Trump supporters behaving like the bags of ass that they are
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Kevin Seefried, Jan. 6 rioter who carried Confederate flag through Capitol, sentenced to 3 years in prison
BY ROBERT LEGARE, SCOTT MACFARLANE
UPDATED ON: FEBRUARY 9, 2023 / 3:11 PM / CBS NEWS
www.cbsnews.com
Washington — The pro-Trump rioter who marched through the halls of Congress while wielding a Confederate flag on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 36 months behind bars on Thursday, more than two years after photos of him became some of the most widely recognized images of the attack on the Capitol.
Kevin Seefried, 53, was convicted in June 2022 after a bench trial before Judge Trevor McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who found him of multiple charges, including obstructing Congress, entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct and unlawful parading. His son, Hunter, was also convicted on the obstruction charge, but acquitted on other counts. Hunter was sentenced to two years in prison last year.
McFadden handed down the elder Seefried's three-year sentence in court on Thursday, calling his conduct "outrageous" and "especially shocking." Seefried, who must also serve one year on probation upon his release, told the judge he "crossed the line" and regretted his actions.
The sentence was shorter than the 70 months, or nearly six years, that prosecutors had sought.
The Seefrieds traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend then-President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally near the White House on Jan. 6. Prosecutors said they were among the first protesters to then breach the Capitol and enter through a broken window, remaining inside for 25 minutes. Kevin Seefried was photographed a short time later with the Confederate flag. According to court documents, he said he brought the flag from his home in Delaware, where it usually hangs outside.
Kevin Seefried holds a Confederate flag outside the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.
Handing down his sentence, McFadden noted that Seefried confronted U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, a Black man, near the Senate chamber and jabbed his flagpole at him.
"Sir, I hope you realize how deeply offensive, how troubling it is," McFadden said.
Speaking in court and becoming emotional, Seefried said he was "deeply sorry" for his actions.
"I had no idea that any of this would ever happen," he said. "My intention was to use my voice … I never wanted to send a message of hate."
Defense attorney Eugene Ohm emphasized that his client turned himself in voluntarily and espoused no violent rhetoric on social media, in contrast to some Jan. 6 defendants. "As soon as he figured out what he had done, he acted remorsefully," Ohm said, despite the fact that Seefried fought the charges at trial.
Goodman, who testified during the trial last year, said he was inside the Capitol Rotunda during the attack when a group that included Seefried yelled, "Where the members at?" They threatened Goodman, taunting, "What are you going to do, shoot us?"
Goodman has since been recognized for leading the mob away from the Senate chambers and toward an area of the building where there was a larger law enforcement presence. The officer described Seefried as angry, and "the complete opposite of pleasant."
In court documents filed ahead of sentencing, prosecutors urged the court to impose a stiff prison sentence, arguing Seefried "stood resolute with the rioters, who demanded to know the location of the United States senators and representatives who gathered to certify the votes of the Electoral College."
"During their confrontation, Seefried thrust the butt of his flagpole at Officer Goodman," prosecutors wrote. "That flagpole was not only a weapon capable of causing serious injury; a Confederate Battle flag was affixed to it and it was brandished by a man standing at the front of a volatile, growing mob towards a solitary, Black police officer."
Seefried's public defenders wrote their client expressed "immediate and unwavering" remorse for his actions during the Capitol breach, explaining he brought the Confederate flag to protest and not to express any form of racism.
"He is ashamed, mindful that the community and even history, may view him as a racist. And he knows that he must be punished for his role in the events of that infamous day," the defense team argued in court documents ahead of Thursday's hearing.
Despite knowing he was entering the Capitol that day, Seefried's attorneys wrote that the defendant — a construction worker — did not intend to obstruct Congress' work, but to make his views known at the behest of the former president.
"Crowds around the Seefrieds were shouting that the President was going to meet them at the Capitol," the defense attorneys argued in court papers, highlighting the fact that Trump had told his supporters he was going to march to the Capitol with them. "The fallout for heeding Mr. Trump's call has been devastating: Mr. Seefried's wife has left him, he is headed to prison and he will be destitute when he is released. Worst of all, his beloved son is in prison."
"He cannot help but be afraid to ever trust a politician again," his lawyers wrote.
