on our side.”
Montgomery’s lawyer, Larry Klayman—a favorite attorney for fringe right-wing figures—didn’t respond to a request for comment. Klayman himself was temporarily suspended from practicing law in June.
What Trump allies tend to leave out, however, is that Montgomery has a long history of making outlandish claims that fail to come true. As an intelligence contractor at the height of the War on Terror, Montgomery was behind what’s been called “one of the most elaborate and dangerous hoaxes in American history,” churning out allegedly fictitious data that once prompted the Bush administration to consider shooting down airplanes.
And now, Trump allies want voters to believe Montgomery’s claims about the election.
“I think there are any number of things they need to investigate, including the likelihood that 3 percent of the vote total was changed in the pre-election voting ballots that were collected digitally by using the Hammer program and the software program called Scorecard,” Sidney Powell, the attorney for former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, said Friday in an appearance on Fox Business. “That would have amounted to a massive change in the vote.”
“That’s called intervention in our elections,” host Lou Dobbs said.
“This is Coup 5.0, Lou,” Powell said.
Powell repeated her computer voter fraud claim Sunday on Fox News, with no pushback from host Maria Bartiromo.
After the 9/11 terror attacks, U.S. intelligence agencies flush with money began pumping defense contractors with cash in the hopes of averting another terror attack.
One of the recipients of that windfall was Dennis Montgomery, a Reno, Nevada, software designer and frequent gambler who claimed to have come with software that would help the CIA penetrate deep inside al Qaeda’s systems.
At various times, Montgomery insisted his programs could identify terrorists’ faces and weapons through drone footage, or spot submarines deep underwater, receiving millions in contracts from the Air Force and the military’s Special Operations Command. But the jewel of Montgomery’s company was a program he claimed could detect messages to al Qaeda sleeper cells hidden in broadcasts from Qatar’s al Jazeera network.
CIA employees intrigued by the supposed Al Jazeera decoding technology moved into Montgomery’s Nevada office, and Montgomery’s companies received at least $20 million from the U.S. government for what was then considered “the most important, most sensitive” technology in the agency’s repertoire, the New York Times reported in 2011.
“They began to believe, in this kind of war fever, that you could find Al Qaeda messages hidden in al Jazeera broadcasts,” New York Times reporter James Risen, who wrote a book about Montgomery’s business, said in 2014.
Montgomery’s supposed insights on al Qaeda reached the highest levels of the U.S. government, with insight that Montgomery provided prompting the George W. Bush administration to raise the terror threat level to “orange,” its second-highest rating.
In Dec. 2003, according to a Playboy report, Montgomery claimed he had discovered information in a TV broadcast proving that al Qaeda hijackers were set to hijack planes flying to the United States from Europe and Mexico.
President Bush himself blocked the flights, ordering them to turn around or stay on the ground. The administration even considered shooting down the planes based on Montgomery’s information, according to the Times.
But according to reports and former employees, Montgomery’s supposed technology was all a hoax. One employee quoted in the Playboy report claimed Montgomery had ordered him to fake a test for U.S. military officials, tricking the officials into believing Montgomery’s software could detect weapons in drone footage.
French intelligence officials, furious that Montgomery’s data had been used to ground French planes, debunked the “technology” and reportedly convinced CIA officials to drop Montgomery, according to the Times.
“We got played,” an ex-intelligence official told the Times in 2011.
Even as he rose in intelligence circles, Montgomery reportedly developed a mammoth blackjack habit, losing $442,000 in one day at casinos, according to Playboy.
“He was, in the parlance of the gambling hall, a ‘whale,’” Playboy wrote of Montgomery.
As of 2011, Montgomery was fighting Nevada charges for writing bad checks worth $1.8 million at casinos. The Daily Beast was unable to determine the ultimate disposition of those charges.
As the government soured on his claims about al Qaeda, Montgomery was on increasingly on the outs with his business partner, a former top trader for convicted junk bond king Michael Milken. Montgomery allegedly split from the company he had founded with his partner, taking highly secret confidential government files, according to an FBI search warrant affidavit.
The FBI raided Montgomery’s home and storage units in an attempt to recover the missing data. But Montgomery was never charged over the government contracts, with a federal judge throwing out evidence gleaned in the FBI raids.
The federal government scrambled to block evidence related to the software from being revealed in court in a civil fight between Montgomery and his former business partner, in what the Times reported was an effort to avoid embarrassing the CIA and other agencies that had paid Montgomery millions of dollars.
Despite avoiding federal charges of the contracts, Montgomery wasn’t done making incredible claims about his software.
Montgomery resurfaced in 2013, as a “confidential informant” for controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Arpaio was embroiled in a federal case over his department’s treatment of Latino drivers, and furious at the federal judge who had ruled against him. According to reports and court testimony, Montgomery convinced Arpaio that he had a software called “Hammer” that could prove that the federal judge was colluding against Arpaio with the Justice Department and then-Attorney General Eric Holder.
Arpaio bought into Montgomery’s claims, even as Arpaio’s lawyers and detectives fumed that the “proof” Montgomery was providing about the judge was fake.
At one point, Arpaio reportedly exploded at his subordinates after they complained that he was wasting money on Montgomery and pointing out the controversy over Montgomery’s al Jazeera software. Still, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office paid Montgomery $120,000 for the data he provided Arpaio in his fight with the judge.
By 2017, with Trump supporters furious at the intelligence community and former FBI Director James Comey over the investigation into the Trump’s campaigns, Montgomery reinvented himself as an aggrieved intelligence whistleblower.
Pro-Trump Fox Pundit: ‘Huge Mistake’ to Claim Election Fraud
‘HURTS HIS CREDIBILITY’
Justin Baragona
In June 2017, Klayman and Montgomery sued Comey and other top Obama-era officials—including Obama himself. In a lengthy complaint, the pair laid out a complicated story claiming that Montgomery had taken 47 hard drives full of evidence of an illegal surveillance program from an Army base, alleged that Comey somehow misused the hard drives, and that intelligence officials had hacked both Klayman and Montgomery.
Montgomery’s claims were trumpeted by reporter John Solomon, whose reporting on Ukraine would later be rebuked by officials and Fox News’s research department during the Trump impeachment hearings.
“This is way larger than Snowden,” Solomon declared of Montgomery’s allegations in an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show.
Montgomery’s lawsuit was quickly dismissed, with a federal judge calling them a “a veritable anthology of conspiracy theorists' complaints.”
Montgomery found new fame on the right in the final days of the election. On Oct. 31, an obscure conspiracy theory website called The American Report published a story claiming that "Biden Using SCORECARD and THE HAMMER to Steal Another U.S. Presidential Election," illustrated with a picture of Biden next to Josef Stalin.
The American Report has claimed that Montgomery invented “SCORECARD” and “HAMMER” for intelligence purposes, an apparent reference to his controversial programs that purported to track al Qaeda. In this telling, the Obama administration hijacked Montgomery’s software to steal elections.
The murky reporting was embraced a few days later by Bannon and McInerney, with Bannon calling news “very disturbing” and praising the site for “incredible reporting.” Montgomery himself appears to have publicly stayed silent, even as he’s quoted as proof that the government stole the presidential election for Biden.
Fueled by Bannon’s podcast and Powell’s Fox appearances, the “Hammer and Scorecard” conspiracy has found a home with Trump’s grassroots. In calls to baffled C-SPAN and talk radio hosts, Trump supporters have insisted that dire consequences are ahead for any involved in the nonexistent “Hammer and Scorecard” saga. Tweets referencing “Hammer and Scorecard” posted every few seconds on the site even as Twitter tries to hinder the spread of the disinformation.
There Are No Happy Endings in Trumpworld Today
FANTASY ISLAND
Lachlan Markay,
Asawin Suebsaeng,
Sam Stein
“Twitter’s Trust & Safety team will take action on Tweets that are in violation of our Civic Integrity policy, including in instances these terms are used in a way to undermine the legitimacy of the election process,” Twitter said in a statement.
