January 6 Rioters - Part V - Officer Hodges Fights Back (140-160)

 

OFFICER HODGES FIGHTS BACK

PART V

 (Rioters # 140-160)

__________ 

“That would require these believers to completely reconfigure their sense of self and their identity.” 

Whitney Phillips, professor of communications and misinformation

__________

Trump stirred the mob that nearly killed Officer Hodge.

WE KNOW that on January 6, with the Washington Monument as patriotic backdrop, the President of the United States told a crowd of tens of thousands, “You will never take back your country with weakness.” That claim was greeted with cheers. “You have to show strength and be strong,” he continued. 

And with that, many of his supporters set off – bound for Capitol Hill, and a day of political infamy. Today, we know that many of Trump’s biggest fans are paying a stiff price for listening to his torrent of lies. 

Trump lost the 2020 election. 

They are losing in court.

* 

IN THE WAKE of the shocking assault on the rule of law, conservatives tried as hard as they could to pull up their pants, and pretend that fringe elements of the Trump Party hadn’t taken a huge dump in America’s bed. 

Once again, Trump most loyal supporters were confused by all the lies with which they had been and were still being fed. As we have noted before, they believed what they had to believe. To admit to themselves that their god-hero, Donald Trump, had stirred the mob, that their base was rife with haters – that their “patriotism” was rotten at its core, would be impossible to bear. 

Whitney Phillips, an associate professor of communications and disinformation at Syracuse University, explained their conundrum. “The people who already believe that the election was stolen and that Joe Biden isn’t a legitimate President, I don’t know if there’s anything we can say to them.” To convince them they had been fooled, that Trump was no patriot at all, “That would require these believers to completely reconfigure their sense of self and their identity.” 

It was the classic cult mentality.

Members of the cult have been paying a high price ever since for their folly and for falling for Trump’s lies.

* 

“Trump deserves life in prison if my father is in prison for this long.” 

140. GUY WESLEY REFFITT: Also arrested was solid family man Reffitt, a recruiter for the “Three Percenters,” whose son turned him in to the F.B.I. According to his affidavit, Mr. Reffitt warned his wife and children, “If you turn me in, you’re a traitor and you know what happens to traitors... traitors get shot.” 

That story was so much “fun,” I decided I should go looking for more detail. Surely this Texas man must be Antifa! After all, no less than great lawmakers like Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama had insisted that no Trump fans had participated in the riot, because Trump fans love “Law & Order” more than having sex or shooting their guns. 

Or shooting their guns while having sex. 

The Washington Times added a splash of color, but not a syllable about Mr. Reffitt’s left-wing inclinations. 

Rather: 

Mr. Reffitt also told his family that he had to “erase everything” because the F.B.I. was on to him, vowing to “do what he had to do,” if his family reported him to the F.B.I., court documents revealed.

Mr. Reffitt also threatened to “put a bullet” through his daughter’s phone if she shared a video of him rioting in the Capitol, according to federal prosecutors.

 

His wife told federal agents that her husband was a member of the far-right Three Percenters movement, too.

Mr. Reffitt was allegedly spotted in a video of the Capitol riot wearing a blue jacket over a black military-style vest and a black helmet with a camera attached. The video also appears to show him flushing out his eyes because he was sprayed with a chemical irritant.

Federal agents discovered an AR-15 rifle and a Smith & Wesson pistol while searching his home on Jan. 16, court documents said. Mr. Reffitt told investigators he brought the pistol to Washington but disassembled it to comply with the city’s gun laws. 

 

Recently, Politico added new details to Reffitt’s story: 

A Texas man who joined a mob at the Capitol on Jan. 6 told two rioters he had set up a security company as a front to access law enforcement-grade weaponry that could be used to “take back our country,” according to private, encrypted messages revealed Saturday by prosecutors.

 

Guy Reffitt, who drove from Texas to Washington, D.C., also said in recorded conversations that he and others were carrying firearms during the siege of the Capitol. He also encouraged his two associates to join the “Texas Three Percenters” militia, according to the messages posted to Telegram.

 

“I have a new security business to circumvent the 2nd Amendment issue,” Reffitt told the pair. “Website is under construction but business is licensed with Secretary of State, Texas DPS, and Texas Board of Private Security,” [he added]. “We can get ammo and weapons available to law enforcement. We have an interior certified training officer. Join us and lets take back our country. The fight has only just begun.”

 

Prosecutors, therefore, asked a judge to keep Reffitt behind bars until trial. Politico notes, “They also revealed that his behavior before Jan. 6 had so alarmed his family that at least one member reported him to the FBI, worrying he was ‘going to do some serious damage’ to Congress.”) 

According to an article in New York Magazine, despite it all, Reffit’s three children describe Guy as “a good father.” 

* 

March 2022: At his trial prosecutors play video and provide evidence that on the day of the riot, Reffitt brought a rifle and semi-automatic pistol to D.C. and was carrying the pistol on January 6. Allegedly, he can be heard shouting in videos, “We’re taking the Capitol before today is over. Ripping them out by their hair…dragging them out kicking and f****** screaming. I just want to see Pelosi’s head hitting every f****** stair on the way out. And Mitch McConnell too.” 

Reffitt also told a friend that “the Capitol was the only objective, it was the head of the demon.” 

Mr. Reffitt was found guilty by a jury on all five felony charges related to his part in the attack on democracy. On July 18, 2022, prosecutors recommended a sentence of up to fifteen years in prison.

 

August 2022: U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich sentences Reffitt to spend the next 87 months in jail. This will give the prisoner ample time to ponder his mistakes, and consider what a fool he was to believe the election was stolen from Donald J. Trump, in the first place. 

(Who was, in fact, trying to steal the election himself.)

 

In handing down the sentence, the longest given to any rioter so far, Friedrich torched the idea that the rioters were patriots. “And I want to be very clear ... under no legitimate definition of the term ‘patriot’ (does) Mr. Reffitt’s behavior on and around January 6 fit the term. It is the antithesis of the word.” 

“The officers at the Capitol are the patriots,” the judge continued, “as well as those who fought and even died to protect our democracy, our rule of law ... those in the mob are not. Not only are they not patriots, they’re a direct threat to our democracy and will be punished as such.” 

I was going to celebrate until I heard what Reffitt’s daughter, Peyton, had to say. I doubt I’d want to spend much time talking politics with her father, but she loves him, and there’s a good chance he truly saw himself as a patriot. We know he believed in Donald J. Trump – the fakest patriot in America.

 

Scott MacFarlane, of CBS News was in attendance as Reffitt was sentenced. That’s when Peyton Reffitt spoke up. 

“Trump deserves life in prison if my father is in prison for this long,” she told the court. She spoke only briefly, according to MacFarlane, “overpowered by the moment” and needed “some time to collect herself before arguing muted criticism of Donald Trump in court.” 

MacFarlane has been to many of these proceedings, dealing with the January 6 riot, and said he had never “heard anything close” to what Ms. Reffitt said. “I’ve never heard a defendant or a relative say Donald Trump should be sent to prison, jail, that was a unique and distinctive moment right there.” 

As the years of prison time continue to pile up, 14 days for one rioter, 60 days for another, a sentence between 47-56 months for a third, and now, seven years behind bars for her father – one must ask. Does Donald Trump care about these people? They answered his call to come to D.C. when he told them it would be “wild.” He filled their heads with lies and fueled their fury with his incendiary rhetoric. 

He kept telling them the election had been stolen – when two different heads of the Department of Justice – men he had appointed – told him it wasn’t. 