Capitol Rioter Kevin Seefried
BY ROBERT LEGARE, SCOTT MACFARLANE
UPDATED ON: FEBRUARY 9, 2023 / 3:11 PM / CBS NEWS
Kevin Seefried, Jan. 6 rioter who carried Confederate flag through Capitol, sentenced to 3 years in prison
A federal judge called his conduct "outrageous" and "especially shocking" in handing down the sentence.
www.cbsnews.com
Washington — The pro-Trump rioter who marched through the halls of Congress while wielding a Confederate flag on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 36 months behind bars on Thursday, more than two years after photos of him became some of the most widely recognized images of the attack on the Capitol.
Kevin Seefried, 53, was convicted in June 2022 after a bench trial before Judge Trevor McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who found him of multiple charges, including obstructing Congress, entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct and unlawful parading. His son, Hunter, was also convicted on the obstruction charge, but acquitted on other counts. Hunter was sentenced to two years in prison last year.
McFadden handed down the elder Seefried's three-year sentence in court on Thursday, calling his conduct "outrageous" and "especially shocking." Seefried, who must also serve one year on probation upon his release, told the judge he "crossed the line" and regretted his actions.
The sentence was shorter than the 70 months, or nearly six years, that prosecutors had sought.
The Seefrieds traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend then-President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally near the White House on Jan. 6. Prosecutors said they were among the first protesters to then breach the Capitol and enter through a broken window, remaining inside for 25 minutes. Kevin Seefried was photographed a short time later with the Confederate flag. According to court documents, he said he brought the flag from his home in Delaware, where it usually hangs outside.
Kevin Seefried holds a Confederate flag outside the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.
Handing down his sentence, McFadden noted that Seefried confronted U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, a Black man, near the Senate chamber and jabbed his flagpole at him.
"Sir, I hope you realize how deeply offensive, how troubling it is," McFadden said.
Speaking in court and becoming emotional, Seefried said he was "deeply sorry" for his actions.
"I had no idea that any of this would ever happen," he said. "My intention was to use my voice … I never wanted to send a message of hate."
Defense attorney Eugene Ohm emphasized that his client turned himself in voluntarily and espoused no violent rhetoric on social media, in contrast to some Jan. 6 defendants. "As soon as he figured out what he had done, he acted remorsefully," Ohm said, despite the fact that Seefried fought the charges at trial.
Goodman, who testified during the trial last year, said he was inside the Capitol Rotunda during the attack when a group that included Seefried yelled, "Where the members at?" They threatened Goodman, taunting, "What are you going to do, shoot us?"
Goodman has since been recognized for leading the mob away from the Senate chambers and toward an area of the building where there was a larger law enforcement presence. The officer described Seefried as angry, and "the complete opposite of pleasant."
In court documents filed ahead of sentencing, prosecutors urged the court to impose a stiff prison sentence, arguing Seefried "stood resolute with the rioters, who demanded to know the location of the United States senators and representatives who gathered to certify the votes of the Electoral College."
"During their confrontation, Seefried thrust the butt of his flagpole at Officer Goodman," prosecutors wrote. "That flagpole was not only a weapon capable of causing serious injury; a Confederate Battle flag was affixed to it and it was brandished by a man standing at the front of a volatile, growing mob towards a solitary, Black police officer."
Seefried's public defenders wrote their client expressed "immediate and unwavering" remorse for his actions during the Capitol breach, explaining he brought the Confederate flag to protest and not to express any form of racism.
"He is ashamed, mindful that the community and even history, may view him as a racist. And he knows that he must be punished for his role in the events of that infamous day," the defense team argued in court documents ahead of Thursday's hearing.
Despite knowing he was entering the Capitol that day, Seefried's attorneys wrote that the defendant — a construction worker — did not intend to obstruct Congress' work, but to make his views known at the behest of the former president.
"Crowds around the Seefrieds were shouting that the President was going to meet them at the Capitol," the defense attorneys argued in court papers, highlighting the fact that Trump had told his supporters he was going to march to the Capitol with them. "The fallout for heeding Mr. Trump's call has been devastating: Mr. Seefried's wife has left him, he is headed to prison and he will be destitute when he is released. Worst of all, his beloved son is in prison."
