I consider myself
lucky to be Facebook friends – electronic bosom buddies – with well over a
thousand former students.
I do
admit, however, that I’ve lost a few by arguing that President Trump is the
worst president of my lifetime, and likely to go down in history as the worst
ever. And by a wide mile.
Still, I
try to treat anyone who disagrees with me with the same manners I would have
used in a classroom; so we still argue, even now. Recently, one former student disagreed
with my analysis: That none of the rioters on Capitol Hill so far have been
shown to have Antifa or left-wing sympathies, possibly excepting one.
(Since
then, I’ve found a second; but that’s after checking out the arrests records
and stories on more than 200 names.)
So, when Keith
sent me a link to a story from Gateway Pundit, a website I wouldn’t trust any
more than I’d trust Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene talking about space lasers, I checked it out. The
link claimed to offer evidence that at least 20 people involved in the Capitol
Hill debacle were Antifa types … and somehow, I suppose, that excused all the other thousands
of people who stormed the building and the hundreds who got inside.
I don’t
really know what the logic was.
I do
know, as soon as I checked the evidence, I found that one man they listed, a
man in a Trump hat, who handed a helmet to another rioter to break a window,
was in reality a Trump fan. His name is Christopher Ray Grider and he was
clear when he explained his participation in the riot on January 6. “The president asked people to come and show their support,” he told a
reporter on the scene.
“I feel like it’s the least that we can do.”
A second
“Antifa” type they included on their list, a female see in pictures and videos
from that riot wearing a distinctive pink stocking cap, I also knew was a Trump
supporter. (Because I try to check my facts.) Rachel Marie Powell told a writer
for The New Yorker that she was the lady. She also explained that she
was a vehement mask-denier and voted for Donald J. Trump in 2020.
She’s
#186 on the list (below).
Finally,
I looked at some of the pictures Gateway Pundit was using as evidence. And all I
can say, is, “Holy shit.”
These
may be the worst pictures to use as evidence I have ever seen. So, instead,
here’s what I know about the most recent thirty-plus individuals to get
arrested and charged as part of the riot on Capitol Hill.
170. Seefried, Hunter: Hunter and his dad took a birthday road trip, which included a stop at Washington D.C. They listened to now Reject-President Trump at his rally on January 6. Then they joined the mob that forced a way inside the Capitol Building.
Dad
Kevin accessorized for the riot with a large Confederate flag. (See: Seefried,
Kevin)
*
171. Sidorski,
Dennis: The Virginia man, 46, showed up for a riot wearing a sweatshirt
labeled “American Supremacist.”
Information
about him is limited at this time.
*
172. Nordean,
Ethan (a.k.a. “Rufio Panman”): Nordean bills himself as the “sergeant at arms” of the Seattle
branch of the Proud Boys, an organization described by NPR as “a white
nationalist, chauvinist group.”
The very
opposite of the “Antifa” type, Nordean was filmed in 2018, knocking an
anti-fascist protester out. And Nordean is the type of burly brawler who could
knock most people out, likely with ease. Even his father has expressed dismay,
as Oregon Live has reported in recent days:
“We have tried for a long while to get our son off the path
which led to his arrest today – to no avail,” his father, Mike Nordean, said in a recent email. “Ethan will be held
accountable for his actions.”
As NPR
explains, the evidence against Nordean is damning:
…on Jan. 4, Nordean, who also goes by Rufio Panman, posted a
video on social media with the caption: “Let them remember the day they
decided to make war with us.”
Also in a video shared around the same time, Nordean
interviewed an unnamed person who planned to travel to D.C. For more than an
hour, Nordean spoke of “blatant, rampant voter fraud” in the presidential
election, repeating false claims made by President Donald Trump. He said in the
video, “Democracy is dead? Well, then no peace for you. No democracy, no peace.”
Nordean’s
arrests comes on the same day the Canadian government lists the Proud Boys as a
terrorist organization.
*
173.
Baker, Stephen Maury: It’s not a good sign for Mr. Baker, a musician, that he livestreamed
himself inside the Capitol Building, under the pseudonym, “Stephen Ignoramus.”
