5/28/21: Today the U.S. Senate faced the test. Would there be Republicans enough with nuts to vote to set up a commission to study the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill? Sixty votes would be required to avoid a filibuster led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the most nut-less man in America.
____________________
“I don’t want to know, but I need to know.”
Sen. Lisa
Murkowski
____________________
As predicted, the measure failed on a 54-35 vote, with a mere six Republicans joining 48 Democrats in favor.
Sen.
Lisa Murkowski, one of that half dozen, admitted that it would be tough for her party to delve into the
story. “I don’t want to know, but I need to know,” she
admitted. “To be making a decision for short-term political gain,” as most GOP
colleagues did, and several had confessed they planned to do, “at the expense
of understanding and acknowledging what was in front of us on Jan. 6 — I think
we need to look at that critically.”
The five other GOP senators who voted “yes” included Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Bill Cassidy, and Rob Portman (who managed a flash of courage because he’s not running for reelection).
A seventh Republican, Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, said he would have voted for the commission, but missed the vote.
(He did at least vote to impeach Donald J.
Trump.)
Otherwise, the GOP was like a party of eunuchs. Even an appeal from Gladys Sicknick, mother Brian Sicknick, the police officer slain in the attack, could not sway Mitch and the other cowards.
We should also offer a special award for spinelessness to those who not only didn’t vote for creation of a commission, but didn’t vote at all. This will allow them to disguise their lack of courage by claiming they had other duties to attend. Including Sen. Toomey there were nine Republican no-shows:
Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri
Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana
Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina
Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma
Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota
Sen. James Risch of Idaho
Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama
Typically, Sen. Blount said he missed the vote because it was important that he keep a commitment to show up at the dedication ceremony for the renovated Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield.
(If you’ve never heard of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, fought
on August 10, 1861, the Confederates won.)
So, the people sans spines notched a win, and the Capitol Hill rioters continued to get arrested, even as Republicans were voting not to examine who those rioters were. But never fear. We are here to help.
We provide the kind of information even the nut-less Sen. McConnell and his poltroon pals might understand. (See: 6/5/21.)
Postscript: We should note that two Democrats, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who cited a “personal family matter” as reason for not voting in favor, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, failed to cast votes.
Sen. Sinema had called a vote in favor “critical” but was not present during the roll call. She too claimed she had a “personal family matter” to address.
___
6/5/21: Since Republicans in Congress don’t want to dig into the dung pile story of Jan. 6, and the attempted insurrection, we are happy to help. Today, we continue to examine the backgrounds of the anti-democratic individuals who tried that day to shut down the counting of the electoral votes in the 2020 election.
Deep in their souls, leaders of the Republican Party already know who tried to shred the U.S. Constitution on that fateful day.
They just hope we’ll all forget before we vote again in 2022,
and even more importantly, in 2024.
____________________
“I hesitate to say this, but he and others like him are like the American Taliban.”
A friend of one
of the Capitol Hill rioters.
____________________
Picking up the numbering, where I left off in my last post on this topic, here are some of the recent arrests. If you are not blind, deaf, dumb, lacking a sense of taste and touch, and a believer in Q-Anon, you should quickly see a trend:
278. Joseph Hackett: Hackett,
Jason Dolan and William Isaacs (see below) are Florida men and members of the far-right Oath Keepers group. All three, and a fourth
alleged accomplice, are charged with participating in a violent conspiracy.
*
279. Jason Dolan: See
above.
*
280. William Isaacs: See
above.
*
281. Unidentified Individual: Federal authorities are still looking for a fourth associate of Isaac, et. al, also a member of the Oath Keepers.
As of June 2, at least nineteen members of the Oath Keepers had been charged for their roles in the attack on Capitol Hill.
That’s nineteen right-wingers, and zero Antifa types, if
you’re keeping score, as this blogger is.
*
Cooke County Republican precinct chair charged.
282-283. Mark and Jalise Middleton: The Texas couple gave themselves away by posting proudly on Facebook
about their role in the attack. That included jabbing flags in police officers’
faces.
