1/6 Insurrection Investigation

[Rick Plant]

Georgia county GOP chairwoman arrested for Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol



The chairwoman of the Taylor County Republican Party is facing four federal charges for her alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"Mandy Robinson-Hand and her husband, Charles Hand III, were arrested Friday by the FBI and charged with four misdemeanors related to their alleged entry into the Capitol alongside hundreds of others in the pro-Trump crowd," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday. "The evening before her March 11 arrest, Robinson-Hand advertised a political fundraiser for congressional candidate Wayne Johnson on her Facebook page."

Johnson worked in the Department of Education during the Trump administration and is challenging Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA).

"Photos included in the affidavit show the couple walking through the Capitol holding hands. But a documentary video archived online shows the couple in the plaza by the West Terrace amid a crowd of rioters fighting with a line of Metro DC Police," the newspaper reported. "Robinson-Hand isn’t the only political figure arrested in the massive Jan. 6 investigation. Several politicians from other states have been among the more than 775 people arrested so far by the FBI, including some state legislators (although none from Georgia)."

The newspaper reports she previously served four months in jail after receiving a five-year prison sentence on a drug charge.

The newspaper reported "a statement from the Georgia Republican Party did not speak directly to the alleged actions of Robinson-Hand, but condemned violence at the Capitol."

Republican county chairwoman latest Georgian arrested in Jan. 6 probe.



https://www.ajc.com/news/investigations/republican-county-chairwoman-arrested-in-jan-6-investigation/YJI2APGSEBDGROFDAXVHKZE4HU/

[Rick Plant]

Scott MacFarlane
@MacFarlaneNews

"More arrests coming. Justice Dept issued this update on investigation into US Capitol siege:

"FBI continues to seek the public’s help in identifying more than 350 individuals believed to have committed violent acts on... Capitol grounds, including over 250 who assaulted police"



https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1504434121296146434


NEW:  Wave of new Jan 6 arrests continues to grow. Feds announce Riley Kasper of Wisconsin is charged, alleging he directed pepper spray at police and saiid on social:  “It was my group that busted the first gate & kept chasing the cops down & pushing them back at the Capitol”



https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1504472127101046791

[Rick Plant]

Look at Ted Cruz taking pictures with white nationalist militia members.

MAGA-rioting Three Percenter pleads guilty to assaulting DC Metro police officer with a pole




A Texas Three Percenter militia leader is pleading guilty to assaulting an DC Metropolitan police officer on the US Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021.

Lucas Denney, the 44-year-old president of the Patriot Boys militia, admitted in federal court on Thursday that he forcibly struck an officer with a PVC pole during a skirmish between pro-Trump rioters and officers in front of the Capitol.

According to a statement of offense submitted by the government today, rioters were throwing debris at the police and Denney worked his way through the crowd attempted to grab a canister of crowd-control spray from the officer who was periodically deploying it. Then, after retreating into the crowd for about a minute, Denney picked up the PVC pole off the ground and swung it at the officer.

Soon afterwards, according to the government, Denney picked up a large tube and launched it into a line of officers guarding the west side of the Capitol building.

Before Denney entered his plea on Thursday, Assistant US Attorney Jennifer Rozzoni told Judge Randolph Moss that the government has not decided whether to pursued additional charges against Denney related to the Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol. Although the indictment includes only the single charge of assaulting an officer, the initial complaint included several other offenses, including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.

Donald Hazard, described as the sergeant of arms of the Patriot Boys, was also charged with conspiracy alongside Denney, although Hazard has waived his rights under the Speedy Trial Act.

Denney indicated during his plea hearing on Thursday that he was surprised to learn that by pleading to the single assault charge he wasn’t foreclosing on the possibility that the government could come back with additional charges.

“I didn’t know that, no sir,” Denney told Judge Moss.

Moss declared a recess so that Denney could confer with his lawyers for about 20 minutes before proceeding with the pleading.

Denney’s lawyer, Bill Shipley, interrupted Moss while the judge was warning the defendant that he could still face legal jeopardy. Shipley, a former prosecutor, told Moss that the appellate courts are currently split on whether the government can bring additional charges in cases similar to this one, adding that the DC circuit has not addressed it, and the US Supreme Court has declined to resolve the matter.