"He cannot help but be afraid to ever trust a politician again," his lawyers wrote.
Capitol Rioter Kevin Seefried
"He cannot help but be afraid to ever trust a politician again," his lawyers wrote."Kevin Seefried, Jan. 6 rioter who carried Confederate flag through Capitol, sentenced to 3 years in prison
BY ROBERT LEGARE, SCOTT MACFARLANE
UPDATED ON: FEBRUARY 9, 2023 / 3:11 PM / CBS NEWS
Kevin Seefried, Jan. 6 rioter who carried Confederate flag through Capitol, sentenced to 3 years in prison
A federal judge called his conduct "outrageous" and "especially shocking" in handing down the sentence.
Washington — The pro-Trump rioter who marched through the halls of Congress while wielding a Confederate flag on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 36 months behind bars on Thursday, more than two years after photos of him became some of the most widely recognized images of the attack on the Capitol.
Kevin Seefried, 53, was convicted in June 2022 after a bench trial before Judge Trevor McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who found him of multiple charges, including obstructing Congress, entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct and unlawful parading. His son, Hunter, was also convicted on the obstruction charge, but acquitted on other counts. Hunter was sentenced to two years in prison last year.
McFadden handed down the elder Seefried's three-year sentence in court on Thursday, calling his conduct "outrageous" and "especially shocking." Seefried, who must also serve one year on probation upon his release, told the judge he "crossed the line" and regretted his actions.
The sentence was shorter than the 70 months, or nearly six years, that prosecutors had sought.
The Seefrieds traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend then-President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally near the White House on Jan. 6. Prosecutors said they were among the first protesters to then breach the Capitol and enter through a broken window, remaining inside for 25 minutes. Kevin Seefried was photographed a short time later with the Confederate flag. According to court documents, he said he brought the flag from his home in Delaware, where it usually hangs outside.
Kevin Seefried holds a Confederate flag outside the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.
Handing down his sentence, McFadden noted that Seefried confronted U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, a Black man, near the Senate chamber and jabbed his flagpole at him.
Capitol Rioter Kevin Seefried
So now he's the victim?
Texas AG Ken Paxton reaches $3.3 million settlement with former employees in whistleblower case
The Texas Legislature will have to approve the settlement agreement, which will be paid for with public dollars.
www.wfaa.com
Texas AG Ken Paxton reaches $3.3 million settlement with former employees in whistleblower case
The Texas Legislature will have to approve the settlement agreement, which will be paid for with public dollar$.
That seems crazy low. Its not nothing, but $3.3M will just cover their attorney's fees.Texas AG Ken Paxton reaches $3.3 million settlement with former employees in whistleblower case
The Texas Legislature will have to approve the settlement agreement, which will be paid for with public dollars.
Texas AG Ken Paxton reaches $3.3 million settlement with former employees in whistleblower case
The Texas Legislature will have to approve the settlement agreement, which will be paid for with public dollar$.
I am filled with joy seeing thisKevin Seefried, Jan. 6 rioter who carried Confederate flag through Capitol, sentenced to 3 years in prison
BY ROBERT LEGARE, SCOTT MACFARLANE
UPDATED ON: FEBRUARY 9, 2023 / 3:11 PM / CBS NEWS
Kevin Seefried, Jan. 6 rioter who carried Confederate flag through Capitol, sentenced to 3 years in prison
A federal judge called his conduct "outrageous" and "especially shocking" in handing down the sentence.
Washington — The pro-Trump rioter who marched through the halls of Congress while wielding a Confederate flag on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 36 months behind bars on Thursday, more than two years after photos of him became some of the most widely recognized images of the attack on the Capitol.
Kevin Seefried, 53, was convicted in June 2022 after a bench trial before Judge Trevor McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who found him of multiple charges, including obstructing Congress, entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct and unlawful parading. His son, Hunter, was also convicted on the obstruction charge, but acquitted on other counts. Hunter was sentenced to two years in prison last year.
McFadden handed down the elder Seefried's three-year sentence in court on Thursday, calling his conduct "outrageous" and "especially shocking." Seefried, who must also serve one year on probation upon his release, told the judge he "crossed the line" and regretted his actions.