Does the former president deserve jail time for his role in stirring up the attack on Capitol Hill? 

Peyton Reffitt thinks so. 

Her father and her family are paying a very stiff price, all because her father believed in a president’s lies. 

Trump supporter, right-wing type, violent.

* 

“Await orders from our Commander in Chief.” 

141. DANIEL GOODWYN: Goodwyn took that call to action seriously. On January 6, he tweeted from inside the Capitol, “Await orders from our Commander in Chief.” This tweet was included as evidence in the charging documents after Goodwyn was arrested for entering the building during the insurrection. 

Finally, reporters noted, one of the intruders sat down in the seat where Vice President Pence had been serving as presiding officer of the Senate during the electoral vote count. 

It must have been a proud moment for an American “patriot” who was there to stand up for the U.S. Constitution. And with that, he declared, “Donald Trump is the emperor of the United States.”

 

"Hang Mike Pence."

  

Goodwyn later causes additional trouble when he refuses to wear a mask during court appearances, saying he doesn’t believe they work. When federal agents put a mask on his face, following his arrest, the prisoner “attempted to chew through the mask and spit the mask out.” 

His lawyer attempted to explain Goodwyn’s behavior by insisting he was on the autism spectrum. 

(Or just hungry?) 

 

Released to home arrest, Goodwyn had also refused to mask up when officers of the court visited. The judge threatened to issue a warrant for his arrest if he continued to refuse, gave Goodwyn’s lawyer a week to provide evidence of his client’s autism, and said next time the alleged rioter refused to wear a mask with officers of the court present, he would revoke his bail and send him to jail. 

Autistic or not, Goodwyn, a self-professed Proud Boy, pled guilty to one federal charge, on January 31, 2023. In return, a felony charge against him is dropped. 

At sentencing, he proves so obstreperous (word for the day) that he talked himself into a slightly longer sentence than the judge originally intended. To wit: 60 days in the slammer (having already served 21). 

He also got fined to the tune of $3,000. 

Trump “sent us,” right-wing, violent. 

* 

“The president asked people to come.” 

142. CHRISTOPHER RAY GRIDER: Grider, from the town of Eddy, Texas turned himself in after being involved in the riot. He was charged with “willful depredation of federal property, remaining in a restricted area unlawfully, and violent entry.” Grider could be seen in a video, inside the Capitol Building, explaining, “The president asked people to come and show their support. I feel like it’s the least that we can do. It’s kind of why I came from Central Texas all the way to DC.” 

Grider is also seen in various photos with a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag draped across his shoulders. 

According to Channel 25, ABC News, “serving Central Texas,” Grider helped batter on the doors, and break a window through which Ashli Babbitt tried to climb, before she was shot and killed by police. 

Video, 

shows Grider in front of the glass doors which lead to the Speaker’s Lobby. At one point, a man standing next to Grider attempted to break the glass window. Grider allegedly handed a black helmet to this man, then spoke to the man as Grider appeared to knock on the top of the helmet, showing that it is a hard instrument.

 

The man then accepted the helmet and used it to strike the glass doors, breaking the glass that Babbitt eventually attempted to jump through.

 

Grider was allegedly caught on camera attempting to push open the doors and then kick the doors in an attempt to breach the entrance leading to House Chamber where members of Congress were located.

 

So: another Trump fan, breaking the door. And another unlucky Trump fan, Babbitt, shot dead. 

Upon his arrest, a lawyer for Grider argued that it would be perfectly safe to release him from jail, noting, “He no longer cares about politics or who is President of the United States.” 

He was hit with a battery of nine charges, plead guilty to two, and asked for a bench trial on the other seven offenses. On December 22, 2022, he was found guilty on those additional seven. 

Grider was described by  prosecutors “a leader, not a follower,” on January 6. The Texan was inside the building by 2:14 p.m., two minutes after rioters first breached the Capitol. On May 23, 2023, a judge gives him 83 months behind bars to ponder his mistakes. His wife, three sons, and an infant daughter will also pay the price for Trump’s lies. Grider must surrender $800 he raised for his defense on a Go Fund Me page, and pay $5,044 in fines and restitution. 

Trump “sent us.”

 

* 

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DAYS in office dwindled in the aftermath of the riot. But the arrests piled up. 

Down in Georgia, a federal judge rejected a defendant’s request that he be allowed to spend time until trial at his sister’s house, where he promised to be good, rather than be sent to jail for his part in the riot.

A dangerous ideology “has poisoned this man’s mind.” 

143. WILLIAM McCALL CALHOUN JR.: Calhoun’s request was denied, after the judge told his attorney that clearly a dangerous ideology “has poisoned this man’s mind.” 

For example, in the months leading up to the riot, Calhoun had been making all kinds of threats on social media, expressing a desire to “kill every last communist who stands in Trump’s way.”

 

__________ 

“It was absolutely my pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection, and we’ll do it as many times as it takes.” 

Officer Daniel Hodges

__________ 

 

According to investigators, Mr. Calhoun (who practices law in the town of Americus) bragged on social media about his skill in firing sniper headshots, and called for the “slaughter” of political enemies. 

A second story filled in more detail and gave us insight into Calhoun’s flag-waving, Trump-loving, “Make America Lynch Again” frame of mind. The following information comes from his Facebook page. 

Calhoun said the “mob” searched through Pelosi’s “inner sanctum,” according to his Facebook post cited in the affidavit.

 

“And get this – the first of us who got upstairs kicked in Nancy Pelosi’s office door and pushed down the hall towards her inner sanctum, the mob howling with rage,” Calhoun wrote, according to the FBI.

 

“Crazy Nancy probably would have been torn into little pieces [emphasis added] but she was nowhere to be seen.”

 

Yep. Another Trump fan, quoting the Orange God, referring to the House Speaker as “Crazy Nancy.” 

We also know where Calhoun’s head was at, in the days leading up to the attack on Capitol Hill. “Being physically present in Washington on January 6 is of key importance,” he posted on Parler. “We the people have no other realistic option to communicate our unwavering intent to demand fair elections now & forever – or else.” 

Later he described what happened as a “hand to hand hostile takeover” on Congress – not quite the scene right-wing apologists tried to paint afterward. 

On March 21, 2023, Calhoun is convicted on both felony and misdemeanor charges. 

For his fine efforts to save a second term for Trump, he earns 18 months behind bars, 24 more months on probation, and gets socked for $2,000. 

Ironically, Mr. Calhoun, 59, is a “practicing criminal defense attorney” back home in Georgia.

Trump supporter, he believed the election was stolen,

ready for violence.

 

* 

144. Samuel Camargo: Also facing multiple charges related to the Capitol Hill attack, was Samuel Camargo, 26, a Florida man who you might also think had had his mind poisoned. Realizing he was wanted by the F.B.I. after they tracked him down, he first took a call from an agent and admitted he had been in Washington the day of the riot. “Then he became uncooperative and questioned the agent’s loyalty to the constitution [emphasis added] before saying he had no more information to provide,” prosecutors wrote in an affidavit. 

“Following this interview, the defendant then posted on social media ‘Just finished speaking to an FBI agent, I believe I’ve been cleared.’” 

When authorities arrived at his home to arrest him, however, Camargo was gone. In what may have been the dumbest move yet, the young man hopped in his car and drove back to the nation’s capital. 

His plan, he said, was to attend the Biden inauguration, because he was apparently too dumb to watch TV and realize no one like him was going to get within five miles of the Inaugural stage. And unlike Amanda Gorman, he wasn’t a poet. Whatever chance he had of crashing the party evaporated when he was stopped by federal authorities and placed under arrest in Washington D.C. 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

BLUE LIVES matter! 