A video they posted from that day included the following caption:
We are on the front lines. We helped push down the barriers. Jalise and
I got pepper sprayed, clubbed, and tear gassed. We had to retreat, but more
patriots pushed forward, and they’re taking back our house. They’ve got the
giant flag up on the upper terrace up there. No more fooling around! Jalise and
I gotta go back to the hotel and try to recoup and change, get dry clothes on.
Make America great again! Freedom!
Or, as Fox News 29, out of Philadelphia put it,
Mr. and Mrs. Middleton were two more cogs in “a violent mob loyal to former
President Donald Trump [that] stormed the U.S. Capitol.”
According to their LinkedIn accounts, Mark is a former cub master for the Boy Scouts, a licensed pilot, and a volunteer firefighter. Jalise works as an account executive for Angels Care Home Health. She enjoys “providing community education and hosting public speaking engagements.”
After Mrs. Middleton joined in pummeling law enforcement officers, she allegedly posted to social media, “We fought the cops to get in the Capital [sic] and got pepper sprayed and beat but by gosh the patriots got in!”
If you’ve never noticed, Trump fans are quick to label themselves “patriots” and equally quick to paint foes as “traitors” who want to destroy the U.S. Consti…
Oh, wait.
According to a Texas newspaper, the Gainesville Daily Register,
Mark Middleton is listed as a
precinct chair on the Cooke County Republican Party’s website and a salesperson
with Muenster-based Nortex Communications on social media.
Nortex Network Operations
Manager and Cooke County GOP Chairman Chris McNamara said Thursday that Mark
Middleton worked for Nortex for a short time “but as of now he is no longer
employed with us.”
*
284. Traci Sunstrum: Speaking of “patriots,” Ms. Sunstrum was indicted after authorities identified her inside the Capitol during the assault on democracy. She stood out nicely in stars-and-striped pants.
Sunstrum (or Sunstrom) appears to be a fan of Q-Anon conspiracy theories; but nothing definitive yet on that matter.
The Department of Justice lists her as Traci J. Sunstrom in at least one document.
She is charged with:
Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds.
Disorderly and Disruptive COnduct in a Restricted Building or
Grounds.
Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building.
Parading, Demonstrating or Picketing in a Capitol Building.
*
285. Yvonne St. Cyr: Countless rioters from that day have touted their own patriotism. Our next example is St. Cyr, 53. According to F.B.I. reports, the Idaho woman live-streamed video of “the destruction of an office window from within the Capitol and continued to record herself standing in the window and shouting at the crowd located on the west side of the Capitol grounds.”
At one point, she crows happily, “Patriots are in our house!” and shows other “patriots” trashing what looks like a conference room.
St. Cyr notes that she will soon
need to charge her phone. Then she adds, “Super sad that
this is America, and Americans are being beaten for wanting to save their
country. So welcome to communist America ...”
Finally, she then turns the
camera on herself to create what might be the most unflattering shot from the
entire day:
Last December, we also know that St. Cyr was arrested after disrupting a meeting to discuss mask mandates for Boise.
(She’s against them.)
After St. Cyr appeared, hanging out a broken Capitol Building
window and screaming like a “mad woman,” in CNN’s coverage of the riot on Jan.
6, she claimed, “God
put me in that window.” Then she added, “So hey, maybe I’m going to get arrested again, but I would get arrested
and I would die for this country. So no regrets.”
Checking two more right-wing-nutty boxes, she claimed on Facebook that the election was “stolen” and posted in support of various Q-Anon myths. Her husband Troy shares similar beliefs, and also traveled to D.C. for the “Stop the Steal” rally. (He has not been charged.) On Jan. 23, his wife posted a comment on his Facebook page, after hers had been closed for spreading disinformation. Of Mr. Biden, she said, “Stupid people seriously think he’s really the President lol.”
(Such as: former VP Mike Pence, who had the decency to show
up at the inauguration on January 20.)
*
286. Pam Hemphill: Ms. Hemphill, another active rioter from the right, was indicted for her alleged role on Jan. 6, after – like so many dopes – posting on social media about her part in “making history.”
Bad history, true.
As the Idaho Statesman reports, Hemphill posted videos on YouTube and live-streamed on Facebook before and on Jan. 6, though her YouTube channel and Facebook page were later deactivated.
However, some videos she recorded were
shared across social media, including one showing Hemphill move past a police barricade,
before turning around to show police pushing back against the mob.
