A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/house-democrats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Democrat</a> insisted Wednesday that a cop was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/capitol-riot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">January 6 rioters</a> even though the claim has long been debunked.
Rep. Mondaire Jones, (D-NY), insisted at a House Judiciary Committee meeting that Capitol Police <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/d-c-medical-examiner-capitol-police-officer-brian-sicknick-suffered-two-strokes-died-of-natural-causes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Officer Brian Sicknick</a> was bludgeoned by Trump supporters, a claim first reported &#8212; and then later corrected – by The New York Times. Jones’ initial comment was not caught on video, but Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., heard it and reacted.
“Did you say a police officer was bludgeoned to death by the crowd at the Jan. 6 riots?” Bishop asked Jones.
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WATCH: Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) says that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was &quot;bludgeoned to death&quot; on January 6 and is left looking like a fool when <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDanBishop?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepDanBishop</a> reminds him that was a lie and the medical examiner ruled he died of natural causes. <a href="https://t.co/jluOdH7NEV">pic.twitter.com/jluOdH7NEV</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1572687670282956800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Jones replied that he had in fact said “a police officer was bludgeoned to death,” but that he “did not say at the hands of who.”
“Who are you referring to, if you don’t mind saying?” Bishop pressed.
The Washington, D.C., Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Sicknick, who died the day after the riot, succumbed to natural causes after suffering two strokes.
As the pair went back and forth, it seemed clear that Jones sensed he was on shaky ground.
“Are you denying that at least one Capitol police officer was murdered in the midst of what happened on Jan. 6?” Jones shot back.
“Yeah, I think I am denying it,” Bishop replied. “I understood there were reports early on that Sicknick was struck with a fire extinguisher and that was subsequently debunked as false. He died of natural causes that were not connected to the event. Are we talking about the same person, Sicknick, or are we talking about somebody else?”
Jones pivoted to the unfounded claim that Sicknick’s death was indirectly cased by the rioters.
“You know, we’re talking about ‘but for’ causation of Officer Sicknick’s death,” he said. “And so I would hope you would at least concede at a minimum that Mr. Sicknick died as a result of what happened on Jan. 6 and I’m disappointed if you suggest otherwise sir.”
Jones later accused Bishop of nitpicking, saying that 138 Capitol and DC police officers were injured and that multiple Capitol police officers died as a direct result the riots. The deaths were possibly a reference to Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith and Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood, who both committed suicide in the days following the riot.
The New York Times reported on Jan. 8, citing &#8220;two law enforcement officials,&#8221; that Sicknick was beaten with a fire extinguisher and died hours later. A month later, the newspaper updated the story to say &#8220;law enforcement officials initially said Mr. Sicknick was struck with a fire extinguisher, but weeks later, police sources and investigators were at odds over whether he was hit.&#8221;
Jones is not the first Democrat to repeat the false claim. It was included in the House Democrats’ second article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump over the riot.
The only people who died during the riot were Ashli Babbitt, who was shot dead by a Capitol Police Officer Michael Byrd; Kevin Greeson, 55, and Benjamin Phillips, 50, who both suffered fatal heart attacks; and Rosanne Boyland, 34, whose death was attributed to an accidental overdose of amphetamines.

