January 6 Rioters - Part I - "Trump Sent Us" (1-56)

Records checked for 1,618 rioters, allies and enablers who have lost jobs,

or been arrested for related reasons. 

(LAST UPDATED: 11/5/2024.)

We include this guy:

The president polluted the soil after the election.

 

ORANGE ALERT: 

1150. Donald Trump: We are thrilled to update our list of Capitol Hill rioters, and several dozen of their pals. At long last, we add the “Big Enchilada” to the roster of shame. 

(That’s a Watergate reference.) 

 

Trying to steal the “Stolen Election” himself. 

While not personally rioting, his chunky self, Donald was there in spirit on January 6, 2021. On August 1, 2023, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith announced that the former president had been indicted on four felony charges. 

Boiled down to its essence, we learned in the indictment that Mr. Trump and six unindicted co-conspirators are accused of hatching a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election. 

Trump now joins our list of charged rioters – and rioter pals – who supported their efforts to uproot democracy. 

As of November 5, 2024, that list includes 15 “false electors” charged in Michigan (a sixteenth has agreed to testify), six “fake electors” indicted in Nevada, 18 “fake electors and associates in Arizona,” and 18 co-conspirators in Georgia. We include Tucker Carlson, who lost his job for lying, as well as David DePape, who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer. Several Trump lawyers, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, and Dr. John Eastman also appear. That gives us:

 

1,618 names.

 

At this editing, on Election Day 2024, we are: 

1,463 days 

have passed since the last 2020 presidential election. No earthly proof has been revealed in any court of law to indicate that Trump did anything on November 3, 2020.

Except lose.

At Trump’s first court appearance regarding this case, Capitol Hill Police Officer Harry Dunn was there to observe. He told reporters, “They should have arrested him on January 7.”

 

UPDATE (December 1, 2023): A three-judge decision, by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, has upheld a lower court ruling. A lawsuit filed against former President Donald J. Trump can proceed. At issue, can he be held liable for civil damages, for “inciting a riot” on January 6. 

A quick check shows us that one of the judges was appointed by President Obama. 

(Sound of Trump fans loading their weapons.)

 

Another was appointed by…Donald J. Trump. 

(Sound of Trump fans, mumbling about the “Deep State.”)

 

The third was first elevated to the federal bench by St. Ronald of Reagan, in September 1983. 

(MAGA fans grumbling, “We always knew Reagan was a RINO.”)

 

The former president can now expect a cascade of cases to be filed. Plaintiffs are likely to include officers badly injured during the riot, wives of the five officers who died (one the day after the riot, by heart attack, four by suicide afterwards), news media personnel who were attacked by Trump supporters, and others.

 

UPDATE (May 31, 2024): This is stretching our system a little; but per our usual practice, we now underline Trump’s name – indicating he has been convicted of a crime, as have so many of his riotous January 6 fans. 

On Friday, May 30, a New York jury convicted him on 34 felony counts, related to his hush money payments to a porn star, and illegal efforts to cover up the story during his first run for president. These crimes are not related to the attack on January 6, but Trump is now a felon. 

…34 times.

 

***** 

In any case, we now turn to the first 55 rioters charged, and the one killed during the Capitol Hill attack. 

Who are or were they?

__________ 

“Language is the soil of thought.” 

James Russell Lowell

__________

  

THIS MASSIVE DOCUMENT – more than 1,300 pages long – grew out of a Facebook exchange with two former students. I taught seventh and eighth grade history for 33 years, and couldn’t name five kids I didn’t like. 

On Facebook, I’m friends with 1,500 former pupils. But the Trump years have been hard. Here in Ohio, the majority voted for Donald Trump in two elections. Whereas I consider him the most dangerous politician of my lifetime. 

(Update, as of 9/30/24: the most dangerous in American history.)

 

In the wake of the attack on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, I expressed my horror. One former student, Angie, a favorite of mine, told me I should look into the attack further – insisting the rioters were really Antifa. Susie, another former student, one I remember as a lovely young lady, suggested I watch a video about QAnon. She said it would explain a great deal. I gave it a shot, to be polite.

I ended up telling her, as gently as possible, that I found the whole QAnon story nothing but “nonsense.”

 

I decided to start pouring over the evidence. If I looked into the story of the attack, would I learn that the attackers (who looked exactly like Trump fans at a rally) were left-wing folks in disguise? 

Or would my fears be upheld? Were the rioters Trump fans? Were they intent on overturning the results of a fairly decided election, because their false god had convinced them the vote had been rigged? 

Here’s what I have found.Don’t forget. According to a report by the U.S. Capitol Police Labor Committee, at least 140 officers were injured during the melee on January 6. Several sustained brain injuries. Another was thought likely to lose an eye. “We have one officer [Brian Sicknick] who lost his life as a direct result of the insurrection,” the chairman of the House Labor Committee told members of Congress on Jan. 27, three weeks after the riot. “Another officer has tragically taken his own life.”

 

PART I: “TRUMP SENT US.”

 

__________ 

“Men’s minds, once unbalanced, are ready to believe anything.” 

Tacitus

__________ 

Roseanne Boyland, 34, who was trampled to death by the mob, was a “fervent Trump supporter,” caught up in QAnon conspiracy thinking and “hatred for Joe Biden.” 

Her mother asked why she felt a need to be in D.C. on January 6. “My president has asked me to come support him,” she told her mom. “And I’ve done so many stupid things in my life that I’m going to do something that I really believe in.” After she was trampled, officers worked for ten minutes, trying to revive her. 

(Sedition Hunters by Ryan J. Reilly, p. 87.) 

 

Her brother-in-law, speaking to reporters the day after the melee, said he blamed her death on then-President Trump, who “incited a riot.” 

(Boyland is not numbers on our list – because she never made it inside the Capitol.) 

Trump “sent us,” QAnon believer.

(NOT ANTIFA.)

 

James Russell Lowell was right, of course: “Language is the soil of thought.” In days and weeks after the 2020 election, President Trump laced the soil of political discourse with toxins and the crop he reaped was destruction and death.

A list of individuals arrested as a result of alleged or proven involvement in the violent events of January 6, 2021, follows. If an individual’s name is underlined, that person has now pled guilty, or been convicted at trial. If underlined and CAPITALIZED, they have been sentenced.

* 

“Here my Roar you fucking communist bastards.”

1. TOMMY FREDERICK ALLAN: The Californian was charged with “violent penetration” of the Capitol Building, attempting to steal a flag, and stealing documents from Sen. Mitch McConnell’s desk. According to a tipster, Allan destroyed those documents after he returned home.

Allan, far left.

The tipster also noted that Allan had shown him “a disturbing [social media] post that said ‘the next step of the Insurrection was to get rid of Justice Roberts.’” The three charges he faced could have carried a combined penalty of more than twenty years in prison.

In a section on “background” to the riots, the agent who wrote up the charge against Allan notes that rioters: 

…also confronted and terrorized members of Congress, Congressional staff, and the media. The subjects carried weapons including tire irons, sledgehammers, bear spray, and Tasers. They also took police equipment from overrun police including shields and police batons. At least one of the subjects carried a handgun with an extended magazine. These actions by the unknown individuals resulted in the disruption and ultimate delay of the vote Certification

 

Allan posted two photos to social media. One showed members of the Three Percenters, in tactical gear. An individual facing the camera has a name patch reading “Hound Dog” on his bulletproof vest. The caption reads: “These are my people. PATRIOTS!” 

The other photo is captioned, “You don’t want to hear the evidence. Fine! Here my Roar you fucking communist bastards. Give me freedom or give me death.” 

The affidavit includes a footnote on page 8, 

The distinctive patch “Three Percenter” in the image, identifies a right wing militia organization which claims to be a small number of dedicated “patriots” protecting Americans from government tyranny, just as the patriots of the American Revolution protected early Americans from British tyranny. They draw their name from the inaccurate historical claim that only three percent of Americans fought in the Revolutionary War against the British.

 

(Allan agreed to a plea deal in August 2022; the following December he was sentenced to 21 months in prison. He must also pay a fine of $2,000; and upon his release he will have to complete three years’ probation.)

Trump supporter, believed in “stolen election” myth.

 

* 

“Spurred on by then-President Donald Trump.” 

2. FELIPE MARQUEZ: The Florida suspect, age 25, posted videos to Snapchat, showing himself and others breaking into the Capitol Building, and later into a small conference room used by a U.S. senator. 

Marquez posted additional video from his drive north to D.C. in a white Tesla automobile. He points out various cars on the road with flags and signs of support for President Trump. Another clip shows him arriving in the capital. He looks into the camera and mouths the words of a song. On his noggin’ he wears the famous red “Keep America Great” hat. 

On January 20, 2021, Marquez explained his decision to go to the Capitol and get caught up in the riot. “I went on the 6th to D.C. to protest against communism and prostitution,” he told CBS News. 

So, we assume, Marquez had been listening to QAnon. 

“How did you learn about going to D.C.?” asked Ty Russell, a CBS reporter. 

“Just through the president,” Marquez answered. 

“This is like a Rosa Parks, like Martin Luther King moment for me,” he said. “As long as I’m peaceful and I can say, ‘Hey, let’s all come together,’ I think that’s the most important thing.” 

(This blogger is trying to remember the part of history where Rosa Park clubbed the bus driver on the skull with a crowbar.) 

Evidence from his phone eventually leads to the arrest of Henos Woldemichael (#938 on our list. 

* 

In December 2021, Marquez plead guilty, and was sentenced to three months of home confinement and eighteen months of probation. As Coral Springs Talk reports:

 

Marquez’s lawyer said Marquez has severe mental health issues and thought he had been going to the riots to protest communism.

 

“I was confused about why a lot of people were there,” Marquez told U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras. “I didn’t understand that people were going into the building to try to stop the certifications. I didn’t realize the extent of my mental health issues. I want to get help for this.”

 

“I wish I could take it back,” Marquez said of his actions.

 

Contreras,  citing a slate of previous Jan. 6 cases in which prosecutors sought probation-only sentences, said Marquez’s case was “hard to distinguish” from the others. He said he hoped Marquez would take a “hard look at himself,” blaming his actions on a “confluence of events spurred on by then-President Donald Trump” and powerful pro-Trump voices.

 

To say Marquez “lucked out” at sentencing is an understatement for sure. 

More recently, Marquez ran “an end-run around” around a judicial order to surrender his handguns by signing them over to his roommate, prosecutors said.

 

He showed up on law enforcement’s radar again on Aug. 6 at the Coral Square Mall when a Coral Springs Police Officer found him toting around a black plastic firearms case with the word GLOCK written on it.

 

“The police officer wrote that when he ‘encountered the subject [Marquez], subject confirmed that he has a weapon on him and that his CCW (Concealed Carry Weapon) license was suspended,” according to prosecutors. “Subject had admitted that carrying a weapon in a public place such as a mall is inappropriate, but he did it as a sign of protest for suspension of his CCW.’ Marquez then left the mall voluntarily.”

 

“Walking around a mall with an obvious firearm in a case, while on pretrial release for a felony offense, demonstrates both poor judgment and potential danger to the community,” prosecutors wrote. “There is a need for specific deterrence here because Marquez’s actions even after arrest do not indicate that he appreciates the severity of his criminal conduct.”

 

But Contreras was not swayed to send Marquez to prison.

 

Marquez is sentenced to three months on home detention, ordered to pay $500 in restitution, and placed on probation for an additional eighteen months.

 

Trump “sent us,” QAnon believer.

 

* 

3. KENNETH GRAYSON:  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette made it easy to get a fix on Mr. Grayson. He was wearing “a black Pittsburgh Pirates cap, a black hooded sweatshirt with an American flag patch on the arm, the insignia of the ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag on one lapel and a yellow letter Q on his other lapel,” when he was pictured storming Capitol Hill. “The Q stands for the conspiracy group QAnon, the FBI said.” 

The suspect had also attended pro-Trump rallies in D.C. in November and December. After returning home in November, he bragged on social media: “I was beating commies with a flag pole I picked up.” He also said, “I left one unconscious so I did my little part and got the [expletive] out before I got arrested.” 

On December 23, 2020, he wrote that he was “on the front line every time” in taking action as opposed to “posers” on social media who talked tough but didn’t do anything.

He also made it clear why he was heading to Washington for the January 6 electoral vote count: 

I’m there for the greatest celebration of all time after Pence leads the Senate flip!! OR IM THERE IF TRUMP TELLS US TO STORM THE [expletive] CAPITAL IMA DO THAT THEN! We don’t want any trouble but they are not going to steal this election that I guarantee bro!!

 

Grayson pleads guilty in September 2022, with sentencing guidelines suggesting six months or less in prison, and a fine of perhaps $2,000.