In another video shared on
Facebook, Hemphill is recording just
outside of a partly shattered Capitol door. She is heard telling another man
her “knees are broke” and that several people “walked over her.” She adds that
she was one of the first people to pass the police barricade…
“We broke the same glass in Boise,
Idaho,” Hemphill said to others near the damaged door. “In Boise, Idaho, we did
the same thing.”
The broken glass is likely in reference
to the Idaho Legislature’s special session that took place in August, as angry spectators pushed their way into
the Idaho House gallery, shattering a glass door in the process. Legislators,
who were meeting to address issues surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and
November election, later permitted the spectators to stay.
After the Jan. 6 uprising, Hemphill shared some of her videos with WUSA, a CBS-affiliated TV station in Washington, D.C., and spoke with the station. WUSA reported that Hemphill indicated she “made it inside the Capitol, but she claims was pushed in and got hurt before an officer came to help her.”
Likely Trump supporter; not definitive.
*
Hobnobbing with the Proud Boys
287. Micajah Joel Jackson: The Arizona man, 25, says on Facebook he’s a 100% disabled Marine.
Oddly enough, he can be seen walking to the Capitol on Jan.
6, and hobnobbing with members of the Proud Boys. In some pictures Jackson
wears an orange armband, which members of the group used that day to identify
themselves.
According to a story in USA Today,
Jackson
stated in the post that he had evidence of BLM, Antifa, police officers and “Non
Trump” extremists “causing the mayhem.” Jackson also stated that he’s a college
student studying to be a political science professor. “My only love is the
United States of America,” he wrote.
On social media an Instagram account linked to Jackson:
was used to
post a screenshot on Dec. 12 of what appears to be a Tweet from then-President
Donald Trump that says “WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT!!!” The Instagram account
captioned the president’s Tweet with “You tell us when Sir. You are the
commander in chief. WE WILL NOT CONCEDE.”
As for the Proud Boys, on
February 4, the Canadian government listed them as a terrorist
organization, along with ISIS
and Al-Qaida.
*
288. Richard Harris: USA Today describes Mr. Harris succinctly:
Harris was at the leading edge of a group that pushed past a barrier of officers inside the Capitol, according to court documents, and is shown in a photo with his arm upraised. Harris told an officer that police were outnumbered, that there were “a (expletive) million of us out there,” and they were “listening to Trump,” court documents stated. Fearing for his safety, the officer stepped aside to allow the mob to enter. Speaking into a phone, Harris said they were coming for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, who FBI officials have stated in other documents was [sic] still in the building. Court records show Harris called Pence a “(expletive) traitor.”
So: A Trump supporter.
*
“Like Trump asked us.”
289. Daniel Paul Gray: The
Florida man, now charged with assaulting a female police officer, was clear
about why he was in D.C. that
day. By obtaining a search warrant
for his social media accounts, the F.B.I. found that Gray had posted messages
saying the election was the “biggest scandal” of his lifetime.
He wrote elsewhere that “if they [members of Congress] intend to certify a false election its gonna have to be to our faces.” He also messaged someone that he had just joined a militia group. In another message, he asked an unidentified person: “Are you gonna be in DC on the 6th like Trump asked us to be?”
Gray was proud of his actions on Capitol Hill, describing his behavior as “the rowdiest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Dude we literally took over Congress,” he added in a private Instagram post.
Now, the 41-year-old Trump
supporter faces up to 37 years in prison on nine charges, including three
felonies.
*
290. Bruce Harrison:
Harrison, 58, claims to have done nothing more than walk into the Capitol building after
others breached police lines. He and his friend, Douglas Wangler, had traveled from
Illinois to attend Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally that morning. Although
Harrison admitted to seeing violence on Capitol Hill, he claims he and Wangler
only looked around and then left. (See below.)
*
291. Douglas Wangler: Wangler has admitted being inside the Capitol, but also denies doing harm. “If walking around and singing some patriotic songs is a crime, then I guess I am guilty,” he told reporters.
See! More patriotism!
But less vote-counting and fewer
constitutional strictures!
*
292. Sean Michael McHugh: Mr. McHugh has been charged with an array of crimes, including two counts for assaulting law enforcement officers with a deadly weapon – namely chemical spray.