According to Twitter, posts about the Hammer and Scorecard conspiracy theory could be labeled as disinformation or deleted from the site entirely.
Still, Montgomery’s conspiracy theory about the supercomputer has exploded on the right. On Sunday, Washington Examiner columnist Paul Bedard tweeted a story from a fringe outlet that promised a “Hammer and Scorecard smoking gun.”
“Anyone using HAMMER SCORECARD to alter voting in our America election should be prosecuted,” former football player and Republican convention speaker Herschel Walker tweeted on Sunday.
Will Sommer
William.Sommer@thedailybeast.com
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
(08-11-2020, 08:03 PM)Lauren Johnson Wrote: Sorry Peter. This analysis would fit a decade ago. You should have been reading the stuff I have been putting up on the Great Reset, Human Capital Bonds, digital currency, linked to global vaccination programs utilizing 5G tech. We are seeing the turning the world into a global concentration camp governed by AI.
I'll stick with my analysis and beliefs. You, I find, are a bit too easily caught up in the latest 'total threat'. All of the things you mention have merit to be watched and considered and in most cases stopped and / or reversed. It sounds as if you are channelling the likes of Corbett and his friends. He has done a lot of good work on certain things. On others he has IMHO gotten trapped in his own echo chamber. Each to their own. Part of your post above strikes me as overly paranoid - even if I think there are some who would like to see such an end. I find it a bit alarmist and over the top, linking separate bad trends into one giant overall interlinked conspiracy octopus. I'm no conservative nor afraid to see a conspiracy when there is one....but I need more proof that Corbett on most of his claims lately. I used to watch him fairly regularly, now I rarely do.....he still does some [some] good shows, but most are akin to the unbelievable all encompassing notions on the right [to me]. You are welcome to your beliefs, but I caution a bit more consideration of what is real and what is fear of what could [I agree] come to pass - but has not yet and is not so diabolically in the works - and certainly not all one global octopus with its tentacles around us all........
As the saying goes, Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not all out to get you.
What would you think of this article Jonathon Cook? It's pretty good imo.
09-01-2021, 04:27 PM (This post was last modified: 09-01-2021, 04:33 PM by Peter Lemkin.)
The same 'crew' that attacked DC on Wednesday are planning something similar on the 17th [and at statehouses, as well] and plan to be at the Biden Inaugeration!...... Don't say I and others didn't warn you..... Trump will be dangerous until in prison...which should only take a few months.
check out the photo below...
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
(09-01-2021, 04:27 PM)Peter Lemkin Wrote: The same 'crew' that attacked DC on Wednesday are planning something similar on the 17th [and at statehouses, as well] and plan to be at the Biden Inaugeration!...... Don't say I and others didn't warn you..... Trump will be dangerous until in prison...which should only take a few months.
check out the photo below...
Good photo!
And I can agree with everything you have said about Trump except that your major premise for the last four years ... and with Paul Rigby's as well. I have thought that Trump was placed in the Presidency by deep state. Is he a useful idiot or is he a skilled actor. I can argue both ways. But after the events at the capitol, we are now seeing a huge crackdown on hundreds of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube accounts and things are just getting started. The Patriot Act II, well prepared in advance is, will soon be introduced.
Furthermore, I suspect that many Oath Keeper ex-soldiers and pissed off police will start engaging in political assassination of politicians who are "traitors." This will require even more draconian measures. Imo whatever is coming has been pre-scripted towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution to turn the earth into a giant concentration camp. Full spectrum dominance.
"We'll know our disinformation campaign is complete when everything the American public believes is false." --William J. Casey, D.C.I
"We will lead every revolution against us." --Theodore Herzl
Military Insiders Reveal Their Inauguration Nightmare
What would it look like if everything went terribly wrong. #worstcasescenario
President Donald Trump walks with Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump and his son Donald J. Trump Jr. to board Air Force One at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, GA, on Tuesday, January 4, 2021, for their return flight to Joint Base Andrews, MD. Photo credit: The White House / Flickr
Reading Time: 17 minutes
NEWS ANALYSIS
The final countdown has begun, but the military is worried about what Donald Trump and his followers might do to cling to power. Trumpists have called for a “Million Militia March” on Washington and state capitols to prevent Biden’s inauguration and — some even imagine — trigger a civil war.
These days, as we have seen, virtually anything is possible. Realistically, nothing may happen, or if it does, it may be modest and utterly inconsequential. Nonetheless, security planners are wisely taking no chances.
But is it? The job of security planners and intelligence officials is to gather information, to assess risks, and to imagine the unimaginable. Already, the US Navy’s investigation service has arrested an Army Reservist who participated in the Capitol insurrection. He had a high-level security clearance for access to a military depot where weapons and ammunition are stored. The Army wants to know how many more like him might be out there or coming to Washington.
Nonetheless, the acting secretary of defense said “there is no intelligence” that active-duty military personnel pose an “inside threat” to the inauguration. Other Pentagon officials are not so sure; they are worried that Trump may yet make some last-ditch effort to stay, that a show of leaving may disguise a plot to return. Here’s why:
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for inciting supporters who overran the Capitol on January 6 in an attempt to stop Congress from confirming Joe Biden as his successor. But no trial by the Senate is yet placed on the Senate calendar. Unless he resigns at the last minute, Trump remains president, chief executive, and commander in chief of the armed forces until Biden takes the oath of office at 12:01 PM on January 20.
That shrinking interregnum leaves the high command of the US Armed Forces so worried about the behavior of their increasingly desperate commander in chief that they issued an extraordinary warning on January 12 to the nearly 2 million serving members and reserves under their command.
The letter was most unusual but prompted by the equally unprecedented act of insurrection against Congress and the rule of law itself by a president who has acted as if he is above the law, a president whose role model, Richard Nixon, declared after his impeachment and resignation: “Well, when the president does it… that means that it is not illegal.”
And so Trump acted with impunity, protected by a Department of Justice rule that no president can be prosecuted while in office and, even if impeached, could pardon his family, friends, contributors, co-conspirators, and accomplices, no matter the crime. But even Attorney General William Barr, no doubt sensing that Trump would barge ahead with efforts to overturn the election, had abandoned his post for the holidays, leaving the chief executive to his own advice and devices, and to ponder whether to resign in return for a pardon granted by his successor, or tor stay, press on, and if thwarted, pardon himself. Why not?
Knowledgeable sources who spoke with WhoWhatWhy suspect that’s why one notable signature was missing from the chiefs’ letter telling the troops to stand down: The commander of US Special Operations, who now answers directly to the secretary of defense, not the Joint Chiefs. If Trump were to call in troops to suppress — or to provoke — an insurrection that would allow Trump to declare martial law and execute a coup d’etat, Special Operations would be the likely candidates.
This report is based on interviews with active-duty and retired military, security and intelligence officers, and sources in Congress and within the Biden transition team. They are actively “gaming” scenarios in which Trump might try to stay in power. They have asked to remain anonymous but confirm stories published elsewhere, indicated below, in which their peers expressed similar concerns.
One such scenario is a threat made by paramilitary groups who participated in the assault on Congress: The fear is that they would mount additional armed attacks on Washington in the days leading up to the inauguration and against statehouses in all the states. That threat prompted the mobilization of an overwhelming show of force in the District of Columbia and environs, which contrasts significantly with the porous defense of the Capitol on January 6; possibly as a result of this show of force, no assaults have materialized.
Biden’s transition team anticipated some of these challenges before the election:
“Military and law enforcement leaders need to be particularly attuned to the possibility that partisan actors will seek to manipulate or misuse their coercive powers for inappropriate political ends. Concretely, at both the state and federal level, partisan actors (including President Trump himself) may seek to deploy law enforcement, national guard troops and potentially active duty military (under the Insurrection Act) to “restore order” in a manner that primarily benefits one candidate, or to participate in efforts that interrupt the process to count ballots. Military and law enforcement leaders need to plan now for these possibilities to avoid becoming unwitting pawns in a partisan battle.”