The sentence was shorter than the 70 months, or nearly six years, that prosecutors had sought.
The Seefrieds traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend then-President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally near the White House on Jan. 6. Prosecutors said they were among the first protesters to then breach the Capitol and enter through a broken window, remaining inside for 25 minutes. Kevin Seefried was photographed a short time later with the Confederate flag. According to court documents, he said he brought the flag from his home in Delaware, where it usually hangs outside.
Kevin Seefried holds a Confederate flag outside the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.
Handing down his sentence, McFadden noted that Seefried confronted U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, a Black man, near the Senate chamber and jabbed his flagpole at him.
"Sir, I hope you realize how deeply offensive, how troubling it is," McFadden said.
Speaking in court and becoming emotional, Seefried said he was "deeply sorry" for his actions.
"I had no idea that any of this would ever happen," he said. "My intention was to use my voice … I never wanted to send a message of hate."
Defense attorney Eugene Ohm emphasized that his client turned himself in voluntarily and espoused no violent rhetoric on social media, in contrast to some Jan. 6 defendants. "As soon as he figured out what he had done, he acted remorsefully," Ohm said, despite the fact that Seefried fought the charges at trial.
Goodman, who testified during the trial last year, said he was inside the Capitol Rotunda during the attack when a group that included Seefried yelled, "Where the members at?" They threatened Goodman, taunting, "What are you going to do, shoot us?"
Goodman has since been recognized for leading the mob away from the Senate chambers and toward an area of the building where there was a larger law enforcement presence. The officer described Seefried as angry, and "the complete opposite of pleasant."
In court documents filed ahead of sentencing, prosecutors urged the court to impose a stiff prison sentence, arguing Seefried "stood resolute with the rioters, who demanded to know the location of the United States senators and representatives who gathered to certify the votes of the Electoral College."
"During their confrontation, Seefried thrust the butt of his flagpole at Officer Goodman," prosecutors wrote. "That flagpole was not only a weapon capable of causing serious injury; a Confederate Battle flag was affixed to it and it was brandished by a man standing at the front of a volatile, growing mob towards a solitary, Black police officer."
Seefried's public defenders wrote their client expressed "immediate and unwavering" remorse for his actions during the Capitol breach, explaining he brought the Confederate flag to protest and not to express any form of racism.
"He is ashamed, mindful that the community and even history, may view him as a racist. And he knows that he must be punished for his role in the events of that infamous day," the defense team argued in court documents ahead of Thursday's hearing.
Despite knowing he was entering the Capitol that day, Seefried's attorneys wrote that the defendant — a construction worker — did not intend to obstruct Congress' work, but to make his views known at the behest of the former president.
"Crowds around the Seefrieds were shouting that the President was going to meet them at the Capitol," the defense attorneys argued in court papers, highlighting the fact that Trump had told his supporters he was going to march to the Capitol with them. "The fallout for heeding Mr. Trump's call has been devastating: Mr. Seefried's wife has left him, he is headed to prison and he will be destitute when he is released. Worst of all, his beloved son is in prison."
"He cannot help but be afraid to ever trust a politician again," his lawyers wrote.
Capitol Rioter Kevin Seefried
That fucker pulled off something that hasn't been done in 200 years, hell he should've gotten life.
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Three years is a life sentence to these snowflake azz cacs, they talk a big game but, in the end they are not about that life.I am filled with joy seeing this
That fucker should get life. That fucker pulled off something that hasn't been done in 200 years, hell he should've gotten life.
I am filled with joy seeing this
That fucker pulled off something that hasn't been done in 200 years, hell he should've gotten life.
he knew exactly what he was doing with THAT flag.....
He deserves so much more time than that. I hope the bruhs inside give him the royal treatment too.....
Biden fires Architect of the Capitol after calls for his resignation
By Jeremy Diamond and Nicky Robertson, CNN
Updated 2:47 PM EST, Mon February 13, 2023
amp.cnn.com
President Joe Biden fired the Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton's on Monday following allegations that he misused government resources and was not physically present on the Capitol grounds during the January 6, 2021, insurrection, a White House official said.
Biden "terminated" Blanton amid bipartisan calls for his firing or resignation, including from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier on Monday, the official said.