Prosecutors also say McHugh used a bullhorn to urge other rioters to continue to press the attack.
On one video he can be heard shouting at police, “You’re
protecting communists! You ain’t holding the line!” Then he unleashes a cloud
of yellow spray.
Mr. McHugh is not a model citizen. According to CBS News, noting an article by Gold Country Media in 2010, McHugh had previously been sentenced for felony rape involving a minor. Fox News adds: “Investigators say a background check into McHugh showed he was on probation at the time of the insurrection after he was convicted of driving under the influence with a suspended license in Placer County. He was sentenced to five years [sic] probation and 180 days in jail.”
*
Gearing up for bloody civil war.
293. Matthew Greene: The Syracuse, New York suspect remains in jail, after a judge noted that after he returned from Washington D.C., Mr. Greene purchased thousands of rounds of ammunition and war gear. Because if one riot is good, bloody civil war would be better?
A little additional checking turns up evidence indicating that Greene is – yep – another right-winger, and a member of the Proud Boys.
Sen. McConnell and Sen. Blount could easily look this up.
*
294. Michael Orangias: The Kentucky man later explained why he went to Washington D.C. and got mixed up in a riot. He was there to hear President Trump speak, and after Trump said march, he marched.
Why?
“To keep American good …
keeping the freedom of speech there. … If we let the left continue what they’re
doing, they’re going to keep taking more and more …” he told reporters.
It appears that Orangias
entered the Capitol, took some quick pictures, and exited five minutes later.
So he probably deserves no more than a slap on the wrist. But he’s still a Trump
fan, not some left-winger.
*
295. James Burton McGrew: Poor McGrew was arrested just this week, after a tipster recognized a belly tattoo, which McGrew inadvertently revealed during his time inside the Capitol.
Now the Arizona man
is charged with “entering and remaining in a
restricted building or grounds; obstructing an official proceeding; engaging in
physical violence and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and assaulting,
resisting or impeding an officer.”
McGrew is said to have aggressively confronted police officers during the Trump mob violence, shouting, “We’re coming in here, whether you like it or not,” and “Fight with us, not against us,” according to court documents.
On social media, McGrew allegedly explained his plan to head to D.C. as part of an effort to “protest” the “stolen vote.”
He’s a Trumper.
*
Confusion regarding “Patriots vs. Traitors.”
296. Audrey Ann Southard-Rumsey: Southard-Rumsey, 52, of Spring Hill, Florida was taken into custody recently. She faces nine charges, including assault on a federal officer or employee.
According to F.B.I. documents Southard-Rumsey reportedly demanded that a
U.S. Capitol Police sergeant
guarding one hall should, “Let us though. We have the building already.” Then
she pushed “against him with a flagpole until he was driven back into the first
set of doors leading to the House floor. The doors flew open, and the sergeant
was pushed back, striking his head on the base of [a] marble statue. It wasn’t
clear if the unnamed officer was injured.” That officer later told the F.B.I.
that he felt like he was being trampled during the ordeal.
Southard-Rumsey
was captured in video clips yelling at police, “Tell Pelosi we are coming for
that bitch!” “There’s a hundred thousand of us!” …
A tipster told the
FBI in the days after the attack that Southard-Rumsey was inside the Capitol on
Jan. 6, pointing to an image posted on her Facebook page showing her outside
the building with the caption “DC Taking it back!!”
The FBI said that person
also captured a video Southard-Rumsey posted on Twitter, in which she said:
“I’m doing a live feed. Standing in front of the Capitol building ready to take
it. As soon as we get enough people up here. To run the Capitol building. It’s
going to be fun.”
She had written
messages in the days leading to the attack stating her intention to go to
Washington, including ones that said, “We The People are making a declaration ...
1776!!” and “Patriot’s vs Traitors,” according to the affidavit.
Clearly, Southard-Rumsey and many other rioters on that day were confused about who the “patriots” were.
And who were the police-battering,
Constitution-trashing, Pelosi-wannabee-hanging, Q-Anon-spouting “traitors.”
*
297. Kerry Wayne Persick: The Fort Worth, Texas man can allegedly be seen inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Naturally, he’s wearing the red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap so favored by Trump lovers.
Not much else is known about him.