A City Under Siege
An estimated 25,000 troops drawn from the National Guard of several states have been summoned to Washington. They have erected roadblocks, fencing, and concentric defensive perimeters around the Capitol for the inauguration which the Department of Homeland Security has declared a National Special Security Event (NSSE), extended through the end of the month. Parks are closed, traffic restricted, and vehicles are subject to search. Also, an “air-defense exclusion zone” in effect since 2001 and enhanced since 2007, has now been elevated to a “national air defense zone” — meaning aircraft that fail to identify themselves may be shot down.
In a gesture of supposed reassurance that itself prompts concerns, the Secretary of the Air Force, Barbara M. Barrett, announced that she’s leaving her command the day before the big event to allow the incoming president to appoint his own team.
The Pentagon has ordered an investigation of its own response to what happened on January 6. But that only raises the key question: Who will watch the watchmen?
Imagine this scene.The stage is set. All eyes are on the president-elect as he enters the portico. All it would take, thoughtful observers agree, is a single missile fired from an attack helicopter or fighter, perhaps a mortar, a rocket-propelled grenade, or small wire-guided missile like those used all over the world by US forces. Or drones armed with explosives that might zip from a building outside the perimeter over the fences and into the portico where the new president awaits the oath, ready to move to the White House — an executive mansion abandoned by his predecessor who waits out of sight at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
The agency directly responsible for protecting the inauguration is the Secret Service, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, the US Capitol Police, and the federalized National Guard commanders who answer to the secretary of the army, and he to the secretary of defense. Notably, all these agencies failed to protect the Capitol and Congress on January 6.
All answer in turn to the president as commander in chief, Donald Trump, denounced by Speaker Pelosi as “deranged, unhinged, dangerous”, until Biden is sworn in. And therein lies the bigger, deeper problem: The chain of command has been truncated, key links removed and replaced with Trump’s loyalists.
Quote:Any military action would technically allow Trump to declare a national security emergency, deploy troops to suppress the inevitable demonstrations against a contrived war, perhaps even declare martial law, rule by decree through secret Presidential Executive Action Directives and executive orders pre-authorized by Congress, and thereby delay or suspend Biden’s inauguration and an impeachment trial in the Senate.
Missing Links in the Chain of Command
The Acting Secretary of Defense is Christopher C. Miller, appointed by Trump to replace Mark Esper on November 12 while Congress was adjourned — thus, no hearings were scheduled for his confirmation. Unless he quits before January 20, he will be there until Biden takes office and installs a nominee. Who sits in that chair matters.
Last summer, when state governors refused to ask Trump to send National Guard units to supplement their own forces in faceoffs with Black Lives Matter protesters, Esper resisted Trump’s attempts to invoke the Insurrection Act and dispatch federal troops to suppress demonstrations.
Trump had tested his commanders’ loyalty by having Barr disperse a peaceful protest in Lafayette Square with chemical gas, rubber bullets, helicopters, and baton-wielding police in unmarked uniforms from federal agencies, then marching the military men from the White House gates across the park to a church just for Trump to hold up a Bible and declare that he would use massive force to protect federal property. No matter that he had not been invited to the church, or that it was not federal or even public property. For Trump, a photo-op, the image of the moment, was all that mattered, not the law.
But that’s not how others saw it: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, later recoiled at his own image — strutting behind the president and his daughter in her thousand-dollar pumps. His fellow chiefs warned him that the incident would be highly controversial and divisive, and perhaps provoke mutiny in the ranks if soldiers were ordered to move on civilians..
Trump demanded that mayors and governors “dominate” the protestors and said he would send troops to do the job if they couldn’t — or wouldn’t. Esper joined him in characterizing the cities as a “battle space.” But when Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and pressed Esper to send Special Operations troops from Fort Bragg, NC, to crush protests in DC, Esper demurred.
Instead, at the urging of the Joint Chiefs and all his predecessors still living, Secretary Esper rejected Trump’s demands, branded Trump’s threats illegal, and issued directives reminding officers and their troops of their duty to refuse illegal orders. This cost Esper his job: After the election, Trump fired Esper on Twitter. Miller has shown none of his predecessors’ backbone. Quite the opposite, and that’s what’s bothering the uniformed military who must answer to civilian authority. On his way out, Esper warned on November 4, if Trump imposed someone loyal to him, and not to the Constitution: “And then God help us.”
“Who’s going to come in behind me? It’s going to be a real ‘yes man.’ And then God help us.” —Defense Secretary Mark Esper
Miller’s first actions were troubling: a retired colonel formerly attached to Green Berets, he removed the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) from the purview of the Joint Chiefs. Instead, he placed JSOC directly under his authority — and Trump’s. This created fear among the Joint Chiefs that Special Operations could be ordered into a domestic conflict against their wishes.
Acting Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller addresses the media at the Pentagon, Washington, DC, November 17, 2020. Photo credit: U.S. Secretary of Defense / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Miller aggravated their concerns by appointing as his undersecretary for intelligence and low-intensity warfare — also in an acting capacity and not confirmed by the Senate — Ezra Cohen-Watnik, a naval intelligence officer, CIA operative, and former aide to Michael Flynn.
Following his pardon, Flynn resumed an active but informal role as adviser to the president; he called for Trump to declare martial law, postpone the reporting of votes by the Electoral College, and have the military do the counting. Flynn’s successor at the Defense Intelligence Agency and retired chief of US Cyber Command, Vincent Stewart, also rebuked Trump, and by implication Flynn and Miller. As if racing the clock, Miller set another political timebomb for the Biden team to defuse. He forced the world’s biggest surveillance web, the National Security Agency, to accept a Trump loyalist as its legal adviser.
Another Nightmare Scenario: The Tail Wags the Dog
The maneuvering at the top exposed a deepening fissure in the government, with Trump loyalists trying to retain the levers of power long into the transition. Miller made the Biden team furious by refusing to provide security briefings until Biden’s official confirmation by Congress, putting security at risk at home and abroad.
Sources in the Defense Department and military services told WhoWhatWhy that any attempt to launch attacks against a foreign adversary or to retaliate for an alleged attack on the eve of his scheduled departure would be viewed universally as a dangerous provocation that would generate furious domestic opposition.
The deeper purpose of the Trumpist moves in the military, these sources suspect, is to provide a final option for Trump — what a legendary operative once described as “a last resort beyond last resort and a confession of weakness.” Any military action would technically allow Trump to declare a national security emergency, deploy troops to suppress the inevitable demonstrations against a contrived war, perhaps even declare martial law, rule by decree through secret presidential directives called Presidential Emergency Action Documents and executive orders pre-authorized by Congress, and thereby delay or suspend Biden’s inauguration and an impeachment trial in the Senate. Those, of course, are exactly the result analysts believe to have been the motive for the assault on the Capitol on January 6 which came within minutes of achieving that purpose.
Inside Job?
Security of Congress and the Capitol complex is managed by the US Capitol Police, an autonomous federal agency under the supervision of a commission that includes the sergeants-at-arms of the House and Senate, both of whom submitted their resignations along with the chief, Steven Sund, at the demand of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the targets for “citizens’ arrest” and execution as a “traitor” by the mob intent on stopping the fictional “steal.”
Sund admitted that his office had downplayed its own intelligence report as well as warnings passed from the FBI to its Washington Field Office and Joint Terrorism Task Force, all suggesting that Congress might be attacked by Trump’s supporters, just as they had threatened for weeks since their Million MAGA March of November 16. Because Metro Police had handled that low-turnout rehearsal so handily, Sund told NPR that no one anticipated the Trump rally would turn so violent so quickly and overwhelm the small force — roughly 400 of the 2,000-plus under his command — that protected the vast complex as members met to confirm the electoral college and debate objections.
Within a half-hour of the invasion, Sund called DC Metropolitan Police under Mayor Muriel Bowser, who dispatched another 100 officers in a vain attempt to hold back the mob.