House Democrats Hold Special Judiciary Cmte Session To Craft Gun Legislation

WATCH: Dem Rep Melts After Falsely Claiming Jan. 6 Rioters Beat Cop To Death

Capitol Riot

House Democrats

January 6

U.S. House of Representatives

A New Mexico state judge used a 14th Amendment provision Tuesday to <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/D101CV202200473-griffin.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a> the removal of an Otero County official, who co-founded Cowboys for Trump, from public office due to his presence at the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021. 
Judge Francis Mathew of the 1st Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, disqualified Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin from his post effective immediately under Section Three of the 14th Amendment. The clause prohibits those sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution from holding federal or state office if they &#8220;have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.&#8221; 
U.S. officials ratified the provision initially meant to prevent members of the Confederacy from serving in public office shortly after the Civil War.
Mathew wrote in a 49-page decision that Griffin &#8220;engaged in &#8230; the attack on the United States Capitol and surrounding planning, mobilization, and incitement were an &#8216;insurrection&#8217; against the Constitution of the United States&#8221; just before Congress was scheduled on January 6 to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.
On the day of the protest, Mathew wrote that Griffin and the organization Cowboys for Trump played a key role in mobilizing the Stop the Steal movement ahead of the January 6 protest and allegedly &#8220;illegally breached security barriers surrounding the Capitol complex on the Capitol&#8217;s West Front grounds.&#8221;
The state judge accused Griffin of trying to &#8220;sanitize&#8221; his involvement during the protest-turned-riot at the Capitol and deemed his credibility amounted to &#8220;nothing more than attempting to put lipstick on a pig.&#8221;
&#8220;The irony of Mr. Griffin&#8217;s argument that this court should refrain from applying the law and consider the will of the people in District Two of Otero County who retained him as a county commissioner against a recall effort as he attempts to defend his participation in an insurrection by a mob whose goal, by his own admission, was to set aside the results of a free, fair and lawful election by a majority of the people of the entire country (the will of the people) has not escaped this court,&#8221; Mathew wrote.
CBS News <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/couy-griffin-january-6-new-mexico-judge-14th-amendment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> the ruling comes after a group of New Mexico residents filed a lawsuit against Griffin last March, around the same time when authorities convicted him for his involvement at the U.S. Capitol. Griffin&#8217;s conviction resulted in him serving 14 days in jail, one year of supervised release, and a $3,000 fine with 60 hours of community service.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which represented the group of residents that argued for Griffin&#8217;s removal, applauded the judge&#8217;s decision, adding it marks the first time since 1869 that a court has disqualified a public official using the 14th Amendment provision.

Protests As Joint Session Of Congress Confirms Presidential Election Result

‘Cowboys For Trump’ Co-founder Removed From Office Over Involvement In Jan. 6 Capitol Riot By New Mexico Judge

'Cowboys For Trump' Co-founder Removed From Office Over Involvement Jan. 6 Capitol By New Mexico Judge

2020 Election

Donald Trump

Phone records <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-jones-attorney-sent-his-private-messages-to-other-side-opposing-counsel-says">accidentally</a> given to the plaintiff by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alex-jones">Alex Jones</a>’ legal team in an ongoing lawsuit will likely be handed over to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/january-6-committee">January 6 Committee</a>.
The InfoWars founder was sued by the parents of Jesse Lewis, a victim of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sandy-hook">Sandy Hook</a> shooting, after Jones claimed the event was a hoax and the family members were “crisis actors.” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/03/alex-jones-sandy-hook-phone/">At least</a> nine families have sued Jones for defamation since 2018. Jones has since <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-us-news-shootings-texas-lawsuits-d029d6736d2ce6755c9e89e7cf9f27af">conceded</a> that the massacre was “100% real.”
On Wednesday, the plaintiff’s attorney, Mark Bankston, revealed that Jones’ counsel had accidentally sent him all of the text messages on Jones’ phone, including communiques with Roger Stone and various other figures connected to the rally and later riot at the Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
&#8220;I am under request from various federal agencies and law enforcement to provide [the records],&#8221; Bankston <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/politics/alex-jones-texts-federal-state-investigators-january-6/index.html">told</a> Judge Maya Guerra Gamble. &#8220;Absent a ruling from you saying you cannot do that &#8230; I intend to do so immediately following this hearing.&#8221;
Jones has been a person of interest to the January 6 Committee for some time; Jones was a prominent participant in the protest on January 6, but did not storm the Capitol. The committee issued a subpoena for Jones’ testimony and records in November 2021. Jones gave the committee an hours-long virtual deposition in January where he <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/08/04/1115674589/alex-jones-texts-jan-6-committee">invoked</a> his 5th amendment right “almost 100 times.”
Texas rules give lawyers 10 days to claim that privileged material was shared in error, which would require the opposing party to return the information. When Jones’ attorney, Andino Reynal, was notified of the slip up, he <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2022/08/04/alex-jones-texts-sought-jan-6-committee/65392054007/">replied</a> “please disregard” in an email, which he argues should have been sufficient to remove it from the record.
Bankston disagreed, arguing that Reynal would have been required to specify which records were privileged and provided grounds for why they should be.
Simply saying &#8220;please disregard … creates no &#8230; legal duty on me whatsoever,&#8221; Bankston <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2022/08/04/alex-jones-texts-sought-jan-6-committee/65392054007/">said</a>.
Reynal requested a mistrial on Thursday as a result of the accidental leak. He also filed an emergency motion for the destruction of the documents, which Judge Maya Guerra Gamble denied.
Gamble did allow Reynal to file a request that certain texts remain confidential, although she would have to approve that request and she “wasn’t sure she could block a subpoena.”
The defamation trial concluded on Thursday. Jones was ordered to pay the plaintiffs <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-alex-jones-fined-4-1-million-in-sandy-hook-defamation-trial">$4.1 million</a>.