One
witness who had known him for a decade said he had become increasingly
concerned with Baker’s comments on social media. Those included, “advancement of conspiracy theories and mockery
of minority groups.” At one point during his foray into rioting, Baker can be
heard saying, “I’m Stephen. I’m a live streamer and a musician. We’re having
fun, huh? Repent and believe in Jesus.”
He has a YouTube
channel; but most of his content has been banned. All that remains are four
videos of him preaching and playing an acoustic guitar. According to the Charlotte
News & Observer:
Several years ago he attended a survivalist
camp in the Virginia mountains, then started his YouTube channel and began
promoting racist, anti-Semitic and conspiratorial theories online, a
co-worker said, according to the Daily Beast.
It also reported that one of his now-deleted
YouTube videos from before the Capitol attack features Baker telling the
audience: “Even if you were a Martian coming down you can see that there is
anti-white, anti-Christian, anti-straight (expletive) going on, regardless of
who you are.”
According to the FBI’s criminal complaint
against Baker, he seemed to be familiar with far-right militias, including
groups called the Oath Keepers and the Red Elephants.
*
174. Bonet,
James: Bonet earned an interesting footnote in coverage of the
riot after he appeared in one video, apparently smoking a joint in the halls of
Congress. According to at least one local newspaper account, Bonet works as a shift manager
in Saratoga Springs, New York.
One witness,
a co-worker, told investigators that Bonet “openly talks about government
conspiracy theories at work and tries to regularly convince” co-workers those theories
are valid.
One of
those theories: The 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump.
Newsweek has
labeled Bonet a “pro-Trump rioter” and notes that his belief in a stolen election
is “a claim that has been dismissed for lack of evidence in nearly 86 court
cases filed by Republicans and the Trump campaign.”
*
175. DeGrave,
Nathaniel J.: DeGrave entered the Capitol Building on January
6, “dressed for success,” as they say in rioting circles. That is: He was decked
out in full tactical gear. In what must have felt like a low blow in court, a
former business partner described him as “unhinged.” According to investigators,
DeGrave and two other men, Josiah Colt and Ronald Sandlin, may have traveled to
D.C. for the same purpose. To overturn election results. (See: Sandlin, Ronald
R and Colt, Josiah.)
*
176.
Sandlin, Ronald R.: According to the Las Vegas Sun, Sandlin posted on social media asking for help raising funds
for his and two friends’ trips to Washington for the January 6 rally.
Sandlin
wrote:
Josiah Colt, Nate DeGrave, and myself have
already booked and paid for our trip to Washington D.C. but we could use your
help and support! Every dollar you contribute to us is a smack in the face to
Antifa. Every penny is a boot in the ass against tyranny. Every Buffalo nickel
is a body slam against China. If you can’t be there in person this is the next
best thing.
“If you
are a patriot[,]” he also posted, “I believe it’s your duty to be there. I see
it as my civic responsibility.”
The Sun
also notes that “extremist Trump supporters” like Colt, Sandlin and DeGrave believed
in storming statehouses to overturn election results. According to an affidavit
of arrest, in one video Sandlin warns,
What is happening to this country is
absolutely horrific, absolutely horrific…we are ready to occupy the state
capitol if needed to…I urge other patriots watching this too, to be willing to
take the capitol…if you are watching this and you are a patriot and are here, I
think it is time to take the capitol and I don’t say that lightly.
Indeed.
Storming
capitols because an election didn’t go your way – that is nothing to say
lightly. (See: Colt, Josiah and DeGrave, Nathaniel J.)
*
177.
Gerding, Christina: ABC News in Chicago says it all with the headline: “Trump-supporting Illinois couple charged
in Capitol riot.” Christina, 46, and husband Jason, 50, have both been charged.
The
affidavit against them indicates that they are supporters of QAnon, a “loosely affiliated network
and community of people who believe in a number of conspiracy theories.” (See:
Gerding, Jason.)
*
178.