Meanwhile, calls to the DC National Guard were passed up the line to the acting secretary of the army, Ryan McCarthy, who first denied the request to send troops, allegedly because he “didn’t like the optics” of soldiers surrounding the building and arresting the assailants. McCarthy later disputed Chief Sund’s account and suggested that the hard-pressed Capitol and DC Metro Police were unprepared, waited too long to request help, and dithered. McCarthy provided a different timeline to Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), a former Army Ranger who thought he’d have to fight his way out of the House chamber.
Supporters of President Donald Trump storming the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021. Photo credit: Brett Davis / Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Musical Chairs
This broken chain of command included the Department of Homeland Security, whose acting secretary, Chad Wolf, was the fourth to fill the post in an “acting” capacity in four years under Trump. Wolf resigned on January 11 in the midst of the constitutional crisis of succession and inauguration planning, a national special security event requiring close coordination between federal, regional, state, and local authorities. In the post-mortem of the insurrection at the Capitol, analysts contend, this lack of planning amounted to a form of planned negligence by omission.
Both Wolf’s replacement, Pete Gaynor, and his deputy Ken Cuccinelli, defended the department’s cooperation. But when asked point blank whether the president could be trusted not to give orders to stand down if the inauguration were attacked, Cucinelli repeated, “That’s unimaginable.”
The Department of Homeland Security’s role is precisely to imagine the unimaginable, to defend against the unthinkable. And, in fact, the Department of Homeland Security had its own forces standing by — but failed to send them. The agency downplayed the threat to the Capitol. That failure is now under investigation internally, as well as by the District attorney general’s probe into how far the conspiracy to assault Congress had spread, and how high, and whether it was aided and abetted by officials simply doing nothing, by failing to act.
Another unanswered issue is whether that investigation has the explicit blessing of Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, who may yet be named a person of interest as Barr’s sidekick through the department’s surrender to Trump. Comparisons to 9/11, the emergency that prompted Congress to create a Department of Homeland Security and endow it with extraordinary resources and authority, are inevitable, as are the calls for a special prosecutor or a presidential commission to investigate.
But here again, intelligence and law enforcement sources told WhoWhatWhy, the local officials, the Democratic mayor, and congressional leaders hiding in a secure bunker in the bowels of the Capitol on January 6 may have been inhibited by fears of falling into a trap.
Requesting Trump to send the National Guard could conceivably trigger a firefight in and around the Capitol that would kill even more people, giving Trump the excuse he needed to invoke the Insurrection Act or his authority to protect federal property, and declare the national security emergency that would allow him to seize power — even if some of his own perceived “useful idiots” had to be sacrificed along with members of Congress, even his own vice president.
So, instead, they called the governors of Maryland and Virginia, who finally got permission from McCarthy and Miller to dispatch the forces necessary to relieve the beleaguered defenders under siege.
By the time the mob was dispersed and the National Guard arrived two hours later, five people lay dead, including:
A woman from Kennesaw, GA, trampled by her compatriots while carrying a flag saying “Don’t tread on me.”
A man from Pennsylvania who died of a heart attack after allegedly falling on his own taser.
An Alabama man who went from Obama supporter to Trump in 2016, also a medical emergency.
An Air Force veteran shot by police as she attempted to crawl through a window into the hall that led to the House chamber.
At least a dozen of Brian Sicknick’s fellow Capitol officers are under investigation for fraternizing with the rioters, dereliction of duty, and possible collusion in allowing people to enter while Congress was in special session. It emerged that Sund, luckily but reluctantly, had banned visitors and guided tours of the Capitol that day, after Democrats reported that some of their Republican colleagues had given tours of the building to Trump supporters who later participated in the riot. At least six Republican representatives are under investigation for possible censure or expulsion.
Crowd Control vs. Crowd as Cover
Although most of the invaders, brawlers, and rioters were allowed to walk away, about 75 people were detained on-site. Using cellphone data, location apps, selfies, livestream videos, and videos posted on social media platforms, a federal task force went to work tracking the movements of the rioters. One amateur collected and downloaded a trove of terabytes from Parler, the rightwing platform that replaced Twitter as the preferred exchange for Trump’s fans.
Within 10 days, the FBI opened 275 criminal investigations and the US Attorney for the District of Columbia announced nearly 100 arrests.
The federal dragnet continues, but the ragtag crowd itself served as cover for something more sinister: Highly trained military and police. Jacob Chansley, the now infamous “QAnon Shaman,” is an Air Force veteran, as was QAnon follower Ashli Babbitt, who died leading the charge, the movement’s martyred angel. Michael Flynn has posted QAnon slogans repeatedly. Trump, his family, and advisers retweeted Q slogans and memes nearly 300 times over the past two years, according to researchers for Media Matters.
Trump met with “Q influencers” before his rally and riot to “stop the steal.” QAnon believers were active participants in “The Storm” of the Capitol on January 6, also the day of Epiphany (a revelation or appearance of the messiah) in the Christian calendar. That event was for them “the Great Awakening” that made allies and enemies emerge from the shadows. They await the inauguration as fulfillment of apocalyptic prophecy that Trump will return as an avenger to wage war on unbelievers.
The Unthinkable
No sooner had the assault been pushed back than members of Congress and the Biden transition urged the Joint Chiefs to investigate their own ranks for active-duty personnel who might have participated in the attempted coup.
One officer was quickly identified: Capt. Emily Rainey served in a 4th Psychological Operations Group from the 1st Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg until receiving a reprimand for her involvement in protests against the election results last fall. She admitted leading a 100-person contingent of Moore County, NC, Citizens for Freedom that traveled by chartered bus to DC for the rally and march but denied participating in the assault. She has resigned her commission after asserting that she attended the Capitol assault off-duty, as a private citizen exercising her constitutional rights.
The Army’s Criminal Investigations Division has yet to determine how many other attendees from Secretary Miller’s old base were active-duty military. But among the Carolina contingent were veterans who tout membership in a paramilitary group calling themselves “Three Percenters” — a name derived from their estimate that only 3 percent of the population of the 13 British colonies in 1776 were active in that rebellion to form the United States. The number apparently does not include Indigenous people or slaves, and Three Percenters want to keep it that way in their own ranks and the new Confederacy they’d prefer to the current “tyranny.”
The number of participants in the military-style assault on the Capitol has been lost in the images of a motley crowd waving flags outside, milling around Statuary Hall, gazing upward to take photos of the Rotunda like any other tourist, or posing for selfies with pelts and horned hats in the Senate’s august chamber.
This cosplay clown show served as additional cover for a few highly trained, platoon-sized commando units. After gaining access, they didn’t stop to ask police for directions but went directly through the milling mob to the House speaker’s office and the Senate chamber.
Even among this group, one element stood out: A column of a dozen or so in desert camouflage uniforms with patches identifying themselves as “Oathkeepers,” sworn to enforce the Constitution, marching up the Capitol steps in “ranger-file,” one hand on the shoulder of the person in front. One was a woman caught on video barking orders to others in the crowd to break into windows. She also communicated by cell phone with a male superior who told her to “stick with the plan.”
Once inside, they separated to search out “traitors” like Pelosi and especially Pence for the crime of choosing fealty to the constitution over loyalty to his boss.
An Army veteran of Afghanistan, Jessica Watkins, identified herself as the director of the Ohio Regular Militia, an affiliate of the Oathkeepers. She replaced another veteran who had been convicted of possessing explosive devices, including homemade napalm. Another Ohio Regular, photographed emerging from the Capitol and suspected as the male voice talking to Watkins inside, is a Marine veteran of the Persian Gulf War against Iraq, and an avowed racist.
A retired Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Brock, from Texas, led a contingent into the House speaker’s lobby and later appeared in the Senate chamber in battle fatigues holding zip-ties meant for taking hostages. Another man in the same contingent wearing a flak jacket, full camo, and a balaclava was carrying a ring of zip-tie cuffs in the House chamber. Both were arrested.