*
298. John Juran: Charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct. He is said to have shown up in video evidence, inside the Capitol, wearing a distinctive “Trump 2020” cowboy hat.
Now the 51-year-old faces several charges.
*
299. Jeremy Grace: Grace, from Oregon, was arrested on May 26, after a search of his phone allegedly placed him squarely inside the Capitol during the riot. He has been charged with unlawful entry of a restricted building and disorderly conduct, among other offenses.
(His father, Jeffrey, #202 on our list) was arrested last February, but denied that his son had been with him inside the Capitol. Dad also said he was not an advocate of violence, but did admit he knew individuals associated with the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters, and the 1 Percent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. These are not the kind of groups one finds in liberal circles.)
Jeremy’s political inclinations are currently unknown.
*
300. Jonathan Ace Sanders Jr.: This Indiana man was arrested and charged with entering the Capitol on Jan. 6. He and two friends drove all the way to D.C. to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally that day.
Both friends talked with F.B.I. agents and corroborated
Sanders Jr.’s story about why they came to the city. Neither has been charged.
*
301. Grady Douglass Owens: The
21-year-old from Florida has been indicted for several crimes related to his
role in the Jan. 6 affray. That includes using a skateboard to beat on a police officer.
That officer suffered a concussion and other
injuries.
Owens is from Winter Park, and a full-time
student at Full Sail University. When not rioting, the young man is a musician
and music producer. He now faces up to 36 years in prison.
*
302. Arthur Jackman: The Florida
man was arrested and charged for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on U.S.
democracy.
He’s another alleged member of the Proud Boys –
and happens to be married to an Orange County deputy sheriff.
*
“A chilling
disregard for the rule of law.”
303. Jack Whitton: The Locust
Grove, Georgia man is accused of being one of a group of rioters that attacked
a police officer with, among other objects, a flagpole, a crutch, a police
baton, and a skateboard (see above and below).
Whitton is said to have bragged that he yanked
a cop away from his post and helped a crowd drag him down a Capitol Hill
stairway. He also texted a picture of blood on his hand, telling a friend, this came
“from a bad cop. Then he added, “Yea I fed to the people. Idk his status. And
don’t care tbh.”
By his actions, prosecutors argue, he “inspired
further criminal conduct on the part of others.” This behavior “enhances the
defendant’s responsibility for the destabilizing events of January 6 and thus the
seriousness of his conduct.”
The defendant is also said to have threatened another group of officers, saying, “You’re going to die tonight.”
In denying bail, U.S. District Judge
Emmet G. Sullivan noted correctly:
While
the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election is now complete, and
President Biden has taken office, the Court is not convinced that
dissatisfaction and concern about the legitimacy of the election results has
dissipated for all Americans. Former President Donald J. Trump continues to
make forceful public comments about the “stolen election,” chastising
individuals who did not reject the supposedly illegitimate results that put the
current administration in place. Such comments reflect the continued threat
posed by individuals like Mr. Whitton [emphasis added], who has
demonstrated that he is willing and able to engage in extreme and terrifying
levels of violence against law enforcement with a chilling disregard for the
rule of law and the lives of law enforcement,
seemingly based on mistaken beliefs about the illegitimacy of the current
administration.
Whitton’s lawyer did note that his client was
not a member of the Proud Boys, or any other anti-government militia, which
gives you a good idea of who Whitton might have favored in the 2020 election.
That is: His lawyer did not feel a need to tell Judge Sullivan that his client
wasn’t some kind of Antifa supporter.
We should also note that as of this writing
(June 5), CBS can report that 17 police officers are still recovering from the injuries they sustained during the
attack. One officer, dragged into the crowd – allegedly by Whitton and others –
suffered a head wound that required two staples to close. Another officer
sustained crushed spinal disks, and others were battered in various ways.
*
304. Michael Lopatic Sr.: The
57-year-old from Pennsylvania is accused in the attack on the same police
officer as Whitton. Like Whitton, he faces multiple felony charges related to
his conduct.
According to prosecutors, the argument for
keeping Mr. Lopatic locked up until trial is buttressed by social media posts.