Trump supporter, QAnon believer,

believed in a “stolen election,” prepared for violence.

 

* 

4. NOLAN COOKE: Used a GoPro camera to film scenes from inside the Capitol during the riot; age 22, from Texas; said he went to D.C. because “he wanted to be heard.” 

The long-haired young man might have looked like the Antifa type, but he proudly posted on TikTok and Instagram about his reasons for joining the attack. One picture, apparently directed to his girlfriend, bore the caption: “I wouldn’t want anyone other than you with me to take on the revolution.” Cooke added a kissy-face emoji. The caption on another photo reads, “What a crazy [expletive] day.” 

Even “better,” Cooke admitted that he traveled with “one or more firearms” in a car when he drove to D.C. with a relative and his girlfriend. He claimed, however, that he left them in the vehicle when he went off to the riot. 

So – a Trump fan – ready to start a revolution – to stop Congress from certifying the electoral votes. 

(Sentenced to one year and a day in prison for his role, fined $2,000, and will remain on supervised release for an additional 36 months.) 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

5. WILLIAM VOGEL: the Dutchess County, N.Y. man was arrested and charged for his role in the January 6 riot. He allegedly posted videos of Capitol Hill police retreating in the face of the mob. When federal agents searched his home they recovered an AR-15-type rifle. Tipsters allegedly identified Vogel in videos taken during the attack on Congress. One witness said Vogel was “very vocal” about being at the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. 

He pled guilty in February 2023, to a single misdemeanor charge, and on June 16, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail, hit with a bill for $500 in restitution, and must spend an additional three years on probation.

Trump supporter, believed in a “stolen election.”

 

* 

COVID-19 is non-fatal! 

6. SIMONE MELISSA GOLD: This one is just funny. I’ll let the opening paragraph of a story from MedPageToday speak for itself: “Simone Gold, MD, JD, founder of the notorious pro-hydroxychloroquine, anti-vaccine group America’s Frontline Doctors, was arrested Sunday for participating in storming the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, according to the Department of Justice.” 

You may recall President Trump’s pro-hydroxychloroquine statements. At various times, he called the drug “very encouraging,” “very powerful,” and even “a game changer.” In a stroke of purest Trumpian genius, he ordered the federal government to buy 63 million doses, and then ended up being stuck with them last July. 

The FDA reported that there was “no reason to believe” hydroxychloroquine had any effect against the coronavirus. Side effects include increased risks of heart problems.

Dr. Gold also spoke at protests in Washington, D.C., leading up to the riot, as MedPage notes, casting doubt on the vaccines and claiming that COVID-19 is non-fatal. Gold stated that citizens must not comply with taking “an experimental, biological agent deceptively named a vaccine.” 

She called on the audience that day to “march for freedom” and fight for the right to maybe get smallpox, measles, or polio. 

(Okay, that last line is kind of a joke.) 

Comments at the end of the MedPage story are often amusing, with several individuals expressing a hope that California will revoke Dr. Gold’s license. Leslie Grabowski notes, I think accurately, “Doctors can be lunatics, too.” 

(On June 16, 2022, Dr. Gold learns her fate: 60 days in jail, a fine of $9,500, and a year of supervised release after that.) 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

A former underwear model.

7. JOHN HERBERT STRAND: In the affidavit for his arrest, Strand admits he was there on Capitol Hill, and participated in the takeover. At one point, the F.B.I. alleges, he posted a picture with this caption: “I am incredibly proud to be a patriot today, to stand up tall in defense of liberty & the Constitution, to support Trump & #MAGAforever, & to send the message: WE ARE NEVER CONCEDING A STOLEN ELECTION.” 

He and Gold (above) apparently know one another. 

He has been found guilty on five charges, after a jury trial, and awaits sentencing on four misdemeanors and one felony. On June 1, 2023, he learns that he will be spending 32 months in prison, another 36 on probation. 

And he is ordered to pay $12,000 in fines and restitution. 

The former underwear model even managed to raise $17,300 online for his defense, although he was using the services of a public defender. He and Gold are currently living together in a $3.6 million mansion.

Trump supporter, believed in a “stolen election.”

 

* 

8. VAUGHN GORDON: The Louisiana man admitted he was inside the Capitol Building. He even described events as a “riot.” 

He insisted, however, that he was peaceful and did no damage to property. He remained inside for 2-3 hours, taking pictures and videos. Gordon told authorities he came to D.C. to attend a “Stop the Steal” rally with a friend. 

Having pled guilty to a single charge, in September 2022, Mr. Gordon was finally sentenced in February 2023. 

Ninety days’ home confinement, three years on probation, and $500 thrown down the Trump Lies toilet, by way of restitution. 

Trump supporter, believed in a “stolen election.”

 

* 

We “will return on January 19,2021, carrying our weapons.” 

9. TROY ANTHONY SMOCKS: Mr. Smocks was clear about why he was headed for D.C., and clear that he was ready for violence. 

On social media he wrote: 

Today, January 6,2021, we Patriots by the millions, have arrived in Washington, D.C, carrying banners of support for the greatest President the world has ever known.

 

Bit [sic] if we must.…

 

Many of us will return on January 19,2021, carrying our weapons, in support or Our nation’s resolve, towhich [sic] the world will never forget!!!

 

We will come in numbers that no standing army or police agency can match. However, the police are NOT Our enemy, unless they choose to be!

 

All who will not stand with the American Patirots…or who cannot stand with Us.… then, that would be a good time for YOU to take a Few vacation days.

 

The American Patriot.

 

Smocks then joined the attack and on return home to Dallas, posted on Parler: 

So over the next 24 hours, I would say lets get our personal affairs in order. Prepare our weapons, and then go get’em. Lets hunt these cowards down like the Traitors that each of them are. This includes RINOS, Dems, and Tech Execs. We now have the green light. [All] who resist US are enemies of Our Constitution, and must be treated as such. Today, the cowards ran as We took the Capital. They have it back now, only because We left. It wasn’t the building that We wanted. . . it was them!”

 

Smocks was planning to leave the country on January 15, 2021, but federal agents caught and arrested him. 

In October 2021, he reached a plea agreement and was sentenced to 14 months in prison, and three years of supervised release. 

Trump supporter, ready for violence. 

 

* 

10. ANDREW HATLEY: According to the affidavit in Hatley’s case, the South Carolina man drove his “early 2000s” red mustang to Washington to attend the Trump rally on Jan. 6. When it came time to storm the Capitol, he wore a gas mask. 

Hatley at first denied taking part in the riot, despite a selfie he posted in front of the John C. Calhoun statue in the lower floor of the building. 

According to the affidavit, on his  social media, 

A post was seen on HATLEY’s account which stated, “It has come to my attention that there was someone who looks like me at the Capitol. I’d like to set the record straight. I don’t have that kind of motivation for lost causes. I just don’t care enough anymore, certainly not enough for all that.”

 

His denial was not helped, when the first comment came from an individual identified as “SB Lamont” who stated, “Welcome back.” 

Even worse, for Hatley, GPS data indicated he was right there on Capitol Hill at the time of the attack. Since that time, three phone numbers associated with Hatley have been disconnected. 

When a reporter for the Charleston Post and Courier called the number listed for his employer,

“A man who answered the phone at Senn Freight Lines, the Newberry trucking company that Hatley lists as his employer on Facebook, said ‘we will have no comment’ before hanging up.” 

Hatley had informed a friend the day of the riot that he went to D.C. to attend “the protests against the certification of the election.” 

Hatley’s lawyer announces on August 5, 2021 that his client will plead guilty to one of four charges, stemming from his participation in the attack. He ends up with a fine, community service, and three years on probation.) 

Trump supporter, believed in a “stolen election.”

 

* 

11. MATTHEW COUNCIL: In an affidavit, a Capitol Hill police officer describes Council’s alleged role in the riot. After a window was broken and an emergency side door breached, he and other officers tried to form a wall to keep rioters out. 

In the course of this effort and while inside the Capitol building, I encountered an adult male who was later identified as Matthew Ross COUNCIL. He was part of a larger group, but was individually pushing against the barrier to include an emergency door that is kept closed. Once the door was forcibly opened he broke through along with others. All during this time he was continually yelling at police officers that were trying to contain the scene. When he was deterred from advancing further into the building, COUNCIL pushed a uniformed officer of the United States Capitol Police. COUNCIL was subsequently pepper sprayed by one or more other law enforcement officers. The pepper spray also had an effect on me, but I was able to respond and detain COUNCIL. While in custody, but prior to being advised of his Miranda rights, COUNCIL spontaneously expressed remorse about pushing the officer and indicated that he did not intend to injure her.

 

According to the Washington Post, Council is a former football player at Liberty University “the conservative evangelical institution,” and “appears to have dabbled in politics, as well. He worked on at least one unsuccessful Republican campaign for the North Carolina House of Representatives roughly 10 years ago and also pursued political science courses at Seminole State in 2011.” 

His reward for being a Trump dupe: 180 days of home confinement, five more years reporting to his probation officer, 100 hours of community service, and $2,000 thrown in the toilet.

Trump supporter, he believed the election was stolen.

 

* 

“Infamy is just as good as fame.” 

12. GRACYN (GRACE) DAWN COURTRIGHT: senior at the University of Kentucky, said on social media that the attack was “cool.” 

She posted a picture of herself leaping with excitement, and captioned it, “Can’t wait to tell my grandkids I was here!” 

At one point, she wandered the halls of Congress, but admitted in one text “idk know what treason is[.]” 

According to the affidavit for her arrest, Courtright posted to Instagram, either the day of the attack or the day after. “INFAMY IS JUST AS GOOD AS FAME,” she wrote above a mirror photo. “EITHER WAY I END UP MORE KNOWN. XOXO” 

She earned an extra charge of theft for taking a “Member’s Only” sign from the Capitol Building. 

Soon after January 6, Courtright realized infamy might not be as good as fame if it meant getting sent to the slammer. She deleted all her Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts.

 

UPDATES: She pleads guilty to a single misdemeanor on August 30, 2021. In another story about her plea deal, we read, 

Judge Christopher R. Cooper set sentencing for Nov. 16. It is scheduled to take place in-person, but Courtright’s lawyer noted that the Courtright family has not received any COVID-19 vaccination and has no plans to do so. Courtright, asked by Judge Cooper whether her vaccination status would change between now and sentencing, said “probably not.”

 

According to court documents, one of her friends, on hearing she had been part of the mob invading the Capitol, called her an “embarrassment” and “a moron.” 

At sentencing in December, the young woman gets 30 days in jail and a fine of $500. After she serves her sentence, she must complete 60 hours of community service, and remain on supervised release for a year. 

She was also suspended by the University of Kentucky.

Trump supporter.

 

* 

“I f****** charged the Capitol today with patriots.”

13. JENNY LOUISE CUDD: Cudd is a former mayoral candidate in Midland, Texas and flower shop owner. She now faces up to 18 months in prison. On Facebook, she posted, “We did break down Nancy Pelosi’s office door and somebody stole her gavel.” 

She claimed later that she used the term “we” to refer to the actions of the group, not her own. 

Her media posts indicate she was being disingenuous. In one video she exclaimed, “We just pushed, pushed and pushed, and yelled go and yelled charge … and we got in.” In another: “F*** yes, I am proud of my actions. I f****** charged the Capitol today with patriots. Hell yes, I am proud of my actions.” 

Asked by a TV reporter on January 8, if she had any regrets, she replied, “I would absolutely do it again.” 

Cudd has described herself as a “conservative diehard patriot.” Like several other rioters, she was outraged by mask-mandates. 

(The judge didn’t believe her story that when she used “we,” it was the royal “we.” She was convicted and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for rioting – or what this blogger paid for two tickets to Super Bowl LVI.) 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

14. ELIEL ROSA: A friend of Cudd; told a judge he did not have legal representation; has not had a job since he was granted asylum from Brazil, four-and-a-half years ago. 

According to Texas Monthly: 

Last year, the news website SanAngelolive.com described Rosa as a father and husband with “aspirations to earn his PhD in Public Policy and Constitutional Law,” and reported that he’d been tapped to serve as an immigration adviser to Jamie Berryhill, a Republican who would lose a GOP primary to represent a West Texas congressional district. 

 

(Plead guilty, October 12, 2021. Ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, pay $500 in restitution, and complete one year of probation.)

Trump supporter.

 

* 

His fiancé dumped him.

Paul Davis: In a series of videos from January 6, the Texas attorney explained why he was in Washington D.C. and what he had been up to. In one, he reports, “I just got teargassed. That was not fun.”  

In another, he claims, “If this was a legitimate election, then let us inspect it. We’re all trying to get into the Capitol to stop this, and this is what’s happening. They’re tear gassing us. This is not acceptable.” 

