January 6 Insurrection

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Capitol riot, three years later: Hundreds of convictions, yet one major mystery is unsolved Members of far-right extremist groups, former police officers and an Olympic gold medalist swimmer. They are among the hundreds convicted in the prosecution of the Jan 6, 2021, riot. Washington’s federal courthouse remains flooded with trials, hearings and sentencings stemming from what has become the largest criminal investigation in American history. And the hunt for suspects is far from over. Read more.

What to know: What are the numbers? Over 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot. 730 people have pleaded guilty to charges, while an additional 170 have been convicted of at least one charge at a trial, according to an Associated Press database. Only two defendants have been acquitted of all charges in trials decided by a judge rather than a jury.   What about the pipe bomber? One of the biggest remaining mysteries is the identity of the person who placed two pipe bombs outside the offices of Republican and Democratic national committees the day before the attack. Investigators have spent thousands of hours conducting interviews, combing through evidence and have offered a $500,000 reward for information, but no suspect has been found.   What’s going on in the Supreme Court? Justices agreed last month to hear one rioter’s challenge to prosecutors’ use of the charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, which refers to the disruption of Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. The justices will likely make a decision by early summer and the outcome could impact hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants.

Related coverage ➤ Proud Boys member who went on the run after conviction in the Jan. 6 riot gets 10 years in prison Prosecutors recommend six months in prison for a man at the center of a Jan. 6 conspiracy theory Voters file an objection to Trump’s name on the Illinois ballot

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⚖️ Prison terms common in Jan. 6 cases

Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images Nearly 1,300 people, from almost all 50 states, have been charged with involvement in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — three years ago today. What's happening: Around 200 arrests came in the last six months, signaling that investigations are still going strong, Axios' Andrew Solender writes from a Justice Department update yesterday. ? By the numbers: 452 have been charged with assaulting a police officer and 123 with using a deadly weapon to do so. Eleven were charged with assaulting members of the media or destroying their equipment. 71 defendants have been charged with destruction of government property and 56 with theft of government property. Of 750 who've been sentenced, 481 defendants (64%) face prison terms — some as long as 12½ years, according to an AP tally. Explore the data ...

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? Rising GOP sympathy for rioters

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images Republicans have grown more sympathetic to Capitol rioters — and less likely to say Trump bears responsibility for the Jan. 6 insurrection than three years ago, Axios' Natalie Daher and April Rubin write from a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll. In 2021 polling, 27% of Republicans said Trump bears a great deal or a good amount of responsibility for the attack. That dropped to 14%. 72% of Republicans in this week's poll said it's "time to move on" from the attack, compared to 43% of U.S. adults overall and 14% of Democrats. 25% percent of Americans — including 34% of Republicans and 13% of Democrats — said it's "probably" or "definitely" true that the FBI instigated the attack — a false concept promoted by right-wing media and repeatedly denied by federal law enforcement, The Post notes. More on the poll ... Go deeper: Prominent Republicans soften 1/6 criticism.

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FBI arrests Jan. 6 fugitives in Lake County on anniversary of Capitol riot

The FBI said Saturday it arrested three fugitives in Lake County for their involvement with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, with their capture coming on the third anniversary of the riot.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/01/06/fbi-arrests-jan-6-fugitives-in-lake-county-on-anniversary-of-capitol-riot/?

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Not Political Prisoners

Federal judges handling the criminal cases of hundreds of people charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol have overwhelmingly issued sentences far more lenient than Justice Department prosecutors sought, an analysis by The Intercept reveals.

https://theintercept.com/2024/01/05/january-6-cases-judges/?

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Reporter asks mom going to prison for Jan. 6 if she blames Trump. Hear her response

A January 6 rioter speaks to CNN's Donie O'Sullivan days before she begins her lengthy prison sentence.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2024/01/09/convicted-january-6-rioter-prison-sentence-bu-orig.cnn

Ray Epps, center of Jan. 6 conspiracy theory, gets probation sentence

A Jan. 6 rioter, falsely deemed to be a covert FBI agent who helped incite the attack, was sentenced on Tuesday to a year of probation, court records revealed.

https://www.axios.com/2024/01/09/ray-epps-jan-6-sentence-capitol-riot?

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Montana fire chief who had refused vaccine mandate in Washington state charged in Jan. 6 riot

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Montana fire chief who lost a previous job over a coronavirus vaccine mandate has been charged with spraying a chemical irritant on police officers during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-fire-chief-4effc02782b4d7c34bc252f98fc7cb39?