The alleged insurrectionist likes to hunt and show off pictures of birds he has shot and named after Democratic politicians. Last November
4, for instance, he captioned one picture of two dead birds: “I got a double
today. The dog flushed them up together. Full choke. Two shots, two kills. Both
head shots. I got a rooster and a hen. I named them Joe and Kamala.”
*
Good advice,
mom: “Braggers get caught.”
305.
Jonathanpeter Allen Klein: Klein, 21,
traveled all the way from Oregon with his older brother (see below) to
allegedly join in the riot.
Yep.
Court documents note that Jonathanpeter is a member of
the Proud Boys in good standing.
*
306.
Matthew Leland Klein: Mr. Klein, 24, is
facing several charges as a result of his alleged role in the storming of
Congress, including conspiracy, obstruction, and disorderly conduct.
Matthew
is also facing charges for carrying a loaded weapon during a…wait for it…another
Proud Boys rally.
Apparently,
Nancy Klein warned her two boys, after the riot. Allegedly, mom sent them a
message. “Remember braggers get
caught,” a Jan. 7 text between a contact listed as “Mom” in Jonathanpeter Klein’s phone
read, according to court documents. “I wouldn’t tell people you were in the
capital.”
If
you haven’t noticed the trend yet, we’ve noted the stories of 29 alleged
rioters so far, 24 of whom are clearly Trump fans and/or right-wing extremists.
The political affiliations of five are in doubt. None have been identified in
court documents as Biden fans or left-wing types of any kind.
Someone
should let Sen. Blackburn, who lacked the courage to vote, in on this story.
Also, tell the 34 Republican senators who voted “no” on a January 6 commission,
simply because they didn’t want to face these kinds of facts.
*
307. Pauline Bauer: This Pennsylvania
woman is alleged to have forced her way into the U.S. Capitol and demanded that House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers be handed over to the rioters. “Bring them out now. They’re criminals. They need to hang,” she
shouted.
Bauer went on to tell police officers barring rioters’ passage through one hallway: “Bring Nancy Pelosi out here now. We want to hang that f---ing bitch. Bring her out. We’re coming if if you don’t bring her out. What are you trying to do, protect a f---ing Nazi?”
Ms. Bauer is singularly obtuse, even by the low standards for a
Trump supporter. She both stars in videos from that day, but then blames left-wing
types for putting together those videos in which she happily appears.
Before arresting her, the FBI found comments on Facebook from
Bauer’s profile.
In one, according to the FBI, she writes: “I am at the capital
and was inside. No [sic] of us are armed just pissed that this is what we have
to do to take back our country from communism.”
And then we had this
common refrain from the attackers. Bauer blamed the riot on left-wing groups. “Do
you really think anyone could break into the capital. The antagonists were
let in. We all got maced trying to stop what was happening. They used us for a
movie so you could watch it on the news.”
As a bonehead bonus, Ms. Bauer is a Q-Anon dope:
In another post, she propagated a Q-Anon
lie. When asked if she was inside the Capitol legally, she allegedly
answered: “You can thank me after you start researching that these
Democrats not only cheated and stole this election from the people but they
have been trafficking children for years.”
According
to the F.B.I., Bauer organized busloads of “Stop the Steal” people to travel to
D.C. from Pennsylvania. (See below.)
*
308. William Blauser: Also
arrested and charged for his alleged role in the riot, including “violent
entry.” He was one of those who answered Bauer’s call to travel to Washington
and stop the imaginary theft of the November election.
*
309. Anton Lunyk: The Brooklyn
man, 26, was arrested and charged with entering the Capitol illegally. At his
first appearance before a judge he was warned not to attend any further
political demonstrations or post on social media about politics without
checking with court services.
According to one reporter,
“Lunyk could not be reached for comment and his employer, insurance adjuster
Rubin & Rosen, declined to comment.”
Political
inclinations unknown at this time. Does favor red MAGA hats in his pictures.
*
310. Kene Brian Lazo: Norfolk,
Virginia’s own, Mr. Lazo was allegedly seen on the day of the riot, inside the Capitol,
wearing shin guards, goggles, and a helmet with a “Rodbuster’s” logo. That’s
the name of a business he owns with his wife.
Lazo is said to have posted on social media
that he was there “representing” Asian Americans, and would use a broom to
sweep out the halls of Congress.