Before deleting all his social media posts, a few days later, he defended his actions. “I already lost my job because of the Twitter mob,” he said. “I’m not upset. I’m thankful to be suffering for righteousness and freedom.”

His former employer, Goosehead Insurance, announced his termination: 

While we support our employees’ right to vote and express themselves politically, we do not condone violent or illegal acts. This one former employee’s actions are not reflective of our company culture or values, and we are disappointed with his behavior. Thankfully, we have the cherished rights of assembly and free speech, but those rights do not—and cannot—extend to violence in any form.

 

UPDATES: When I check again on September 1, 2021, I see no evidence that Mr. Davis has been arrested. He is, however, the type of person that showed up that day and decided to “fight like hell,” as then-President Trump urged. 

Davis later tells a reporter that after it became known he was at the Capitol, and involved in the melee, everything he had “worked hard for 10 years evaporated overnight.” He lost his job – his home – and his fiancé dumped him. For a time, he lost the will to live. To this day, however, he says he doesn’t feel like he did anything wrong. 

He still believes the election was stolen, and in a story from February 2022, worries about being arrested. 

Like every other lawsuit filed by fans of Donald. 

I check back again, in May 2023. Davis was never arrested – and probably never will be. (He says he never entered the Capitol; and that may be the case.) He did say later that his participation in the riot, as far as it went, turned out to be “a badge of honor” among conservatives. He found a new line of legal work, “defending patriots,” he said, in cases, for example, where individuals were fired for not wearing masks during the COVID epidemic.

In February 2022, the ABA Journal had caught up with Davis for an update. At that time, a Journal reporter noted that Davis had filed an election lawsuit, “only weeks after the riot.” Like every other lawsuit filed by fans of Donald, related to the 2020 election, Davis’s suit went exactly nowhere. 

The suit had claimed that voting changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an illegal election and an “illegitimately elected Congress.”

 

U.S. District Judge Alan Albright of the Western District of Texas tossed the suit in September 2021 after a magistrate judge recommended dismissal for lack of standing and failure to state a claim. Davis did not file any objections to the magistrate’s recommendation.

 

Davis “initially questioned his decision to march on the Capitol,” but by February 2022, he no longer regretted his actions. 

“I just feel like it was really part of God’s plan for my life,” he told the ABA reporter. 

And this might make sense – if we assumed God was an Idiot and He believed in stolen election conspiracy nonsense. 

As of November 16, 2023, we know, 1,108 days since the election, that NO evidence has ever been found that would indicate the election was stolen.

God wasn’t leading Davis that day. Trump was. And Trump was lying – and still is lying. Mr. Davis was a chump.

Trump supporter, believed in a “stolen election.”

 

* 

15. ANTOINE BRODNAX: If Davis has not been arrested, Brodnax, from Sandston, Virginia has. Brodnax, who goes by @bugziethedon on Twitter, and raps as Bugzie the Don, could be seen sitting on the base of the statue of Norman Borlaug in the United States Capitol Building's Statuary Hall. 

(Borlaug was a famous agronomist from Iowa, known as the “Father of the Green Revolution,” which helped improve crop yields around the world, and won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.) 

Brodnax is African American and can be seen in a photo from the day of the riot sitting atop the hood of a U.S. Capitol Police SWAT truck, with a cigar in one hand, an American flag draped round his neck. Normally, this might have gotten an African American man in shot dead. 

When interviewed later, Brodnax admitted to federal agents that he entered the Capitol. He  said he had been in D.C. to shoot a music video, heard about people marching to Congress, and followed along. He has been charged with a single crime. 

(The photo on the SWAT truck is now the cover of Bugzie’s new album, titled, “The Capital.”)

 

* 

Brodnax eventually pleads guilty to four charges and prosecutors recommend a sentence of 21 months behind bars. This sentence, they say, is merited due to his previous criminal record, which includes multiple felonies. 

He gets five months in jail.

(POLITICAL AFFILIATION UNKNOWN.)

 

* 

“Ain’t our Purple Anti-Liberal Bullets pretty.” 

16. MICHAEL SHANE DAUGHTRY: According to the F.B.I., the 58-year-old Georgia man was arrested as a result of his participation in the Jan. 6 riot. The affidavit describes him as operating “Crazy Coon’s Armory” out of his home. On social media he posts ads for the sale of guns and ammunition. According to U.S. Marshals his guns are being held as part of his bond conditions.

Daughtry’s political inclinations clearly lean far right, as is apparent from his social media posts. On November 2, 2020, an ad for his business read as follows: “Anyone needing an AR15 and some extra ammo before the election, I’ve got a couple left in stock. . . It may be your last chance if the election don’t go right tomorrow! Let me know if you are interested?” 

If you still think he might lean left (because you can’t read and interpret information), federal agents add: 

In a Facebook post on December 26th, 2020, DAUGHTRY posted a picture of a woman alongside an undetermined number of rounds of ammunition which were partially coated in purple. In the background of the picture, a machine used in the re-loading of ammunition can be partially seen. The post reads as follows: “I love a woman in a housecoat reloading ammo. Ain’t our Purple Anti-Liberal Bullets pretty. We finished up the first 500 rounds tonight…500 more to go. My buddy ‘Machine Gun Mikey’ poured these powder-coated bullets for me.”

 

Daughtry pled guilty to a single misdemeanor charge in March 2022. At his sentencing, he said, “I apologize to the court for my indiscretion. But does a person not get to make at least one mistake in their entire life?” 

Since it was not shown that he entered the building – only that he helped push police back from the first barricades, he got off with sixty days of home detention, and three years’ probation. 

Judge Randall Moss might have cut Daughtry some slack, but he made his overall feelings clear, saying, “This was not a protest, it was not an everyday event, in fact it was a singular event in U.S. history in which the peaceful transfer of power was under assault in this country and that is, every time I think about it, chilling to the core.” 

Right-wing, ready for violence.

 

* 

17. KEVIN STRONG: This particular rioter is described as 6' 7'', and a QAnon supporter from California. No doubt he’s bummed that none of the “Q” prophecies came true on Jan. 20, and the Biden inauguration went off as planned. 

Strong works for the Federal Aviation Administration when he’s not on the lookout for cannibalistic pedophile liberals. 

According to KTLA Channel 5 News: 

The investigation began after someone told the agency that Strong “had been showing signs of behavioral changes over the last few months including stockpiling items and telling others to get ready for martial law, rioting, and protesting,” the FBI affidavit said.

 

The FBI was told that Strong had claimed World War III was going to occur on Jan. 6 and that the extremist group QAnon would cover the debt for a new truck he recently had purchased.

 

The FBI also was told that Strong had hung a flag at his home that said “WW1WGA,” which is a QAnon slogan standing for “Where We Go One, We Go All,” according to the affidavit.

 

FBI agents went to Strong’s home east of Los Angeles on Jan. 16 and seized two guns belonging to his uncle. 

 

According to the affidavit in his case, Strong “adheres strongly to QAnon ideology, admitting to having ‘Q Clearance,’ and said he believed that “a new one-party system” called “the Patriot Party” was coming. 

It wasn’t. Strong eventually pleads guilty, gets to spend 30 days on home confinement, perform 60 hours of community service, and pay $500 in restitution. Add on two years’ probation, as a bonus. 

Right-wing, QAnon. 

 

* 

18. NICHOLAS DECARLO: This Texas gentleman, and former Proud Boys member, listened to too much President Trump. 

He wore a t-shirt and a hat to the riot, both emblazoned with the phrase, “MT Media,” short for “Murder the Media.’ 

You know: Like Trump has repeatedly said, the media is “the Enemy of the American People.” DeCarlo, 30, appears in several pictures with Nick Ochs, founder of the Hawaiian branch of the Proud Boys. 

In fact, DeCarlo told investigators he worked for “Murder the Media News,” and was there, Jan. 6, on…who knows…a reporter’s assignment? Ochs and DeCarlo are seen in one picture standing in a spot where DeCarlo had written “Murder the Media” in permanent marker on the Capitol Building woodwork. 

He pleads guilty in September 2022, knowing he could be looking at more than four years behind bars. 

In a plea for leniency, DeCarlo tells the judge, “I’m not a violent person, I don’t even enjoy fighting or defending myself because I don’t like hurting people. It’s no excuse for my actions and my role, but I was very much swept up in the heat of things happening that day that mixed with my desire to bring original content to my followers with a satyirical [sic] approach.” 

The court doesn’t buy his apology and sentences him to spend the next four years in prison. He will also spend time on probation, after he is released. In addition, he is fined $2,500 for his little graffiti stunt, and another $2,000 for being a bonehead. 

In fact, following sentencing DeCarlo and Ochs are filmed, shouting, “Four more years, four more years, four more years!” 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

Arrested – at best – for being a sap. 

19. PATRICK ALONZO STEDMAN: The 32-year-old New Jersey man described himself in his Twitter profile as a “Dating + Relationship Strategist. I read people like books and help them change their story.” 

On Twitter, he had 24,000 followers. 

You could quickly deduce where Stedman stood, politically, when you realized he posted about the “COVID/CABAL” on his account. 

On December 30, 2020, he was already fired up and ready to go. He called on followers to get in touch, because he was forming a “team” to go to Washington D.C. on January 6. He explained: 

“Highly, HIGHLY recommend all Patriots come to DC on the 6th. This will be a turning point in our nation.

 

Will eventually be a national holiday akin to the 4th of July. You want to tell your grandchildren you were there.” 

Trump was never really a patriot.

 

As Ryan J. Reilly has written, many rioters, including Stedman, “went mini-viral in their own social circles and ended up getting turned in by people they knew.” With thousands of followers, it wasn’t long before someone tipped off the feds, and they tracked him down and threw the book at him. In a video posted to his Twitter account on the day of the riot, Stedman boasted, “I was pretty much in the first wave, and we broke down the doors and climbed up the back part of the Capitol building and got all the way into the chambers.” 

In one of his first images posted from the day of the riot, Stedman said he saw the Yeti! “Backwards hat (Antifa) right where they were breaking into the main area of Congress.” The picture he included didn’t really prove anything about who the person in the backwards hat was; in fact…hell…I might be old, but I can’t tell which person he’s even talking about. Nor is there any explanation of how Stedman knew the individual was Antifa. 

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, other videos posted by Stedman showed him sitting in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. 

Stedman, who claimed to  be an expert in “female psychology” was apparently terrible when it came to predictions. “Patriots took the hard drives from the Capitol,” he tweeted happily at one point. Then he reported that President Trump had sent in the D.C. National Guard to assist the rioters. “What did we tell you these last few months? The storm is here,” he exclaimed. 

As in “Q,” the storm is here. 

In September 2021, Stedman landed in trouble again after he engaged in a Twitter battle with an individual he believed might have tipped off the feds to his participation in the riot. The judge in his case admonished him not to have any further contact with anyone who might be a witness against him. 

You can even read about his arrest – and his commitment to the Lord – on his blog if you are inclined. He did say his family secured the services of a “top-notch lawyer,” but went on to say his arrest saddened him. 

That night at dinner I cried deep, uncontrollable tears. The impact of what had not only just happened to me, but to the country began to sink in. My arrest warrant had been signed by President Biden the day before about 3 hours after his inauguration. One of his first decisions had been to arrest his political opponents. The grief was not for myself, and not even for my family. But for the United States of America I knew and loved.

 

Now, when I edit my blog, as I do periodically, more than 1,149 days have passed since the 2020 election. And still no proof in court that the voting was rigged. Stedman was arrested – at best – for being a sap. 

Whereas Stedman has been convicted on all five charges, including one felony, after opting for a jury trial. 

On December 27, I edited his entry. By that time, Stedman had been sentenced to four years in the cooler and the judge had docked him $22,000. 

I edited it again, on September 4, 2024. The judge in his case notes that new developments may make it necessary to release Stedman from custody; but the defendant still insists he acted correctly, because the election was stolen.

Trump supporter, believed in QAnon.

(CLAIMED TO SEE ANTIFA.)

 

 

* 

“If the election is being stolen, what is it going to take?”

20. Tyler Ethridge: Texas Monthly provides all the information you need to know on Ethridge, a youth pastor in Florida. He was once called the “greatest six-man football player” in Texas high school history. Ethridge starred as quarterback for Richland Springs High School and set several state records, including most touchdown passes. 

In a video posted to Parler, a man who identifies himself as a pastor speaks from inside the Capitol as rioters in the background chant “Stop the steal.” “Just to let you know, I’m not involved in this,” the man says. “I’m just observing. … I don’t want to say that what we’re doing is right. But if the election is being stolen, what is it going to take?”