Denney’s case is complicated by the fact that the government admitted to violating his rights under the Speedy Trial Act and hastily obtained an indictment for a single charge to prevent the defendant’s release and the dismissal of charges.

Regardless of whether the government brings additional charges, Denney acknowledged on Thursday that the court could consider uncharged conduct when he comes back for sentencing in June. Denney acknowledged that his sentence could be enhanced because the victim is an official and because he brandished a dangerous weapon, while he could receive a reduction because he is accepting responsibility and because he has no criminal history.

The defense and government have submitted varying estimates of the prison time and fines Denney will face, based on different interpretations of the sentencing guidelines. The defense estimated Denney could serve 41 to 51 months in prison with a fine ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, while the government estimated the prison sentence could range from $20,000 to $200,000.

https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-rioter-guilty-plea-2656980472/

[Rick Plant]

Derrick Evans is set to plead guilty for surging into U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6



Derrick Evans, who was elected to be a West Virginia delegate but then never served, is finally set for a plea hearing this week on charges from the Jan. 6 insurrection.

His plea hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. Friday before U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth.

Evans would be the third West Virginian to plead guilty on charges from their entry into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, disrupting Congress as it certified results of the presidential election.

Eric Barber, a former Parkersburg councilman pleaded guilty to two federal misdemeanors on Dec. 16 and is scheduled to be sentenced at 2 p.m. March 31. Gracyn Courtright, a Hurricane native and college student, pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor last August 30 and was sentenced to a month in prison. Courtright has been serving that at FDC Philadelphia and is scheduled for release March 29.

Another West Virginian, George Tanios, is set for trial June 6. Tanios is accused of collaborating in the assault of U.S. Capitol police officers with pepperspray.

Evans would plead guilty to allegations that he broke the law by surging into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, while yelling his own name.

Allegations against Evans have gotten more serious over the course of the investigation. In February, federal prosecutors filed a second superseding information against Evans.

The information charges Evans with civil disorder. More specifically it alleges Evans “committed and attempted to commit an act to obstruct, impede, or interfere with a law enforcement officer from the United States Capitol Police” who was trying to carry out official duties during the civil disorder.

That federal charge carries a fine or imprisonment of no more than five years. It wasn’t immediately clear what specific interaction with law enforcement might have prompted the civil disorder charge.

In a Facebook post right after the Jan. 6 events, Evans said: “I want to assure you all that I did not have any negative interactions with law enforcement nor did I participate in any destruction that may have occurred.”

A federal grand jury in late June indicted Evans on a charge of felony obstruction of an official proceeding. That increased consequences in the case, allowing for a fine or no more than 20 years in jail.

Evans previously faced four misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Evans was a newly-elected West Virginia delegate when he joined a busload of people bound for the U.S. Capitol as Congress proceeded with its constitutional duty to certify the 2020 presidential election.

Evans resigned his legislative seat before ever serving, and already faced charges including four misdemeanors and felony obstruction of a federal proceeding.

He spent much of the day livestreaming his activities at the rally and subsequent riot.

In videos of the crowds outside, leading up to the Capitol entry, Evans narrated that “They’re making an announcement now saying if Pence betrays us you better get your mind right because we’re storming the building.”

Evans wound up in a crowd outside a Capitol door. In that video, less than 30 seconds in, Evans says “There we go! Open the door” before beginning to shout “Our house! Our house!”

As alarms blared, Evans surged through the door and turned the camera on his own face. “The door is cracked! … We’re in, we’re in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!”

https://wvmetronews.com/2022/03/17/derrick-evans-is-set-to-plead-guilty-for-surging-into-u-s-capitol-on-jan-6/

[Rick Plant]

Jan. 6 panel will reveal new information about attack, Cheney says
The House committee investigating the riot is expected to hold hearings this spring.

WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol will reveal new details and may make new recommendations about legislation and criminal penalties for officials who failed to carry out their duties, said Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

"Our first priority is to make recommendations," Cheney, one of two Republicans on the nine-person select committee, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "We’re looking at things like do we need additional enhanced criminal penalties for the kind of supreme dereliction of duty that you saw with President Trump when he refused to tell the mob to go home after he had provoked that attack on the Capitol.

