1/6 Insurrection Investigation

[Rick Plant]

Good. Another MAGA scumbag goes to jail.

Kentucky man who sought to 'occupy' the US Capitol during Jan. 6 riot will go to jail



A Kentucky man who said he entered the U.S. Capitol with his cousin during the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C., to "occupy the space" was sentenced Wednesday to 45 days in jail for his role in the violent insurrection.

Robert "Bob" Bauer, 44, of Cave City was initially charged the week after the deadly riot in January with entering and remaining in a restricted building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Federal prosecutors later added two more charges: disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building and violent entry and disorderly conduct at the grounds and in a Capitol building.

But under a plea deal, Bauer and his cousin ended up facing only the charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

That charge is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in prison, a maximum $5,000 fine and up to a year of supervised release.

The Department of Justice had recommended Bauer serve 30 days in jail and pay $500 in restitution for damage to the Capitol, according to court documents, while Bauer and his attorney requested no jail time and one year of probation.

Judge Tanya Chutkan, with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ended up sentencing both Bauer and his cousin, Edward Hemenway of Winchester, Virginia, to a term of 45 days in jail along with 60 hours of community service and the $500 restitution amount.

Both men will be allowed to turn themselves in to the Bureau of Prisons to start their sentences, Chutkan said.

While she noted neither Bauer nor his cousin assaulted any officers at the Capitol, Chutkan said they took photographs of themselves in the building and "clearly celebrated" their presence at the riot.

US Capitol riot arrests: What we know about the Kentucky people charged

"There has to be consequences" for those who play a role in trying to "disrupt the peaceful transfer of power," Chutkan said.

The Capitol riot resulted in the deaths of five people, with hundreds of police officers injured and at least four officers who defended the building later dying by suicide.

Some of the 600-plus defendants charged in connection with the events of Jan. 6 have received jail time or probation, while handfuls of others — including over a dozen Kentuckians — still await sentencing.

Bauer's attorney, Meredith M. Ralls, wrote in a memo prior to Wednesday's sentencing that he cooperated with federal investigators and took responsibility for his actions "immediately after January 6 by posting on Facebook."

"His remorse did not come after being apprehended, but before being apprehended. He even took steps to 'out' himself to authorities," Bauer's attorney wrote. "While many people post on social media out of pride, Mr. Bauer took a fatalistic attitude and posted his January 6 activities so that he would be found by law enforcement. He knew that FBI agents would be looking for people who were involved in the Capitol breach, and he did not want to hide from them as they sought those involved."

Chutkan pushed back Wednesday on Ralls' claim that Bauer posted to social media to alert the authorities, noting many other Jan. 6 defendants had posted photos and videos to Facebook.

"I don't think they were crying out to be apprehended," Chutkan said, asking why Bauer did not just call the FBI if he wanted to alert them.

Bauer, offered a chance to speak during the hearing, told Chutkan when he returned to his cousin's home after the riot, "we turned on the news."

"We didn’t see everything that went on that day," Bauer said. "When I saw ... all that chaos and all that violence, that’s when I realized the true gravity of it."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth C. Kelley said although Bauer took responsibility for his actions, he was well aware of "Do not enter" signs at the Capitol and observed officers getting attacked by the crowd as they pushed inside.

After spending 17 minutes inside the Capitol, Bauer also posed for a photo on top of a government vehicle while raising his two middle fingers in the air, Kelley said.

"Each rioter’s actions, from the most mundane to the most violent, contributed to the violence and destruction at the Capitol on Jan. 6," Kelley told the judge Wednesday. "... He had opportunities to leave the Capitol, but he chose not to leave."

The FBI had initially received an anonymous tip about Bauer and his wife's attendance at the Capitol riot that sought to disrupt Congress in certifying President Joe Biden's victory over former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, according to a criminal complaint.

In separate interviews with the FBI, both Bauer and his cousin said they walked down Pennsylvania Avenue with a crowd of people from the "Stop the Steal" rally.

Hemenway told the judge neither he nor Bauer were "really 100% Trump supporters," and he then choked up when describing Bauer losing his job as a result of his criminal case.