Gerding, Jason: In social media posts leading up to the Capitol Hill disaster,
Mr. Gerding asks other “Anons,” people who believe President Trump is fighting
a worldwide conspiracy of cannibalistic liberal pedophiles, if they know of any
good place he and his wife might stay once they reach D.C.
On
December 18, he made his purpose and his wife’s clear on Twitter, posting a
picture of Abraham Lincoln. He captioned it: “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and
the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who
pervert the Constitution.”
Someone should tell Mr. Gerding that Mr. Lincoln
fought to stop men who wanted both to pervert and overthrow the U.S.
Constitution.
That would be a more apt comparison. He could add
a picture of President Jefferson Davis, instead.
*
179. Hemenway,
Edward: Hemenway stormed into the Capitol along with his cousin,
Robert Bauer. Hemenway has excused his participation in the riot, in part, by
noting that one police officer shook their hands as they entered. “It’s your
house now, man,” he told them.
Bauer
later told F.B.I. agents he “believed that the
policeman was acting out of fear.” He also told agents that he was marching
on orders from President Trump.
According to the affidavit filed in their case, when the two
cousins talked to federal agents:
BAUER explained that people in the crowd
were angry about pedophiles, the news cycle, and losing their businesses during
the lockdown.
HEMENWAY explained that he entered the
Capitol out of “curiosity” and “stupidity.” He said that he did not know
Congress was in session on January 6, 2021, but he did know they were
certifying the Electoral College vote. He also knew that Vice President
Pence was going to announce the Electoral College vote.
(See: Bauer, Robert.)
*
180. Hughes,
Jerod Wade: Jerod and brother Joshua, two Montana men, were part of a group
of rioters that chased Capitol Hill Police Officer Eugene Goodman up
several flights of steps after breaking into the building.
Jerod is
accused of kicking a door until a lock broke so more
rioters could enter. (See: Hughes, Joshua Calvin.)
*
181:
Hughes, Joshua Calvin: Joshua and his brother both made it inside the Capitol building and entered the Senate
chamber, where they sat at desks and allegedly rifled the contents.
Both
have been charged with nine different crimes. According to their lawyer, the
pair was “called
to go to Washington due to Trump’s tweets and to be part of a peaceful march on the
Capitol.” (See: Hughes, Jerod Wade.)
*
182.
Lyons, Robert James: Mr. Lyons is a Trump supporter who went to D.C.
to “STOP THE STEAL.”
*
183.
Martin, Zachary: The Springfield, Missouri man was arrested for his part in the riot, and held at the Green
County Jail.
His
mother-in-law explained how she thought Martin got mixed up in the melee on January 6:
Rebecca Olson, 59, of Springfield, said she
watched him become progressively more consumed with the QAnon conspiracy
theory after Bernie Sanders, whom he supported, lost the Democratic
nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“He truly felt this was stolen from him and
that’s when he started falling down the rabbit hole and saying, ’The government
is ruining our lives,’” she said.
She said Martin, who lives in Rogersville,
shifted his allegiance to Trump and spent more time on the internet, leading to
fights with his wife. She said the couple has been estranged for a couple
years; they have three children.
She
later told reporters, “It’s like these people have been programmed and
they really have to be deprogrammed.”
*
184. McAuliffe,
Justin: McAuliffe deleted his Facebook account soon after the riot
on Capitol Hill. Too late! Several individuals provided tips to the F.B.I., including posts that place
the 39-year-old at the scene. One witness explained that she had unfriended
Justin on Facebook after he claimed the coronavirus was “a hoax,” but she still
sometimes checked his page to see what he said.
One
picture he posted from inside the building showed a sticker slapped above an
entry way, presumably by some rioter, that reads, “Democrats are evil.”
In a picture the F.B.I. acquired from another source, McAuliffe is seated in
the office of a member of Congress. He holds his phone in his left hand, flashes
“V” for victory with his right, and sports a “Trump” stocking cap stuck on his
head.
When not
trying to overturn the U.S. government, McAuliffe is a CPA, living in Bellmore, on Long Island.
*
185.