Likewise, a retired Navy SEAL posted a video praising the insurrection. But when questioned, he said he only wanted to scare the elected representatives: “I wanted them shaking,” he said, but denied that made him a terrorist. Some lawmakers, including veterans, admitted they were terrified of being killed. What, exactly, was their plan?
The insurrection plotters are not saying but investigators who have been monitoring this “chatter” on open websites and encrypted platforms note the specifics that punctuate the bravado with which the posters pump each other up for action, like this message posted by an Army officer associated with the neo-Nazi Atomwaffen SS:
Photo credit: screen shot from Reddit thread.
What’s more alarming than this one post is that it’s not an exception but quickly became the rule among Nazi-inspired paramilitaries working in more disciplined, small, tactical units with comand-and-control via encrypted cellphone apps. They are armed, dangerous, increasingly effective, and ready to strike whenever the opportunity presents. They practice, learn from mistakes, and practice some more.
Other invaders were police, many also ex-military, at least 13 of whom had been identified as suspects by January 16, with more surely to follow.
The aftershocks and blowback continue as the clock ticks toward 12:01 PM Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Whatever the result — the much-fretted and frayed “peaceful transition” to a new president or another explosion of violence, martial law, even civil war — the pressure is building even as the time for action shrinks.
In a disjointed statement, the man in the middle, Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, sounds like he has cracked. Describing his role in the military’s response to the January 6, insurrection and his plans for the inauguration, he said:
I made some notes. I went out, you know, met with the General VanHerck today, and his team. Key tasks were, one, kind of get an update on, um, state of homeland defense, two, make sure that we were synced on not just the inauguration threat, because that’s really like… but at this point there’s a machine that’s cranking on that, but just made it… wanted to talk about the rest of the country, you know, and uh, then listened to his team on the stuff that they’re doing. They’re doing some really, really innovative stuff about, you know, competition and how we do things below the threshold of armed conflict, which I think is kind of really, really important.
Days later, the man between Donald Trump and the troops and the codes to launch nuclear war told us there’s nothing to worry about.
The world holds its breath.
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
31-01-2021, 06:33 AM (This post was last modified: 31-01-2021, 06:34 AM by Peter Lemkin.)
A Major Trump Forum Scrubs Its Archives of Thousands of Pre-Riot Posts
The removal of messages discussing violent plans could bring evidence tampering charges.
Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.
In the days ahead of the January 6 Capitol riot, there were warnings, but no guarantee that the day would turn violent. But users of TheDonald.win, a major online pro-Trump forum, were preparing for a fight, posting maps of the Capitol and swapping messages about being ready to die.
In the wake of the carnage, law enforcement identified TheDonald.win as a key planning platform for the insurrectionists. And on Inauguration Day, the forum established a new domain, rebranding as Patriots.win. Alongside that transition, thousands of posts from lead up to the riot have disappeared from the site as though they were never there.
“Destroying evidence after you’ve committed a crime might itself be a crime.”
Jared Holt, a research fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab who regularly monitors the forum, noticed the change when he recently went to reexamine now-missing messages. The posters’ deleted content included maps of the Capitol, manifestos about their intentions upon arriving, discussion about flouting D.C.’s strict gun laws, and praise of extremist groups like the Proud Boys.
Mother Jones‘s analysis of the site’s existing archives, conducted by cross-referencing what remains with other records, suggests the forum’s administrators removed all posts made between December 19 and January 6. Posts from before and after remain accessible. While the site has not publicly explained the gap, Holt thinks they may have been attempting to protect themselves or their users from legal repercussions. “I think there is a very fair question here whether moderators of The Donald destroyed evidence that would aid law enforcement investigation,” Holt says.
Bennett Gershman, a criminal and constitutional law professor at the Pace University School of Law says the removals could bring additional legal troubles. “Destroying evidence after you’ve committed a crime might itself be a crime. We’re talking about potentially tampering with evidence,” he says. “By removing these communications you’re evidencing a consciousness of guilt. Removing evidence that would incriminate you could be inferred that you engaged in criminal activity.”
To Gershman, the maps of the Capitol, combined with people actually having breached the Capitol, “could be explosive evidence that shows a high degree of planning…It’s like having a blueprint of the bank before a bank robbery.”
While law enforcement could already have copies of these posts, or TheDonald.win’s operators may have backups they could provide as part of an investigatory or judicial process, Gershman cautions that might not make a substantial difference if a prosecutor pursued obstruction of justice or evidence tampering charges against the forum’s administrators.
“If they have private backups, I don’t know if that would help them from charges of removing evidence…The fact that they closed this road shows their intention,” he says. “Why did they remove those posts? There could be lots of inferences. From my experience as a trial lawyer, I’ll let the jury figure out what to infer.”
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
Capitol riot arrests: See who's been charged across the U.S.
Rachel Axon, Dinah Pulver, Rachel Stassen-Berger, Jayme Fraser, Josh Salman, Nicholas Penzenstadler, Katie Wedell, Morgan Hines, David Baratz 1/18/2021 17:59:58
Federal prosecutors continue to charge participants in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, adding to dozens of arrests that took place in Washington D.C. that day.
USA TODAY is gathering details of those cases as the FBI continues to identify the people responsible for the attack that left five people dead and sent lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence fleeing to shelter.
Included are those arrested on charges federal prosecutors have filed since the riot, and those arrested by Capitol Police and D.C. Metro Police for entering the Capitol or for crimes related to weapons or violence. Check back for updates.
Rioting supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington. AP
Search by name
Now showing 87 of 87
Michael Sparks
Arrested or charged on: 1/17/21
Home state: Kentucky
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; Obstructing law enforcement
What happened
The FBI received tips from three people identifying Sparks from photos in the Capitol. According to court records, one tipster identified Sparks as the first to climb through a broken window to enter the Capitol. Surveillance and other video footage show Sparks among a group of rioters led by Doug Jensen. In now viral video, Jensen is shown chasing officer Eugene Goodman up the stairs before Goodman lures them away from the Senate floor. According to court records, Sparks yelled at and confronted a Capitol officer.
A third tipster, "who knows Sparks well," provided the FBI screenshots from Sparks' Facebook account which show him preparing to travel to Washington. In one, he warned, "“TRUMP WILL BE YOUR PRESIDENT 4 more years in JESUS NAME. No need to reply to this just be ready for a lot of big events. Have radios for power loss etc. Love every body," according to court records.
Riley Williams
Age: 22
Arrested or charged on: 1/17/2021
Home state: Pennsylvania
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
A former romantic partner "made several phone calls" to the FBI tipline in the days after the riot, identifying Williams from video footage and saying friends of Williams' showed the former partner video of her taking a computer or hard drive from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. The former partner told the FBI that Williams intended to sell the device to a friend in Russia who would in turn sell it to Russia's foreign intelligence service but that the deal fell through. The FBI is still investigating.
According to court records, the FBI reviewed video from ITV and identified Williams as directing people from the crypt to go upstairs, which lead to Pelosi's office. In an interview at her Pennsylvania home, Williams' mother watched the video and confirmed it was her. Williams' father told the FBI he traveled with her to Washington but they did not stay together throughout the day.
Knowingly enter or remain in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do; and knowingly, and with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government business or official functions, engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct
What happened
The FBI identified Jack Griffith after an informant reported he could be seen in videos wearing a red cap and clear glasses. The complaint includes a screenshot of a post authorities say Griffith wrote on his Facebook page under the name Juan Bibiano: "I even helped storm the capitol today, but it only made things worse. ... Why, God? Why? WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN US? Unless .... Trump still has a plan?"
Damon M. Beckley
Arrested or charged on: 1/16/2021
Home state: Kentucky
Charges
Unlawful entry of a restricted building and disorderly conduct
What happened
In a video taken inside the Capitol, Damon Beckley, wearing a Trump beanie, black cap and tan hood, tried to calm the crowd down in Statuary Hall. "We can go into this room if we all calm down. And if we commit to no violence, OK?" he said through a bullhorn, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported. Prior to the riot, the newspaper reported he gave an interview and stated: "If we're going to come back here and start a revolution and take all of these traitors out, which is what should be done, then we will!"