*
311. Nicholas Brockhoff: The
20-year-old, from Covington, Kentucky has also been arrested and charged with
assault on police officers during the riot. Brockoff is alleged to have sprayed
officers with a fire extinguisher. His family has expressed shock, although his
father says he knew his son was headed for D.C. because he wanted to attend the big Trump rally scheduled for
January 6.
Likely Trump supporter.
*
Vilifying the
patriots?
312. Robert Scott Palmer: Mr. Palmer has
also been charged for his role in the riot – after bragging in a social media
video that he had also sprayed Capitol Hill and D.C. police with a fire
extinguisher.
Palmer can be seen in videos garbed in a jacket
with distinctive red and white stripes, and blue sleeves festooned with white
stars. Of course, no Capitol Hill rioter seems complete without some kind of
pro-Trump paraphernalia, and Palmer allegedly wore a red hat that day,
emblazoned with the words: “FLORIDA FOR TRUMP.” During the melee, he was hit in
the abdomen by a rubber bullet, and showed off his bruise in one video. Reached
by phone, after news of his arrest broke, Palmer told
a reporter “that he’d done
nothing to justify being struck with the police munition, and that the Biden
administration was trying to ‘vilify the patriots’ who were involved in the
riot.”
“I’m just going about it and
letting them make the mistakes that they want and ruin the country as they
want, and I’m just trying to live my life right now,” he said, adding that the
jacket he wore “wasn’t anything I had made special — [I] just bought it in a
store.”
Palmer seemed to grow
increasingly anxious as the call continued.
“I’m just going to just leave it
like that. I’m not getting myself any – not deeper, ’cause I didn’t do anything
wrong – but I’m not involving myself anymore,” he said. He hung up when HuffPost
asked him about the fire extinguisher.
Ah! Patriotism!
*
313. William Michael Sywak: The 45-year-old New York man admitted to authorities that he entered the Capitol, but said he had lost contact with his son beforehand. Federal agents presented evidence to show that both William and his son, William Jason, entered the building together and then locked arms.
*
314. William Jason Sywak: Data from his cell phone allegedly places him at ten different spots inside the Capitol Building.
Not much else is known about father and son.
*
315. Reed Knox Christensen: The Oregon man, 62, was identified as one of the participants in the riot with the help of his son.
He has been charged with assault on a police officer. At his first court hearing, Mr.
Christensen told the judge that when he was arrested, he was “in my suit on
my way to church.”
Paul Maloney,
the federal prosecutor in his case “asked that guns found at Christensen’s home
be removed before any release from custody pending trial.”
Maloney also explained that the alleged rioter was known
to be anti-government “and given the nature of the charges here, should law
enforcement have to go onto the property, there should not be any weapons and
firearms on the property in order to do that safely, your Honor.”
“I’m a little surprised that I’m losing
my critter weapons ... when I haven’t been convicted of anything,” Christensen
told the judge.
The accused is an Army veteran and works
as a design engineer for Intel Corp., when not attacking police officers with
his fists.
*
Clearly, not Antifa.
316. Major Christopher Warnagiris: The 40-year-old active-duty Marine officer has been charged with participating in the Jan. 6 attack. That includes one charge of assaulting a police officer. What he might have been thinking remains unclear.
We do know Warnagiris has done tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan during his eighteen years in the service.
Now he could
face twenty more years in prison.
The Marine Corps
felt compelled to issue the following statement:
The Marine Corps
is clear on this: There is no place for racial hatred or extremism in the
Marine Corps. Our strength is derived from the individual excellence of every
Marine regardless of background. Bigotry and racial extremism run contrary to
our core values.
Participation with
hate or extremist groups of any kind is directly contradictory to the core
values of honor, courage, and commitment that we stand for as Marines and isn’t
tolerated by the Marine Corps.
*
317. Caleb Jones: The 23-year-old allegedly sent a friend photos and videos from his time inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
When arrested, ironically, he was wearing a t-shirt that
read, “I Was There.” Political affiliation unknown.
*
318-319: Brandon and
Stephanie Miller: The couple, from
Bradford, Ohio, were arrested
on charges of illegally entering a restricted building and violent and
disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds. They were turned in by a family
member and video evidence appears to place them firmly inside the halls of
Congress during the riot.