 

In the aftermath of the Capitol riot, Ethridge defended his actions on his YouTube channel. In one video he said he had a “radical love for this nation,” adding that he believed that the “prophets” said that Trump should be president for two terms. Meanwhile on Twitter, where his account is now set to private, he wrote that he was “willing to go to jail” for what he believed in and had turned himself into federal authorities. “I don’t have a lawyer. I unlawfully entered the Capitol (even though I was let in). That’s against the law so I turned myself in,” he tweeted.

 

“I’m probably going to lose my job as a pastor after this,” Ethridge said in the video from inside the Capitol. Indeed, the church he worked at in Tampa announced on January 19 that Ethridge was no longer part of its staff.

 

Etheridge was not arrested until July 8, 2022. However, it appears that he had been fired previously, as a number of these rioters were. 

He opted for a bench trial in his case, but on September 8, he got the bad news he deserved. Guilty on all counts. 

He awaits sentencing. 

(One particularly egregious crime involves “tampering with a victim, witness, or informant.” Not a good look for a youth pastor.) 

Trump supporter, believed in a “stolen election.”

 

* 

21. MELODY STEELE- SMITH: Ms. Steele admits that she was there on Capitol Hill during the riot. She doesn’t admit there was a riot. In one social media post she says, “I was there. I’m trying to figure out how I could be there all day and miss all this violence and destruction I’m seeing on tv. I think photos for the news were staged.” 

She adds, “I hope they come for me my videos will show the peace and the lies on the news.” 

Admittedly, she sounds rather harmless, albeit ill-informed. There doesn’t appear to be much other information about her. 

USA Today does describe Steele-Smith as “a long-time Trump supporter who attended a rally in Greenville North Carolina last July.” She also “posted photos on her Facebook account of the inside of the offices for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her staff during the Capitol riot.” 

She pled guilty in November 2022, and in the summer of 2023 received the bill for her stupidity. Ninety days of home confinement, two years of visiting a probation officer, and $500 in restitution. 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

22. JACOB LEWIS: The report on Kevin Strong (#17 on our list), leads to another story from KTLA. A Victorville, California gym owner has also been charged with participating in the riot. According to this report, Lewis has defied lockdown orders several times during the pandemic. 

According to one tipster, in December Lewis had shown them photos of firearms he possessed and inquired about how to buy ammunition, according to court filings. At the time, Lewis warned the person to “watch what happens to the Capitol January 6,” prosecutors said. 

According to the affidavit, on Jan. 8, F.B.I. agents received a tip that Lewis had flown to Washington, D.C. “to attack the Capitol along with many Trump supporters to stop the certification of the electoral college.” 

When questioned by agents at his home, Lewis admitted he was inside the Capitol Building, said that he had not participated in any violence, and, in fact – as far as facts go – “he believed that some individuals involved in agitating were Antifa members in disguise.” 

(He is convicted in April 2022. His fine is stiff: $3,000, plus $500 in restitution. He avoids jail, but gets two years’ probation, sixty hours of community service.) 

Trump supporter, ready for violence.

(CLAIMED TO SEE ANTIFA.)

 

* 

“We found out Pence f---ed us.”

 23. MARISSA A. SUAREZ: The correctional officer from Monmouth County, N.J. resigned from her job after being charged with invading the Capitol Building. 

Suarez took an “emergency holiday” from work to attend the “Save America Rally” in Washington D.C. 

After she and her friend, Patricia Todisco (see next) listened to President Trump and other speakers on Jan. 6, they headed for the Capitol. Both are charged with “violent entry and disorderly conduct” for their part in the riot. In one video clip filmed before rioters broke into the building, Suarez can be heard shouting, “Stop the Steal.” In another video, Suarez comments on the crowd smashing a way ahead: “oh Trish, oh shit, oh shit, Yo, this is what they fucking wanted, this is what they get.” 

A text she sent on Jan. 7 read: “When we found out Pence f---ed us, we all stormed the Capitol building and everyone forced entry and started breaking s---. It was like a scene out of a movie.” 

Next movie scene for Suarez: “Orange is the New Black?” 

(In the end, Suarez avoids jail time, but not a fine of $2,000. In July 2022, She is ordered to pay another $500 in restitution, complete 60 hours of community service, and report to a probation officer for the next three years.) 

Trump supporter, believed in a “stolen election.”

 

*

24. PATRICIA TODISCO: The affidavit in Todisco’s case notes that she traveled to D.C. with Suarez (above). Several times, while filming videos from the attack, Suarez calls out to her friend, “Trish.” Todisco was carrying an American flag, and wearing a red backpack when she entered the Capitol Building. 

In a series of text message and videos the following day, Suarez essentially identifies her pal as a suspect. For example: 

After I took this video, trish and I went all the way up. We said fuck it and went to the front door

 

Everyone forcing in

 

Shit was crazy inside..everything was broken. People were flipping out.

 

The smoke alarms were going off bc everyone was smoking pot and then people started drinking

 

The metro police blocked off the statues and tried pushing us out but most of them were cool. I had words with a dick cop..

 

Apparently they breached the chamber at one point and stole the flags….A kid stole a coat hanger.. it was funny as shit

 

Then the cops showed up for riot control and that’s when it got fucked. The governor issued a 6pm curfew

 

This is us going in.. (she included a video)

 

This is one of the antifa fucks we found.. lol of course for some reason trish and I were around everytime the crowd found one. I actually saw a kid getting ready to throw a jack daniels bottle with some shit in at the cops and I started flipping out on him and then I informed some of the military guys and they handled him.. (video also posted)

 

Trish took pictures and I took these shit videos bc that’s all I could do lol

 

Once again, we have a Trump supporter insisting they have seen the dread Antifa; but the proof is threadbare. 

In any case, Senator Jeffrey Merkley (of Oregon) posted to his Twitter account later that day, documenting damage done to his office as a result of the breach. Todisco can be seen in one picture taken during the riot, wearing a distinctive red backpack, and leaving Merkley’s office. 

Ms. Todisco pays the price for her participation in the attack on Capitol Hill. That is: $2,500 in fines and restitution, 60 hours of community service, and three long years on probation. 

Trump supporter.

(CLAIMED TO SEE ANTIFA.)

* 

“Donald Trump is a cult leader.” 

25. EDUARD FLOREA: The Queens, N.Y. software engineer was arrested by F.B.I. agents after a raid on his house uncovered more than a thousand rounds of rifle ammunition. His wife, Joni, says he has been “radicalized” by the Proud Boys. 

Mrs. Florea says she voted for President Trump twice. Now she says, “Donald Trump is a cult leader, and his legacy will be the Capitol riots, the Proud Boys, and Parler.” The couple has an 8-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. Mom says the agents were kind to her children. 

Her daughter told her later, “It’s okay, Mom. They gave us pizza.” 

At first, Joni Florea supported Trump. She wanted to keep peace with her husband. The longer Trump spent in office, the worse it became. “Life wasn’t enjoyable anymore, because my husband became somebody else,” she said. “Anything I said or did against Donald Trump, it’s like I didn’t have a voice.” 

She told reporters, she was touched by President-Elect Biden’s inaugural speech, and choked up talking about how he reached out to Trump supporters. 

“I am ready to grab that hand of unity,” Florea said, her eyes welling up with tears. “Even after what happened, [Biden] still offered us that unity … Grab onto it guys, we don’t have to defend Donald Trump anymore, because he’s not going to defend you. He just cares about himself, and his legacy is now the storming of the Capitol.”

 

In August 2021, her husband pleads guilty to making threats to kill incoming U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock. 

His prize for listening to President Trump: 33 months in prison.

Trump supporter, ready for violence.

 

* 

Oldest rioter gets probation.

26. ROBERT SNOW: The Heber Springs, Arkansas man was busted, in part, on the basis of phone records. He spent roughly three-quarters of an hour roaming the halls of the Capitol Building. At one point he was stopped by Capitol Hill police, weapons drawn, who ordered Snow and several others to lie down on the floor. 

Snow then exited the building, but soon returned. That earned the slow learner four federal charges, two of which he later plead guilty to. 

Snow told F.B.I. agents he drove all the way from Arkansas in order to hear President Trump speak on Jan. 6. Let’s hope it was worth it. The 79-year-old Trump fan was eventually sentenced to a year on probation, ordered to perform sixty hours of community service, and pay $500 in restitution. 

Trump supporter.

  

* 

“Feelin cute…might start a revolution later, IDK.”

27. JACOB G. HILES: The Virginia Beach charter boat captain was arrested and charged with “knowingly entering” and remaining in a restricted building “without lawful authority,” and “knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions, engaging in disorderly conduct” inside the Capitol. 

Hiles, is seen in both photos and videos from the riot, wearing a “F*** Antifa’ sweatshirt.  

“Feelin cute…might start a revolution later, IDK – in Capitol Hill,” he posted on social media. 

Feelin’ cute costs him in the end. He pleads guilty to one misdemeanor, pays $500 in restitution, and must perform sixty hours of community service, and visit his probation officer for the next two years. 

(During his investigation, Hiles revealed that he had been in communication with a U.S. Capitol Police officer, in the days after the attack. That officer, Michael Angelo Riley,#1037 on our list, was eventually convicted of obstruction of justice, and is likely to see serious time in prison.)

Trump supporter, right-winger.  

* 

Take it back from whom?

28. BRADLEY WAYNE WEEKS: In a video he allegedly posted during the attack on Congress, Weeks shouts, at various points, 

We’ve reached the steps. We’ve had to climb scaffolding. We’ve had to climb ladders. We’ve had to break things to get through, but we’ve gotten through.”

 

We’ve gotten through, and we are going to take back the Capitol! We’re taking back our country! This is our 1776! This is where it’s gonna happen! This is where Tyranny will fall! This is where America will rise! Look at this, America! Look at this!

 

“Take back our country!” It’s a phrase straight out of Donald J. Trump’s mouth and oft repeated by his word-challenged fans. 

What does that simplistic statement mean? Take it back from whom? And how? By violence? So it would seem. (See: #169, Jonathan Daniel Carlton) 

On December 9, 2022, after a bench trial, Mr. Weeks is found guilty on five charges, including one felony. 

It takes another nine months, but on August 18, 2023, the hammer falls. Ten months in prison for Weeks. Twenty-four more months on probation, and $2,670 contributed to the federal government. 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

29-30. ISRAEL TUTROW and JOSHUA WAGNER: The two young Indiana men rode to Washington D.C. together. Both ended up, in the wake of the January 6 riot, charged with: 

o   Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds

o   Disorderly Conduct Which Impedes the Conduct of Government Business

o   Disruptive Conduct in the Capitol Buildings

o   Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in the Capitol Buildings

 

According to one tipster to the F.B.I., Wagner “vehemently opposes Joseph Biden as President.” 

According to court documents, an image of a man with distinctive tattoos on his face, including a crude cross on the forehead, and wearing a black beanie with white lettering of “TRUMP,” was used to identify Tutrow as a participant in the attack. 

Wanger eventually pleads guilty, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, and ordered to pay $500 in restitution. Tutrow also plead guilty. He was sentenced to 36 months’ probation, the first sixty days on home confinement, and also charged $500 in restitution for his riotous ways. 

It could have been worse. Tutrow had a previous criminal record, including several drug charges, and a conviction for giving alcohol to a sixteen-year-old girl. The judge in his case admonished him, saying, “You can vote for whoever you want. But you and your friends do not get to stop the count because you don’t like the results of the election.” 

That sums up the whole riot. 

Even Tutrow’s lawyer admitted her client was “misinformed” on January 6 – but did not mention who misinformed him. He was sentenced to sixty days of home confinement, three years on probation, and ordered to pay $500 in restitution. 

Trump supporters (both Wagner and Tutrow).

 

* 

“Charlatans like our former president.” 

31-32. DUSTIN THOMPSON and ROBERT ANTHONY LYON: the two Ohio men, who met in college, faced a number of charges for their roles in the Capitol Hill riot. 

Among other charges, Thompson stole a coat rack and then fled when police ordered him to stop. 

When Thompson made off, Lyon stopped and allowed police to search him. They found marijuana, two pipes, and an open bottle of bourbon. Lyon at first denied being in the Capitol Building; but pictures confiscated from his phone indicated that the two men had been inside. At one point, Lyon texted his friend, “We need to get out with this trophy.” In another video, Thompson is seen inside a ransacked office. “Woooooo! ‘Merica! Hey! This is our house!” 

(It later turns out that Thompson looted a bottle of bourbon from the office, during the riot.) 

Looted office.

 

Thompson’s attorney later tells the Associated Press his client was inspired by lies about election fraud told by Trump and his backers. 