Santos, Hector Emmanuel Vargas (a.k.a “Hector Vargas”): The
headline from the Hudson County View labels Vargas the “Jersey City
Trump supporter.” Reporters for the View note that he was also arrested in
July for making “terroristic threats.”
The Jersey City Times originally referred to Vargas as an “unsung
hero” for community work during the summer to help battle COVID-19.
Sadly, “he was later accused of stealing
donations to charitable causes.”
*
186. Powell,
Rachel Marie: Ms. Powell, photographed in a distinctive pink
hat during the January 6 riot, is both a fervent mask-denier and mother of
eight.
She has admitted
to law enforcement officials that she is indeed the woman in the pink hat seen
in many pictures and videos of that day. She has, however, denied she ever
entered the Capitol.
According
to CBS News,
She’s become known as “the bullhorn lady”
who seemed to have knowledge of the Capitol building’s floor plan. She was seen
on video instructing insurrectionists on where to go.
Powell is of special concern to federal
investigators because if she had that knowledge, it could indicate the
assault was pre-planned.
Powell
explained during a lengthy interview with a writer from The New Yorker,
that she did not vote for Trump in 2016. He gained her support during his first term and she
voted for him in November.
The
writer explained:
Last summer and fall, Powell said, she attended
various protests, including anti-mask rallies. “If there was a protest in
Harrisburg, I was there for almost all of them,” she told me. On July 4th, she
drove for four hours to join members of several far-right groups, some of them
armed, who gathered at the Gettysburg National Military Park, purportedly to
protect Civil War monuments from desecration. At the rally, a man wearing a
Black Lives Matter shirt was surrounded and aggressively questioned by about
fifty demonstrators.
Powell was
in that group.
By
September, she had made up her mind. She would be voting for Trump. “I
appreciate his business mind. Economy-wise, he has it going on. He loves
America,” she said. She added that she “couldn’t vote for the other person. I
really don’t think Biden or Harris will be good for the country.”
On
November 5, she commented to a friend, on social media, “I hear what you’re
saying about the whole world being in on the conspiracy as far as the
corona virus goes.”
Powell
claimed she began to realize that just as people were complacent about being forced
to wear masks, they were complacent about an election being stolen. She
watched Rudy Giuliani’s remarks during a fact-finding hearing at Gettysburg on
November 25, and said, “I learned a lot from Giuliani and people’s
testimonies.” She admitted that she drove to D.C. with a friend, and said they
wanted to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally, but would not confirm any details
of her role in the riot.
A Trump
supporter-come-lately? Yes.
Antifa?
No.
*
187. Revlett,
Jordan T.: The 22-year-old Kentuckian from McLean County was arrested on January 25. Interviewed a few days earlier by
F.B.I. agents, he admitted he was inside the Capitol Building, but said he did
not break in or do damage. He said he and his parents went to Washington to
hear now Reject-President Trump speak and decided to join the march to Capitol
Hill.
The New
York Post, going for irrelevant but interesting detail, notes that two
years earlier, young Mr. Revlett finished fourth in a “sexy farmer” contest. His Twitter
account features pictures of both President Trump and the rapper Lil Wayne, for
what that bit of information is worth.
*
188. Samsel,
Ryan:
Samsel is charged with knocking down a female police officer during the Capitol
Hill attack, causing her to suffer a concussion, when her head hit a step as
she fell.
As a
“bonus,” he is allegedly wanted in an assault charge in South Jersey, too. That
assault involved “the alleged strangling of a domestic violence victim.”
Ever the “gentleman,” however, the affidavit for
his arrest asserts that Samsel then lifted up the fallen policewoman and told
her, “We don’t have to hurt you. Why are you standing in our way?”
According to the Philadelphia
Inquirer,
Later, as rioters pushed closer to the
building, Samsel was filmed fighting a group of officers in riot gear. At one
point during the melee, he tried to wrestle a shield away from one of the
officers, the indictment said.
Federal investigators identified Samsel through a law enforcement
database: He is currently on parole for a 2016 assault conviction in Bucks
County, and there is a warrant out for his arrest in connection with a separate
assault in Burlington County [the New Jersey incident], court records show.