Right? 

This blogger absolutely believes they do. But can we not agree there are bad cops, just like there are bad teachers, bad businesspersons? 

And bad mule skinners? 

*

145. T. D. PHAM: Now a “former” Houston, Texas police officer, Pham resigned from the force after he was charged with participating in the Capitol Hill riot. F.B.I. agents found deleted pictures on his phone, placing him inside the Rotunda on Jan. 6. Pham at first claimed he traveled to Washington D.C. for a business trip and just happened to hear the president would be giving a speech. 

Then he happened to attend. 

Then he kind of followed the crowd, after Trump stirred everyone up and the crowd/soon-to-be-mob headed for the building where the electoral votes were to be counted. 

At first, Officer Pham denied he had followed the crowd/mob. Agents reminded him it was a crime to lie to investigators. Pham admitted he did leap a couple of barricades and did get inside the Capitol Building, but only stayed for 10-15 minutes, because he wanted to “look at the historical art on the walls.” 

That’s all the detail we have on ex-Officer Pham; and it could be he did get caught up in the moment. (I do hate to see people lose their livelihoods. Or in several cases that day, their lives.) His lawyer insists that her client cooperated with the F.B.I. and “prays for the success of the incoming Biden administration.” 

She went on to say, “He is deeply saddened to be associated with the domestic terrorists who attacked our Capitol on January 6, believes strongly in the rule of law, and that the election choosing President Biden was fair and free.” 

On Sept. 20, Pham pleads guilty to one misdemeanor and in return three other charges are dropped. 

In December, Pham is sentenced to 45 days behind bars. In court, he cries and says his decision to “stupidly” follow the crowd that day was “the worst choice of my life.” He told the judge he knew he had tarnished his reputation and brought shame to his family, “especially my children. The United States has given me so many opportunities.” 

“I am sorry. Very, very sorry,” he added. 

“Your role was very minor on that day,” Judge Timothy Kelly said as he sentenced Pham. “On the other hand, without people like you, the collective force of the mob would not have been the same.” 

Pham had come to America in 1991, without any money, and had spent 18 years as an officer with the Houston Police. 

He resigned two years short of qualifying for a pension. (And this liberal blogger thinks “Loser Donald” should have to fork over some cash to make up for every penny Pham will lose.) 

Trump supporter.

 

*

146. Kim Sorgente: Once again, if you’re ever planning to participate in a riot to overturn democracy, wear neutral or dark colors. Mr. Sorgente proves easy to follow once federal authorities have his name. According to the charging document in his case, on the day of the attack, 

SORGENTE was wearing a red “Make America Great Again” baseball hat, sunglasses, a gray zip-up hooded sweatshirt, a black t-shirt with the words “Deus Vult” [“God wills it,” the rallying cry of the First Crusade] and what appears to be religious iconography printed on it, and blue jeans. He also at times carried a white megaphone and a cellphone in a distinctive light pink or beige protective case with what appears to be eyes and a beak printed on it…

 

During the initial battle at police barricades in front of the Capitol, Sorgente allegedly approached the police line and shouted into a megaphone he was carrying, “How dare you? How dare you, traitors? How dare you traitors?” 

Just after 2 p.m., as police battled the mob around scaffolding set up for the inauguration, Sorgente again approached. Shouting at police again, he asked, “What are you doing? What are you doing? How does it feel to be a traitor? How does it feel to be a traitor? What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” 

Sorgente later did what he could to help the mob push back police lines blocking a tunnel into the Capitol Building. Finally, around 3:45, Sorgente helped lead a fresh assault in an attempt to break through the police guarding the tunnel. As officers tried to push the mob out of the Archway, SORGENTE yelled “Oh god, don’t do it. Oh my god, you hurt me bad! Please! Please! Ah, I got hit in the head. I’m bleeding now.” 

Meanwhile, another member of the mob had collapsed in the crush. Sorgente can then be heard shouting, “Get her up. Get her up, please. Save her life. Save her life.” 

At 4:46 p.m., Sorgente allegedly joined in a third assault on police in the tunnel, but rioters could not break through. 

He has been charged with three federal offenses, as a result. 

UPDATE: In August 2023, Mr. Sorgente failed to show for a court date related to his attack on two counter-protesters at a different “Stop the Steal” rally outside Santa Anna College. 

Initially, he called in sick, as it were, and told court officials he couldn’t make it in for the day. They told him not to worry, he could appear via phone conference. Sorgente thought he’d rather not. 

At the time, he was out on $100,000 bail. 

A fresh arrest warrant was prepared.

Trump supporter.

* 

“Next time a would-be dictator decides to try his luck.” 

147. PATRICK EDWARD MCCAUGHEY III: Also posing for a mug shot: Mr. McCaughey, 23, of Ridgefield, Connecticut. 

In this case, we can let CNBC tell the tale. During one pivotal moment, with police barring a hall behind double doors, and dozens of rioters pushing against them, McCaughey played a central role: 

Patrick Edward McCaughey III, 23, of Ridgefield, repeatedly told Metropolitian [sic] Police Officer Daniel Hodges “just go home” and “come on man, you are going to get squished” as he pinned Hodges between a police riot shield that McCaughey was holding and the doors, a criminal complaint said.

 

As McCaughey did so, another rioter “began violently ripping off Officer Hodges’ gas mask, exposing Officer Hodges bloodied mouth,” said the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

 

“Don’t try and use that stick on me boy,” McCaughey snapped at Hodges, referring to a police riot baton.

 

Hodges is seen on a YouTube video of the attack crying out in pain as a horde of supporters of then-President Donald Trump pushed in against him, adding their weight to McCaughey’s.

 

McCaughey was spotted leaving the Capitol later by security cameras after hitting other cops with the riot shield, according to the complaint.

 

If the mob scenes were shocking to most Americans, and even to most sensible Trump fans, (we hope), Officer Hodges had a comment that, for this blogger, partly redeemed the day. Asked about his efforts to hold back the attackers, he told reporters, “If it wasn’t my job, I would have done that for free.” 

He added: “It was absolutely my pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection, and we’ll do it as many times as it takes.” 

(McCaughey was charged with multiple crimes, including assaulting a police officer, and jailed on Jan. 19. He was released on bail, in March, after his parents secured a $1 million bond and his lawyer argued that McCaughey had actually tried to help Officer Hodges – not been involved in his assault. 

When I checked a little more, I learned that his lawyer claimed McCaughey traveled to D.C. with his father to support President Trump. His lawyer also argued for his client’s release, noting that “the defendant’s somewhat of a de facto unindicted coconspirator in this case” would be … wait for it … “President Donald J. Trump.” 

That’s true, of course – but McCaughey is the guy who is going to pay a very, very steep price. He opts for a jury trial, and gets convicted on nine counts, including seven (7) felony charges. 

In the end, the young man gets a sentence of 90 months in prison, and admits that his actions on January 6 were “monumentally stupid.” He tells the judge he acted “less like a citizen and more like an animal.” His lawyer says McCaughey now knows the stories of a stolen election were all lies, and “He’s embarrassed he believed such a lie.” 

Officer Hodges speaks at his sentencing and calls the defendant a “foot soldier” in a larger effort to overturn the results of a fair election, an election Trump, and McCaughey’s own father had helped convince Patrick had been “stolen.” On this day, April 22, 2023, the 900^th since the 2020 election, when I update my, list, we have still turned up NO evidence that anyone stole any significant number of votes. 