"After doing our due diligence, the Architect of Capitol was terminated at the President's direction," the White House official said.
In the fall, an inspector general report accused Blanton of abuse of government property and wasting taxpayer dollars by allowing his family to drive a government-owned vehicle and taking the vehicle on out-of-town trips to South Carolina and Florida, according to the report. The federal watchdog also accused Blanton, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, of ethics violations over an offer to provide tours to "patriots" weeks before the November 2020 election.
Blanton, was grilled last week by members of the House Committee on Administration during a hearing to review a federal watchdog report. The report accused Blanton of ethics violations, abuse of government funds and wasting taxpayer money. In Thursday's hearing, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle jumped on learning that Blanton was not physically present on Capitol grounds on the day of the insurrection, January 6, 2021.
CNN has reached out to the office of the Architect of the Capitol for response to McCarthy's call for Blanton's resignation.
In Thursday's hearing, Blanton unequivocally denied that he did anything unethical.
"I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I have engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country while serving in this particular role, I have taken my commitment to transform the agency's culture to promote positive workplace for every AOC employee," Blanton said. "Moreover, I have fully invested to ensure that I meet the responsibilities and the expectations of this role."
In an exchange with the committee chairman, Republican Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, Blanton defended not being at the Capitol during the insurrection because he claimed he was unable to drive there since there were so many people on the grounds. Blanton also stated that on January 6 he was using his official vehicle as the Architect of the Capitol's mobile command post.
Steil also called for Blanton to resign Monday.
Other members, including the ranking Democrat, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, jumped on the admission by Blanton to question why he remained in the "mobile command center."
"If you need to be tethered, and if you needed a vehicle to be here, why did you make the decision not to come here and could you not have without the vehicle and all the emergency equipment that's attached to it? Could you not have fulfilled the same function at home using a cell phone?," Morelle asked Blanton.
Blanton responded that he did not have police radios and sufficient equipment in his house.
Blanton is one of three voting members of the United States Capitol Police Board, which oversees the USCP. His responsibilities include overseeing the Capitol's property management and operations.
After recounting her experience of being stranded on a balcony during the insurrection, Democratic Rep. Norma Torres of California grew visibly frustrated.
"I am outraged that you would be in a comfortable place while the rest of us were thinking about dying that day and how we were going to come out alive that day, outrageous that you were not here," she said.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
By Jeremy Diamond and Nicky Robertson, CNN
Updated 2:47 PM EST, Mon February 13, 2023
Biden fires Architect of the Capitol after calls for his resignation | CNN Politics
President Joe Biden fired Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton on Monday following allegations that he misused government resources and was not physically present on the Capitol grounds during the January 6, 2021, insurrection, a White House official said.
President Joe Biden fired the Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton's on Monday following allegations that he misused government resources and was not physically present on the Capitol grounds during the January 6, 2021, insurrection, a White House official said.
Biden "terminated" Blanton amid bipartisan calls for his firing or resignation, including from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier on Monday, the official said.
"After doing our due diligence, the Architect of Capitol was terminated at the President's direction," the White House official said.
In the fall, an inspector general report accused Blanton of abuse of government property and wasting taxpayer dollars by allowing his family to drive a government-owned vehicle and taking the vehicle on out-of-town trips to South Carolina and Florida, according to the report. The federal watchdog also accused Blanton, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, of ethics violations over an offer to provide tours to "patriots" weeks before the November 2020 election.
Blanton, was grilled last week by members of the House Committee on Administration during a hearing to review a federal watchdog report. The report accused Blanton of ethics violations, abuse of government funds and wasting taxpayer money. In Thursday's hearing, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle jumped on learning that Blanton was not physically present on Capitol grounds on the day of the insurrection, January 6, 2021.
CNN has reached out to the office of the Architect of the Capitol for response to McCarthy's call for Blanton's resignation.
In Thursday's hearing, Blanton unequivocally denied that he did anything unethical.
"I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I have engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country while serving in this particular role, I have taken my commitment to transform the agency's culture to promote positive workplace for every AOC employee," Blanton said. "Moreover, I have fully invested to ensure that I meet the responsibilities and the expectations of this role."