"We are ashamed and wholeheartedly regret it," Hemenway said.

When they arrived at the Capitol grounds, Bauer's wife refused to go in and went back to the hotel room, while Bauer and Hemenway went inside the Capitol, according to the complaint. Bauer's wife was not charged in the riot.

Bauer and Hemenway told the FBI after rushing into the building with the crowd, one Capitol Police officer greeted them with a hug and handshake and told them, "It's your house now," according to the complaint.

Bauer told the FBI he “believed that the policeman was acting out of fear," the complaint said.

Photos taken on Bauer's phone and included in court documents show the two men inside the Capitol, and at some point in the Crypt, or basement, of the building. In one photo, they're seen giving the middle finger.

In a video from Bauer's phone obtained by the FBI, Bauer is in the Capitol chanting, "Our house! Our house!" with a large crowd behind him.

Bauer, in his police interview, said he went into the Capitol to "occupy the space" and had no intention of assaulting law enforcement or hurting anyone.

Hemenway, meanwhile, told the FBI he entered the building out of "stupidity" and "curiosity."

Bauer said people in the crowd were angry about officials who were alleged pedophiles (a debunked conspiracy theory) and about losing their businesses during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, according to the complaint.

In the memo submitted prior to the sentencing hearing, Bauer's attorney said the man and his wife "originally came to the D.C.-Virginia area to visit family, and decided to attend the protest on the Ellipse as part of that trip."

"Mr. Bauer only decided to turn from the Ellipse and head towards the Capitol when then-President Trump directed the crowd to proceed in that direction," the memo said. "Mr. Bauer did not come to D.C. prepared for a riot ... yet he understands that he is nonetheles responsible for following that group."

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2021/10/13/us-capitol-riot-kentucky-man-robert-bauer-sentenced-insurrection-case/8434252002/

[Rick Plant]

REVEALED: Police warned Secret Service that Trump supporters might 'come armed' on Jan. 6

A newly uncovered email shows that Washington's Metropolitan Police Department warned federal law enforcement agencies on Jan. 5 that Donald Trump supporters who planned to attend his "Stop the Steal" rally the following day were being urged on social media to "come armed."

"Social media reporting is urging individuals attending the events on January 6 to come armed. No threats have been identified," the email stated.

CNN reported Thursday that the email "provides additional evidence that law enforcement dramatically misread the situation in the critical days before the riot," adding that the document "could prove useful to a House committee investigating the riot."

The email, obtained by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), was sent from the FBI's field office in DC to the Secret Service, according to CNN. It provided a short summary of a Metropolitan Police Department briefing.

"The email noted that eight firearms were recovered and five arrests were made at a pro-Trump event in November 2020," CNN reported. "Further, the document shows how local law enforcement knew DC-area hotels were sold out, indicating that a large crowd would be in the city around that time. The extremist Proud Boys group is also highlighted in the document, although it says 'the number expected' to attend the rally was 'unknown.'"

The email is among numerous documents uncovered recently that suggest the Capitol insurrection was not an intelligence failure.

https://www.rawstory.com/revealed-dc-police-warned-secret-service-that-jan-6-protesters-were-being-urged-to-come-armed/

[Rick Plant]

Another MAGA scumbag is arrested and also needs to be kicked out of the Army. Insurrectionist anti American traitors are not allowed.   

Capitol rioter who joined Army after insurrection arrested at Fort Bragg



An active-duty soldier has been arrested at Fort Bragg on charges that he participated in the Capitol insurrection.

Spc. James Phillip Mault, 29, of Brockport, New York, joined the Army in May, the Fayetteville Observer reports.

Mault is accused of spraying a chemical agent at police who were attempting to stop a mob of Capitol rioters from entering the building on Jan. 6, according to a newly unsealed criminal complaint.

Col. Joe Buccino, a Fort Bragg spokesman, confirmed that Mault was arrested at the base on Oct. 6.

According to the Fayetteville Observer, Buccino said "it was important to note that Mault joined the Army in May, several months after the incident."