Alex Jones

January 6 Committee Likely To Receive Alex Jones’ Phone Records

January 6 Committee Likely To Receive Alex Jones' Phone Records

Court

January 6 Committee

Dr. Simone Gold claimed this week that the judge who sentenced her to sixty days behind bars for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/capitol-riot">trespassing</a> at the U.S. Capitol once asked her out while they attended <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/stanford">Stanford</a> University Law School, and she rebuffed him.
Gold, a medical doctor and lawyer who spoke out against mainstream <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/coronavirus">COVID</a> narratives, alleged that U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper showed personal bias at sentencing, which she suggests came from their past interactions.
“I too am an attorney and I know what proper judicial temperament is, and this was not that,” Gold said in a statement sent to journalist Julie Kelly this week. Gold claimed that Judge Cooper showed “three episodes of personal animus” against her. 
The 56-year-old alleged in her statement that she and Cooper had an informal date back at Stanford, and then when he later asked her out for dinner, she rebuffed him because she &#8220;wasn&#8217;t interested.&#8221;
&#8220;Casey asked me out again, this time a formal invitation to a dinner date, following our prior less formal interactions,” Gold wrote, claiming earlier in her statement that the judge went by &#8220;Casey&#8221; back then. &#8220;This I declined. Just because I wasn’t interested.” 
When she saw who was her judge at the first Zoom meeting, Gold thought Cooper &#8220;would recuse himself,&#8221; she said. When he didn&#8217;t, Gold chose not to say anything, thinking Cooper would be neutral, if not an &#8220;advantage&#8221; to her.
Gold claims the judge showed personal bias against her at he sentencing, such as allegedly referencing what Gold called &#8220;tangential matters,&#8221; like her nonprofit. In another instance, Gold said Cooper denied that her medical license is under threat while allegedly holding a paper that said that it was. Gold also claimed that the judge stated that she &#8220;showed no remorse for the five people who died that day,&#8221; which the doctor said was &#8220;factually untrue.&#8221;
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Dr. Simone Gold send me this statement last night related to the judge in her case.
She reported to prison today: <a href="https://t.co/VETLbtUERU">pic.twitter.com/VETLbtUERU</a>
&mdash; Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) <a href="https://twitter.com/julie_kelly2/status/1551956996802449416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Judge Cooper did indeed shame Gold for allegedly showing no remorse for being in the Capitol and suggested she know better because of her intelligence.
&#8220;It is obvious from the video that we watched today that you were part of an angry and aggressive, I would say mob, crowd of people intent on getting past law enforcement and entering the East Rotunda through those doors,&#8221; Cooper told Gold, <a href="https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/99287">according</a> to MedPage Today.
&#8220;Regardless of how the door got opened, the police were obviously trying to keep people out,&#8221; Cooper said.
&#8220;What I haven&#8217;t heard is anything about the five people who died that day,&#8221; the judge continued. &#8220;Of the four people who committed suicide because of the trauma that they suffered that day at the hands of the mob. Or the members of Congress or the 20-year-old or 25-year-old staffers who were behind those doors when chaos was breaking out all around them and not knowing whether they would be able to go home with their families.&#8221;
The judge said Gold was &#8220;obviously very bright and professionally accomplished, and clearly take great pride in that as you rightfully should,&#8221; adding that this worked against her, &#8220;because you should have known what you were doing.&#8221;
Gold was sentenced to 60 days in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $9,500 fine on top of a $500 fine to the Capitol architect for other rioters&#8217; damage, MedPage Today noted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pennsylvania-dad-facing-prison-time-for-entering-capitol-on-jan-6-dies-by-suicide">Pennsylvania Dad Facing Prison Time For Entering Capitol On Jan. 6 Dies By Suicide</a>

Trump

Doctor Serving Jail Time For Trespassing On Jan. 6 Says She Once Rebuffed Her Judge For A Date

Doctor Simone Gold, Serving Jail Time For Trespassing On Jan. 6, Says She Once Rebuffed Her Judge For A Date