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Lake County man who allegedly attacked Capitol police on Jan. 6 arrested in Orlando

A Lake County man has become the latest Florida resident arrested for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, accused of a litany of offenses including attacking police officers with a makeshift flagpole.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/01/11/lake-county-man-who-allegedly-attacked-capitol-police-on-jan-6-arrested-in-orlando/?

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Former Connecticut mayoral candidate pleads guilty to Jan. 6 Capitol breach charge

A former Connecticut city alderman who won a Republican primary for mayor while facing charges related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor for his actions in Washington.

https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-capitol-trump-connecticut-digiovanni-6f9a0387fc26f9d4a41708bb9e7758c6?

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Capitol rioter who assaulted at least 6 police officers is sentenced to 5 years in prison

A Florida man described by prosecutors as one of the most violent rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Wednesday to five years in prison, court records show.

https://apnews.com/article/kenneth-bonawitz-proud-boys-capitol-riot-a5076656e597712a5cb2c8223bab73ea?

Florida man who assaulted 6 officers on Jan. 6 gets 5 years in prison

A Florida man was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison for assaulting at least six police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, including one officer who said that the attack had led him to retire early, the Justice Department announced.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/01/18/man-who-assaulted-six-officers-on-jan-6-is-sentenced-to-5-years-in-prison/?

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Man who assaulted four officers during Capitol riot is sentenced to nearly 3 years in prison

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Minnesota man who repeatedly attacked police officers during the U.S. Capitol riot, wielded a police baton as a weapon and stole two riot shields was sentenced on Thursday to nearly three years in prison.

https://apnews.com/article/brian-mock-minnesota-capitol-riot-35df46938dc75791221274b62a541cba?

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'He whacked an officer with a wooden flagpole': Body armor-clad Proud Boy who admitted to assaulting cops on Jan. 6 wants out of prison early

Jim Robert Elliott seeks early release from prison after his guilty plea to assaulting officers at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Screenshot from DOJ via WLS-TV/YouTube)

https://local.newsbreak.com/washington-dc/3359891816499-he-whacked-an-officer-with-a-wooden-flagpole-body-armor-clad-proud-boy-who-admitted-to-assaulting-cops-on-jan-6-wants-out-of-prison-early?

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Prosecutors: A ‘network’ of supporters helped fugitives avoid capture after Capitol riot

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Florida man charged with interfering with police during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol is connected to a “network” of supporters who have helped other Capitol riot defendants avoid capture by the FBI, prosecutors said in a court filing this week.

https://apnews.com/article/thomas-osborne-capitol-riot-fugitives-7128be8d34ee34fe1de35f2cabd45cf6?

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Trump's doomsday vision

Former President Trump's rally in Dayton, Ohio, opened yesterday with an announcer's voice directing the packed MAGA crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the horribly and unfairly treated Jan. 6 hostages."

Why it matters: Trump's honoring of supporters prosecuted for storming the Capitol has become a tradition at his rallies — and a fitting prelude to the type of provocative speeches likely to define his campaign for the next seven months.

• After standing and saluting the J6 Prison Choir's alternate rendition of the national anthem, Trump praised Jan. 6 defendants as "unbelievable patriots" and vowed to help the "hostages" on his first day in office.
• What followed was a free-wheeling, headline-seizing speech in which Trump painted an apocalyptic vision of an America overrun by immigrant "animals" if President Biden is re-elected.

What they're saying: "I don't think you're going to have another election, or certainly not an election that's meaningful," Trump predicted if he doesn't win in November.

The big picture: The Biden campaign sees these rallies — with yesterday's intended to boost Ohio businessman Bernie Moreno ahead of Tuesday's Senate GOP primary — as a gold mine for ad material.

• With many voters only now tuning back in for the general election, Biden is seeking to draw a sharp contrast with Trump on policy, rhetoric and optimism about America's future.
• Key to that effort is a rapid-response team responsible for clipping and blasting out videos of Trump tossing red meat to his MAGA base with insults, obscenities and dehumanizing rhetoric about immigrants.

Screenshot via X

Between the lines: The cycle of viral sound bites can sometimes play directly into Trump's hands.

• After the Biden campaign issued a statement condemning Trump's warning of a "bloodbath" if he loses, Republicans accused critics and the media of taking his comments out of context.
• The Trump campaign says the former president was referring not to political violence, but to how Biden's policies could impact the auto industry and the U.S. economy.
• "He always walks up to the edge on that rhetoric," Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "But sometimes the mainstream media, whether they want to or not, can't resist and they go just a little bit too far."

What to watch: Now that most of Trump's Republican skeptics have grudgingly accepted he'll be the nominee, they'll face new pressure to defend some of the former president's more extreme rhetoric.