In an exchange with the committee chairman, Republican Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, Blanton defended not being at the Capitol during the insurrection because he claimed he was unable to drive there since there were so many people on the grounds. Blanton also stated that on January 6 he was using his official vehicle as the Architect of the Capitol's mobile command post.
Steil also called for Blanton to resign Monday.
Other members, including the ranking Democrat, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, jumped on the admission by Blanton to question why he remained in the "mobile command center."
"If you need to be tethered, and if you needed a vehicle to be here, why did you make the decision not to come here and could you not have without the vehicle and all the emergency equipment that's attached to it? Could you not have fulfilled the same function at home using a cell phone?," Morelle asked Blanton.
Blanton responded that he did not have police radios and sufficient equipment in his house.
Blanton is one of three voting members of the United States Capitol Police Board, which oversees the USCP. His responsibilities include overseeing the Capitol's property management and operations.
After recounting her experience of being stranded on a balcony during the insurrection, Democratic Rep. Norma Torres of California grew visibly frustrated.
"I am outraged that you would be in a comfortable place while the rest of us were thinking about dying that day and how we were going to come out alive that day, outrageous that you were not here," she said.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
Jan. 6 rioter accused of attacking Officer Michael Fanone pleads guilty
Daniel Rodriguez, who is accused of attacking Fanone with a Taser during the riot, pleaded guilty to related charges Tuesday.
By Dareh Gregorian, Daniel Barnes and Ryan J. Reilly
Feb. 14, 2023, 7:00 AM EST / Updated Feb. 14, 2023, 11:53 AM EST
www.nbcnews.com
Capitol Police Officer Michael Fanone
A Jan. 6 rioter who allegedly used an "electroshock weapon" to assault Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and then bragged about the attack to friends pleaded guilty to related charges Tuesday.
"Omg I did so much f---ing s--- rn and got away tell you later," Daniel "D.J." Rodriguez, of Fontana, California, wrote in a group chat with other rioters, according to an indictment filed in federal court in Washington. "Tazzzzed the f--- out of the blue."
Rodriguez was charged with eight federal counts and pleaded guilty to four of those: conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, tampering with documents, and inflicting bodily injury on an officer using a dangerous weapon.
Three of the charges to which Rodriguez pleaded guilty carry a maximum of 20 years in prison. Prosecutors and Rodriguez’s lawyers differ on their calculation of his probable sentence under federal sentencing guidelines, but Rodriguez is more likely to face a sentence in the range of 7-10 years. Prosecutors also indicated Tuesday that they might argue a terrorism sentencing enhancement should be applied in Rodriguez’s case.
The plea agreement does not require that he cooperate with prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson will sentence Rodriguez on May 16. His case had been scheduled to go to trial this month.
Another rioter involved in the attack on Fanone, an Iowa man named Kyle Young who had brought his 16-year-old son with him to the Capitol, was sentenced in September to more than seven years in prison.
Prosecutors alleged Rodriguez and another California man, Edward Badalian, were part of a Telegram group chat called the “Patriots 45 MAGA Gang.” The indictment described the chat as "a platform to advocate violence against certain groups and individuals that either supported the 2020 presidential election results, supported what the group perceived as liberal, or communist ideologies, or held positions of authority in the government."
Badalian posted on the chat that he planned to drive to Washington, D.C., and said that "we need to violently remove traitors," according to the indictment. Rodriguez allegedly posted that he was in: "Congress can hang. I'll do it. Please let us get these people dear God," he wrote. They left Los Angeles for Washington, D.C., in a van with other protesters on Jan. 3, prosecutors said.
Badalian told the "chat that he had respirators, masks, snow goggles, knee pads and baseball helmets for the group," the indictment said, adding that they joined up with a "caravan" of other protesters en route.
The pair attended then-President Donald Trump's rally at the Ellipse before heading to the Capitol, and had walkie-talkies to coordinate, the court filing said.
When violence broke out on the Capitol grounds, prosecutors alleged Rodriguez was in the thick of it. He "threw a flagpole at the police line" and "deployed a fire extinguisher at the officers," the indictment said.
Another rioter gave Rodriguez a stun gun, which he used on Fanone as the crowd surged forward and mobbed the officer. Fanone "subsequently lost consciousness and was later admitted to Washington Hospital Center for treatment for his injuries," the feds said.