Patrick will be lodged in jail in 2024, and won’t have a chance to vote for his hero, even if Trump gets the GOP bid to ruin America again. 

Officer Hodges also noted that the riot had left fifty officers disabled, men and women who wouldn’t be there “next time a would-be dictator decided to try his luck against the United States.”

Trump supporter, he believed the election was stolen.

 

* 

AS A FAN OF FACTS – the more the merrier – Mr. Blogger kept digging. Days blended one into another. Arrests mounted. Mr. Blogger grew bleary-eyed. 

 

A “fever swamp” of conspiracy theories. 

The president and his enablers continued to insist the election was stolen in a manner most foul. There were grave concerns for the safety of the Biden Inauguration. Rep. Pete Meijer, one of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, spoke of a “fever swamp” of conspiracy theories that blinded millions on the Republican side. 

The QAnon crew was convinced that on Inauguration Day, Trump would still triumph.  Biden, Obama, Hillary Clinton, and all the other cannibal pedophiles would get their comeuppance. Cuffs all around. Maybe ropes. 

Donald J. Trump would rule supreme for four more years.

 

__________ 

“Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” 

Voltaire

__________ 

 

It was ludicrous. It was also dangerous. Had the rioters prevailed in their attack they would have destroyed our electoral system, probably forever, and might have dangled a few lawmakers from ropes. 

 

* 

The rioter is a Steelers fan.

148. THOMAS FEE: Mr. Fee, a retired fire fighter, and a resident of Freeport, New York was proud of his role in the melee. He sent a selfie to his girlfriend, showing him inside the building on Jan. 6. Fee’s girlfriend’s brother happened to be a federal agent. So he asked Fee (who didn’t know) if he was in fact one of the rioters. Fee responded happily, noting that he was “at the tip of the spear.” 

In fact, Fee entered the building through the Senate Wing Doors, fifty seconds after the building was breached. He remained inside for forty minutes, often directing other rioters where they should go. 

As The Hill reports, “The federal agent then forwarded the info to the Joint Terrorism Task Force.” 

According to ABC News, 

Fee was honored after he rescued 13 people, including a pregnant woman and several children, from flooding during Superstorm Sandy on October 29, 2012. But he also, as a volunteer firefighter in Hempstead in 2004, was suspended for yelling racial slurs at a Black cardiologist who walked past the firehouse on three or four occasions.

 

We noted, above, that at one website, right-wingers are calling the rioters still in jail “political prisoners,” and calling our system of justice an “American gulag.” The gulag-y comparison takes another hit when, on October 10, Mr. Fee – who was already out on bail – won court permission to travel to Pittsburgh for a Steelers game against the Denver Broncos. 

In other words, just like being sent to a labor camp in Siberia during the cruel reign of Josef Stalin! 

(Fee pleads guilty to a single misdemeanor in January 2022. In April, he is sentenced to 24 months of probation, to perform 50 hours of community service, and pay a $500 fine, and $500 restitution.) 

Trump supporter.

* 

“Straight people are an oppressed majority.” 

149-150: Mark Sahady and SUZANNE IANNI: I kept looking for the elusive Antifa Waldo in the rioting mob – and as of October 2023, I still am. If Antifa Waldo was out there, I can’t turn him up. I tried. I found a story about Mark Sahady and Suzanne Ianni, two arrestees who had participated in the attack. Both are members of a “strait pride” group, called Super Happy Fun America. 

This blogger is all for supper happy fun. And he is strait, himself. But you can assume these were not left-wing folks. 

Once again, The Hill provided a few telling details. 

The organization previously hosted a “Straight Pride Parade” in Boston that garnered national attention. The group’s website states that it “advocates on behalf of the straight community,” with the organization’s president asserting that “straight people are an oppressed majority.”

 

In April 2021, Sahady appeared at a rally against coronavirus restrictions and was greeted as a hero. “Yeah,” he told the people in the audience, “we are definitely not terrorists. Make no mistake about it: This is a political prosecution.” 

The Washington Post reports: 

Sahady and Ianni are members of a right-wing, Massachusetts-based group called Super Happy Fun America, which first drew national attention for organizing a 2019 Straight Pride Parade in Boston. At the rally last month, group president John Hugo praised the two as “freedom fighters” for the roles they played on Jan. 6.

 

The group’s leaders say they chartered six buses to ferry Trump supporters to D.C. to protest the outcome of the 2020 race. 

 

Sahady got fired from his job soon after his arrest. Hugo notes, however, that notoriety has boosted membership. Some 400 individuals, up more than a third since the Jan. 6 attack, are now ready for some “supper happy fun.” 

“We’ve seen an uptick in censorship, wholesale suspension of conservatives from social media,” said Hugo, who said he did not go to Washington on Jan. 6 because of a knee injury. “It’s like a snake, a boa constrictor, slowly squeezing us, squeezing us, squeezing us. There’s nothing left. We’ve been kicked out of the virtual public square.”

 

The clueless Mr. Hugo seems not to notice that he is protesting in the actual public square, and people in the virtual public square are finding out about his group and the snake, the boa constrictor, must really be weak. 

Party on. 

(Ianni agrees to a plea deal and is found guilty on one misdemeanor count in September 2022. In December she gets fifteen days in jail, and a month on probation – a light sentence, for being a bonehead. Her stupidity also garners her a $500 charge for restitution.) 

On the Super Happy Fun website, the group describes itself as “a right of center civil rights organization focusing on defending the Constitution, opposing gender madness and defeating cultural Marxism.” 

If you have an urge to join. 

(For more on the group and its leaders, read “Straight Pride organizer indicted by federal grand jury…”)

In April 2023, after fresh evidence surfaced, Sahady was hit with a felony charge to go along with several misdemeanors. 

Trump supporter, believed election was stolen, right-wing (Sahady). 

Trump supporter, right-wing (Ianni).

 

* 

Thomas and his hit list.

 151. Thomas E. Caldwell: “Where’s Antifa Waldo?” I cried out, having searched high and low, hoping to find evidence that the rioters on January 6 were anything other than Trump fans and assorted right-wing nuts. Instead, I kept turning up people like Caldwell in every search. The affidavit in his case noted that he was on hand for the riot – but did not enter the Capitol. 

His back story is strictly right-wing: 

The Oath Keepers 

Law enforcement and news media organizations observed that members of a paramilitary organization known as the Oath Keepers were among the individuals and groups who knowingly, willfully, and forcibly entered the U.S. Capitol.

 

The Oath Keepers are a large but loosely organized collection of militias who believe that the federal government has been coopted by a shadowy group that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights. Though the Oath Keepers will accept anyone as members, what differentiates them from other anti-government groups is their explicit focus on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement and first responder personnel. The organization’s name alludes to the oath sworn by members of the military and police to “defend the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.” 

 

Caldwell was described as a “resident of Clark County, Virginia,”  who appeared “to have a leadership role with the Oath Keepers.” 

The agent who reviewed the evidence explained that in a video he had studied, Caldwell and 8 to 10 others can be seen: 

In paramilitary equipment aggressively approaching an entrance to the Capitol building. These individuals, who are wearing helmets, reinforced vests, and clothing with Oath Keeper paraphernalia, move in an organized and practiced fashion and force their way to the front of the crowd gathered around a door to the U.S. Capitol.

 

A picture attached to the affidavit showed the Oath Keeper badge on one man’s vest, with a second patch sown on, which read: “I don’t believe in anything. I’m just here for the violence.” 