“Trump and people that supported his presidency would stop at absolutely nothing to keep him in power,” his lawyer said. “The lie that was perpetuated endlessly by Trump and also members of the media that were willing to support him had its desired effect — it sowed dissension, it caused people to behave in ways that were just unimaginable.” 

Lyon’s public defender did not comment. 

* 

April 2022: A jury convicts Thompson on all six charges he faced, including felony obstruction of Congress. 

Thompson himself had testified in his own defense – but the jury just didn’t buy it. As Politico noted: 

“We’re going to lose our country today if we don’t put a stop to these election results,” Thompson said he thought as Trump addressed supporters on the morning of Jan. 6.

 

Thompson, who took the stand in his own defense, admitted he broke multiple laws in service of overturning the 2020 election but said he wanted jurors to acquit him because he believed he was acting on Trump’s orders. He spoke in a hushed, sheepish tone, his lawyer repeatedly asking him to speak up so the jury could hear him. 

 

“I think our democracy is in trouble because, unfortunately,” said U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton on hearing the verdict, “we have charlatans like our former president who doesn’t, in my view, really care about democracy but only about power.” He also called poor Thompson, “weak-minded” and “gullible.” 

In other words: Perfect material for a charlatan to mold to his purpose. 

Lyon pleads guilty on March 14, 2022, and gets hit with 40 days’ incarceration, $3,000 in fines and restitution, and must complete one year of supervised release. 

* 

On November 18, 2022, a federal judge sentences Mr. Thompson to spend 36 months in prison. Judge Reggie Walton expressed a degree of pity for the defendant, who, he said, had tumbled down a “rabbit hole” of misinformation. “It makes for a very difficult situation because I’m not unsympathetic to people being radicalized to engage in abhorrent behavior. We saw it happen in Nazi Germany,” he said. “A very educated, intelligent population was able to be swayed to engage in the atrocities that took place in Germany based upon [the words of] a demagogue.” 

According to court documents, Thompson spent time with a cult deprogrammer, prior to sentencing. At one point, he told the deprogrammer he had come to realize that Trump’s “ego won’t allow him to admit” that he lost the 2020 election. 

Asked about the idea that Trump might grant him a pardon if elected again, the defendant replied astutely, “I’m not holding my breath... he kind of just uses people, I don’t feel like he cares.” 

Finally, asked about the former president, he said Trump should “probably have to serve some kind of time like everybody else.” 

Trump “sent us,” he believed in a “stolen election” – Thompson.

Trump supporter (Lyon).

  

* 

“Encouraged despicable behavior.” 

33. ANDREW WILLIAMS: The Florida firefighter has been charged with one count of unlawful entry. In a video of the melee, he appears, and can be heard discounting the idea that rioters might be arrested. “They can’t arrest everyone,” he says. Following a court appearance, his lawyer blamed President Trump because he “encouraged despicable behavior.” 

They might not be able to arrest “everyone.” They did arrest him. Williams has been placed on administrative leave from his job.

Williams has plead guilty. (Sentence: 60 hours of community service, two years on probation, $500 in restitution.)

Trump “sent us.”

 

* 

“Ms. Williams took the president’s bait.” 

34. RILEY JUNE WILLIAMS: A judge ordered Riley June to serve home detention at her father’s house until trial, after she participated in the attack on January 6. She faced a battery of charges, including two felonies, after helping ransack House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. 

At first, it seemed her political affiliation might be unknown – although I did find a post that hinted she was a liberal type from Vermont. 

I checked to be sure. Nope. The rioter, Ms. Williams is from Pennsylvania. So, just the same last name.

 

I don’t like to use YouTube videos, but one that seemed legit, from ITV News, a British channel, showed a reporter talking to Williams’ mother. She said her daughter started going to right-wing rallies. 

I kept looking. Then I found a detailed analysis of Williams’ social media accounts – at least what can be learned before she deleted them all. She’s both a Trump fan and a white supremacist, neo-Nazi type. 

If you’d like to read some barf-worthy material, go to the story on Williams and the folks she hangs with. 

I also stumbled upon this bit of information: At a hearing on Jan. 21, 2021, Williams’ lawyer blamed the president for her client’s actions. It was “regrettable that Ms. Williams took the president’s bait and went inside the Capitol,” the lawyer told the judge. 

As Reuters explained, most legal experts questioned whether any client would be able to avoid conviction based on a “Trump made me do it” defense. Still, admitted one, “These were people acting in a way they have never acted before, and it begs the question, ‘Who lit the fuse?’” 

* 

In August 2022, while still awaiting trial, Williams caught a break when a judge granted her request for an eight-hour respite from house arrest. Riley got to go to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. 

It’s probably the last Faire she’ll be attending anytime soon. On November 22, a federal judge ordered the young woman to be taken into custody immediately after a jury found her guilty of six federal offenses, including two felonies. 

Her lawyer had argued for leniency, saying that Riley had been swayed by the influences of President Trump, Congressman Scott Perry, who represents her district, and Nick Fuentes, the neo-Nazi.

 

Kind of the Three Stooges of Election Denial and Hate.

The defense also played a recent Trump video in which the former president called January 6 prosecutions a “giant lie & radical left con job.” 

“He’s still putting out that message. It’s wrong.” Said her lawyer. And these “influential men” deserved blame. 

That’s true, of course; but it won’t do Riley June much good; because on March 23, 2023, she was sentenced to spend three years in a federal prison. 

Williams fell for his bullshit.

Trump “sent us,” right-wing.

* 

35-36. CHANCE ANTHONY UPTMORE and JAMES HERMAN “SONNY” UPTMORE: The two men, Chance, the son, James, the father, have been arrested for their participation in the Capitol Hill riot. 

According to Chance Uptmore, the visit to D.C. to listen to President Trump speak (rant) about the election (that was stolen) was part of a five-day birthday trip. When the attack on Congress began, he says his father followed him into the Capitol, but only after advising him not to enter. 

The affidavit includes a response by the son to a Facebook post by another person. He commented: 

And that is exactly how the media wants you to feel. If you saw it first hand you would have a different perspective. The violence was minimal. When people tried to break windows they were confronted by 10+ trump supporters. When a painting was grabbed off the wall we helped the cops recover it. The cops were saying Stuff like “we stand with you” “thanks for being here” “you made your point now leave calmly”. I have it all on tape. Sure there was pushing and shoving and there were some antifa agitators but there will always be agitators infiltrating both sides. The overwhelming majority of people were not being destructive they were just making their voice heard. After years of media manipulation you fall for this one so easily. Tsk tsk

 

In any case, let’s hope the trip was a bonding experience for both men. Chance plead guilty in March 2022, dad in June 2022.

 

FUN FACT: Chance later gets nailed on drug and weapons charges. He tells the judge he’s a “weedaholic” and spends $1,000 per month to make sure he has the materials at hand to roll joints. 

This amusing exchange actually takes place during the raid: 

FBI: “Just to ask a dumb, clarifying question, you know weed’s illegal, right?” 

Jan. 6 suspect: “Yeah in some states.” 

FBI: “In Texas, the State you live in.” 

Uptmore later admits to the agents, “I don’t think there’s been a day I haven’t got high all day in at least like, six months, maybe even a year.” 

He also had a five-shot .38 Taurus Special revolver, located in the drawer of his nightstand, and a shitload of other drug paraphernalia. According to one Texas newspaper, at the time of his arrest, young Mr. Uptmore had 16 pounds of marijuana in his possession. 

His lawyers in the January 6 case note, however, tell the judge that Uptmore has turned his life around since the riot, added that he had a child on the way, and convinced the court to give the young Mr. Uptmore a break. 

Namely: three months on house arrest, five years on probation, and the threat of ten years in prison if he broke the law again. 

Dad gets off a little lighter: 21 days of home confinement, three years on probation, $500 in restitution. 

Trump supporters, both father and son.

(CLAIMED TO SEE ANTIFA.) 

* 

“An avid supporter of former President Trump.” 

37. BRIAN GUNDERSEN: Brian was arrested after people identified him in videos and pictures of the riot. The tipoff was his varsity jacket, and number “70” from the Byram Hills “Bobcats.” 

According to the New York Post, “A person with a close relationship to Gundersen described him to the FBI as “an avid supporter of former President Trump and a follower of commentator Nick Fuentes, a far-right commentator,” the court doc states. 

The criminal complaint also includes “selfies” of Gundersen with several conservative female media personalities. 

At first, he told federal investigators he wasn’t in the Capitol. Then he said he got “pushed” in by the crowd. Then a search of his phone turned up a text that said he and others “might be able to bum rush the white house and take it over.” 

(Apparently, he got his D.C. landmarks mixed up.)

The Post also reports: 

The day after the riot, Gundersen allegedly [crossed out by the blogger after his conviction] shared a photo of congress members taking cover during the attack and wrote “Look at these scared little bitches” in a message.

 

“We all stormed the us capital [sic] and tried to take over the government,” he wrote on Jan. 8, according to the complaint.

 

(In Sedition Hunters, by Ryan J. Reilly, after the words, “tried to take over the government,” he includes Gundersen’s lament, “We failed but fuck it.”) 

On November 10,2022, Gundersen was found guilty on felony charges. On July 25, 2023, he learned he’ll be spending the next eighteen months in a federal lockup, and won’t have a chance to vote for Trump in 2024.  

 

FUN FACT: In a court filing regarding the possibility of a reduced sentence, Mr. Gundersen’s lawyer asked the judge to consider the fact that the defendant is a “childlike man with stunted emotional growth.” 

Kind of like Trump. 

His lawyer went on to claim, “vulnerable individuals like Mr. Gundersen had been fed lies by other the [sic] President of the United States (and other powerful people) arguing that democracy was at stake, that their vote had been stolen, and that it was up to them to stand up for the ‘true President.’” 

Trump supporter, he believed the election was stolen.

 

* 

“Robbed of what should have been a victory.” 

38. Christopher Raphael Spencer: He was arrested in North Carolina on Jan. 19, 2021, but he would battle against charges for more than three years. 

In a statement of facts, supporting his original indictment and arrest, law enforcement officials alleged, in part, that: 

As he walks through Statuary Hall, SPENCER says, “Who would’ve knew the first time I ever come [to the Capitol] would be to storm.” He then moves towards the entry doors to the House of Representatives where a crowd is gathered chanting, “Stop the steal. Stop the steal.” Later you can also hear screams of, “Open the door!” The video [which the defendant is shooting] ends with chants of, “Break it down! Break it down! Break it down!” At approximately 4:15 into the video, it appears that SPENCER yells “kick that motherfucker open!” as others are shouting “push” and attempting to push through the closed door. Another video  shows SPENCER gathered with others, including his companions [likely his wife and son], in a hallway. Law enforcement officers are present as well. Male voices can be heard yelling at the officers guarding a door nearby, “When’s the last time this happened in America?” “You still believe Joe Biden won?” “Hey when’s the last time you dealt with this in the Capitol? Never!” Individuals can be heard yelling vulgarities at police officers and taunting the officers. SPENCER then turns the camera and said “What up Alec? We done stormed the Capitol building, bro. They done teared us.”

 

The crowd yells at police officers who are fighting their way through a doorway to get down the hall. Men are heard calling them “fucking traitor,” “pig,” and “fascist.” People began sliding furniture down the hallway towards the officers. SPENCER yells, “Smile motherfucker! Smile bitch! Fucking traitor!”

 

For his stellar work in an effort to stop the imaginary steal, he was charged with five counts, including one felony for civil disorder. 

According to the Winston-Salem Journal, Spencer, age 40, had at least one defender, his father. He said his son was in the crowd gathered on the steps of the Capitol Building, but got pushed inside: “This has been blown out of proportion,” Winton Spencer said. “When you are in a crowd and they start moving forward, you better go with the crowd or get trampled.” 

Federal investigators would obviously disagree. 

Yes, dad admitted, his son probably “did run his mouth.” But he said he believed his son was being unfairly portrayed in the media. 

“He is not a terrorist,” Spencer said. “He is not a skinhead. Not a racist. He wasn’t raised to be like that. He was probably in there 15 or 20 minutes. When he saw things starting to go down” he got out of the building, the father said.

 

Spencer said his son has never been a member of any organization that believes in white supremacy and in fact had never previously participated in any sort of protest before going to Washington.

 

Chris Spencer decided to go because of his support for Trump, which his father shares. Family members, like many Trump supporters, believe that Trump was robbed of what should have been a victory by forces opposed to Trump.

 

Winton Spencer said he also believes in the debunked conspiracy theory that elites, including many Democrats, are involved in a secret pedophilia ring. Spencer said the FBI is corrupt and that the media refuse to tell the truth about Trump and his supporters.

 

So, more QAnon! Still no Antifa!! 