US Capitol

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a> man expecting his first grandchild and facing up to six months in prison for illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/january-6">January 6 riot</a> has died by his own hand.
Mark Aungst, 47, of South Williamsport, was to be sentenced September 27 by federal Judge Reggie Walton. He had pleaded guilty last month to a single charge of demonstrating or parading in a restricted building. He was reported dead on Wednesday.
“A loyal and dedicated man, Mark showed tremendous pride for God and his country,&#8221; read Aungst’s obituary on <a href="https://www.northcentralpa.com/obituaries/mark-r-aungst/article_f587f600-0961-11ed-b541-cf61f339b80a.html">NorthcentralPA.com</a>. “Above all else, Mark loved his daughter and any time they spent together, as she was truly his world.”
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DOJ describing what Mark Aungst, who apparently committed suicide a few days ago, did on Jan 6.
Aungst was arrested in Feb 2021 and accepted a plea on “parading,” a petty offense, in May. No doubt he would face jail time and endure a humiliating rant by Judge Reggie Walton: <a href="https://t.co/rHNSAqcPR7">pic.twitter.com/rHNSAqcPR7</a>
&mdash; Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) <a href="https://twitter.com/julie_kelly2/status/1550844223578062848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Aungst’s death was ruled a suicide by Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr.
Aungst and co-defendant Tammy Bronsburg took a bus to Washington on January 6, 2021, for President Donald Trump’s “stop the steal” rally. After Trump’s speech, they marched to the Capitol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst said video evidence showed the pair entering the Capitol through the Senate fire door at approximately 2:45 p.m. and leaving 30 seconds later. They re-entered the building through another door and took photos and videos inside on their cellphones.
Bronsburg, who pleaded guilty to the same charge, later posted a video from inside the Capitol on Facebook and Aungst showed witnesses his pictures, according to Furst.
Neither Aungst nor Bronsburg were accused of assaulting a police officer or stealing government property, the prosecutor previously stated.
A gas field well service technician, Aungst is survived by his mother, daughter Megan, and three siblings. His daughter is currently expecting a child, according to his obituary.
Earlier this year, another Pennsylvania man arrested in connection with the January 6 riots, Matthew Perna, committed suicide. Perna, who had also gone to Washington to support Trump, pleaded guilty in December of 2021 to entering the building and faced years in prison. he hanged himself in his garage.
“He attended the rally on Jan. 6, 2021, to peacefully stand up for his beliefs. After learning that the FBI was looking for him, he immediately turned himself in,” Perna’s family wrote in <a href="https://obituaries.sharonherald.com/obituary/matthew-perna-1084525405" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">his obituary</a>. “He entered the Capitol through a previously opened door (he did not break in as was reported). He didn’t break, touch, or steal anything. He did not harm anyone, as he stayed within the velvet ropes taking pictures.&#8221;
“For this act he has been persecuted by many members of his community, friends, relatives, and people who had never met him. Many people were quietly supportive, and Matt was truly grateful for them,” his family added.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.

Mark Aungst

Pennsylvania Dad Facing Prison Time For Entering Capitol On Jan. 6 Dies By Suicide

Pennsylvania Dad Facing Prison Time For Entering Capitol Jan. 6 Dies By Suicide

Pennsylvania

Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alexandria-ocasio-cortez">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> (D-NY) claimed Wednesday evening that U.S. Capitol Police officers or other actors working inside the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/us-capitol">Capitol building</a> assisted protesters during the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/capitol-riot">January 6 riot</a> as they breached the facility in an effort to stop the certification of the Electoral College vote.
The congresswoman also said that, because the issue is unresolved, she has &#8220;never felt safe&#8221; at the Capitol. Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s remarks came just hours after a comedian crudely trolled her while she was entering the building.
In a video posted by Pablo Manríquez, a correspondent for Latino Rebels, AOC is heard sounding off to the camera, &#8220;&#8230;And that there were actual officers working with this? And we never got to the bottom of that, and we never got any answers about that? And to this day, we&#8217;re just supposed to pretend that that never happened? I have no idea what happened to the people on the inside, who were very clearly sympathetic with what was going on and opening doors wide open for that, and I&#8217;m supposed to sit here and pretend like none of that ever happened?&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@aoc</a> tells me she&#39;s never felt safe in the Capitol, citing reports of police and members of Congress working with insurrectionists on January 6th. Here&#39;s the video: <a href="https://t.co/9rxABsUI3L">pic.twitter.com/9rxABsUI3L</a>
&mdash; Pablo Manríquez (@PabloReports) <a href="https://twitter.com/PabloReports/status/1547414088363511808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Since January 6, 2021, reports have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/officers-calmly-posed-for-selfies-and-appeared-to-open-gates-for-protesters-during-the-madness-of-the-capitol-building-insurrection/articleshow/80165694.cms">surfaced</a> claiming that officers, in some instances, stood by as Trump-supporting protesters entered the Capitol — though the context for the reports is often unclear. At least one law enforcement officer <a href="https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/1346920198461419520">allegedly</a> posed for a selfie with a protester inside the Capitol.
AOC went on to argue that officers who allegedly helped the protesters must be held &#8220;accountable&#8221; and that simply throwing taxpayer dollars at the issue would not improve the situation — thus continuing to place employees in the Capitol building at risk.
&#8220;And then right afterward, you have a massive, you know, you just have this idea that throwing money at that problem is going to make it go away without any accountability,&#8221; she said to the camera. &#8220;And so this is, this is where these things are breaking down. We&#8217;re not safe. And it&#8217;s not just about members of Congress not being safe. The food staff workers aren&#8217;t safe. the janitors aren&#8217;t safe — like we need to get to the bottom of this.&#8221;
The congresswoman also tweeted, &#8220;Remember how there was tons of footage and evidence of officers &amp; others inside on 1/6 supporting insurrectionists, but then everyone decided it was too politically risky to investigate thoroughly so they brushed under the rug and now we still have no idea who or what is safe?&#8221;
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Remember how there was tons of footage and evidence of officers &amp; others inside on 1/6 supporting insurrectionists, but then everyone decided it was too politically risky to investigate thoroughly so they brushed under the rug and now we still have no idea who or what is safe? <a href="https://t.co/eL8BZaANha">https://t.co/eL8BZaANha</a>
&mdash; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1547426024316616705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In reaction to AOC&#8217;s remarks, former advisor to the Trump campaign, Steve Cortes, tweeted, &#8220;Wait, so AOC says Capitol Police did, in fact, invite protestors into the building? One way to get to resolve all such issues? Release the tapes. All of them.&#8221;
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Wait, so AOC says Capitol Police did, in fact, invite protestors into the building?
One way to get to resolve all such issues? Release the tapes. All of them. <a href="https://t.co/3KNZab2HwG">pic.twitter.com/3KNZab2HwG</a>
&mdash; Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) <a href="https://twitter.com/CortesSteve/status/1547573569139314688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Activists on both sides have called for the January 6 Committee investigating the riot to release the thousands of hours of security footage from inside and surrounding the building to help clarify what exactly happened.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, AOC