 

UPDATE: January 12, 2022: Caldwell and ten others are indicted for seditious conspiracy, and if convicted could receive a sentence of twenty years in prison on just that charge. See: Elmer Stewart Rhodes, et. al, (#601). 

Lawyers decide to split up the trials. 

UPDATE: July 30, 2022: Prosecutors allege that Caldwell had a “death list” including the name of a Georgia election official, and a family member (I am guessing it would be one of the two officials Trump attacked in a tweet, and who later testified during the January 6 hearings in Congress.) 

And a daughter. 

Caldwell’s lawyer tried  and failed to block admission of the list as evidence, calling it a “doodle pad.” 

During his trial, Caldwell claimed that when he said he was going “antifa hunting,” he was joking. He didn’t really hunt humans. He also denied that he really had a stash of heavy weapons ready to go on the day of the riot, which he said he did have in one message to other members of the group on January 6. By way of explanation, he told jurors, “I do a lot of creative writing.” 

 

UPDATE: November 29, 2022: A jury convicts Mr. Caldwell on a charge of obstructing Congress, which also carries a penalty of up to twenty years in prison. He is acquitted on the charge of seditious conspiracy. 

At any rate, he’ll be doing most of his “creative writing” on prison stationary for the next however many years. 

 

FUN FACT: Unless you’re the target. This blogger correctly surmised that Caldwell’s death list included the names of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. (Those were the only names on his list.) 

We should also note that Freeman and Moss have been absolved of any vote stealing in the 2020 election. 

And, several news organizations, as well as Rudy Giuliani, have lost defamation cases for claiming the women were crooked. 

Which means: Caldwell was thinking about killing two innocent Americans. Definitely not the way to “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”

 

FUN FACT #2: On the day of the attack, Caldwell can be seen in one video clip, barking, “Today I wipe my ass on Pelosi’s doorknob.”

 
A dumpy looking patriot: Mr. Caldwell.

A few of Caldwell's posts.

Trump “sent us,” right-wing, violent.

 

* 

__________ 

“As the inauguration grew nearer, Watkins indicated that she was awaiting direction from President Trump.” 

Affidavit for the arrest of Jessica Marie Watkins

__________

Watkins dressed for a casual day in D.C., right.

 

152. JESSICA WATKINS: In the same affidavit with Thomas Caldwell, above, a federal agent cites a second defendant, Watkins, 38, a “resident of Champaign County, Ohio. She also “appears to be affiliated with the Oath Keepers.” 

20… At the top of WATKINS’ social media account page on Parler, WATKINS states that she is “C.O. [Commanding Officer] of the Ohio State Regular Militia. Based on information gained during the course of my investigation, I am aware that the Ohio State Regular Militia is a local militia organization which is a dues-paying subset of the Oath Keepers.

 

The agent further noted that Watkins had confirmed, via social media, that she was a participant in the mob attack. 

22…. For instance, on January 6, Watkins posted to Parler a photograph of herself in the same Oath Keeper’s uniform in which she appears in Picture 3 , alongside the statement: “Me before forcing entry into the Capitol building. #stopthesteal #stormthecapital #oathkeepers #ohiomilitia.” I am aware from public reporting after the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election that the social media hashtag #stopthesteal was used by people who believed, essentially, that the election results were influenced by fraud, and who wanted to stop the electoral college results from being certified by the Congress.

 

Watkins added later, in another post to Parler, “Yeah. We stormed the Capitol today. Teargassed, the whole, 9 [yards]. Pushed our way into the Rotunda. Made it into the Senate even. The news is lying (even Fox) about the Historical Events we created today.” 

Questioned by someone else on social media, about her boast, her critic wondered if she and her pals hadn’t just been let into the building. “Nope. Forced. Like Rugby,” she responded. “We entered through the back door of the Capitol.” 

 

“We have about 30-40 of us.” 

On February 11, 2021, the Department of Justice amended its complaint against Watkins. Lawyers for the DOJ asked a judge to detain her without bail until trial. 

The request read in part: 

Watkins exhibited a single-minded devotion to obstruct through violence an official proceeding that, on January 6, was designed to confirm the next President of the United States. Crimes of this magnitude, committed with such zeal, belie any conditions of release that would reasonably assure the safety of the community or by which Watkins could be trusted to abide. Clad in camouflaged battle fatigues, a tactical vest emblazoned with an Oath Keepers patch, combat boots, military grade helmet, and radio equipment, Watkins and her fellow Oath Keepers militia members were among those hundreds of insurgents who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. But unlike the vast majority, Watkins had trained and plotted for a moment like this. 

 

Watkins and her “co-conspirators and sympathizers” had conducted military-style training for this attack. They had armed themselves. They awaited only the word from President Trump to move. Using an encrypted app channel, Watkins assured others on the day of the attack: “We have a good group. We have about 30-40 of us. We are sticking together and sticking to the plan.” 

Moments after the Vice President of the United States, Senators, and staff were hurriedly evacuated in the midst of certifying the results of the 2020 Presidential election, that plan became chillingly clear when an unknown male instructed over the channel, “You are executing citizen’s arrest. Arrest this assembly, we have probable cause for acts of treason, election fraud.”

 

It was always clear to Watkins and others why they were going to D.C. to try to stop the certification of the electoral vote: 

On January 4, 2021, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, Person One, issued a call for action, stating, “It is CRITICAL that all patriots who can be in DC get to DC to stand tall in support of President Trump’s fight to defeat the enemies foreign and domestic who are attempting a coup, through the massive vote fraud and related attacks on our Republic. We Oath Keepers are both honor-bound and eager to be there in strength to do our part,” including “prepar[ing] to do whatever must be done to honor our oaths[.]”

 

Watkins considered the prospect of a Biden presidency an existential threat. On November 17, 2020, she told a person listed in her phone contacts as a “recruit,” that, “[i]f Biden get the steal, none of us have a chance in my mind. We already have our neck in the noose. They just haven’t kicked in the chair yet.” She further elaborated, “I don’t underestimate the resolve of the Deep State. Biden may still be our President. If he is, our way of life as we know it is over. Our Republic would be over. Then it is our duty as Americans to fight, kill and die for our rights.”

 

Only one element remained to be fulfilled: 

As the inauguration grew nearer, Watkins indicated that she was awaiting direction from President Trump. Her concern about taking action without his backing was evident in a November 9, 2020, text in which she stated, “I am concerned this is an elaborate trap. Unless the POTUS himself activates us, it’s not legit. The POTUS has the right to activate units too. If Trump asks me to come, I will. Otherwise, I can’t trust it.” Watkins had perceived her desired signal by the…end of December. In a text exchange with Co-defendant Donovan Crowl on December 29, 2020, she informed, “[w]e plan on going to DC on the 6^th” because “Trump wants all able bodied Patriots to come,” and how, “[i]f Trump activates the Insurrection Act, I’d hate to miss it.”

 

Watkins and her co-conspirators allegedly had a stash of weapons outside the city, ready to hand if needed. Thomas Caldwell, another accused member of the Oath Keepers, assured Watkins that “a quick reaction force [QRF]” would be ready and could bring “the tools if something goes to hell.” 

Watkins replied: 

“If it gets bad, they QRF to us with weapons for us,” but that, otherwise, “[w]e can have mace, tasers, or night sticks. QRF staged, armed, with our weapons, outside the city” and advised “to be prepared to fight hand to hand” while “guys outside DC with guns, await[] orders to enter DC under permission from Trump, not a minute sooner.”

