Tag: Trump fake patriots stormed the Capitol

Dating app trips up another Capitol riot suspect, one accused of hitting police with whip

Washington Post logo

The phrase “all is fair in love and war” took on a new meaning Friday, when a Texas man was arrested after boasting to a match in a dating app about participating in the Jan. 6 riot “from the very beginning.”

Andrew Taake of Houston was charged with assaulting police and storming the Capitol building. His arrest follows a months-long investigation spurred by a tip and a FedEx delivery driver who confirmed his identity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Taake made his initial court appearance Friday in the Southern District of Texas, according to a Department of Justice news release. His public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Continue reading.

Suspect Tries to Compare Capitol Riot to Last Year’s Violence in Portland, Ore.

New York Times logo

Right-wing news media and Republican politicians have often made the comparison. Now, in a narrow legal context, a judge will consider the argument.

The comparison has become a staple among right-wing figures in the news media and Republican politicians: The attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 was really no different than the unrest last year that accompanied months of racial justice protests. Any discussion of the first should — out of fairness, they have said — make reference to the second.

Now, for the first time, a federal court is poised to consider the merits of that argument, albeit in a narrow legal context.

The move comes in the case of Garret Miller, a Dallas man charged with storming the Capitol and facing off with officers inside. Last month, Mr. Miller, 34, raised what is known as a selective prosecution defense, claiming that he had been charged with violent crimes because of his conservative beliefs while dozens of leftist activists in Portland, Ore., had similar charges stemming from last year’s violence reduced or dismissed. Continue reading.

Pelosi says GOP antics won’t stop Jan. 6 panel’s work

The Hill logo

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday said the panel looking into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol “will not let” GOP “antics stand in the way” of the investigation, offering her first detailed remarks on her rejection of two Republican lawmakers for the committee.

“It’s my responsibility as Speaker of the House to make sure we get to the truth on this, and we will not let their antics stand in the way of that,” Pelosi said at a press conference on Thursday.

Drama unfolded on Wednesday after Pelosi announced that she was rejecting two of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) five nominees, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.). Continue reading.

Weapon arguments made during hearing for former Rocky Mount officer charged in Jan. 6 riot

The federal hearing for a former Rocky Mount police officer accused of violating the conditions of his bond ended Wednesday morning without a ruling from the judge.

Thomas “T.J.” Robertson and another former Rocky Mount officer, Jacob Fracker, face federal charges for participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. On June 30, prosecutors filed a motion to revoke Robertson’s bond after a search of his Ferrum home found firearms and explosive devices. Prosecutors contend Robertson violated the conditions of his release.

Wednesday’s hearing took place in Washington, D.C., with Robertson appearing in person. Robertson’s attorney, Mark Rollins, said the former police officer is being held in Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange County because he personally knows most of the police in Southwest Virginia. Continue reading.

Jim Jordan actually tries to blame Democrats for the Jan. 6 attack

AlterNet Logo

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) attacked nearly half of American adults Wednesday, falsely claiming Democrats “normalized anarchy,” after Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to allow him on the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.

Jordan suggested because Democrats supported the Black Lives Matter protests against police killing of unarmed Black people, Trump supporters had every right to break federal laws, damage federal property, attempt to overturn an election, and threaten the lives of duly-elected House and Senate representatives, and the vice president of the United States.

Jordan insisted the “fundamental question” the January 6 Select Committee should investigate is not who lied to the American people, who incited the insurrection, and the attempted coup — but “why wasn’t there a proper, proper security presence at the capitol that day.” Continue reading.

‘Helmet boy’ Capitol insurrectionist demands plea deal in ‘off the rails’ hearing: ‘Can I get an offer?’

Raw Story Logo

The Capitol insurrectionist who became known as “helmet boy” — after being captured on video using a riot helmet to smash a window to the Speaker’s Lobby during the Jan. 6 riot — demanded a plea bargain from prosecutors during an “off the rails” court appearance on Wednesday.

Zach AZach Alam, who remains in jail, spoke over his attorney and demanded to represent himself, at one point directly asking a federal prosecutor assigned to the case, “Can I get a deal?” according to a live report from Scott MacFarlane, an investigative reporter for Washington, D.C.’s NBC affiliate.

Alam said he was making an “offer” — for prosecutors to drop all charges — before demanding, “Make me a counteroffer.” Continue reading.

Pelosi rejects Jordan, Banks for Jan. 6 committee

The Hill logo

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday rejected two of the Republican picks — Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Jim Banks (Ind.) — for the Jan. 6 select committee.

Both GOP lawmakers are staunch allies of former President Trump, and both had voted in January against certifying President Biden‘s election victory.

In a statement, Pelosi said Democrats in her caucus had raised specific objections to Jordan and Banks “and the impact their appointments may have on the integrity of the investigation.” Continue reading.

DEA agent trespassed at Capitol on Jan. 6 and lied about it, prosecutors say

Washington Post logo

A Drug Enforcement Administration special agent trespassed with his government-issued firearm on the Capitol grounds Jan. 6 and then lied about his actions, according to federal prosecutors.

Mark Ibrahim, who was arrested Tuesday, is not accused of entering the Capitolbuilding. Prosecutors say he entered the restricted grounds around the building shortly after barricades were torn down by the mob and then repeatedly showed off his badge and gun to other protesters. He then falsely claimed he was there to help the FBI, prosecutors say.

According to the court record, Ibrahim, of Orange County, Calif., arrived at the Capitol just after 1 p.m. Jan. 6 and was there when the barricades around the building were torn down. He appears in several photographs inside the collapsed barricades, near the Senate steps. About 3 p.m., he filmed a video of himself on the Peace Monument outside the building. Ibrahim took personal leave to attend the Jan. 6 rally, the government said. He was released Tuesday until a hearing in September. Continue reading.

Tampa man, 20, admits intending to block Congress with Oath Keepers in new Capitol riot guilty plea

Washington Post logo

A Tampa man pleaded guilty Tuesday to joining a “stack formation” of Oath Keepers members and associates who allegedly breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, becoming the latest to cooperate with prosecutors and the first among the formation to specify that he intended to hinder Congress that day using intimidation and coercion.

Caleb Berry, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of obstructing an official proceeding.

In a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to request lowering an estimated prison term of 51 to 63 months under federal guidelines for Berry, who has no criminal record and is one of the youngest defendants charged in the Capitol riots, in exchange for his substantial assistance. Continue reading.

MAGA rioter’s hearing turns ‘ugly’ after she yells at judge while declaring herself a ‘sovereign citizen’

Raw Story Logo

A court hearing for MAGA rioter Pauline Bauer went off the rails on Monday after she began yelling at the judge while declaring herself a “sovereign citizen.”

NBC 4 Washington’s Scott MacFarlane reports that Bauer, who infamously called for the hanging of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during the Capitol riots, immediately went off the deep end by telling the judge that she is not subject to American laws.

According to MacFarlane, Bauer during her court hearing repeatedly interrupted the judge while also demanding that the court recognize her own personal judicial authority. Continue reading.