Conspiracy civil disorders; restricted buildings or grounds; violent entry or disorderly conduct
What happened
Lisa Marie Eisenhart traveled with her son, Eric Munchel, to Washington D.C. The FBI obtained surveillance video from their hotel, the Grand Hyatt, showing them leaving to go to the rally. Video footage from inside the Capitol shows Eisenhart and Munchel near a mob trying to attack two Capitol police officers guarding the entrance to the Senate, the FBI wrote in a statement. The footage shows officers run past Eisenhart and Munchel, then the mother and son follow after them, each holding flex cuffs, the FBI stated.
Edward Jacob Lang
Arrested or charged on: 1/16/21
Home state: New York
Charges
Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees; Civil disorder; Restricted building or grounds; Violent entry or disorderly conduct
What happened
After receiving a tip about Lang's identity, the FBI used his own social media postings as well as media and other open-source images to determine Lang was among those near the front of the crowd at the Capitol's west terrace door. In a screenshot from Lang's Instragram story, which the tipster gave to the FBI, Lang posted a photo of the door with a finger emoji pointing to his location. "This is me," he wrote on the image.
According to court records, the FBI matched those images with social media and photos and video showing a man resembling Lang don a Metro Police helmet, pick up a police shield and engage against officers.
Blake Reed
Arrested or charged on: 1/16/21
Home state: Tennessee
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
A photograph provided by a tipster in the case of Matthew Bledsoe showed him with a man in distinctive ski goggles and respirator, whom the FBI identified as Reed. The tipster provided photos of Reed in the googles and respirator from his Facebook account, and the FBI confirmed his identity with DMV records and other social media, including Pinterest and LinkedIn. The latter showed he went to high school with Bledsoe.
According to court records, Reed wrote on Facebook, “We The People have spoken and we are pissed! No antifa, no BLM… We The People took the Capitol!”
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Disrupting the orderly conduct of government business; Knowingly engages in an act of physical violence against any person or property on any restricted building or grounds; Violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; Engage in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building; Parade, demonstrate, or picket in a Capitol building
What happened
Schaffer, the front man of the heavy metal band Iced Earth, was identified to the FBI by "numerous" people after his photo was posted from the riot. According to court records, photos and surveillance video show Schaffer carrying bear spray and asserts he sprayed Capitol police with it and engaged "in verbal altercations" with officers.
Schaffer's hat says "Oath Keepers Lifetime Member," and court records show he previously attended a November MAGA march with the Oath Keepers, a national extremist group.
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Knowingly engages in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; Theft of government property (under $1,000)
What happened
The FBI received screenshots from Courtwright's now-deleted Instagram and Twitter accounts which show Courtwright outside the Capitol. In screen shots of Instragram direct messages the FBI obtained from a witness, Courtwright tells the witness that she was in the Senate chamber. The FBI confirmed she was in the Capitol from a Washington Post photo and surveillance footage from Capitol Police. In that footage, she is shown carrying a "Members Only" sign, which police took back from her.
Courtwright was identified in a report from kykernel.com at the University of Kentucky, where she is a senior, and her father told the FBI that she walked into the Capitol.
According to court records, on Jan. 6 or 7, Courtwright posted on Instagram, “Infamy is just as good as fame. Either way I end up more known. XOXO.”
Assault on a federal officer; Aiding and abetting destruction of federal property; Obstruction of federal proceedings; Violent entry or disorderly conduct; Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
What happened
Based on a review of video and photos taken during the Capitol riot, the FBI identified Gieswein by his "distinctive paramilitary gear." According to court records, those images show Gieswein push a temporary barrier against officers and spray them with an unknown substance, encourage other rioters to break a Capitol window and then enter the building through it and charge through the building.
According to the FBI's review of Gieswein's Facebook page, he is affiliated with the Three Percenters, a national extremist group. At the Capitol, he had a patch for Woodland Wild Dogs, "a paramilitary training group," on his tactical vest.
Valerie Ehrke
Arrested or charged on: 1/16/2021
Home state: California
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions, engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; Engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol buildings or grounds; Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol buildings
What happened
The FBI received a tip that Ehrke posted a video from inside the Capitol on her Facebook page. Video posted the afternoon of the riot on Ehrke's page is captioned, "We made it inside, right before they shoved us all out. I took off when I felt pepper spray in my throat! Lol.”
In an interview, Ehrke told the FBI that she heard President Donald Trump speak that morning before returning to her hotel. She went to the Capitol after seeing people entering the building.
According to court records, Ehrke's profile page included a photo of a flaming Q and map commonly associated with Q Anon, a far-right fringe conspiracy group that baselessly believes a "deep-state" apparatus operates a child sex trafficking ring and is trying to bring down President Donald Trump.
Leo Kelly
Arrested or charged on: 1/16/21
Home state: Iowa
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry with intent to disrupt the orderly conduct of official business and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
The night of the riot, Kelly appeared in a video posted by a "self-described nonprofit Internet service emphasizing traditional Judeo-Christian principles" in which he says he was on the Senate floor, according to court records. He said he prayed there, and he shared a video from the dais with the nonprofit.
In an interview with The Gazette on Jan. 11, he admitted to entering the Capitol and said, "‘I understand there could be consequences for what happened and I will accept those and deal with them.’”
Restricted building or grounds; Violent entry or disorderly conduct; Obstruction of an official proceeding
What happened
Court records identify Crowl as a member of the Ohio State Regular Militia, a "dues-paying subset" of the Oath Keepers. Members of the national extremist group "believe that the federal government has been coopted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights," according to court records, and specifically focus recruitment on former military, law enforcement and first responders.
The FBI reviewed footage from the riot showing people in reinforced vests, helmets and Oath Keepers paraphrenalia "aggressively" approaching the Capitol. The FBI confirmed Crowl's identity from DMV records, social media and a profile about Crowl in The New Yorker.
In the article, Crowl told writer Ronan Farrow that he was a member of the Ohio State Regular Militia and Oath Keepers and admitted to being in the Capitol that day. Farrow wrote that Crowl's views had become "increasingly radical in recent years, both in his support of Trump and in his expression of racist views." Crowl, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Persian Gulf in 1990, was among the men in uniform breaching the doors of the Capitol, the New Yorker story said.
Obstruction of an official proceeding, destruction of government property and illegally accessing a restricted area.
What happened
A witness told the FBI Pezzola and others said they intended to kill Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, and that they intended to return to Washington on Inauguration Day to "kill every single 'mf-er' they can."
Pezzola used a Capitol Police shield to break an exterior window and then went inside. He posted a video of himself smoking a cigar and saying, "Victory smoke in the Capitol, boys. ... I knew we could take this (expletive) over if we tried hard enough," according to the FBI complaint.
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds
What happened
Jenna Ryan, of Frisco, Texas, is a real estate agent who prosecutors say took a private jet to Washington last week for the Jan. 6 rally. In a Twitter post she said: "It was one of the best days of my life." She also was pictured on a now-deleted Facebook live video saying, "Life or death, it doesn't matter. Here we go," as she approached the entrance to the Capitol.
Justin Stoll
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/2021
Home state: Ohio
Charges
Making interstate threats and threatening a witness
What happened
Justin Stoll posted videos to Clapper and YouTube about his participation in the Capitol riot, according to the FBI. When a commenter said they had saved Stoll's video, the FBI said, Stoll threatened the commenter.