 

The indictment notes in passing that 81 Capitol Police were injured in the riot, as well as 58 officers of the D.C. Metropolitan Police. And we all know, if we have any brains cells left, that Trump repeatedly stirred fans to hatred of the free press, referring to critics as “Enemies of the People.” The affidavit notes that “many media members were assaulted and had cameras and other news-gathering equipment destroyed” during the affray. 

(Above and below, most of the links provided mark places where the rhetoric of the Oath Keepers perfectly mirrors the rhetoric of their chosen leader, President Trump, and his aides and abettors.) 

A second conspirator hedged slightly, telling others who planned to come to D.C. that, “we are not calling for the initiation of violence,” but explaining that they would be defending against “the communist and deep state traitors who have stolen the White House and stole a false majority in the US Senate, along with their street level terrorist allies, all of whom have already expressed their intent to trample on our rights.” 

As the memorandum seeking her detainment until trial noted, “In this backdrop, Watkins and her co-conspirators formed a subset of the most extreme insurgents that plotted then tried to execute a sophisticated plan to forcibly stop the results of a Presidential Election from taking effect.” 

The amended document continues: 

Were it not for the successful evacuation of the Vice President and Senators, or had there been “permission from Trump” as possibly signaled by invocation of the Insurrection Act – a chance that she did not want to miss, – Watkins appeared ready and willing to engage in even more violence that day.

 

According to federal agents, a search of her home also revealed “a chilling bomb making recipe” that fortunately was not used. 

Federal authorities didn’t blame just Watkins and people like the Oath Keepers. They further add: 

Every person who was present without authority in the Capitol on January 6 contributed to the chaos of that day and the danger posed to law enforcement, the Vice President, Members of Congress, and the peaceful transfer of power. 

 

“Trump wants all able-bodied patriots to come.” 

How then did Watkins’s thinking mesh with the admonitions of President Trump? She made it clear her purpose in going to Washington D.C. was to stop the confirmation of the next President of the United States. 

She calls on all patriots to, “Stand tall in support of President Trump.” She and others cite “massive voter fraud” as their reason for taking up arms. The “Deep State” has been involved. “Our Republic would be over” if Biden were inaugurated. On December 29, 2020, Watkins explains to other Oath Keepers that the call to action has been issued. “Trump wants all able-bodied patriots to come” to Washington D.C. The forces of evil have “stolen the White House.” They have also stolen “a false majority in the US Senate.” 

All of those same claims had been made again and again since the election on November 3, by then-President Trump. 

So, on January 6, when Trump told his rally crowd that they had to fight “like Hell and if you don’t fight like Hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” Watkins and her “patriot” crew were geared up and ready to move. “Our Republic would be over,” is how she put it. 

The same, really, as President Trump. 

In the end, Watkins and other Oath Keepers were willing to “fight, kill and die” to keep Trump in office. 

Who, exactly, were they willing to kill? Pence? Pelosi? Biden? Romney? Ocasio-Cortez if they could find her? Those of us who voted for Biden and knew the election wasn’t rigged? Whomever it might have been, they would have been killing for a lie. 

No evidence then – and no evidence since – has ever shown that the 2020 election was stolen. 

In any case, Watkins won’t be voting again anytime soon. On November 29, 2022, she and four other members of the Oath Keepers were convicted by a jury on various charges, and it was clear all five faced years behind bars. On a charge of obstructing the workings of Congress, Watkins was found guilty – and could have been sentenced to twenty years. Thomas E. Caldwell (#151 on our list) and Kenneth Harrelson (#335) also faced similar sentences. Kelly Meggs (#217) and Elmer Stewart Rhodes III (#601) were sentenced on May 25, 2023, to twelve and eighteen years respectively, both having also been convicted on charges of seditious conspiracy. Harrelson got four years.

 

FUN FACT: Michelle Petersen, Watkins’ public defender, told a judge her client “fell prey to the false and inflammatory claims of the former president, his supporters, and the right wing media.” 

And, once again, “We the Taxpayers” get to pay for the defense of a person who wanted to overthrow the government – that collects our taxes. At a hearing soon after her arrest, Watkins told U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta she was “humiliated,” “humbled,” and now “appalled” by the thinking of all the other Oath Keepers. 

Judge Mehta wasn’t buying. “This isn’t someone who is simply expressing dissent” but “someone who is involved in the planning and organizing of . . . an incursion of our national Capitol that was a real threat to the fabric of our democracy.” 

At her trial, Ms. Watkins testifies that she was “gullible.” “I got a steady diet of InfoWars and Alex Jones,” she said by way of excuse for her actions. She added that she wanted to apologize to police, who were “trying to protect the Capitol from my dumb ass, basically.”

She gets convicted anyway. 

On May 26, Watkins apologizes in court for helping divide this country, for her turn toward violence. She is sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison.

Trump “sent us,” believed election was stolen,

right-winger, ready for violence. 

* 

This location “would allow us to hunt at night if we wanted to.”

153. Donovan Crowl: Watkins managed to reveal the name of a second suspect, Donovan Crowl, by posting again on Parler. 

25. WATKINS Also confirmed on social media that she had led other members of the Oath Keepers in the incursion at the US Capitol. In another Parler post on January 6, Watkins shared a picture of an individual in paramilitary gear, wearing an Oath Keepers patch on his arm, and wrote, “One of my guys at the Stop the Steal Rally today. #stopthesteal #stormthecapitol #oathkeepers #ohiomilitia.”

 

Still no Antifa links to the story. So, I kept reading. Finding the elusive left-wing Waldo was becoming a quest. 

30. [In an interview that same day, Crowl] …identified himself as a member of both the Oath Keepers and the Ohio State Regular Militia, and admitted that he attended events representing those groups to include the incursion of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. CROWL stated that he was drinking on January 6 , 2021, and confirmed to the writer that he entered the U.S. Capitol, saying that he went to Washington, D.C., to “do security” for “V.I.P.’s” whom he declined to name. CROWL also stated to the writer that his intentions had been peaceful, and that he had never been violent, claiming we protected the “fucking Capitol Hill police.” He declined to substantiate the claim during the interview. CROWL at the same time admitted during this interview that he “expelled three fucking people” whom he said had been injured. He further elaborated about “patriots” [who] dragged this fucking maggot off the wall and started beating his ass.”

 

(Nothing says “patriotism” quite like dragging a “maggot” off a wall and “beating his ass,” right?) 

I kept reading the affidavit with growing disgust. Finally, I got to the part where Watkins realized she was wanted by the F.B.I. She headed for Caldwell’s house where she hoped to hide out. 

Five days before the riot, Caldwell was already planning for an attack, 

31. Specifically, on January 1, 2021, at approximately 1:10 p.m., CALDWELL sent the following message from his Facebook account: 

Here is the direct number for Comfort Inn Ballston/Arlington 1-571-397-3955 I strongly recommend you guys get one or two rooms for a night or two. Arrive 5^th, depart 7^th will work. She says there are five of you including a husband and wife new recruits. This time of year especially you will need to be indoors to set up, etc. really, press this home, just get somebody to put it on a credit card. Even if you tell the hotel it’s double occupancy, you can STILL put a couple of people on the floor with bedrolls and the hotel won’t know ****. Paul said he might be able to take one or two in his room as well. I spoke to the hotel last night (actually 2.a.m. this morning ) and they still had rooms. This is a good location and would allow us to hunt at night if we wanted to. I don’t know if Stewie has even gotten out his call too arms but it’s a little friggin late. This is one we are doing on our own. We will link up with the north xplain [sic] crew.”