AOC Claims ‘Inside’ Government Actors Helped January 6 Protesters, Building Is Still Unsafe

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says 'Inside' Government Actors Helped January 6 Protesters In Twitter Video

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Capitol Hill

Conspiracy Theory

Democratic Party

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/these-5-gop-gubernatorial-candidates-made-the-ballot-in-a-chaotic-michigan-primary-now-theyre-vying-for-a-chance-to-unseat-gretchen-whitmer">Michigan</a> Republican gubernatorial hopeful <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-raids-home-of-michigan-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-and-whitmer-challenger-takes-him-into-custody-report">Ryan Kelley</a> appeared virtually in federal court Thursday, pleading “not guilty” to four misdemeanor charges related to his presence at the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/capitol-riot">Capitol riot</a>.
Kelley participated in a debate with three other GOP candidates Wednesday evening and argued that his actions during the events at the Capitol were protected by the First Amendment, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-arrests-donald-trump-7f19ef3c18f5ca956f1984a80e1f0782">reported</a>.
“That was a First Amendment activity by a majority of those people, myself included,” Kelley said during the debate. “We were there protesting the government because we don’t like the results of the 2020 election, the process of how it happened. And we have a First Amendment right. And that’s what 99% of the people were there for that day.”
During the events of January 6, 2021, video footage allegedly showed Kelley encouraging protesters as they entered the Capitol building, <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/fbi-arrests-ryan-kelley-michigan-gop-governor-candidate-over-capitol-riots">according</a> to Bridge Michigan. The video footage also reportedly appeared to show the Republican candidate climbing on scaffolding outside the building as groups of rioters breached the Capitol. Kelley has denied ever entering the building.
The Michigan Republican candidate was charged with disorderly and disruptive conduct, damaging U.S. property, knowingly engaging in physical violence against person or property in a restricted building or grounds, and entering a restricted area.
Kelley’s trial comes nearly a month after his home was raided by the FBI and he was taken into federal custody on the same day the Democrat-led January 6 committee began its hearings. A week after his arrest, a federal judge ordered Kelley to surrender his guns as he awaited trial.
Kelley, a real estate broker from west Michigan, is one of the five GOP gubernatorial candidates who qualified for the August 2 primary ballot in a chaotic Michigan primary, as Republicans in the state seek to unseat Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) in November.
In a June <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/these-5-gop-gubernatorial-candidates-made-the-ballot-in-a-chaotic-michigan-primary-now-theyre-vying-for-a-chance-to-unseat-gretchen-whitmer">interview</a> with The Daily Wire, Kelley admitted that the path to defeating an incumbent governor is not easy. It’s been nearly <a href="https://www.nga.org/former-governors/michigan/">60 years</a> since a Michigan governor lost a reelection bid after one term — but he remained hopeful that voters will look poorly on Whitmer’s actions over her first term.
“If there’s any time in our history as a state that an incumbent governor could be unseated, now is that time because of the events that have unfolded over the past few years,” Kelley said.