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
What happened
Matthew Bledsoe shot video of himself, wearing a U.S. flag gaiter, walking through the outer door of the Capitol and posted it on social media, the FBI states in an arrest complaint. The agency recieved a tip, which also pointed to a quote by Bledsoe's wife on Facebook. "Matt was inside the Capitol, he was one of the first. .. My husband is a Patriot solider."(sic)
Joshua Lollar
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/2021
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and impeding or disrupting official functions, obstructing or impeding law enforcement officer during civil disorder obstructing federally protected functions, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
A tip reported to the FBI noted Joshua Lollar posted numerous selfies of himself on the Capitol grounds and live video inside the Capitol. An FBI statement indicates he wore a red "Make America Great Again" cap and an armored vest. In a Facebook post at 7:34 p.m. on Jan. 6, he wrote that he had been gassed and fought with police. "I don’t know what we can do, but I’m trying my best to get it done peaceful. We can’t loose [sic] our America.”
David C. Mish, Jr.
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/2021
Home state: Wisconsin
Charges
Unlawful entry on restricted buildings or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
David Mish reached out to the Metropolitan Police Department on Jan. 7 with information about the death of Ashli Babbitt, the FBI stated. A department detective interviewed Mish the next day, the FBI stated, and Mish said he was with several people who went into a bathroom adjacent to the speaker's lobby and that he objected when the group broke a mirror . Mish described Babbitt saying to the officer at the doorway, “Just open the door. They’re not gonna stop," referring to the crowd gathered at the doorway. Mish also said he had cell-phone video showing him near the speaker's door.
Robert Bauer
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/2021
Home state: Kentucky
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
An anonymous caller made a tip to an FBI line saying Robert Bauer and his wife were at the Jan. 6 rally with a cousin, Edward Hemenway. Bauer and Hemenway say they walked toward the Capitol at the direction of President Trump and Bauer's wife went back to her hotel. Bauer and Hemenway told the FBI that after they entered the Capitol, a police officer hugged them, shook their hands and said, "It's your house now."
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
An anonymous caller made a tip to an FBI line saying Robert Bauer and his wife were at the Jan. 6 rally with a cousin, Edward Hemenway. Bauer and Hemenway say they walked toward the Capitol at the direction of President Trump and Bauer's wife went back to her hotel. Bauer and Hemenway told the FBI that after they entered the Capitol, a police officer hugged them, shook their hands and said, "It's your house now."
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds; Disorderly conduct which impedes the conduct of government business; Steal, sell, convey or dispose of anything of value of the United States; Disruptive conduct in the Capitol buildings; Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol buildings
What happened
The FBI received three tips about the identity of a woman in ITV video holding a piece of a wooden sign that had been above House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. According to court records, one of the tipsters shared screenshots from Hernandez's Snapchat account which show her in the rotunda holding the piece of wood from the sign, which the House curator estimated would cost $870 to replace.
Chad Barrett Jones
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/21
Home state: Kentucky
Charges
Assault on a federal officer; Certain acts during a civil disorder; Destruction of government property over $1,000; Obstruction of justice; Unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
A family member identified a man in a video of the mob attempting to break the glass in the door to the speakers' lobby from video the Washington Post published of Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, being shot and killed by a sworn Capitol police employee. In the video, a man in a red jacket and gray cap strikes the windows to those doors at least 10 times, according to court records.
After seeing Jones on the news, the family member spoke with him and told him he needed to contact the FBI or an attorney. The FBI spoke with a friend of Jones', who said he spoke with him the day after the riot and that Jones said he was in trouble, according to court records.
Jacob Hiles
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/21
Home state: Virginia
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions, engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol buildings
What happened
The FBI interviewed a witness who identified Hiles from two videos on his Facebook page and used other social media to confirm his presence in the Capitol during the riot. Hiles - who was wearing a "F--- ANTIFA" sweatshirt and, at times, tan goggles and a tan neck gaiter - posted photos taken inside the Capitol, according to court records. In the screenshot of one post, he wrote, "After being tear gassed for an hour, we entered the capitol, thousands of us."
Cody Page Carter Connell
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/21
Home state: Louisiana
Charges
Assaulting a federal officer; Obstructing law enforcement engaged in official duties incident to civil disorder; Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
A witness who knows both Connell and his cousin, Daniel Page Adams, shared video and photographs he took from the Capitol with the FBI. In a social media conversation the day after the riot, Connell said, "4 of us breached the cops blockade and us same 4 breached the Capitol."
According to court records, the FBI agent who investigated believes Connell intends to return to Washington the week of Jan. 18. A witness told the FBI that Connell "has communicated with at least two other individuals in Texas about purchasing long-rifle firearms, ammunition, and body armor to bring with them" and that Connell said "he was not returning to Louisiana unless he was in a body bag."
Daniel Page Adams
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/21
Home state: Texas
Charges
Assaulting a federal officer; Obstructing law enforcement engaged in official duties incident to civil disorder; Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
A witness who knows both Adams and his cousin, Cody Page Carter Connell, shared video and photographs he took from the Capitol with the FBI. According to court records, the FBI also reviewed social media posts that show Adams at the front of a crowd on Capitol grounds pushing a police line. In a video, Adams appears to engage with police, chasing them up the steps and shouting "let's go!" to encourage the mob. The video ends with a thud and Adams holding his head. In a social media conversation the day after the riot, Connell said, "4 of us breached the cops blockade and us same 4 breached the Capitol."
Connell explained that Adams was his cousin, adding, "When we stormed the cops there was 8 of them and 4 of us so he got clubbed and shot with rubber bullet. But we pushed the cops against the wall, they dropped all their gear and left. That’s when we went to doors of Capitol building and breached it."
Bryan Betancur
Bryan Clooney, Maximo Clooney
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/21
Home state: Maryland
Charges
Restricted buildings or grounds; Unlawful activities on Capitol grounds, disorderly conduct; Unlawful activities on Capitol grounds, parades, assemblages and display of flags
What happened
Betancur is on probation for fourth-degree burglary, but court records indicate he has repeatedly violated the terms of his parole and probation. An affidavit in support of his charges describes him as a "self-professed white supremacist who has made statements to law enforcement officers that he is a member of several white supremacy organizations" and that after his release he "continued to engage racially motivated violent extremist groups on the internet." His probation officer contacted the FBI, sharing that Betancur told him he was in the Capitol on Jan. 6. He later recanted that, the probation officer said. The probation officer's supervisor granted Betancur's in-person request the day before the riot to travel to Washington to distribute Bibles with Gideon International.
Betancur's GPS monitor put him in the vicinity of the Capitol for three hours on the afternoon of Jan. 6, when the riot was happening, and social media photos show him with a Confederate flag on the scaffolding set up for the inauguration, according to court records.
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
What happened
Griffin, an Otero County, New Mexico, commissioner, went past barricades onto a restricted area on the Capitol steps during the riot. He founded Cowboys for Trump, and in a video posted to that group's Facebook page said he "climbed up on the top of the Capitol building and . . . had a first row seat.” He went on to say he would return on Jan. 20, the date of President-elect Joseph Biden's inauguration, and "we could have a 2nd Amendment rally on those same steps that we had that rally yesterday. You know, and if we do, then it’s gonna be a sad day, because there’s gonna be blood running out of that building."
After media reports and his interviews showed him on the Capitol steps, Griffin spoke at a council meeting on Jan. 14, telling his colleagues that he was in the back of the crowd that pushed throug barricades. According to court records, he told the council he intends to return to Washington for the inauguration and has a rifle and revolver in his car.
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions, engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; Engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol buildings or grounds; Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol buildings
What happened
The FBI received a photo of Hatley from a witness showing two men with their faces partially covered in front of a statue of John Calhoun in the crypt at the Capitol from the day of the riot. The first witness told the FBI they had received it from a second witness, whom Hatley had shared it with directly. Hatley also shared his location with that second person through the Life360 app.
According to court records, the FBI subpoenad records from Life360 and they showed Hatley at the Capitol. Surveillance footage from Capitol Police showed a man in the same hat in the crypt. The FBI interviewed the second witness, who records describe as having "a close relationship" with Hatley, and that person provided three photographs they received from Hatley and confirmed his identity.