In one social media post, Mr. Miller expresses regret that he was not able to get a picture of the blood trail from the spot where Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed by police. Babbitt, herself, was a Trump supporter and believer in Q-Anon shit.
So was Rosane Boyland, the woman trampled to death on the steps of the U.S. Capitol that day.
*
320. Ethan Seitz: The 31-year-old from Bucyrus, Ohio was arrested on preliminary charges of illegally entering a restricted building, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
“First time I ever came to DC and I was right at the front of the charge into the capitol,” Seitz said proudly in a Jan. 7 Facebook message.
A
search warrant for his phone
reveals in other messages that Seitz “had driven seven hours to Washington,
D.C. to ‘stop the steal,’ believing that former President Donald Trump had won
re-election.”
*
“They think these people might be part of the Antifa movement.”
322. Tanner Bryce Sells: The 25-year-old from Chandler, Oklahoma was arrested May 17, after the F.B.I. identified him from photographs taken during the riot. Cell phone records allegedly place him inside the building.
Among other charges against him, he has been indicted for “violent entry.” He faces five charges, in total.
His political inclinations remain unclear. Then again – he’s
a white guy from Oklahoma. So, you figure…
ADDENDUM:
In checking for information on the arrestees from January 6, I noticed that Christianity Daily has argued that evidence indicates many of the rioters were Antifa types and various other left-wing individuals.
In one story they note that “several reports” support that
idea. In one case, Daily reporters add this compelling line to an article:
“Antifa, disguising themselves as Trump supporters, infiltrated the ranks of legitimate pro-Trump people
on that day to instigate chaos.”
When one goes to the first link in that sentence, “disguising,” it turns out that a single “Trump supporter who was present during the Jan. 6 protest in Capitol Hill reveals that some people who weren’t Trump supporters were there, disguised as people in support of the President.”
How did he know?
According
to Christianity Daily, that Trump supporter “said that he and his fellow
protesters think that there were suspicious people with them wearing red shirts
and hats who didn't seem like typical Trump supporters. They think these people
might be part of the Antifa movement.” That same source said the Trump people
“got a little hotheaded” but only after “Antifa started instigating things.”
(The stupidity of this line of argument should be obvious to anyone who cares to pursue the facts. As noted here and in numerous previous posts, no known member of Antifa has been indicted. Whereas Trump supporters, right-wing types, and Q-Anon dopes are as thick in such stories as ticks on a deer in the forest.)
The second link, “infiltrating,” isn’t any better, citing unverified claims on Twitter as proof of some “Antifa” conspiracy on Jan. 6, and twice including the same picture of the same man, “leading” the first rioters to attack police lines in front of Capitol Hill. First, you can’t just be “led” into an attack on police officers.
You
may have two feet, but you don’t have to follow.
Second, that individual, Ryan Samsel, has in fact been arrested. His history of violence against women has been well-documented (as we have noted previously on this blog, because we believe in truth). But his political inclinations are, like those of a number of others described here, unknown, but highly likely.
Trump apologists make a big deal about "Antifa types" with their hats turned backwards.
It's a lame point to try to make.
As for the third link, “instigate,” some “war correspondent” outside the building on Jan. 6, noted that people in the mob were using tactics like those “practiced by Antifa.” So they must have been Antifa.
(Compared
to such supposition, we do know the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers , both
right-wing extremists groups, sent highly-organized contingents to Washington D.C.
on that day, and that they participated fully in the violence.)
Sadly – and cluelessly – that “war
correspondent,” Michael Yon, cited people with megaphones calling on others to
attack police lines. He reports seeing people waving flags, saying, “This is your job. This is your chance. Stand up for your
country.”
“He who has
the microphone has the power,” Yon added stupidly. “Once people get riled up,
they’ll do it. Because we’re humans and we will go with the herd.”
So, you
might say, the persons with the microphones that morning: President Trump, his
doofus sons, Eric and Don Jr., Rep. Mo Brooks, Rudy Giuliani, and others at the
“Stop the Steal” rally had the microphone and thus “the power,” and they fired
up the herd?
Nope. That
would have caused readers’ minds at Christianity
Daily to explode like red, white, and
blue shrapnel.
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