 

Patriotism in action, again. “Hunting at night,” was a hint that they might be able to go out in the dark and look for Black Lives Matter types and beat their asses in a show of love for our country. 

Crowl sent an excited message to Caldwell on his Facebook account: “Happy New year, to you Sir! Guess I’ll be seeing you soon. Will probably call you tomorrow…mainly because … I like to know wft plan is. You are the man Commander.” 

You can read the affidavit yourself if you want. If you’re a Trump supporter, I don’t think it will make you proud. 

Crowl’s legal problems continued to pile up – and by June 2022, he had been hit with his eighth superseding indictment. By that time, he had been charged with being part of a plot to “oppose by force lawful transfer of presidential power” on January 6, 2021. 

On July 12, 2023, Crowl is convicted in court. He faces years in prison and won’t be voting for anyone for president in 2024. 

Probably not in 2028, either. 

Trump “sent us,” right-winger, ready for violence.

*

 

I KEPT CHECKING for evidence every day that the riot in Washington D.C. was the work of people like me, people left of center, the “radical left,” as Trump calls everyone on our side. 

You know: The “America-hating” types who stormed the voting booths on Election Day and sent Rejected-President Trump down to defeat. 

__________ 

“If you have a weapon, you need to get your weapon. This is the second revolution right here folks! […] this is not a peaceful protest.” 

Ryan Taylor Nichols

__________

154. MICHAEL JOSEPH FOY: During my search one day, I came across the story of Foy, a Michigan man arrested and accused of assaulting a police officer during the January 6 riot. Choice of weapon: a hockey stick, with which he hit a fallen officer several times. Foy is a veteran of the Marine Corps, but a “patriot” horribly confused. According to the Detroit News, in one video, Foy can be seen striking a “Metropolitan Police Officer assisting in the protection of the U.S. Capitol who had been knocked down and dragged in[to] the crowd of rioters.” 

Like so many others, Foy had bought into the “Stop the Steal” myth, while attending a rally in Lansing on November 14. 

As we now know, when I edit this entry on September 27, 2023, Foy has been convicted on two counts, including felony assault. He faces a lengthy stint in prison. And Donald Trump is still lying about winning the election. 

A slight update: Foy is also accused of using a sharpened metal pole; you can see Foy and other rioters trying to batter police, at this link.

 

UPDATE (February 28, 2024): Foy catches a break, I would say, with the judge in his case citing what she believes is his sincere remorse, and lack of any previous criminal history. Foy gets 40 months in jail, and 24 more on probation. 

And on this day, we are 1,212 days removed from the last presidential election. Still no proof shown in any court that significant voter fraud changed the outcome of the 2020 election. 

Foy, draped in the flag, at a Lansing, Michigan rally.

   Trump supporter, he believed “stolen election” myth. 

*  

155. MATTHEW CAPSEL: He got the mug shot next. He had been filmed charging a line of National Guard troops and slamming into a wall of shields. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Capsel was turned in by people he knew who followed his social media posts, and that he was known to be violent. On TikTok, for example, Capsel was seen leading a charge against National Guard troops holding a line on Capitol Hill. 

In another TikTok video, Capsel says, “They only got so much mace. And we got all these patriots. We’re not running out. They’re gonna run out. Guys, hold the line. Don’t run.” He also posted screenshots of himself being identified as one of the rioters.

 

Capsel’s social media accounts contain frequent posts supporting former President Donald Trump along with discredited election fraud and QAnon conspiracy theories.

 

He pleads guilty in September 2022. In December, he is sentenced to eighteen months in prison. He also gets hit for $2,000 in restitution, and two extra years to serve out on probation. 

His reasoning for joining the attack: “On the 6[th] good men had to do a bad thing.” 

The problem with that reasoning? First, Trump lost the election. Second, he lied about losing. Third, Capsel and others fell for his lies – rioted – and paid the price. 

Trump supporter, believed “stolen election” myth, QAnon, violent.

 

* 

An aluminum baseball bat.

156. Emanuel Jackson: Jackson earned his mug shot, fair and right-wing square. He was charged with repeatedly striking a police officer with his fist, and later upgrading and using an aluminum baseball bat. 

Asked why he was there, that day, wielding that bat, he told a reporter he was, “Fighting for America. We’ve been taken over by globalists, by the Chinese. Fighting for America. I’m not here for Trump. I’m here for America.” 

Twelve days after the riot, the defendant agreed to speak with federal authorities and admitted that he had taken part in the attack – and even admitted he was the person with the bat. He’s one of the rare African Americans arrested. Yet, as Reuters explains, “Jackson’s lawyer, Brandi Harden, wrote in a Jan. 22 court filing that “the nature and circumstances of this offense must be viewed through the lens of an event inspired by the President of the United States.” 

Mr. Jackson’s lawyer  has offered up the defense that his client has a very low IQ. He says his client has the language skills of a ten- or eleven-year-old, and does not have “sufficient ability to independently manage the basic language and literacy demands of life in a complex society.” Jackson, he adds, “cannot make responsible decisions for himself.” 

Trump “sent us,” violent.

 

* 

Mix a little antisemitism and racism with the rioting.

 157. Vitali Gossjankowski: A student at Gallaudet University, he was charged with using a stun gun repeatedly on police defending the Capitol. One officer, who reported being tased several times, Mike Fanone, said he suffered a mild heart attack as a result and had to be hospitalized. 

On March 17, 2023, Gossjankowski is convicted on multiple felony charges and awaits sentencing – almost assuredly involving a lengthy stay behind bars. The Department of Justice described his actions on January 6: 

While moving from the West Front of the Capitol to the Upper West Terrace, GossJankowski was able to observe the rioters pushing their way pass a line of officers before becoming one of the first individuals to enter through the Lower West Terrace outer door. GossJankowski stood near other rioters as they used poles to strike a line of officers attempting to stop rioters from entering the building and observed other rioters breaking a glass door with a “Members Entrance Only” sign embedded within it. GossJankowski was captured on surveillance cameras, officer body-worn cameras, and other rioter’s cell phone videos interfering with officers by pushing them, spitting at them, and pulling at their protective shields. GossJankowski also joining other rioters by passing the officer’s protective shields away from the officers, joining a concerted effort to push against the officers’ line, and beckoning for more rioters to enter into the tunnel against the officers.

 

 Later, when two law enforcement officers were pulled into the crowd, GossJankowski pushed his way through the crowd just outside the tunnel and grabbed an officer with the United States Capitol Police by his helmet. GossJankowski pulled the officer close and reached toward the officer with an unrecovered device GossJankowski would later call a taser. The officer suffered no additional harm and would later be escorted out of the crowd where he then returned to the Capitol to continue battling rioters attempting to enter the building.

 

On October 17, 2023, prosecutors filed a new motion, calling for the defendant to be jailed until sentencing, after he sent a number of racist and threatening messages to one of the law enforcement officers (I think, a female) associated with his case. 

A sampling: 

You are a disgusting Jewish evil corpulent rabbi who likes getting raped by your gay colleague.

 

Unattractive Jewish Orc

 

Go fuck yourself. You’re so fucking unattractive with a lot of facial scabs.

 

You’re worse than a bunch of low-functioning ghetto niggers in the ghetto street.

 

UPDATE: The defendant’s problems only escalate when, on October 30, 2023, during a court appearance, he knocks down several officers as they tried to place him in cuffs, toppling a podium and equipment to the floor. Scott MacFarlane, who has reported extensively on the January 6 rioters, describes Gossjankowski as “built like a Division-1 linebacker.” 

So it takes some time to subdue him. 

Right-winger, ready for violence.

