Tag: insurrection

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Police Officers Testify Before House Committee On Jan 6 Insurrection

Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn testifies before the select House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection

The first day of testimony before the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection featured four police officers who shared in devastating detail the verbal and physical assaults they experienced that day at the U.S. Capitol building. Continue reading “Police Officers Testify Before House Committee On Jan 6 Insurrection”

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‘QAnon Shaman’ Could Cut A Plea Deal On Capitol Riot Charges

Jacob Chansley, aka the QAnon Shaman, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the Jan 6 Capitol Building invasion

Jake Angeli, aka the 'QAnon Shaman'
Jake Angeli aka ‘QAnon Shaman’ (screen capture)
The infamous “QAnon Shaman,” probably the most recognizable figure to take part in the violent riots at the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, is apparently in negotiations for a plea deal after psychologists diagnosed him with multiple mental illnesses. From KFGO:

In an interview, defense lawyer Albert Watkins said that officials at the federal Bureau of Prisons, or BOP, have diagnosed his client Jacob Chansley with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.

The BOP’s findings, which have not yet been made public, suggest Chansley’s mental condition deteriorated due to the stress of being held in solitary confinement at a jail in Alexandria, Virginia, Watkins said.

“As he spent more time in solitary confinement … the decline in his acuity was noticeable, even to an untrained eye,” Watkins said in an interview on Thursday.

Chansley, of Arizona, was photographed inside the Capitol wearing a horned headdress, shirtless and heavily tattooed. He is a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theory that casts Trump as a savior figure and elite Democrats as a cabal of Satanist pedophiles and cannibals.

Jake Angeli - the QAnon Shaman Chansley currently faces charges of civil disorder and obstructing an official proceeding. He’s garnered headlines since he was arrested for demanding an organic diet while in prison. He’s also said he is now “deeply disappointed” in Donald Trump.

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First Capitol Riot Felony Sentencing – 8 Months In Prison

January 6 invasion of the Capitol building

(screen capture via YouTube)
Paul Hodgkins, 38, is now the first insurrectionist convicted of a felony to be sentenced. After pleading guilty last month to obstructing congressional proceedings on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol building, the Florida man was sentenced to 8 months in prison. That falls well below the recommended sentencing guidelines of one to two years. Prosecutors had asked for 1.5 years. But District Judge Randolph Moss chose to ignore that recommendation. Moss noted that, while Hodgkins contributed to a grave offense against democracy, he deserved some leniency because he pleaded guilty “exceptionally early,” wasn’t involved in violence and issued a “sincere” apology. According to CNN, almost 550 rioters have been charged, and the Department of Justice says at least 230 of them have been charged with the same obstruction-of-Congress crime to which Hodgkins pleaded guilty. Read more at CNN.

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Capitol Rioters Are Erasing Social Media Posts As Fast As They Can

January 6 invasion of the Capitol building

(screen capture via YouTube)
Remember all those social media posts where the Capitol insurrectionists were all sooooo proud they did something…? From the AP:

They flaunted their participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol on social media and then, apparently realizing they were in legal trouble, rushed to delete evidence of it, authorities say. Now their attempts to cover up their role in the deadly siege are likely to come back to haunt them in court.

An Associated Press review of court records has found that at least 49 defendants are accused of trying to erase incriminating photos, videos and texts from phones or social media accounts documenting their conduct as a pro-Donald Trump mob stormed Congress and briefly interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.

Experts say the efforts to scrub the social media accounts reveal a desperate willingness to manipulate evidence once these people realized they were in hot water. And, they say, it can serve as powerful proof of people’s consciousness of guilt and can make it harder to negotiate plea deals and seek leniency at sentencing.

Funny how that works… Did they really think they’d get their anti-American jollies done and not have anything happen to them??? More than a dozen Capitol rioters have already pleaded guilty, out of more than 510 defendants. And prosecutors are filing new cases at a steady clip.

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News Round-Up: June 3, 2021

Initial unemployment claims dropped below 400K for the first time since pandemic began

Initial unemployment claims dropped below 400K for the first time since pandemic began Some news items you might have missed: • CNBC: The labor market continues to improve as initial jobless claims fell to 385,000 last week. The last time claims were lower was the week of March 14, 2020, with 256,000. The number spiked to nearly 3 million the following week and peaked at more than 6.1 million in early April as governments across the U.S. shut down businesses in an effort to slow the coronavirus spread. • Instinct Magazine: In honor of Pride month, the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) will stream for one week only Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City The Musical. The 2011 show will stream at Broadway On Demand’s National Theater Network. • Edge Media: A viral video about a 73-year-old man coming out and being celebrated by his neighbor has taken the internet by storm. “My dad’s neighbour just came out as gay at 73!” reads the video’s caption. “His family aren’t supportive. So Dad did this to show him he is not alone.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CPlDYz8DR0e/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • Washington Post: U.S. prosecutors this week put a price tag for the first time on damage to the U.S. Capitol from the Jan. 6 breach — $1.5 million so far — and are asking defendants to cover some of that in plea offers. Prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington are seeking to require restitution of $2,000 in each felony case and $500 in each misdemeanor case. • Delusional: Writing for the National Review, Charles Cooke reports, “Donald Trump does indeed believe quite genuinely that he — along with former senators David Perdue and Martha McSally — will be ‘reinstated’ to office this summer after “audits” of the 2020 elections in Arizona, Georgia, and a handful of other states have been completed. • Twitter: The U.S. Embassy at the Vatican is flying the rainbow flag for Pride Month and a host of Republican politicians, religious right leaders, and far right media figures are losing their minds that the government would promote tolerance.