Christopher’s wife, Virginia Marie “Jenny” Spencer (#607 on our list) has already been sentenced to 90 days in jail. The judge in her case faulted her and her husband for bringing their 14-year-old son to the riot. 

As for Christopher, it took 37 months, but in a bench trial, he was finally convicted in February 2024, on all charges. So you can assume that he’s soon headed for jail.

 Trump supporter, QAnon, believed the election was stolen.

 

* 

“A little carried away.” 

39. BARTON WADE SHIVELY: According to prosecutors, Shively “laid hands on police officers on three occasions” during the attack on Capitol Hill. The danger was not only that he might injure officers, but that he might also encourage harm of others by “potentially inciting violence from those other individuals that were around him.” 

At his preliminary hearing, Shively’s lawyer pointed out that his client hadn’t been in trouble “in a long time.” He also has three dogs. Shively’s boss at a window cleaning company also appeared at proceedings to offer support. “Mr. Shively is someone who obviously got a little carried away,” his attorney added. 

Such as striking officers on three occasions! Shively admitted to grabbing one officer, punching a second in the riot helmet, and trying to kick a can of mace out of the hand of a third. 

Charges against him included “aiding and abetting, civil disorder, violent entry, and engaging in physical violence.”  

Shively also served with the Marines from 1985 to 1992, and received an honorable discharge. 

He plead guilty to a single felony charge, in September 2022, and was facing significant time behind bars. He was still awaiting sentencing when probation officers visited his home in January 2023, and found a shotgun, ammunition, and a sword, with the shotgun sheathed in a “Three Percenters” sleeve. 

His chances of spending a long time in jail were only enhanced. Eventually, the bill came due: 18 months in prison, 36 months on probation, and $2,000 in restitution. 

Ready for violence.

 

* 

“Armor of God.” 

40. MICHAEL SPARKS: At least one person who knows Sparks described him as “a good guy who got caught up in a bad moment.” 

As for his motivation in joining the fight on January 6, Sparks had explained in a social media post: “The votes were stolen. … As for me I believe in the constitution so I’ll die fir [sic] it. Trump is my president.” 

In fact, on the day of the riot, Sparks was the first man through the broken window, into the Capitol. 

In another video, Sparks is seen among a group of men who have chased a lone Capitol Hill police officer, Eugene Goodman, up several flights of steps. At one point, another rioter jabs at Officer Goodman, a U.S. Army veteran, and an African America, with a Confederate flag on a pole. Goodman can be seen placing his hand over his service revolver. When other police finally form a line and halt their advance, they ask the intruders to leave. Sparks can be heard answering, “We’re standing here for you, as well. This is our America! This is our America.” 

In a video shot several months before the riot, Sparks talks about his phone being in his hand more than his Bible, and how news events made him “angrier, and angrier.” At one point, he compares Black Lives Matter to the Ku Klux Klan. He describes himself as a “Christian,” and said the country “is under attack.” 

In a superseding indictment, he was charged with nine crimes. (He was eventually tried on only six.) 

Originally arrested just thirteen days after the riot, the defendant can be seen in a booking photo. He’s wearing a T-shirt that reads “Armor of God” and cites a Bible verse, Ephesians 6:11: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” 

The problem being, of course, that Trump was the false god of election denial.

 

UPDATE: Not sure why his trial is taking so long; but in newly released court documents we learn that Sparks made clear his goals and purposes on Jan. 5. At one point, he posted on social media, “we want a civil war to be clear.” On January 3, 2021, he had posted, “It’s time to drag them out of Congress. It’s tyranny[.]” Then, more hopefully, he posted, Trump has a “Path to Victory, Starting Jan. 6 [.]” 

We can also see Sparks entering the Capitol through a window and being sprayed with a chemical irritant by police. 

Sparks was expected to attempt to mount a defense, based on the idea that “public authority” had told him to join the attack. Namely: Donald Trump. 

Even a year after the riot, Sparks was still posting hopefully on social media, “I truly believe they are going to expose the fraudulent election.” 

So, let’s check the countdown clock: August 28, 2024: 1,394 days have passed since the last presidential election. State or federal courts which have found that serious voter fraud occurred: 

0.

UPDATE #2: We keep learning more about poor, deluded Mr. Sparks. Prior to the 2020 election, he predicted, “Trump will win by a landslide. It won’t even be close.” Even after it was clear that Trump had lost, Sparks remained confident. “Trump will win when all the dust settles,” he posted on social media. “Calm down everyone, Trump is going to be your president!” 

Sparks was like a right-wing sponge. If Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy, said there was proof the election was stolen, Sparks believed it. He believed the false claims  pushed by Sidney Powell, and then amplified by Epoch Times, a right-wing news site. In fact, after Trump told supporters they should rendezvous in D.C. on January 6, and it would “be wild,” Sparks was primed. 

Now he was talking about revolution. “How about we the people drag you out by your face,”  he said, in reference to members of Congress he deemed less than loyal to President Trump. 

But as evidence continued to build – that Donald lost – and lost in recounts – and lost in court challenges – Sparks floated a new idea. “Wouldn’t it be something if 70 million came to arms,” Sparks wrote. “We the people are with you 70 million strong. Let us know if we need [to] bear arms,” he wrote, as if addressing Trump himself. So. Sure. Great plan. Pit 70 million Trump supporters – armed – against 81 million Biden supporters – armed. Throw in another 180 million Americans, caught in the crossfire. Mix in the U.S. military in some fashion. 

What could go wrong? 

And Jesus f**king Christ, what kind of American leader would ever fail to condemn this kind of talk out of hand? 

Well, now Mr. Sparks knows. On March 1, 2024, the defendant is found guilty by a jury on all six counts charged. 

On August 27, 2024, he learns his fate: 53 months behind bars, a longer time in prison than Trump served in the White House. At his sentencing, the defendant still says he believes Trump was the rightful winner of the 2020 election. 

He’ll have plenty of time to ponder that question in prison. 

Trump supporter, right-winger, he believed the election was stolen.

 

* 

“My President called me to DC.” 

41. JORGE A. RILEY: You can gather where Riley stands, simply by looking at the headlines for stories on his arrest: Jorge Riley, a former Sacramento Republican leader, GOP activist Jorge Riley, Jorge Riley, former California Republican leader, arrested. 

“Former,” in the sense that he had to resign his posts after bragging about his role in the riot. 

On Jan. 5 the Sacramento, California man, posted on Facebook, “Do you really not get what is going to happen on the 6th? I absolutely am looking forward to that and NO MATTER WHAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN STOP IT!!!!”, according to the complaint against him. 

The morning of Jan. 6 he posted, “I’m here to see what my President called me to DC for.” 

“We breached over there, I think,” Riley says in a video showing scenes of the mayhem. “We broke windows. We went into the door... We pushed our way into Nancy Pelosi’s office. We just kept going further and further... And then we were sitting in there, yelling, ‘F*** Nancy Pelosi.’” 

Vanity Fair catches up with Riley at a “Justice for Ashli Babbitt Rally,” where pro-Trump members of a group called Saviors of Liberty clash (for real) with Antifa counter-protesters. 

He invaded the Capitol with three white feathers braided into his hair, three streaks of black paint running down each cheek. In a video, he boasts: “I may or may not have rubbed my butt on Nasty Pelosi’s desk.” Before January 6, Riley held positions in the local Republican establishment. Two days after the insurrection, he posted his address on Facebook: “Come take my life. I’m right here. You will all die.” The FBI, he thinks, didn’t get it. The “joke,” the threat, was for antifa. “I got six charges,” he crows. He says he likes cops, except the cop who shot Babbitt.

 

“No cops were hurt,” on January 6, he tells the reporter, Jeff Sharlett. 

Sharlet highlights others at the rally: Jamie Allman, taken off the air by his ABC affiliate in St. Louis after tweeting that he’d like to “ram a hot poker up the ass” of a Parkland shooting survivor. Allman tells the crowd that January 6 was “one of the most beautiful days I’ve seen in America.” 

Riley talks about his own “suffering,” as a result of the role he played, not like Babbitt’s, of course. He says he feels like the survivor from the “300,” the Greek heroes who stood strong in the pass at Thermopylae. At one point the pro-Trumpers cheer the name of Kyle Rittenhouse. A speaker warns, “We live in bad times, in the eternal battle between freedom and tyranny.” God sent an “angel like Ashli Babbitt” to remind everyone that freedom “comes at a cost.” 

That price is “blood.” 

In March 2023, Riley pleads guilty to a single felony count. For some reason, he decides to inform the judge that he wore “his best Trump tie” to court on the day he pleads out. 

Any plea for leniency in his case is likely to fall on deaf ears since he came to Washington ready to spill some liberal guts. According to prosecutors, prior to traveling to D.C., the defendant “purchased a 6-inch Ninja Tactical Combat Hunting Kunai Throwing Knife Set” and later posted on Facebook, “I just bought new kanai throwing knives and am going to do what my president asks[.]” 

In a memorandum, recommending a prison term of 21 months, authorities explain: 

In his own words, the defendant, Jorge Aaron Riley, did not plan to come from California to Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, to “watch people talk.” He was going “for the war.” He purchased throwing knives, left a will for someone, and was prepared to “do what my president asks.” And, on the sixth, he wore what he referred to as “war paint” and stormed the Capitol building, where he remained for an hour – all to, again in his own words, “stop the steal” and take “our country back.” He did all of this while on pretrial release in another criminal case regarding his alleged child abuse.

 

The wheels of justice grind on, slowly, but surely. In September 2023, Mr. Riley earns eighteen months in prison. He’ll be looking out from behind the bars when the next presidential election is held. 

He won’t be wearing his “best Trump tie” anytime soon, either. And he’s out another $2,000 in restitution. 

Trump “sent us,” right-winger,

believed the election was stolen, violent.

 

* 

None were heard to shout, “Hang Matt Gaetz!” 

42. ANDREW C. ERICSON: The affidavit for his arrest reads: “A male by the name of ANDREW ERICSON was in the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021.” It was believed that “ERICSON resided in Muskogee, Oklahoma.” 

That affidavit further reads: 

Witness 1 also saw ERICSON enter what witness one thinks is Nancy Pelosi’s office and take what appeared to be a beer out of a refrigerator in an office….Witness 1 stated IT did not see any violent acts committed by Andrew Erickson but noted that IT (Witness 1) did hear Erickson screaming and yelling during the live stream.

 

The tipster further explained that he or she had known the suspect since high school. The witness also told an agent he or she was “1,000% certain of the identity” of the suspect. 

Ericson was soon arrested and made a first court appearance. He was released on bail, but had to surrender his passport and any guns he owned. 

No information seems to be available, regarding his political affiliation. His desire to visit the office of Speaker Pelosi, however, is a good “tell,” as they say in poker. There, he helped himself to a beer from inside a small refrigerator. 

This blogger has not found any evidence that rioters stormed the office of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. 

None were heard to shout, “Hang Matt Gaetz!” 

We do know one rioter could be heard on video saying he thought Sen. Ted Cruz would approve of he and other rioters being in the Senate chamber. 

In any case, Mr. Ericson soon reached a plea deal with prosecutors. In return for that one beer, he was sentenced to 20 days in jail, on consecutive weekends, ordered to pay $500 in restitution, and spend two years on probation. 

He had also served four days in a county jail, when first arrested. 

At his final sentencing, his lawyer pointed out that he had been cooped up during the pandemic, watched too much right-wing news, and fell for “false claims” about a “stolen election” and an “election system that had been corrupted,” peddled by President Donald Trump. 

Trump supporter, he believed the election was stolen. 

 

* 

“Start a revolution and take all of these traitors down.” 

43. DAMON MICHAEL BECKLEY: In the weeks after the 2020 election, Mr. Beckley was increasingly angry. In December he wrote, in a menacing tone, about going to D.C. on January 6, with violent intent. “It’s not a slap in the face; it’s a DARE for hardened patriots,” he wrote, “to Charlie Hebdo these traitors and end their audacious tyranny. Coups demand revolutions. Congress should be pulled into the DC streets Khaddafi style!” (See: Sedition Hunters, p. 185) 

During the January riot Beckley took time to give an interview, explaining why he and others were there. “We aren’t putting up with this tyrannical rule. If we’ve got to come back here and start a revolution and take all of these traitors down, which is what should be done, then we will.” 

At one point, he could be seen in a video, trying to calm down a crowd of about a hundred, before they entered 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. 

Beckley later told WDRB News he deleted his Facebook account and removed the SIM card from his phone out of fear the F.B.I. could soon arrest and charge him. He was right. He was released on bail after his first court appearance, but was ordered not use the internet to post about the rally or “matters related to the U.S. government.” He was also prohibited from attending any rallies, protests, or demonstrations. 

He quickly entered a plea of “no contest,” admitted to his “poor behavior choices,” and asked the court for leniency. 