 

* 

That service you can respect.

 158. Gabriel Augustin Garcia: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel describes Garcia, another one of the rioters, this way: 

Gabriel Augustin Garcia, 40, of Miami, is charged with aiding in civil disorder, illegal entry into the Capitol and disorderly conduct. Garcia, a former captain in the United States Army, uploaded Facebook Live videos showing him at the very center of a violent standoff between rioters and police inside the Capitol Building. In the videos, he hurled insults at police and seemed to revel in the chaos.

 

In one video from inside the Capitol, Garcia allegedly turns the camera onto himself and says, “We just went ahead and stormed the Capitol. It’s about to get ugly.”

 

When police inside the building form a line and try to hold the rioters back, a man tries to run through their line and is seized. Garcia is heard to shout, “You f----- traitors!” He drops a large American flag he is holding and tries to help free the other rioter from police grasp. “You ain’t stopping a million,” he yells. “You ain’t gonna hold a million back today.” 

Later he yells, “USA! Storm this s---!” 

The Sun-Sentinel adds: 

In another video Garcia roams the Capitol and says, “Nancy, come out and play,” referring to Pelosi. Later he turns the camera on himself and says, “Free Enrique,” which the FBI said is a reference to Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the Miami-based leader of the Proud Boys, who was arrested in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4.

 

(To his credit, Garcia did serve in Iraq and was apparently awarded a Bronze Star. That service you can respect.) 

In August 2020, Garcia ran in the Republican primary for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives, but was defeated. 

In March 2023, Garcia, who was under strict travel restrictions, sought special permission from the court to travel to D.C. to attend the trial of another defendant, claiming such travel was part of preparation for his own day in court. 

Oddly enough, he then re-routed to attend the CPAC convention, in National Harbor, Maryland. 

On November 21, 2023, Garcia is found guilty on two felony charges, 1,113 days after the last presidential election. Still no proof in any court that Trump did anything during his last race except lose to Joe Biden. 

Meanwhile, right-wing types have been glorying in the release of the first few hours (out of 44,000) of video of the events of that day. They are posting any pictures they can of people roaming the halls of Congress – like dopes. And they are still howling that the real trouble was stirred by left-wing folk. 

In a press release related to Mr. Garcia’s verdict, we learn exactly why he was in D.C. on that day. Neither he nor his right-wing pals needed any encouragement to go attack the Capitol Building. 

On the morning of January 6, as instructed in messages exchanged among MOSD [Ministry of Self Defense] members and other Proud Boys in a message group called “Boots on Ground,” a large group of Proud Boys gathered at the Washington Monument at 10 a.m. before marching toward the Capitol building and away from the planned speeches at the Ellipse. Garcia was not initially with the group; however, at approximately 1 p.m., messages were posted in the Boots on Ground group that said, “Storming the capital building right now!!” and “Get there[.]”

 

So, Garcia did. 

The Proud Boys had ever intention of rioting that day, with a goal of disrupting the counting of the electoral votes, and gifting Donald Trump a second term he had not won. 

Trump supporter, right-wing type.

 

* 

Trump lost the election in the only place that matters. 

159-160. Alex Harkrider and Ryan Taylor Nichols: The two Texas men traveled to the Capitol together, and got arrested together. 

Nichols, for one, brought a red bullhorn to the riot and attacked police officers with pepper spray and a crowbar. Harkrider had a dangerous weapon, as well, a baton, which he carried in a pocket of his bullet-proof vest. According to the F.B.I., a screenshot from a social media post by Harkrider makes it clear the pair had come to Washington D.C. because they “were planning a civil war.” 

(Both men are Marine Corps veterans.) 

According to the affidavit charging the pair, Nichols can be seen yelling through his bullhorn, “‘If you have a weapon, you need to get your weapon.’ As shown in another video, NICHOLS can be seen and heard yelling, ‘This is the second revolution right here folks! […] this is not a peaceful protest.’” 

Evidence against Harkrider includes a photograph he apparently shared on Snapchat, with the caption, “We’re in. 2 people killed already. We need all the patriots of this country to rally the fuck up and fight for our freedom or it’s gone forever. Give us liberty, or give us death. We won’t stand for it.” 

Later that day, Nichols posted on Facebook, “Ryan Nichols is … feeling pissed off with Alex Harkrider at United States Capitol. Patriots stood their ground today! We aren’t done yet, either! You want to steal our election, and not hear us in court? Good! Now you’ll hear our civil unrest!” 

Nichols is also said to have posted this picture and caption on Facebook, on December 24, 2020. 

We’re either going to do it the EASY way or the HARD way..

It’ll get done either way though!

Don’t Listen To Ryan .. Listen to the American people!

 

Four days later, he posted again: “Pence better do the right thing, or we’re going to MAKE you do the right thing!” 

In fact, it can be almost funny, in a sad, sick, pathetic way, to read what Nichols said in another post the day after the riot. He was apparently upset that his right-wing side of the story wasn’t getting the credit they deserved for battering police and smashing up the Capitol Building. 

According to the affidavit, he posted, 

Listen up: I hear so many reports of “Antifa” was storming the capital [sic] building. Know that every single person who believes that narrative have been DUPED AGAIN! Sure, there may have been some “Antifa” in DC, but there wasn’t enough to “Storm the Capital” [sic] themselves.

 

From the lips of a rioter to your Trump-loving ears – if you still hadn’t heard. These weren’t left-wing types at all. 

Both men were arrested on January 18, 2021, and jailed, pending trial. Both face multiple felony counts; and both spent long stretches behind bars, awaiting a court date. Harkrider was released on bond in April 2022. Nichols was released into the custody of his wife in November 2022.

 

UPDATE: You can also watch a video of Nichols saying that the rioters were going to drag politicians through the streets if they got their hands on them. Too bad, Trump lost the election in the only place it mattered. 

Reality. 

And in reality, the future for Nichols is grim. On October 5, 2023, he takes a plea deal and admits to two felonies.

 

UPDATE #2: In another video, taken soon after the riot, Nichols is still furious, waving his crowbar proudly into the camera for emphasis. 

So if you want to know where Ryan Nichols stands, Ryan Nichols stands for violence Ryan Nichols is done allowing his country to be stolen. And I understand that the first Revolutionary War, folks, it was violent. We had to be violent and take our country back. Well guess what? The second Revolutionary War, right now, the American Revolutionary War that’s going on right now, it started today on a Wednesday. It’s going to be violent.

 

So, yes, today, Ryan Nichols…Ryan Nichols grabbed his f***ing weapon and he stormed the Capitol and fought for freedom.

 

What a waste. Nichols fought for this country, and now he was ready to fight against other Americans, because they voted for Biden. 

There were seven million more on our side; and Nichols was one of millions who fell for Trump’s lies.

 

UPDATE #3: On January 2, 2014, Harkrider gives up his fight and ends up being convicted on seven criminal counts. In a plea for mercy, his lawyer explains that he was the “follower” on January 6, whereas Nichols was “the leader.” Even Harkrider’s lawyer calls Nichols’s rants “extremely offensive.” 

To his credit, the defendant has been out on bail since his arrest, and has traveled to several locations where natural disasters have occurred, to help in relief. 

FUN FACT: Jordan Fischer, who has done excellent reporting on the rioters from January 6, notes that Nichols spent years claiming he was “entrapped” by the F.B.I. – but his own words reveal the lie. 

Right-wing, Trump supporter, violent (Harkrider). 

Right-wing, Trump supporter, violent, 

he believed the election was stolen (Nichols).