• But plenty of former Trump allies have refused to do that — including former Vice President Mike Pence, who shocked the political world when he said Friday he "cannot in good conscience" endorse Trump.
• "It's just unacceptable," Pence told CBS News' "Face the Nation" when asked today about Trump's description of Jan. 6 prisoners as "hostages."

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Cardinals super fan known as Rally Runner pleads guilty to storming Capitol in face paint

WASHINGTON (AP) — A St. Louis Cardinals super fan known as Rally Runner pleaded guilty on Friday to storming the U.S. Capitol while wearing red face paint and red clothes, fueling a baseless conspiracy theory that government plants secretly incited the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

https://apnews.com/article/rally-runner-cardinals-face-paint-capitol-riot-6d03f8108b0e62bb7b516f0955e0a1e8?

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Man who used megaphone to lead attack on police during Capitol riot gets more than 7 years in prison

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Washington state man who used a megaphone to orchestrate a mob’s attack on police officers guarding the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Wednesday to more than seven years in prison.

https://apnews.com/article/taylor-johnatakis-capitol-riot-sentencing-f97acd68b8860d36b212e408ac80abd4?

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North Carolina man sentenced to six years in prison for attacking police with pole at Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who became a fugitive after a federal jury convicted him of assaulting police officers during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Tuesday to six years in prison.

https://apnews.com/article/david-gietzen-fugitive-capitol-riot-sentence-b9437f4a4e2d6464f4b89c4523367d02?

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Man who bragged that he ‘fed’ an officer to the mob of Capitol rioters gets nearly 5 years in prison

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Georgia business owner who bragged that he “fed” a police officer to a mob of rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced on Thursday to nearly five years in prison for his repeated attacks on law enforcement during the insurrection.

https://apnews.com/article/jack-wade-whitton-capitol-riot-sentence-32ca23ad4b637214ae21f637de17227c?

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Conservative activist’s son sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison for ‘relentless’ attack on Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — A prominent conservative activist’s son was sentenced on Friday to nearly four years in prison for what prosecutors said was his “relentless” assault on the U.S. Capitol, where he smashed a window, chased a police officer and invaded the Senate floor.

https://apnews.com/article/leo-bozell-capitol-riot-sentencing-9386f988f0e66f25749cec1994355b4d?

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Man charged in AP photographer’s attack pleads guilty to assaulting officer during Capitol riot

An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty on Thursday to assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, where he also allegedly pushed an Associated Press photographer over a wall.

https://apnews.com/article/benjamen-burlew-ap-photographer-assaulted-capitol-riot-1fe60207b03f5ff1e252cc6370a75415?

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Man who injured police officer during Capitol riot is sentenced to 5 years in prison

WASHINGTON (AP) — A military veteran who was convicted of injuring a police officer’s hand during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison.

https://apnews.com/article/john-george-todd-iii-capitol-riot-sentencing-4458113cb9bd8cb89c4d67a5fe05b739?

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Ex-NASCAR driver Tighe Scott and 3 other Pennsylvania men face charges stemming from Capitol riot

Retired NASCAR driver Tighe Scott, his adult son and two other Pennsylvania men are facing felony charges stemming from confrontations with police during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol.

https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-insurrection-tighe-scott-nascar-driver-9595ab33e5b2a9556e9d7bfbd999ea25?

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‘Bob’s Burgers’ actor pleads guilty to interfering with police during Capitol riot

WASHINGTON (AP) — An actor who played a street-brawling newsman in the movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and a pizzeria owner in the television series “Bob’s Burgers” pleaded guilty on Monday to interfering with police officers trying to protect the U.S. Capitol from a mob’s attack.

https://apnews.com/article/jay-johnston-anchorman-bobs-burgers-capitol-riot-8bf71375a73033719f8dd15e99344ed3?

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FBI: California woman brought sword, whip and other weapons into Capitol during Jan. 6 riot

A California woman is charged with taking a cache of weapons, including a sword, a steel whip and a knife into the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by a mob of Donald Trump supporters, according to court records unsealed Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-arrest-kennedy-lindsey-a4d4f054d7b5dde546397d4a4ac03153?

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Man who attacked police at the US Capitol with poles gets 20 years, one of longest Jan. 6 sentences

WASHINGTON (AP) — A California man with a history of political violence was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison for repeatedly attacking police with flagpoles and other makeshift weapons during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

https://apnews.com/article/david-dempsey-capitol-riot-prison-sentence-d724e95dd3a39951deae482fa3ec4ff5?