Ryan Kelley

Michigan GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Appears In Federal Court, Pleads Not Guilty To January 6 Charges

Michigan GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Ryan Kelley Pleads Not Guilty To January 6 Charges

2022 Election

Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan

Republican Primary

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/january-6-committee">January 6 Committee</a> unveiled its surprise star witness on Tuesday — Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to then-<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/white-house">White House</a> Chief of Staff Mark Meadows — yet committee member Rep. Jaime Raskin (D-MD) admitted that her testimony was only hearsay.
Hutchinson testified before the committee that Secret Service agent Anthony Ornato told her that on January 6, 2021, then-President Donald Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel of the presidential limo &#8220;The Beast&#8221; and commandeer the vehicle to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/capitol-hill">U.S. Capitol</a> to join protesters upset about the 2020 presidential election results. She added that the president was rebuffed by the head of Trump&#8217;s Secret Service detail, Robert Engel, who grabbed the president&#8217;s wrist. She then claimed that Ornato told her that Trump reached for Engel&#8217;s clavicle with his free hand.
While told vividly, the story seemed to lack any hard evidence and was only a second-hand account. CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper pressed Raskin on that point Tuesday evening and asked for any subsequent corroboration from previous testimony.
&#8220;She did not see it happen,&#8221; Tapper said to Raskin Tuesday evening. &#8220;Do you have any corroborating evidence? You have interviewed both Ornato, or the committee has interviewed both Engle and Ornato, two Secret Service agents. Do you have any corroborating evidence that that story is true or do you only have it from Cassidy Hutchinson?&#8221;
Raskin could not provide any solid proof besides implying that it sounded true.
&#8220;Well, um, the story that she told is the evidence that I&#8217;m aware of, at least within her story, and I&#8217;ve not seen anything to contradict it,&#8221; Raskin answered. &#8220;And then, of course, it&#8217;s corroborated by everything else we know about Donald Trump&#8217;s eagerness to not just incite this march and assemble the march and form the march and exhort the people in the march but also to participate in it, he wanted to go into it.&#8221;
Raskin then recounted how Hutchinson testified that White House counsel told her not to let Trump enter the rally at the Capitol for various legal and safety reasons.
Tapper pressed forward, asking again if Raskin had any evidence.
&#8220;What I&#8217;m saying is, your committee interviewed Tony Ornato and [Robert] Engel, who supposedly told her this story, and I don&#8217;t doubt her. I&#8217;m sure Ornato told her the story but your committee interviewed them. Did you ask about this story?&#8221; Tapper asked. &#8220;It is a shocking story.&#8221;
&#8220;I was not involved in either of those interviews. So I can&#8217;t say and I don&#8217;t have any knowledge of that. I will just say I&#8217;m not aware of anything that contradicts the account,&#8221; Raskin responded.
Raskin added that he would encourage any other material witness to come forward with information that could prove or disprove Hutchinson&#8217;s testimony.
Tapper again lamented the fact that there was no actual evidence of her claims.
&#8220;It is just an incredibly damning and dramatic story. I would just, as a journalist and as an American, appreciate more corroboration for the story, since as of now, it is hearsay,&#8221; Tapper said before Raskin interjected, &#8220;Oh, sure.&#8221;
&#8220;And of course, we&#8217;re not in a court of law and we&#8217;re not charging anybody with any particular offense,&#8221; Raskin continued. &#8220;Our job under House Resolution 503 is to assemble the most meticulous and comprehensive account of the details of that day that we can as well as the causes of these events, as well as making recommendations as to how to fortify democratic institutions against coups, and insurrections and political violence or attacks on our election. So that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re working on.&#8221;
Raskin added that Hutchinson&#8217;s account is just &#8220;one detail out of many details&#8221; while claiming that he was &#8220;not aware of a single fact that the committee has put forward that has been contradicted or debunked by anybody, but that&#8217;s not to say it couldn&#8217;t happen.&#8221;
The interview can be seen here:
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CNN’s <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaketapper</a> asks <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRaskin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepRaskin</a> about corroborating the shocking story, told by ex-aide of Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, about Trump’s physical attack on Secret Service detail to drive to the US Capitol on January 6. <a href="https://t.co/z2ul9WvFcc">pic.twitter.com/z2ul9WvFcc</a>
&mdash; CNN (@CNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1541894982780469248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Cassidy Hutchinson

January 6 Committee Member Admits Star Witness’ Evidence Is Hearsay, No Corroborating Evidence