If you
think a handful of liberal types “instigated” the riot on January 6, you should
watch the video where Samsel and others get involved. Samsel is wearing
a red Trump hat, as are many in the crowd. At one point, preparatory to helping
knock down a police barricade, he turns it backwards before going to work.
Just
watch a few punches thrown by others in the mob, to get a sense of what
happened that day.
*
189. Alam,
Zachary Jordan: Alam plays a noteworthy part in the riot on
Jan. 6. He is handed a police helmet, apparently lost in the melee, and uses it
to hammer at and break a window in a door to the Speaker of the House’s lobby.
Once the
window is knocked out, Ashli Babbitt tries to climb through, and is shot and
killed by Capitol police.
Previously,
Alam has run up an extensive arrest record related to unauthorized use of
a vehicle, and has spent time in jail.
His
political loyalties are unknown.
*
190. Schwab,
Katerine Staveley: According to F.B.I. sources, Schwab flew on a private plane to D.C.
along with four others. That includes Jason Hyland, who organized the flight.
She seems to have documented her movements well, including once she joined the
attack on the Capitol. At one point, while inside, she messaged a friend, “After
the girl [Ashli Babbitt] was shot and killed that’s when we raised hell.”
Schwab
told federal agents that she and others aboard the plane were “patriots,” and
wanted to attend the rally where Trump was scheduled to speak. Another member
of the group was Jenna Ryan, also arrested for rioting. Schwab told agents that
Ryan’s posts made her and others look “bad.”
Because
of her “small stature,” she claimed she had been pushed into the building by the
crowd, and said she asked a police officer to help her find a way back out.
(See: Hyland, Jason and Ryan, Jenna.)
A Trump
supporter, in any case.
*
191.
Schwartz, Peter: Schwartz has been charged with assaulting officers of the D.C.
Metropolitan police.
According
to an affidavit for his arrest,
A large group of rioters [including
Schwartz] is gathered near to the group of officers on the west terrace, which
is on the exterior of the building. Individuals in the group of rioters engage
in a wide range of violent and non-violent conduct including chanting, throwing
things, striking officers, and spraying substances such as bear spray and mace
at the group of officers.
In a video
reviewed by federal agents, Schwartz allegedly extends his arm “out from the
crowd toward the group of officers and sprays an orange substance from a black canister
directly at the group of officers. The orange substance lands near the face of
an unidentified officer, causing him to turn his face away and step backwards.”
In a
footnote, a belief is expressed that the substance was “pepper spray.” Whatever
it was, “The officer appears to try to avoid inhaling the orange substance.”
According
to one witness (W-1) who spoke with the F.B.I., Schwartz’s legal problems may
prove extensive.
W-1 stated SCHWARTZ is a felon and was
released from prison due to COVID-19. W-1 also stated that SCHWARTZ is employed
as a traveling welder. According to W-1, SCHWARTZ was supposed to be at a
rehabilitation facility in Owensboro, Kentucky on January 6, 2021.
On
Facebook, the day after the riot, Schwartz posted warning: “All the violence
from the left was terrorism. What happened yesterday was the opening of a
war. I was there and whether people will acknowledge it or not we are now
at war. It would be wise to be ready!”
He also
expressed the belief that Biden did not win the popular vote.
If
convicted of all charges against him, Schwarz could be sentenced to
26 years in prison and fined $600,000.
*
193. Simon,
Mark:
The F.B.I. says it located a blog post at www.orangejuiceblog.com titled
“From HB to DC: [Individual 1] and tanned BF help Storm the Capitol for Trump!”
The post included images and video of a female and male, who the blog claimed
were at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
HB stood
for “Huntington Beach,” and a video from Individual 1 helped agents identify
Simon as one of the rioters. Both Simon and Individual 1 were there to “Stop
the Steal.” At one point, Individual 1 films Simon, then turns the camera to
himself and says, “2021 Donald Trump!”
According
to the Los Angeles Times, Simon is “known for his far-right views.”