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$90K Seized From Man Who Sold Footage Of Rioter Getting Shot At Capitol Invasion

January 6 invasion of the Capitol building

(screen capture via YouTube)
John Earle Sullivan, of Utah, has had $90,000 confiscated from him after he sold video footage of a woman being fatally shot during the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building on January 6. Sullivan has also been charged with entering the building unlawfully and taking part in the invasion. From Reuters:

According to the court filings, Sullivan portrayed himself as an independent journalist who was reporting on the chaos, but actually encouraged other participants to “burn” the building and engage in violence.

Sullivan recorded video of the confrontation between rioters and police just outside the U.S. House of Representatives chamber that included the shooting of protester Ashli Babbitt and, according to court filings, boasted to an unnamed witness that “my footage is worth like a million of dollars, millions of dollars.”

Sullivan sold that footage to several news outlets for a total of $90,000, according to a seizure warrant.

More than 440 individuals have been charged for taking part in the attack by Trump supporters which left 5 dead and over 100 police officers injured.

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Prosecutors Have Filed Charges On 411 Capitol Invasion Suspects

Police officer crushed in doorway at U.S. Capitol

Police officer crushed in doorway at U.S. Capitol
(screen capture)
The Washington Post reports federal prosecutors have filed charges against 411 suspects in the January 6 invasion of the Capitol building including about 75 people charged with assaulting police officers. Nearly 70 are current or former U.S. military service members, law enforcement or government officials who swore to uphold the law. The Post also notes that  most of the defendants (181 of 411 or about 44 percent) won’t serve time at all because they are charged with low-level misdemeanors like trespassing or disorderly conduct. Read the full article.

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Proud Boys Leader Lashes Out At Trump

Ethan Nordean (circled) in a photo provided by the Justice Dept and Eddie Block Films

Ethan Nordean (circled) in a photo provided by the Justice Dept and Eddie Block Films
Ethan Nordean (circled) in a photo provided by the Justice Dept and Eddie Block Films
So, now they’re mad. Now that they’ve been made a fool of.

“Fuck Trump! Fuck him more than Biden. I’ve followed this guy for 4 years and given everything and lost it all. Yes he woke us up, but he led us to believe some great justice was upon us…and it never happened. Now I’ve got some of my good friends and myself facing jail time cuz we follow this guy’s lead and never questioned it.”

More from USA Today:

Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean lashed out at President Donald Trump, accusing him of misleading his supporters and then deserting them despite their unwavering loyalty.

“We are now and always have been on our own. So glad he was able to pardon a bunch of degenerates as his last move and s— on us on the way out,” Nordean said in an expletive-laden message about the former president. “F— you trump you left us on [t]he battle field bloody and alone.”

Nordean is one of several members of the extremist group with ties to white supremacy whose members describe themselves as “Western Chauvinists.” He’s among the more than 400 people who have been charged for their alleged roles in the deadly assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Read the full article here.

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US Marine Corps Officer Arrested For Taking Part In Capitol Invasion

Christopher Warnagiris (image via Justice Dept)
A U.S. Marine Corps officer is about to go through some stuff after being arrested for taking part in the January 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol. From the Department of Justice:

An active duty U.S. Marine Corps commissioned officer stationed at the Marine Corps Base Quantico was arrested today in Virginia and charged with crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Major Christopher Warnagiris, 40, of Woodbridge, is charged with federal offenses that include assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and obstruction of justice, among other charges.

According to court documents and security camera footage, Warnagiris violently entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, after pushing through a line of police officers guarding the East Rotunda doors. Once inside, Warnagiris positioned himself in the corner of the doorway, using his body to keep the door open and pull others inside.

When a U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer tried to pull the doors shut, Warnagiris refused and continued pushing it open. Warnagiris can be seen pushing the officer in an effort to maintain his position in the open door in security camera footage

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Capitol Riot Suspect Who Stole From Pelosi’s Office Released Pending Trial

William Robert Norwood III (image via FBI)

William Robert Norwood III (image via FBI)
William Robert Norwood III (image via FBI)
A U.S. Capitol insurrectionist who bragged about stealing body armor, lying to the FBI, breaking into Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office and stealing items has been released from custody prior to his trial. From The Daily Beast:

Despite the fact that Capitol insurrectionist William Robert Norwood III allegedly stole body armor, lied to the FBI, and “led a pack of rioters through the inner sanctum of Speaker Pelosi’s office space” where he lifted a paper coaster, he has been released pending his trial, according to Department of Justice documents seen by The Daily Beast.

He is charged with two felonies: obstruction of an official proceeding and theft of government property.

Norwood, who goes by Robbie, boasted to family members about assaulting a law enforcement officer, according to court documents. “It worked,” he wrote to family members. “I got away with things that others were shot or arrested for.”

He went on to brag of his bounty. “I got a nice helmet and body armor off a cop for God’s sake and i disarmed him,” he wrote in messages to friends and family. “Tell me how that works.”

Norwood is being released due to his lack of a criminal past. The Daily Beast had previously reported that Norwood had bragged to his brother that he “fought 4 cops” at the riot after dressing as “antifa” members. “I’ll look just like ANTIFA. I’ll get away with anything.” He also shared a selfie in a group chat in which he appeared to be wearing a Capitol Police vest. His brother responded: “What the actual fuck is wrong with you?”