January 6 Committee Member Jamie Raskin Admits Cassidy Hutchinson's Evidence Is Hearsay And Lacking Corroborating Evidence

Jake Tapper

Jamie Raskin

Mark Meadows

Secret Service

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, made explosive claims against former President Donald Trump during her testimony Tuesday in front of the January 6 select committee.
Hutchinson, 25, claimed that Trump on the day of rally, which later turned into a riot, tried to get Secret Service to take him to the U.S. Capitol building, and that he became enraged when they would not do it because the area was not secure.
Hutchinson claimed that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of armored presidential limousine and that Bobby Engel, who was the lead security detail, had to tell him, “Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel.”
Hutchinson claimed that Trump then lunged at the agent.
Hutchinson claimed that Trump was “furious” that apparently many of his supporters did not want to enter the rally space on January 6, 2021, because there were magnetometers, also known as &#8220;mags,&#8221; that were being used to screen for weapons.
“I don’t f***ing care that they have weapons,” Hutchinson claimed she heard Trump tell the Secret Service. “They’re not here to hurt me. Take the f***ing mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“I am the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now.”
Cassidy Hutchinson says Trump reached to grab the steering wheel when his security detail refused to take him to the Capitol — and lunged at his clavicle. <a href="https://t.co/X6UQZvf1iT">pic.twitter.com/X6UQZvf1iT</a>
&mdash; Axios (@axios) <a href="https://twitter.com/axios/status/1541844983988338689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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There was strong pushback to her claims online by many on the political Right who questioned whether some of her claims, like Trump grabbing the steering wheel, was even possible.
There were a couple of former White House staffers who came out and supported Hutchinson as they listened to her give her testimony.
&#8220;My guess is that before this is over, we will be hearing testimony from Ornato, Engle, and Meadows,&#8221; Mick Mulvaney, who previously served as Trump&#8217;s acting chief of staff, said. &#8220;This is explosive stuff. If Cassidy is making this up, they will need to say that. If she isn&#8217;t they will have to corroborate. I know her. I don&#8217;t think she is lying.&#8221;
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My guess is that before this is over, we will be hearing testimony from Ornato, Engle, and Meadows. 
This is explosive stuff. If Cassidy is making this up, they will need to say that. If she isn&#39;t they will have to corroborate.
I know her. I don&#39;t think she is lying.
&mdash; Mick Mulvaney (@MickMulvaney) <a href="https://twitter.com/MickMulvaney/status/1541844207974899714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinson’s role or her access in the West Wing either doesn’t understand how the Trump WH worked or is attempting to discredit her because they’re scared of how damning this testimony is,&#8221; Sarah Matthews, former White House deputy press secretary, tweeted. &#8220;For those complaining of &#8216;hearsay,&#8217; I imagine the Jan. 6 committee would welcome any of those involved to deny these allegations under oath.&#8221;
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For those complaining of “hearsay,” I imagine the Jan. 6 committee would welcome any of those involved to deny these allegations under oath.
&mdash; Sarah Matthews (@SarahAMatthews1) <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahAMatthews1/status/1541846370012856325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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January 6th Committee Holds Surprise Hearing During Congressional Break

Former White House Aide Levels Explosive Claims Against Trump During Hearing

Trump Administration

Late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert used his opening monologue on Monday to defend his staffers arrested last week for unlawfully entering an office building at the United States Capitol.
The group of nine staffers included Robert Smigel, the voice of a puppet known as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who was conducting interviews related to the January 6 committee hearings.
Colbert said the encounter caused an unpleasant experience for his staff, and a lot of paperwork for the Capitol Police, but was a &#8220;fairly simple&#8221; story.
&#8220;Until the next night when a couple of the TV people started claiming my puppet squad &#8216;committed insurrection&#8217; at the U.S. Capitol Building,&#8221; Colbert said.
&#8220;I&#8217;m shocked I have to explain the difference,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But an insurrection involves disrupting the lawful actions of Congress and howling for the blood of elected leaders, all to prevent the peaceful transfer of power — this was first-degree puppetry.&#8221;
Colbert claimed Triumph and the production team offered to travel to Washington, D.C., and interview Democrats and Republicans inside congressional offices “across the street&#8221; from the U.S. Capitol.
&#8220;They went through security clearance, shot all day Wednesday, all day Thursday, invited into the offices of the congresspeople they were interviewing,&#8221; he said.
But <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-details-emerge-about-stephen-colbert-staffers-who-were-arrested-for-unlawful-entry-into-u-s-house-building">according</a> to a U.S. Capitol Police statement, &#8220;responding officers observed seven individuals, unescorted and without Congressional ID, in a sixth-floor hallway.&#8221;
However, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) said in a letter addressed to the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police that the staffers were part of a group who were directed by USCP officers to leave the building earlier in the day.
According to the letter, the individuals reportedly gained access back into the building through Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-CA) and Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), a member of the House Select Committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021.
&#8220;These individuals were arrested and charged with unlawful entry after causing &#8216;disturbances&#8217; at the offices of several Republican members, including &#8216;banging&#8217; on their office doors,&#8221; the letter reads.
A spokesperson for CBS — Colbert&#8217;s network — told Fox News that &#8220;after leaving the members&#8217; offices on their last interview of the day, the production team stayed to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements in the halls when they were detained by Capitol Police.&#8221;
Authorities have arrested more than 840 people for storming the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021, with 185 receiving criminal sentences.
According to the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the District of Columbia, more than 80 defendants have been charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon, more than 50 defendants have been charged with destruction of government property, and approximately 35 defendants have been charged with theft of government property.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Colbert Defends Staffers Arrested At U.S. Capitol