(In March 2023, he thinks better of it and asks the judge in his case to grant a new trial. In a new legal filing, with a new lawyer, we assume: “Beckley argues he was suffering possible memory loss, TMJ episode, experiencing impact of benadryl & ibuprofen when he agreed to stipulated trial. Calls his [first] lawyer a Democrat[.]”) 

Beckley also protested at the Georgia capital, after Trump lost that state, because Beckley loved Donald. 

At one point, during the riot, Beckley says he was “knocked down violently from behind by what I think was an Antifa operator.” So we have yet another false sighting to report. 

In the end, the poor sap gets sentenced to 18 months behind bars, and he’s ordered to pay $2,200. 

Still no Antifa people arrested for rioting on January 6. 

And, as of February 9, 2024, still no proof in any court that Donald J. Trump did anything in the last election but lose, fair and square. 

Trump supporter, right-winger, ready for violence.

(CLAIMED TO SEE ANTIFA.)

  

* 

44. CRAIG MICHAEL BINGERT: Authorities accused Bingert of working with other rioters to break police lines. In scenes from January 6, he is seen carrying an American flag, and wearing a stocking cap with the word “America” in white. 

(Merchandise sales had to be good for this rally.)

 

In one video, he turns around to look at the crowd behind him. The chant, “F--- the police!” can be heard. 

TNonline.com notes, “According to social media posts, Bingert is a graduate of the criminal justice program at Lehigh Carbon Community College and attended the State Police Academy.” 

In the indictment against him, Bingert was charged with two counts of violence and eight counts altogether. Also charged with him: Isaac Steve Sturgeon (#258 on our list), and Taylor James Johnatakis (#486). 

They, too, faced eight counts each, including two for engaging in acts of violence on that day. 

A check for additional information, conducted by this hard-working, possibly obsessive blogger, in November 2021, reveals that Bingert contacted a lawyer and contacted the F.B.I. as soon as he saw his picture in the news. 

His lawyer explains: 

“If you are considering whether or not people are obeying the rule of law, the fact that he got a lawyer and contacted the authorities when he saw his picture is certainly indicative that he respects the rule of law,” [Richard J. Fuschino Jr.] said. “One of the most important laws we have is the presumption of innocence, and the fact that a person has to be proven guilty at trial. And we’re a long way off from that.”

 

 On May 25, Mr. Bingert is convicted in a bench trial on all charges. He now faces a lengthy period in prison. 

On September 27, 2023, he learns just how long that sentence will be: 96 months in prison, equal in length to the one term Trump served in office, and the one he didn’t win, but tried to steal – with the help of dopes like poor Mr. Bingert. 

Trump supporter, violent.

* 

“Watching far too much Fox News.” 

45. THOMAS GALLAGHER: CBS News in Boston describes Gallagher’s arrest and the reasons for it: 

According to the criminal complaint, Capitol Police say 61-year-old Thomas Gallagher was among those in a crowd, “…making loud noises, and kicking chairs, throwing an unknown liquid substance at officers, and spraying an unknown substance…” Police say he was at the front of the group, and “…willfully refused the order to leave.”

 

FBI agents tracked Gallagher down in the tiny picturesque town of Bridgewater, New Hampshire, and arrested him at his home. The word spread through the peaceful Newfound Lake region, about its link to the violent chaos hundreds of miles away.

 

“They’re good neighbors,” said Chris Dyer. “Definitely surprised to hear the news.”

 

“I think it’s disgraceful that somebody believes Trump and consequently believes that gives them empowerment to invade the capitol,” said another Bridgewater resident, Richard Lobban. “It’s disgraceful.”

 

A friend later explained Gallagher’s conduct this way:

John Azzo…told authorities that Gallagher had traveled from New Hampshire to the Capitol to attend former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally after he had been “watching far too much Fox News” and “didn’t have anything else going on,” Courthouse News reported.

 

Gallagher pleads guilty in October, and receives two years’ probation. 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

Guy Berry: In bonus nuts. this 22-year-old Virginia man was arrested on Sunday, Jan. 17, just days before the Biden inauguration. When D.C. police stopped him at a checkpoint, he was carrying a Glock 22 pistol in a holster, a high-capacity magazine, and 37 rounds of ammunition. 

His aunt told the Washington Post, “He’s one of those open-carry people,” and added, “I keep telling him Black men can’t walk around with guns on his hip, but he doesn’t believe me.” His aunt says he often shares his pro-Trump views with her, and also on his Facebook page. 

Still, the police didn’t shoot the African American guy in the back, or kneel on his neck until he was dead. 

So? Progress? 

Trump supporter. 

(Not counted; not part of the Jan. 6 rioter crew.)

 

* 

Wesley Beeler: The self-described “country boy” claimed he got lost in Washington D.C. on Jan. 15 (if you’ve ever tried to negotiate the weirdly configured streets of the nation’s capital, you can believe that much). 

He was, however, carrying a Glock pistol, without a permit and had 500 rounds of ammunition in the back of his truck. 

For some reason he allegedly presented a fake “inaugural credential” which definitely raised the suspicions of Capitol Hill police. 

Right-winger (likely). 

(Not counted; not part of the riot.)

 

* 

46. Chad Barrett Jones: Jones was charged with assaulting an officer and could be seen in one video, striking a window at least ten times, in an effort to break into the Speaker’s Lobby. 

A DOJ release gives more detail: 

The affidavit in support of criminal complaint alleges that video footage from inside the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, shows Jones in a red hooded jacket and gray skullcap among an aggressive crowd trying to breach a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby, a hallway that connects to the House of Representatives chambers.  Members of the crowd were shouting and gesticulating at the Capitol Police officers guarding the door. Seconds after the officers began moving toward the adjacent wall as other officers in tactical gear arrived, Jones forcefully struck the door’s glass panels at least 10 times with a long, wood flagpole, the affidavit alleges. The affidavit also alleges that chants of “Break it down!” could be heard, and that a U.S. Capitol Police officer inside the Speakers’ Lobby, facing the door with a gun raised, can be seen at the side of the video in the close vicinity of the doorway. 

 

It’s probably no surprise to learn that the flagpole Jones was wielding was wrapped in a rolled up “Trump” flag. 

Jones, who was only feet away when Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed, went to trial eventually – and got hammered. 

He was convicted on nine counts, including two felonies, on July 26, 2023. 

Violent.

 

* 

47. NICOLAS MONCADA: age 20, was taken into custody after he livestreamed participation in the assault on the Capitol. A neighbor, commenting on his arrest, after authorities showed up at his home, described him as “a wonderful kid.” 

Moncada was photographed outside Speaker Pelosi’s office. 

“For those still thinking of employing violence to interfere with our Nation’s laws and institutions,” a Department of Justice news release warned, “our message is simple – don’t do it.” 

He was arrested after former college classmates tipped off authorities, but released on $250,000 bail on January 20. 2021. 

“Mr. Moncada denies any participation in the effort to overthrow the Government,” his lawyer said, “and he looks forward to defending his good name.”

 

* 

On second thought, in February 2023, Moncada decided to plead guilty, and told the judge he “took responsibility” for entering the Capitol. 

“We are hopeful that he will receive a non-jail sentence based on his lack of criminal record and he did not conduct or condone any violent behavior while in the Capitol. He simply admitted to entering the building and posting it on Instagram. Mr. Moncada is happy to put this behind him and move on with his life,” the defense lawyer said.

 

In November 2023, Moncada’s long and winding trip through the U.S. judicial system came to an end. He will spend the next three years on probation, and has to pay a $500 fine for being a dumb ass. 

(See: Daniel Christmann, #425 on our list; he, Edward Jacob Lang, #131, and Moncada were apparently connected in their roles in the riot.) 

(LIKELY TRUMP SUPPORTER.)

 

* 

“Once we found out Pence turned on us.”

48. JOSHUA MATTHEW BLACK: Black can be seen in pictures and videos from the riot, wearing a Trump/Pence 2020 hat. He also claimed “the spirit of God” moved him to join in the attack. 

You could call it ironic, since court records note that this is what he said in one of those videos: “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.” 

According to a report in Alabama Political Reporter, Black admitted that he had been shot by an officer with some kind of projectile, which went through his left cheek. Black was not there for violence, however. 

Black said on the video that he attempted to help an officer who was alone and had been knocked down and was being beaten by other rioters when he was shot. 

 

“He was on the ground and there was boots coming down,” Black said, referring to the officer being beaten.  

 

Black stopped discussing what happened for a moment to say he’d recently seen a video of Trump denouncing the rioters. 

 

“I just saw a video from Trump, that said we were heinous or something like that. I guess the hopes of getting a pardon are out the window,” Black said. 

 

According to the affidavit filed against him, Black was also seen explaining his thinking in a video from Jan. 6: 

The Individual [Black] later said, “We just wanted to get inside the building. I wanted to get inside the building so I could plead the blood of Jesus over it. That was my goal.”

 

…This individual also said that, once inside the Capitol, he “found a little spot, and there was a glass door, and it said ‘US Senate’ on it. I said I need to get in there. 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. I was tempted to, I’m not gonna lie. Cause I’m pretty upset. You know? They stole my country.” Later, describing what he did once inside the Senate chamber, the Individual stated, “I had accomplished my goal. I pled the blood of Jesus on the Senate floor. You know. I praised the name of Jesus on the Senate floor. That was my goal. I think that was God’s goal.”

 

Black did admit that after he left D.C., he shaved his beard in hopes of disguising himself a little. “I’ve actually been wearing a mask, and not for COVID but for not going to jail,” he added.  

As for his claim to have been opposed to violence, authorities quote from another of Black’s own videos in their detention memo, as he planned for his role in the attack: 

We can’t kill nobody I mean that ain’t gonna look right it’s all about PR, you know? I mean, it may come to that. I hope it don’t but it’s a Democrat house, a crooked Democrat house, crooked Republicans too, in a crooked Democrat senate, crooked Republicans, too, and now there’s a straight up crooked lying cheating you know president and I ain’t even gonna say nothing about Kamala Harris.

 

In January 2023, Mr. Black is acquitted on one felony charge – though not for the kind of reasons most of us would hope to gain acquittal. Judge Amy Berman Jackson rules that, given “a unique stew in his mind,” she cannot determine if Black knew what he was doing when he was charged with obstructing an official proceeding. 

A finding of guilt in that matter would require proof of “corrupt” intent – and the judge isn’t sure Black knew what he was doing. That could be the epitaph for half these rioters – not to mention President Trump himself. 

Black was carrying a knife the day of the riot, however, and he is found guilty on other charges, including one felony, for carrying a “deadly weapon.” He believed he had “the Lord’s imprimatur” for his actions that day. 

His final bill for believing in Trump: 22 months in prison, 24 months on probation and a $2,000 fine. 

Trump supporter, believed in a “stolen election,” violent.

 

* 

“We can’t loose (sic) our America.” 

49. JOSHUA R. LOLLAR: According to a Houston TV channel, Lollar was arrested quickly in the wake of the riot, but released from jail on a $50,000 unsecured bond on January 19. 

The terms of his release included the following conditions: 

Home detention – with GPS tracking – also with provisions to see attorney, court visits, doctor’s office, pick up children on weekends.

 Travel restricted to Harris County and counties that touch Harris County. 

Can leave for travel to Washington, D.C. for court appearances, but his probation officer must know. 

He will have no access to firearms, gas masks, body armor. 

All such items are to be kept in possession of his father, Grover Lollar, who appeared on his son’s behalf.

 

The younger Lollar explained [in a Zoom call] that he lived at home with his father. He had served in the military, sustained injuries in combat, and had been on disability since 2009. He also told the judge he was being treated for PTSD. Federal prosecutors admitted Lollar had a history of psychological issues. 

Would it be feasible, the judge asked, that the young man be kept away from any guns, since he lived with his father? 

“Yes, ma’am,” Grover Lollar replied. He would keep them in a place his son could never know about. 

As for Joshua Lollar’s participation in the attack on Capitol Hill, you could argue that the poor man had been incited to act by the rhetoric of President Trump. Or perhaps he had listened to the nightly preachments of Lou Dobbs, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh, “patriots” all. 

In a video he posted from the scene of the riot on January 6, young Lollar, who had bled for his country, explained: “Just got gassed and fought with cops that I never thought would happen ... 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.” 

Trump? He never bled for this country. Dobbs? No. Ingraham? No. Carlson? You kidding? No. 

Limbaugh? 

F**k no. 

The defendant eventually agreed to plead guilty to one felony, with all other charges against him to be dropped. At sentencing the judge admitted that given the trauma he had suffered in Iraq, he “was a particularly vulnerable individual … susceptible to calls to act” issued by then-President Trump.

