Tag: Trump insurrection

‘He Wants Us To Make It WILD’: Feds Lay Out How Trump Rhetoric Fueled Oath Keepers

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“Trump said It’s gonna be wild!!!!!!! It’s gonna be wild!!!!!!!” one defendant wrote. “He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!!”

Six additional people associated with the Oath Keepers organization were arrested this week in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol after a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment that laid out a conspiracy to block the certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College win.

The superseding indictment, which replaced a Jan. 27 indictment returned against three defendants, also lays out how members of the right-wing group saw then-President Donald Trump sending them clear messages to fight to overturn the November election results on his behalf. The new indictment cites an article on the Oath Keepers website that tells members 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.” 

The six new defendants are now co-defendants alongside Thomas Caldwell, Donavan Crowl and Jessica Watkins, who were previously charged. The new defendants ― 54-year-old Graydon Young of Englewood, Florida; 52-year-old Kelly Meggs and 59-year-old Connie Meggs of Dunnellon, Florida; 52-year-old Laura Steele of Thomasville, North Carolina; and 62-year-old Sandra Ruth Parker and 70-year-old Bennie Alvin Parker of Morrow, Ohio ― are now all charged as part of a criminal conspiracy to interfere with the certification of the Electoral College results. Continue reading.

Feds Charge Pa. Cop For Rioting During Capitol Insurrection: ‘I May Need A Job’

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Patrolman Joseph Fischer, the feds say, charged at a police line at the U.S. Capitol and posted a video of it on Facebook.

Pennsylvania police officer is facing felony charges for rioting during the pro-Trump attack on the U.S. Capitol after he posted a video of himself charging a line of police officers on Facebook.

Joseph Fischer, a patrolman at North Cornwall Township Police Department, faces charges of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, violent entry and conduct on Capitol grounds, and obstruction of justice/Congress.

Using the account SV Spindrift, the feds say, Fischer posted video of himself running at a line of officers while yelling “Charge!” Fischer wrote that the police line was four cops deep and that he “made it to level two.” Continue reading.

U.S. alleges wider Oath Keepers conspiracy, adds more defendants in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

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U.S. authorities on Friday alleged a broader conspiracy by Oath Keepers to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, charging six new individuals who appeared to be members or associates of the right-wing group.

One self-described leader in the group, which recruits among military and law enforcement, sent a Facebook message claiming at least 50 to 100 Oath Keepers planned to travel to D.C. with him on Jan. 6 and that they would “make it wild,” echoing a comment President Donald Trump made on Twitter rallying supporters to the Capitol.

A 21-page indictment alleged that the defendants “did knowingly combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with each other and others known and unknown” to force entry to the Capitol and obstruct Congress from certifying the election of Joe Biden as president in riots that led to five deaths and assaults on 139 police. Continue reading.

Judge says Capitol riot suspects ‘zip tie guy’ and his mom must stay in custody

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In a blistering opinion Wednesday, a federal judge said a Nashville man and his mother, charged in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, must stay in custody because their release on bail would threaten national security.

Eric Munchel, dubbed “zip tie guy” in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection, and his mother Lisa Eisenhart will be held until their trials. Federal prosecutors say they were part of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol to stop lawmakers from certifying the election of President Joe Biden.

Investigators identified Munchel, 30, and Eisenhart, 56, in video footage from the riot. Munchel was seen inside the Capitol carrying plastic handcuffs, wearing a tactical vest, with a taser holstered on his right hip and an iPhone strapped to his chest, facing outward. Continue reading.

Trump legal troubles may not be over despite Senate acquittal

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Despite his acquittal by the Senate, former President Trump’s legal problems may not be over.

He’s already been hit with one lawsuit connected to allegations he incited last month’s riot at the U.S. Capitol and faces the possibility of more to come.

Shortly after the Senate voted against convicting Trump in his impeachment trial Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) argued that impeachment was not the proper venue for holding the former president accountable and suggested he could face legal consequences for his actions. Continue reading.

Ex-FBI official explains why he thinks Capitol Police are staying silent on the riot: ‘I fear this story is ugly’

On MSNBC Wednesday, former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi offered a theory as to why the Capitol Police have not spoken out about their experience of the pro-Trump riot in January.

“We heard the House impeachment managers tell the most detailed version of their story that day, but we still have not heard from Capitol Police,” said anchor Nicolle Wallace.

“There’s an overriding historical reason why people don’t tell their story. Our institutions choose not to tell their story,” said Figliuzzi. “It’s because even they don’t like their story. I’m concerned that we’re not hearing from these agencies because the truth is too painful even for them, and I think it’s going to be the independent commission that finally gets to the bottom of this, if we can even assemble an effective commission.” Continue reading.

L. Brent Bozell IV, descendant of prominent conservative family, charged in Capitol breach

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The son of a prominent conservative activist who denounced the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol but has claimed that Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election has been charged with participating in the riot.

Leo Brent Bozell IV, the son of L. Brent Bozell III, was charged with trespassing and obstruction of an official proceeding in the assault that left five dead, injured more than 100 police officers and delayed the electoral-vote confirmation of President Biden’s victory.

Charging papers made public Tuesday allege that the younger Bozell, 41, appeared on video on the Senate chamber floor during the event wearing a Hershey Christian Academy hooded sweatshirt. Online tipsters identified him as “Zeek” or “Zeeker Bozell” and traced his work as a girls’ basketball coach in Hershey, Pa., the FBI said. Continue reading.

Trump unloads on McConnell, promises MAGA primary challengers

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Former President Trump on Tuesday unloaded on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and vowed to back challengers to lawmakers who have crossed him.

In a statement released through his Save America super PAC, Trump blamed McConnell for the GOP’s 2020 Senate losses and called for Republicans to elect new leaders to carry on his legacy.

“Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack, and if Republican Senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again,” Trump said. Continue reading.

Here Are The Criminal, Civil Investigations Trump Faces After Senate Acquittal

Legal troubles in New York and Georgia mount for the former president with his second impeachment trial having gone dark.

With former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in the country’s rearview mirror, several criminal and civil investigations into his conduct are coming into focus.

The Senate on Saturday acquitted Trump of inciting the deadly, insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. But the former president has reportedly expressed concerns about the potential of facing charges related to the riot.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), one of the 43 GOP senators to vote to acquit Trump, in a floor speech after the trial ended said Trump was responsible for inciting the violence and could face criminal prosecution. (McConnell said he voted to acquit because he didn’t believe the Senate had the power to convict a former president, even though the upper chamber voted days earlier that it does.) Continue reading.

NAACP sues Trump for inciting Capitol riot

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The NAACP filed a lawsuit Tuesday against former President Trump and far-right extremist groups in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots that killed five people and injured dozens of officers. 

Why it matters: The federal lawsuit filed on behalf of House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) shows that Trump continues to face legal problems stemming from the riot, even after he was acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial Saturday.

Details: The lawsuit — filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by the NAACP and civil rights law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll — accuses Trump, his attorney Rudy Giuliani, the Proud Boys, and the Oath Keepers of conspiring to incite a riot at the Capitol with the goal of preventing Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election. Continue reading.