"This thing he allegedly did happened before he was a soldier," Buccino said.

In addition to spraying police with a chemical agent, Mault is accused of ripping down a barricade that allowed rioters to access the Capitol grounds. Although his actions were captured in numerous videos, Mault denied assaulting anyone or damaging property when he was first interviewed by FBI agents on Jan. 18.

"Mault described being caught up in the crowd and the mass of people pushed him closer and closer to the Capitol Building. Mault claimed to have no choice but to move forward because of the press of people behind him," the complaint states.

An anonymous tipster identified Mault to the FBI, pointing out the decal on his hard hat from the Ironworkers Local 33 Rochester, New York. Mault, who became known to online investigators as #IronWorkerGuy, told FBI agents he "wore his hard hat from work because he was aware of ANTIFA attacking Trump supporters after events in Washington, D.C. and the helmet would provide some level of protection."

One video from the insurrection reportedly shows Mault cheering on his friend, Cody Mattice, after Mattice was pepper-sprayed by police.

"And you f***ing took it like a man! I f***ing love you dude!" Mault screams in the video.

Mault and Mattice, who was also arrested last week, allegedly traveled from New York to Washington with several other friends on a bus driven by Mault's father.

Mault and Mattice are charged with assaulting law enforcement, entering a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct inside a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and an act of violence inside Capitol grounds, according to a Department of Justice news release.

https://www.rawstory.com/military-capitol-riot/

[Rick Plant]

'We ain't playing nice no more!' New video shows ‘zip-tie guy’ Capitol rioter storming building with his mother



A newly released video shows "zip-tie guy" Capitol rioter Erik Munchel and his mother making their way through a crowd of insurrectionists as they entered the building and proceeded upstairs to the Senate chamber on Jan. 6.

The 50-minute video, taken from a cellphone attached to the front of Munchel's vest, was recently unsealed by a federal judge, the Tennessean reports.

"(I'm going to) take my weapons off before I go in there," Munchel can be heard telling his mother, Lisa Marie Eisenhart, as they stand outside the Capitol, in a montage from the video published by the newspaper.

But apparently Munchel never did so, because later in the video as they approach the Capitol he says, "This is probably the last time I'll be able to enter the building with armor and weapons."

Munchel is accused of carrying a taser inside the Capitol, and he and Eisenhart wore tactical military gear.

At one point, Eisenhart can be heard telling her son, "This sh*t is on the news, that guy was saying."

"Oh yeah, duh," Munchel responds. "They are going to use this against us as hard as they can. But we ain't playing f*cking nice no godd*mn more."

"I guess they thought we were playing," Munchel yells later in the video. "This is our godd*mn country!"

As Munchel and Eisenhart push their way through the crowd, one fellow rioter announces that "Congress is shut down."

"Tear gas package was thrown in the Congress," the rioter says, as the crowd cheers and Eisenhart laughs.

"Oh my God. That is one of my best days to know that they got tear-gassed," Eisenhart says.

Still outside the Capitol, other fellow rioters comment that Eisenhart and Munchel look "ready to go" in their military gear, and ask if they are members of the far-right Proud Boys.

"No, we're not Proud Boys," Eisenhart responds.

"We're proud Americans," Munchel adds.

As they pass another rioter who is walking away from the Capitol, Eisenhart asks, "Did you get flash-banged and pepper-sprayed?"

"I got maced," the man responds. "I punched two of them (police officers) in the face."

"Good," Eisenhart responds. "While everyone else was on the couch, you guys were training and getting ready."

"Absolutely," the maced rioter says.

After they enter the Capitol, Munchel appears to have second thoughts. "What's your goal here, mom?" he says.

After they walk upstairs and head down a hallway, Munchel can be heard telling other rioters, "Don't vandalize anything, or y'all are Antifa."

Then Munchel discovers a pile of zip ties that would result in iconic photos from the insurrection showing him hopping over seats in the Senate gallery while carrying a handful of the plastic tactical handcuffs.