"So there will be legislative recommendations, and there certainly will be new information."

The committee, which has been interviewing witnesses for several months, is expected to hold hearings this spring.

Cheney and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, the other Republican on the committee, were among the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the attack.

Cheney said being on the panel has only reinforced her concerns about what happened that day.

“I have not learned a single thing since I have been on this committee that has made me less concerned or less worried about the gravity of the situation and the actions that President Trump took and also refused to take when the attack was underway," she said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/jan-6-panel-will-reveal-new-information-attack-cheney-says-rcna20790

[Rick Plant]

Liz Cheney says Donald Trump may face 'enhanced criminal penalties' for his role in Capitol insurrection



Former President Donald Trump's potential legal culpability in last year's insurrection was boosted over the weekend when Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) revealed that the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is exploring "enhanced criminal penalties" for his role in the deadly riot.

Speaking with MSNBC's Chuck Todd on Sunday's edition of Meet the Press, Cheney said that the mountains of evidence amassed by the Committee indicate that Trump was intimately involved with planning and executing the violent attempt to topple American democracy.

"Should we expect criminal referrals on this? And should we expect something – how much new do you think the public will learn that will actually change the way they thought about January 6th?" Todd asked Cheney, who is one of two Republicans serving on the bipartisan panel.

Cheney explained that Trump's decisions (and lack thereof) were egregious violations of his oath of office that may result in severe consequences for the ex-commander in chief.

"Our first priority is to make recommendations and we're looking at things like do we need additional enhanced criminal penalties for the kind of supreme dereliction of duty that you saw with President Trump when he refused to tell the mob to go home after he had provoked that attack on the Capitol. So there will be legislative recommendations and there certainly will be new information," she said.

"And I can tell you," she continued, "I have not learned a single thing since I have been on this Committee that has made me less concerned or less worried about the gravity of the situation and the actions that President Trump took and also refused to take while the attack was underway."

Watch below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1505558301261586441

[Rick Plant]

Secret Service agent confirms Pence get-away route on Jan. 6 was where Alex Jones and Oath Keepers converged



For the first time, the U.S. Secret Service confirmed the suspected details about where Vice President Mike Pence was during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Testifying in the trial of Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, Secret Service Inspector Lanelle Hawa told the court that Pence was taken to the loading dock on the east side of the Capitol on the Senate side. That was also where Alex Jones, Joe Biggs and the Oath Keepers were converging on the building.

As BuzzFeed justice reporter Zoe Tillman explained Hawa is a 23-year veteran of the force and was with the Liaison Division at the time of Jan. 6. That office coordinates visitors to the US Capitol for USSS protectees.

When testifying before the Jan. 6 committee, Alex Jones told his audience that when questioned, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination "almost 100 times."

Hawa said that the crowd grew on east front of Capitol, and "that’s where our motorcade was."

There were reports that Pence was evacuated to the underground loading dock, but the USSS refused to confirm. It's the USSS policy not to comment on their procedures. However, Hawa's statement is the first confirmation that Pence was on the loading dock during the attack. The USSS also fought to discuss the issue on any public records, Newsweek reported last year.

As CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane explained in a thread, Pence's location will be a key piece of some of the Jan. 6 trials moving forward. Some of those attackers were intent on stopping Pence's participation of the process. As the VP and President of the Senate, Pence was tasked to preside over the election certification. Some of the Jan. 6 attackers believed that if they were able to stop Pence, they could also stop the certification.

In a Jan. 5, 2021 report, it was reported by RollCall that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) assumed that Pence wouldn't be present and that he would preside over the certification. After the report, it was reported that Pence intended to be there. Grassley's office seemed to scramble to clarify that Grassley was just explaining what would happen if Pence walked away from the proceeding.

"Every indication we have is that the vice president will be there," Grassley's office said.

The Secret Service inspector went on to tell the court that Pence returned to the Senate chamber at approximately 7 p.m. and did not leave the loading dock area before he went back to the chamber.

https://www.rawstory.com/mike-pence-capitol-security-trials/