*
194. Smith,
Jeffrey Alexander: In a number of social media posts, Mr. Smith
allegedly admits his bit part in the riot. According to his affidavit, in one
post he reports, “I stormed the capital” He also stated that his purpose was, “To
send a message that Americans are[n’] t going to take a fraudulent election.”
Smith also wrote to a friend, “There is no way in hell I was going to drive 38
hours from San Diego and not walk right through the front of the capital [sic]
building.”
Smith
did have the sense (or so he said during questioning by the F.B.I.) to tell his
girlfriend, who traveled by air to D.C., to remain at the hotel where they were
staying, rather than risk chaos on Capitol Hill. He has been described as a 33-year-old, decorated war veteran, who
served in the U.S. Army.
In the words of his
lawyer, “Mr. Smith went there to attend what he anticipated to be a very
peaceful rally with other supporters of President Trump, and had absolutely
no intention of anything happening, of entering any buildings.”
Yes. He drove 38
hours for a what he expected would be “a very peaceful rally.” Not just a
“peaceful rally.”
A very peaceful rally.
CBS Channel 8, in
San Diego, also reports, “According to court records, in 2018 Smith’s
now ex-wife filed a restraining order against him. She now lives in Colorado
with their two children.”
*
195. Stepakoff,
Michael: An affidavit for his arrest places him firmly inside the
Capitol Building. To be fair, by the time he enters, the mob has filled the
rotunda and Stepakoff simply walks in.
On
social media, he posts a set of pictures of himself outside the building,
captioned, “Epic and historical moment.”
Another post
to a Facebook account in the name of “T*** S********” states: “Update on
Michael y’all…please continue to prayers [sic] for his protection and to be
safe. He texted me privately and said he is okay but it’s very dangerous where
he is- He was inside the Capital Building…” According to federal agents T.S. is
Stepakoff’s spouse. Stepakoff is described as a “messianic rabbi” from Palm Harbor, Florida.
The Tampa
Bay Times notes that Stepakoff is a former lawyer and has been released on
bail. As for his beliefs: “Messianic Judaism is a syncretic religion that combines Jewish
traditions with Christianity, including the belief in Jesus as the Jewish
Messiah. Most Jews consider it rooted in Christianity and not representative of
their faith, according to the Pinellas County Board of Rabbis.”
His lawyer described him as a family man, a
“strong Republican,” and firm in his political convictions.
In a Facebook post the day before the riot,
Rabbi Stepakoff posted to now Reject-President Trump’s now Reject-Twitter
account: “I am proud to be an American, and I made the trip up from Florida to
support the effort to save America. DC swarming with MAGA people. We’re not
gonna take it! Thank you President Trump!”
*
*
198.
Williams, Troy Dylan: Williams is the seventh individual from
Kentucky arrested in the wake of the Capitol Hill riot. He and two other men traveled
to D.C. together. One fell ill and did not go to the Trump rally on January 6,
nor take part in the riot. Williams says he joined the rush inside under the
influence of a kind of “herd mentality.” (See: Crase, Dalton Ray.)
*
199. Hostetter,
Alan:
Hostetter has not been arrested yet, but the F.B.I. did raid his home in
the wake of the riot. He and Russell Taylor run the American Phoenix
Project, which co-sponsored a pro-Donald
Trump rally
near the Supreme Court, the day before the Capitol Hill attack. At that time, as
CNN reports, Hostetter
told a crowd to prepare for “war tomorrow” against “vipers” in Congress who
refused to nullify President Joe Biden’s win. Taylor added: “We will not return
to our peaceful way of life until this election is made right.”
“We are
at war in this country,” Hostetter told the audience gathered for the rally. “We
are at war tomorrow.”
He continued, “Our voices tomorrow are going
to put the fear of God in the cowards and the traitors, the (Republicans in
name only), the communists of the Democrat Party, they need to know we as a
people, a hundred million strong, are coming for them if they do the wrong
thing.”
“I will see you all tomorrow at the
frontlines,” Hostetter said as he ended the speech. “We are taking our
country back.”
(See:
Taylor, Russell.)