"Zip ties! I'm gonna get me some of them motherf*ckers!" Munchel says in the video, as both he and Eisenhart grab some of the restraints.

Munchel has said he picked up the handcuffs after a Capitol police officer left them behind, but prosecutors allege he could have used them to take lawmakers hostage.

After they enter the Senate gallery, Munchel can be heard shouting, "I want that f*cking gavel!"

Nashville's Channel 5 reports that, "After passing through the gallery, the pair quickly begin looking for an exit, with little comment on their way out."

Munchel and Eisenhart are awaiting trial of charges of obstructing an official proceeding, entering a restricted area and violent entry related to the insurrection. They were released from jail pending trial in March.

Recently, federal prosecutors asked a judge to bar Munchel from consuming any alcohol, after he was evicted from an apartment where he had been couch-surfing, and violated the conditions of his pretrial release.

Watch the video from the Tennessean and Channel 5's report below:

https://www.rawstory.com/zip-tie-guy-capitol-riot-video/

[Rick Plant]

Steve Bannon thinks he's above the law. He's about to find out that he's not when he gets arrested.

House Capitol attack committee seeks contempt charges after Steve Bannon defies subpoena
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2021/oct/14/capitol-attack-house-committee-investigation-bannon-biden-us-politics-live

January 6 panel moves to hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/14/politics/steve-bannon-deposition-deadline/index.html

[Rick Plant]

'Be very careful — you're not president anymore': Former Bush AG warns Trump against obstructing Capitol riot probe

On Thursday's edition of CNN's "The Lead," former George W. Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzales warned former President Donald Trump that his power to obstruct the House's probe of the January 6 Capitol riot is significantly diminished now that he's no longer in office.

"Trump faces an order to provide documents within 30 days after the Biden White House rejected his attempt to blanketly assert executive privilege," said anchor Jake Tapper. "What happens if Trump doesn't supply?"

"I think we'll find ourselves in somewhat the same position," said Gonzales. "You know, if Trump were a sitting president, there would be a great deal of deference given to the president in terms of making himself available for deposition or to provide testimony. Not so with respect to a former president."

Gonzales then turned to address Trump directly.

"I think if I were advising President Trump, I would say be very careful here because you are not president anymore, and the privileges and protections that you enjoyed while in office simply do not exist when you are out of office," said Gonzales. "So it remains to be seen."

[Rick Plant]

'Traitors get shot': Capitol rioter accused of threatening kids could be first to stand trial



A gun-toting Capitol rioter from Texas — who's accused of threatening to kill his children if they turned him in — could soon become the first person to stand trial on charges stemming from the insurrection.

Guy Wesley Reffitt, an oil worker with ties to the Three Percenters militia group, appeared in federal court on Friday and sought to have his case moved from Washington to Texas, invoking Watergate.

However, U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich rejected Reffitt's motion for a change of venue, saying he had "not come close" to demonstrating that such a move is necessary.

After Reffitt, through his attorney, declined to waive his right to a speedy trial, Friedrich scheduled the proceeding for Nov. 15.

"(A)ppears Guy Reffitt will be the 1st #CapitolRiot defendant to go to trial on November 15 – one month from today," WUSA9's Jordan Fischer reported. "Witnesses and exhibit lists are due to the other parties by November 1."

"Parties need to be prepared for opening statements on November 17," Fischer added. "Trial is expected to take 5 days. Guy Reffitt says it is his desire to go to trial on November 15 knowing he has not received all of the evidence the DOJ says may be available in his case."

Reffitt is accused of transporting a rifle and a semi-automatic handgun from Texas to Washington — where he allegedly planned to use them during the insurrection. According to federal prosecutors, he illegally carried the handgun on Capitol grounds. Prosecutors also allege Reffitt played a "significant and dangerous role" at the front of the first group of rioters to challenge a police line trying to secure the building.

After returning home to Wylie, Texas, Reffitt allegedly told his son and daughter: "If you turn me in, you're a traitor and you know what happens to traitors … traitors get shot."

https://www.rawstory.com/guy-wesley-reffitt/