Brandon Fellows
Age: 26
Arrested or charged on: 1/15/21
Home state: New York
Charges
Restricted building or grounds; Violent entry or disorderly conduct
What happened
The FBI identified Fellows from tips, open-source photos and his own social media posts, which showed him wearing a distinctive USA jacket and fake orange beard at the Capitol. In a CNN interview, Fellows said people were smoking weed in "some Oregon room." According to court records, the FBI matched that with video Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) posted of damage to his office and a DLive streaming video posted on Twitter by far-right media personality Tim Gionet, also known as "Baked Alaska," which appeared to show Fellows with his feet up on the table in that office.
A Bloomberg story reported that Brandon Fellows drove to Washington after seing this tweet from Trump: "Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild."
Civil disorder; Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authorty; Knowingly engages in disorderly or disruptive conduct in an restricted building or grounds; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
The FBI received a tip from a former classmate of Camargo's, who shared screen grabs from his Instagram and Facebook accounts. A second former classmate saved video Camargo posted to his Instagram story, which court records indicate place him on Capitol grounds and then show a clip at a door that supports "that this video shows Camargo actively struggling to gain entrance to the U.S. Capitol Building."
The FBI captured a Facebook post from Jan. 6 in which Camargo says, "I was involved in the events that transpired earlier today."
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
During a live stream from the Capitol, far-right media personality Tim Gionet, also known as "Baked Alaska," called Goodwyn out by name. A Capitol police officer told Goodwyn to leave, and Goodwyn called the officer an "oathbreaker" on the way out, according to court records.
The FBI confirmed his identity with an associate who was messaging Goodwyn on Instagram, where Goodwyn posted, "I didn’t break or take anything but I went inside for a couple of minutes.” According to court records, Goodwyn is a self-professed member of the Proud Boys, an extremist group with ties to white nationalism.
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol buildings.
What happened
Vaughn Gordon wore goggles and a red white and blue scarf in photos at the Capitol. Images of his Facebook page show he posted “Live inside the Congress building. It was worth the tear gas," the FBI stated. He was interviewed for a story in a Louisiana newspaper, The Advocate, stating he went into the building because tear gas drove him inside, according to the FBI complaint.
A tip from an informant alerted the FBI that Peter Stager was the man seen in a video on Twitter using a pole with a U.S. flag attached to strike a Metropolitan Police Department officer.
The officer was blocking an archway as a group tried to breach the Capitol. The crowd dragged the officer down the stairs and he ended up on the ground, where he was beaten with "various objects," the FBI reported. An informant identified Stager in another video as the man saying: “Everybody in there is a treasonous traitor. Death is the only remedy for what’s in that building.”
Stager told authorities he thought the person he was striking was a member of antifa, but the complaint states the back of the uniform clearly states Metropolitan Police. Stager also told the FBI he was "wired up" from being tear-gassed or pepper-sprayed.
Joshua M. Black
Arrested or charged on: 1/14/2021
Home state: Alabama
Charges
Entering a restricted building or grounds, violent entry and disorderly conduct
What happened
Joshua Black called the FBI and admitted he entered the Capitol. In a photograph taken inside, he's wearing a red hat, a camouflage jacket and yellow gloves, and bleeding from his left cheek. In a YouTube video posted two days after the riot, Black says he was hit in the face with a projectile, according to the FBI.
"Once we found out Pence turned on us and that they had stolen the election, like officially, the crowd went crazy. I mean it became a mob. We crossed the gate," he said, according to the FBI. "I wanted to get inside the building so I could plead the blood of Jesus over it. ... I just felt like the spirit of God wanted me to go in the Senate room, you know. So I was about to break the glass and I thought, no, this is our house, we don’t act like that."
Restricted building or grounds; Civil disorders; Violent entry or disorderly conduct
What happened
Sullivan entered the Capitol during the riot, telling the FBI later that he was an activist and journalist even though he had no press credentials. He filmed extensively in the building, following the crowd up to the point where Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer at the entrance of the Speaker's Lobby. He gave the FBI a link to the YouTube account with the username JaydenX and shared a 50-minute video which the FBI confirmed he narrates at points.
According to court records, Sullivan encouraged the mob on and at times argued with officers to leave to avoid getting hurt. He says in the video, “There are so many people. Let’s go. This s--- is ours! F--- yeah,” according to the records.
Peter Harding
Arrested or charged on: 1/14/2021
Home state: New York
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
The FBI reviewed social media posts that showed Harding inside the Capitol and also trying to set fire to camera equipment outside of the Capitol. Two days after the riot, Harding admitted to both to the Buffalo News. "We took the rest of the media equipment that was there," he told the newspaper. "We put it into a pile. That was a symbolic gesture. Nothing burned." The FBI stated Harding recorded a video the next day: "We learned how strong our numbers are. If we can take the Capitol building, there is nothing we can’t accomplish - county government, city government, town government, state government.”
Hunter Seefried
Arrested or charged on: 1/14/21
Home state: Delaware
Charges
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
Seefried entered the Capitol with his father, Kevin, through a broken window. Video on social media showed Hunter Seefried punching out glass in a window that had already been broken. During an interview with the FBI, Kevin Seefried said someone asked his son to help because he was wearing gloves.
Once inside, the men were part of a group that "verbally confronted" Capitol police officers. They were identified after one of Hunter Seefried's co-workers told the FBI the younger Seefried had been bragging about entering the Capitol with his father.
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
Seefried entered the Capitol with his son, Hunter, through a broken window. Kevin Seefriend carried a Confederate flag through the halls of the Capitol. In an interview, he told the FBI the flag is usually displayed outside his home. While inside, the Seefrieds were part of a group that "verbally harassed" Capitol police officers, according to court records.
Seefried was identified after a co-worker of his son's reported to the FBI that Hunter Seefried had bragged about entering the Capitol with his father. In an interview, Kevin Seefried told the FBI that they had come to Washington to hear President Trump speak.
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; Unlawful activities on Capitol grounds, parades, assemblages and display flags
What happened
The former Cleveland Metropolitan School District occupational therapist resigned her job one day after the Capitol riot.
A photo of a woman resembling Priola was posted by the Metropolitan Police Department. Cleveland media outlets reported that her home was searched by the FBI.
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
Off-duty police officers Jacob Fracker and Thomas Robertson posed under a statute of John Stark in the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to federal court records. They were charged for their role in the riots after the officers with the Rocky Mount (Va.) Police were identified in social media posts.
In a now-deleted Facebook post that was preserved as part of the charges against him, Fracker wrote, "Lol to anyone who’s possibly concerned about the picture of me going around... Sorry I hate freedom? …Not like I did anything illegal…y’all do what you feel you need to…”
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
What happened
Off-duty police officers Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker posed under a statute of John Stark in the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to federal court records. They were charged for their role in the riots after the officers with the Rocky Mount (Va.) Police were identified in social media posts.
Robertson defended the pair's decision to enter the building, writing on social media that he was "willing to put skin in the game."
Federal court records quoted his social media, with Robertson commenting on Instagram that, “CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business ... The right IN ONE DAY took the f***** U.S. Capitol. Keep poking us.”
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do, kowingly, and with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of governmnent business.
What happened
Along with a sweatshirt commemorating President Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration, Nicolas Rodean also wore his company name badge when he was photographed inside the Capitol Wednesday. Rodean's employer fired him.
“After review of the photographic evidence, the employee in question has been terminated for cause,” Navistar Direct Marketing said in a Facebook statement. “While we support all employees’ right to peaceful, lawful exercise of free speech, any employee demonstrating dangerous conduct that endangers the health and safety of others will no longer have an employment opportunity with Navistar Direct Marketing.”
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
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Rioting supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington. AP![[Image: 817c29d7-90d9-4447-bbcf-9d04ef581980-Scr...00&dpr=1.5]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/01/07/USAT/817c29d7-90d9-4447-bbcf-9d04ef581980-Screen_Shot_2021-01-07_at_2.39.37_PM.png?width=614&height=566&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp?width=300&dpr=1.5)
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