*
200. Taylor,
Russell: Not yet arrested or charged with taking part in the riot,
Taylor and his friend, Alan Hostetter, did fire up a crowd of Trump supporters
on January 5. “We are at war,” he told his listeners.
CNN also
reports that Taylor expressed support for QAnon in his
speech and issued a call-to-arms, saying, “In these streets we will fight, and
we will bleed before we allow our freedom to be taken from us.”
His
lawyer now claims that Taylor was speaking metaphorically, and would never want
any literal blood to flow in the streets. Why, his client absolutely abhors
violence, don’t you know!
CNN
notes: “Taylor and
Hostetter are well-documented promoters of conspiracy theories ranging from
QAnon and the ‘deep state’ to those related to the Covid-19 pandemic and the
2020 presidential election.”
(Court
documents related to a search warrant for the homes of the two men remain under
seal.)
*
201.
Hyland, Jason Lee: The 37-year-old from Colleyville, Texas
gathered a group of like-minded “patriots,” as his friend
Katherine Staveley Schwab described them, and flew his private plane to D.C.
There he and four others listened to Trump speak on Jan. 6. Then Hyland and two
additional members of the group allegedly joined in the riot.
Hyland told
F.B.I. agents he asked a Capitol Hill police officer if he could enter
the building, and that officer replied, “everyone else is.” (See: Ryan, Jenna
and Schwab, Katherine Staveley.)
According
to People magazine, Hyland and Staveley are both real estate agents and Trump supporters. Staveley
is said to have posted on Facebook in the days leading up to the riot, to see
if any other Trump-loving patriots wanted to join them on what Hyland himself labeled the “Patriot flight.”
They
would embark on an adventure to “stand up for America,” he promised those who
wanted to go.
*
202.
Grace, Jeffrey: Grace, 61, from Battle Ground, Washington, is
facing up to a year in prison after being arrested for his part in the insurrection.
Grace told federal agents that he and his son visited Washington to hear Trump
speak at the “Save America March” on January 6. He and his son left the rally,
headed for Congress, but were separated on the way. He claims that while he was
inside the Capitol, he picked up items other rioters had knocked over and left
when violence ensued. He says he saw one man with a metal pipe, took it from
him, and hid it.
According
to Clark County Today, Mr. Grace’s story may hold up, at least in part:
According to the court documents, FBI agents
obtained closed circuit camera footage from inside the rotunda which confirmed
that Grace was present, wearing a shirt with a Betsy Ross-style American flag
on it.
The video reportedly also showed Grace
picking up items, hiding something behind a statue, and reattaching velvet
ropes knocked over by other protesters. After speaking with someone else
briefly, Grace can be seen leaving the building.
According to the documents, Grace claimed he
was not a member of any group, and did not advocate violence, though he
admitted to knowing people belonging to groups such as the Proud Boys, Three
Percenters, and the 1 Percent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.
At any
rate, a Biden kind of guy, or a liberal, Mr. Grace is not.
POSSIBLE LIBERAL TYPE
2.
Ortiz, Christopher: Ortiz, 27, bragged to a friend on Instagram that he would “storm
the Capitol for you any day.”
His
Instagram handle is “@crisp0ats.”
Still,
we may have an actual non-Trump fan at last! Prior to his first court
appearance, Ortiz told the Daily Mail that
he was only trying to “understand” the pro-Trump mob.
“I’m not
somebody who walks around wearing a MAGA hat, I’m not that kind of person,” he
said. “I wanted to understand what’s going on with the people I don’t really
align with.” He told friends he did nothing but walk in the door of the Capitol
Building, look around, and walk back out soon after.
Then
again, Ortiz sounded quite sympathetic to the rioters. “I think the
sensationalism around the violence at the riot isn’t right. I don’t think it
was violent, I didn’t vandalize, I didn’t steal, I didn't break anything, I
didn’t burn anything,” he told a reporter for News 12.
“There
on D.C. that day, I saw a group that represents about half of our entire
country. And I feel like the division across this nation is reaching a high.”
On that
count, he’s correct. (See: Sullivan, John.)
No comments:
Post a Comment