 

On the other hand, he should have known better. “You are a decorated military veteran … you took an oath to defend the Constitution, not a particular candidate,” the judge correctly noted.

 

It did not help Lollar’s defense to learn that he had carried an AR-15 with him to D.C. in the days leading up to the riot. Ultimately, he left it behind in his car at a hotel where he had been staying. He did show up on Capitol Hill, however, wearing a bullet proof vest, protective gloves, and a gas mask.

 

At one point, during the mayhem, he posted excitedly on social media, “We’re on the Capitol steps in the back, other patriots in the front, they shut down the vote.”

 

At best, Lollar and the others were misguided patriots, fooled by the greatest liar ever to have been seated in the Oval Office.

 

Trump remains free.

 

Lollar won’t even be voting in the 2024 election. He will serve the next 31 months in prison, and has been ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Trump supporter.

 

* 

50. JESUS RIVERA (a.k.a J. D. RIVERA): The Pensacola News Journal pretty much nails it in the first paragraph of a January 20 story: 

Jesus Rivera, the Pensacola man arrested Wednesday for his alleged part in the recent riot at the U.S. Capitol building, served in the U.S. Marine Corps and had in the past six months amassed a large social media following as he toured the country holding rallies for then-President Donald Trump.

 

In addition, 

Social media accounts that appear to be owned by Rivera show he had steadily become more vocal about pro-Trump viewpoints since July, when he started a page called Chicano Patriot. He often would be seen wearing a “Latinos for Trump” hat and talking about his military service.

 

As that page gained traction – most recently with a Facebook follower count in excess of 7,000 users and a TikTok following of more than 65,000 – he developed a business with another Pensacola man, Scott Brumfield, in September called We the People 1776. The two would frequently post videos about patriotism and their views on subjects like the Black Lives Matter movement and the Democratic Party, in addition to supporting Trump.

 

Brumfield and Rivera created a “We the People 1776” PayPal link. In their bio, they said they used the site to “fundraise their tour.” They described their organization as a “group of veteran’s [sic] who had to stand up and speak out.” 

Apparently, they felt they had to “stand up” against other Americans who tended to vote for Joe Biden. 

Rivera was found guilty in a bench trial; and his award for supporting then-President Trump was eight months in jail, a $500 penalty, and an additional year on probation.

Trump supporter.

 

* 

“My magazines will be fully loaded just in case it’s not.” 

51. JORDEN R. MINK: Mink used a baseball bat to break a window at the Capitol Building, allowing others to enter. Mink was charged with “unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds while carrying a weapon (the baseball bat); unlawful injury to property on Capitol grounds; violent entry, disorderly conduct and physical violence on Capitol grounds; destruction of government property; theft of government property; and aiding and abetting.” 

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a person, 

matching Mr. Mink’s description is seen entering the Capitol through the broken window and removing chairs and other property and delivering them to people in the crowd outside. Other people are seen handing out property such as a lamp and drawers through the same window.

 

A post from Nov. 3, on Mr. Mink’s social media page shows him holding a gun with a sticker saying, “I voted.” The caption reads, “The ballot is stronger than the bullet – Abraham Lincoln. Well ... my magazines will be fully loaded just in case it’s not.” 

He pleads guilty to a felony charge, related to the riot, on January 17, 2023. On June 2, his sentence is handed out. 

Fifty-one months in prison. 

Thirty-six more on probation. 

Two thousand dollars in restitution. 

Zero evidence, to that moment, that there was any significant voter fraud during the 2020 election.

 Violent.

 

* 

Lapsed into depression, and committed suicide. 

52. (R.I.P.) MATTHEW PERNA: according to his affidavit, one witness who called the F.B.I. after recognizing Perna in scenes from the riot, told tells authorities she has seen him post on social media in support of President Trump and the conspiracy group QAnon. 

Perna told authorities that he was “pushed into the building by a crowd that had gathered behind him” and “it was not his intention to enter the Capitol.” 

In one of the lamest of all defenses, he claimed he was only inside for five to ten minutes. “In a later interview, he said that at one point he became frustrated, and, using a metal pole, tapped on a window of the Capitol building.” 

Sure, sure, he did. “Tapped” on a window. 

(Sadly, after pleading guilty to four charges, including one felony, Perna lapsed into depression and committed suicide in February 2022.)

Trump supporter, believed in QAnon (according to tipster).

 

* 

Hoping for a televised execution. 

53. GARRETT MILLER: According to Channel 5 News in Dallas-Fort Worth, Miller, 34, of Richardson, Texas,  

was arrested … on charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted buildings or grounds without lawful authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, obstructing or impeding any official proceeding and certain acts during civil disorder.

 

During a hearing Monday morning, Miller waived the right to a preliminary hearing and he was ordered held without bond by Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford, according to our partner KRLD-AM.

 

Channel 5 also reported:  

In a Jan. 3 [2021] Facebook post included in the federal documents, Miller stated he was bringing “a grappling hook and rope and a level 3 vest. Helmets mouth guard and jump cap.” The documents also state Miller said the last time he went to Washington D.C. for a rally in support of President Donald Trump he had “a lot of guns.” 

 

According to court documents, on the day of his arrest, Miller was wearing a t-shirt that included “a photograph of former President Donald Trump, and bearing the words, “Take America Back” and “I Was There, Washington D.C., January 6, 2021.” Miller had also threatened to assassinate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and said that the officer who shot and killed one of the rioters should get a televised execution.  

So. A proud fan of then President Trump.  

And a complete nut.  

In December 2022, Mr. Miller pled guilty to nine charges, including three felonies, and in February 2023, he got socked with 38 months in prison. Then: another 36 months on probation should do it. 

He could still face trial involving his threat to assassinate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  

Trump supporter, ready for violence.

When arrested, Miller was wearing this shirt,
which read, "I was there."

 

* 

“At the behest of then-President Trump.”

54. MATTHEW RYAN MILLER: Also known online as #BabyMachoMiller, the 22-year-old Maryland man faced four charges as a result of his participation in the Jan. 6 riot, including one for discharging a fire extinguisher in the face of police. 

The judge in his initial hearing ordered him detained, describing the member of the Proud Boys’ actions as “quite severe and quite concerning.” Miller admitted he had lost his job as a result of his arrest. He had a new job lined up, and also cared for an elderly relative. So, could the nice judge please not lock his ass up?

At this point, a liberal, might remember all the gleeful chanting at Trump rallies over the last few years: “Lock her up!” “Lock him up!” “Lock up the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, while you’re at it!” 

And that liberal might have to suppress an urge to start mumbling, “Yeah, lock…” 

Anyway! 

Young Miller, who bills himself as one of the “Patriotic American Cowboys,” faced one charge of assault with “a deadly and dangerous weapon,” as his affidavit said, “to wit: the fire extinguisher.” 

A check of that group’s Facebook page shows pictures of cows and horses, and people that deal with cows and horses, as you’d expect. A picture posted to the page at 6:54 a.m. on January 6 carries the following caption, which garnered 120 thumbs up and heart emojis. 

Today is a day for history in the making! PAC is showing up in DC to support stopping the steal of the electoral votes and the presidency. Never has there ever been more voter fraud in history of our country. If our Republic is going to survive, we must have fair elections!! We are on the train headed to DC now!!!

                                         

One man inquires, “So what is the plan? How are the patriots going to stop the steal?” Good question, as it turns out. 

In a statement to the judge, related to Miller’s arrest, his lawyer offered this defense. His client was there, on Capitol Hill, he said, “at the behest of then-President Trump.” His client, he continued, “concedes he was on the Capitol grounds to protest along with thousands of other protesters and was merely following the directions of then-President Trump, the country’s chief law enforcement officer, and other speakers to march to the Capitol.” 

In the end, Miller’s decision to answer the president’s call ends up with him being sentenced to spend 33 months in jail. 

As a kind of “I’m stupid” bonus, he gets socked with a $2,000 fine. 

Trump “sent us,” believed in a “stolen election.”

 

* 

55. DAVID C. MISH JR.: Mr. Mish, 42, has admitted he was in the Capitol Building during the riot, but told police he didn’t break anything, and objected when others smashed a restroom mirror. He called police later to say he had information related to the shooting of Ashli Babbitt, the protester killed during the riot. The Wisconsin man has been charged with two crimes and released on a recognizance bond. He is ordered not to attend any political demonstrations or visit Washington D.C.

* 

A little more digging, in January 2022, shows that Mish had never been what you would refer to as a “model citizen,” or even a decent human. “Mish has a lengthy court record,” According to UrbanMilwaukee.com. “In 1998, he was found guilty of felony child abuse in Milwaukee County. He’s been found guilty of drunken driving and driving without a license. He’s been sued for failure to pay insurance bills and tax delinquency.” 

(As far as his participation in in the riot, Mish pleads guilty and earns another 30 days behind bars.)

Trump supporter.

 

* 

56. (R.I.P.) ASHLI BABBITT: Ms. Babbitt, 34, was a big Trump fan, a believer in “Q” and all his mysteries. An Air Force veteran, who did admirable service, fourteen deployments, in Iraq and elsewhere, she was shot to death by Capitol Hill police when she attempted to breach one of the last lines of defense between the mob and members of Congress. 

You could argue that she was led on to death by right-wing conspiracy thinkers, such as Lin Wood and send-in-the-troops Gen. Michael T. Flynn. 

The Anti-Defamation League describes QAnon as a “wide-reaching conspiracy theory popular among a range of right-wing extremists.” The movement also has “marked undertones of antisemitism and xenophobia.” 

Trump fans now see Babbitt as a martyr.

* 

Vanity Fair has an excellent story about the thinking of the rioters – Babbitt included. In the moments before she died, Jeff Sharlet writes, another rioter films the scene. 

“Gun!” the videographer yells. Two hands emerge from behind a pillar on the other side, aiming.

 

Fourteen seconds left. Does she hear them shout “gun”? Can she make out the warnings Michael Byrd, a plainclothes lieutenant in the Capitol Police, will say he delivered? That the man standing beside her will say, “She didn’t heed”? “Please,” Byrd will say he shouted. “Stop! Get back!” She doesn’t. He aims.

 

There are more videos. There she is, bobbing up and down, straining. Her long, smooth face, her dark golden hair, her golden skin. She has come to this moment—seven seconds—from Ocean Beach, California, where she lived in a bungalow beneath avocado and lime trees. Little woman. Five foot two, 115 pounds, her mother will say. One hundred ten, according to Representative Paul Gosar, the Arizona Republican who’ll make her name into a martyr song, “#onemoreinthenameoflove.” She’s 35; or in her “20s,” one witness will say; or “16, supposedly,” guesses another man, each aging her backward, into the imagined innocence of girlhood.

 

Goose smashes the glass.

 

“Go!” she shouts. She’s boosted up. She crouches on the sill, her Trump flag like a cape tucked under a red-white- and-blue backpack, like some absurd American bird.

 

The gunshot sounds like a cannon. Glock 22, .40 caliber. Big gun. One boom.

She falls back. Her hands fly up, open, empty, raised to her temples. As if rather than a bullet there’s an unsettling thought.

 

Nobody tries to catch her.

 

Sharlet sets her background – joined the Air Force at 17, served in two wars, eight deployments. Her favorite movie was The Big Lebowski. Her last words, laying on the hall floor: “It’s cool.” 

She married another member of the Air Force. They divorced. She voted for Obama. Then in 2016, she “fell hard” for Trump. Her second husband, Aaron Babbitt, was no fan of the brash new politician. 

Ashli thought Trump was “one of gods greatest warriors.” 

Sharlet writes about, “The Trump dream,” the dream Ms. Babbitt believed. 

“All I dream about and pray for,” she wrote; “it is all connected,” “the pedos” and the “enslaved.” “You can’t sell your soul to the devil without a price.” She retweeted the price deep-state traitors will pay: “DEATH BY FIRING SQUAD.” She’d come to care deeply for the 800,000 children she incorrectly believed are stolen every year. She spoke with hurtling indignation about immigration and drugs. She experienced her anger as love: channeled it into belief; embraced the authority of her president-redeemer. 

...

 

“Mask Free Autonomous Zone,” read a poster on the front door of Ashli’s pool cleaning business, “Better known as AMERICA.” A place of “men” who “smile, laugh, shout, and have a damn good time!”

 

In the end, Sharlet may have hit on a fundamental point – the foundation of our problem as a nation today. “You can’t fact-check a myth,” he says. You can’t make these people believe in facts. 

They cling to the myth. The myth defines them. Warriors for America. Patriots. Defenders against tyranny. 

On Jan. 5, as Ashli prepared to fly to D.C., her husband texted her. “Be safe,” he said. “I cannot lose you.” 

Trump supporter, QAnon.