Fanone suffered a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury during the attack, and resigned from the police department he had served for 20 years in December 2021.
Badalian has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial on Feb. 27.
At least 985 people have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, and 500 have pleaded guilty, according to information released this month by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington, D.C.
Rodriguez seen moving the taser toward Fanone.
Daniel Rodriguez at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a video presented as evidence.
Daniel Rodriguez, who is accused of attacking Fanone with a Taser during the riot, pleaded guilty to related charges Tuesday.
By Dareh Gregorian, Daniel Barnes and Ryan J. Reilly
Feb. 14, 2023, 7:00 AM EST / Updated Feb. 14, 2023, 11:53 AM EST
Jan. 6 rioter accused of attacking Officer Michael Fanone pleads guilty
Daniel Rodriguez, who is accused of attacking Fanone with a Taser during the riot, pleaded guilty to related charges Tuesday.
Capitol Police Officer Michael Fanone
A Jan. 6 rioter who allegedly used an "electroshock weapon" to assault Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and then bragged about the attack to friends pleaded guilty to related charges Tuesday.
"Omg I did so much f---ing s--- rn and got away tell you later," Daniel "D.J." Rodriguez, of Fontana, California, wrote in a group chat with other rioters, according to an indictment filed in federal court in Washington. "Tazzzzed the f--- out of the blue."
Rodriguez was charged with eight federal counts and pleaded guilty to four of those: conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, tampering with documents, and inflicting bodily injury on an officer using a dangerous weapon.
Three of the charges to which Rodriguez pleaded guilty carry a maximum of 20 years in prison. Prosecutors and Rodriguez’s lawyers differ on their calculation of his probable sentence under federal sentencing guidelines, but Rodriguez is more likely to face a sentence in the range of 7-10 years. Prosecutors also indicated Tuesday that they might argue a terrorism sentencing enhancement should be applied in Rodriguez’s case.
The plea agreement does not require that he cooperate with prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson will sentence Rodriguez on May 16. His case had been scheduled to go to trial this month.
Another rioter involved in the attack on Fanone, an Iowa man named Kyle Young who had brought his 16-year-old son with him to the Capitol, was sentenced in September to more than seven years in prison.
Prosecutors alleged Rodriguez and another California man, Edward Badalian, were part of a Telegram group chat called the “Patriots 45 MAGA Gang.” The indictment described the chat as "a platform to advocate violence against certain groups and individuals that either supported the 2020 presidential election results, supported what the group perceived as liberal, or communist ideologies, or held positions of authority in the government."
Badalian posted on the chat that he planned to drive to Washington, D.C., and said that "we need to violently remove traitors," according to the indictment. Rodriguez allegedly posted that he was in: "Congress can hang. I'll do it. Please let us get these people dear God," he wrote. They left Los Angeles for Washington, D.C., in a van with other protesters on Jan. 3, prosecutors said.
Badalian told the "chat that he had respirators, masks, snow goggles, knee pads and baseball helmets for the group," the indictment said, adding that they joined up with a "caravan" of other protesters en route.
The pair attended then-President Donald Trump's rally at the Ellipse before heading to the Capitol, and had walkie-talkies to coordinate, the court filing said.
When violence broke out on the Capitol grounds, prosecutors alleged Rodriguez was in the thick of it. He "threw a flagpole at the police line" and "deployed a fire extinguisher at the officers," the indictment said.
Another rioter gave Rodriguez a stun gun, which he used on Fanone as the crowd surged forward and mobbed the officer. Fanone "subsequently lost consciousness and was later admitted to Washington Hospital Center for treatment for his injuries," the feds said.
Fanone suffered a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury during the attack, and resigned from the police department he had served for 20 years in December 2021.
Badalian has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial on Feb. 27.
At least 985 people have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, and 500 have pleaded guilty, according to information released this month by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington, D.C.
Rodriguez seen moving the taser toward Fanone.
Daniel Rodriguez at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a video presented as evidence.
Messages: Officer often fed information to Proud Boys leader
A police officer frequently provided Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio with internal information about law enforcement operations in the weeks before other members of his far-right extremist group stormed the U.S. Capitol, according to messages shown Wednesday at the trial of Tarrio and four...