Capitol Police

Stephen Colbert

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-johnson">Ron Johnson</a> (R-WI) said Tuesday that the ongoing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/january-6">January 6</a> committee hearings were designed by Democrats to distract from the “disastrous result of their policies.”
Johnson, who is seeking a third term as senator, said that the hearings were a &#8220;partisan exercise&#8221;, and pointed to high inflation, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">President Biden</a>’s border policies, and rising crime as consequences of Democratic policies.
“It&#8217;s obvious that the Democrats set this thing up to be a political exercise, obviously designed to distract the public from the major problems occurring because of their agenda, their ideology. They can’t talk about the disastrous result of their policies, so this is really the only thing they can talk about,” Johnson told The Daily Wire in a phone interview.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wisconsin">Wisconsin</a> Republican also said the committee was designed to be political and that it should question House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) about the Capitol riot.
“One question they’ll never ask, one witness they’ll never call, is Nancy Pelosi,” Johnson stated. “Why were we so unprepared? Where was the security manpower? Why wasn’t it visible? Why didn’t we prevent the breach? The breach never should have happened.”
Although Johnson does not yet know who his Democratic challenger will be for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2022-election">Midterm Election</a>, he predicts that the race will go down to the wire. The Democratic primary is set for August 9, and Johnson will likely face on-leave Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry, Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes (D-WI), or State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski (D-WI).
“This U.S. Senate race is crucial if we want to gain the majority, if we want to stop the Biden agenda,” Johnson said, adding that Democrat policies were to blame for record gas prices and baby formula shortages.
If Republicans take back the Senate in 2022, Johnson said that they “need to stop the Biden agenda that is destroying our country, and do anything [we] possibly can as a legislature to end his destructive agenda.”
His agenda for 2025, should Republicans gain control of the White House and both chambers, would include supporting law enforcement, increasing funding for the military, pursuing energy independence, creating a simpler tax code, and cutting back on deficit spending.
Johnson also said that more people need to be brought into the workforce, noting that manufacturers in Wisconsin were struggling to find workers.
Until he officially knows what Democrat will challenge him in November, Johnson said his current opponent was the media.
“I have the worst opponent, which is the mainstream media. Incredibly biased coverage, they are carrying the lies and distortions of the Democrats for them, creating headlines that can be used against me in the future,” he said.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Hearing On Jan. 6 Attack On Capitol

‘A Partisan Exercise’: Ron Johnson Says Democrats Are Using Jan. 6 Hearings To Distract From Policy Failures

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson Says Jan. 6 Committee Hearings Are Partisan Distraction

Politics

Ron Johnson

Wisconsin

WASHINGTON — As the Democrat-led committee investigating the Capitol riot holds its hearings in Washington D.C., families of those imprisoned over the January 6 incident beg Americans to remember their loved ones.
Although many of the suspects face serious charges, including assault, their families and advocates say they are being denied due process while being held in Washington-area lockups. They also claim the men are suffering physically and psychologically as they await court hearings nearly a year-and-a-half after the riots.
&#8220;There is not one day that goes by that my kids do not say that they miss their father,&#8221; Bonnie Nichols, mother to two boys aged five and seven, tearfully told The Daily Wire. &#8220;They don&#8217;t know when dad is going to come home. We talk about &#8216;when daddy does come home, we&#8217;re going to do this and daddy&#8217;s going to play with you and that he&#8217;s going to do all of these things&#8217; to give them hope and to help them visualize what it&#8217;s going to look like in this.&#8221;
Nichols&#8217; husband, 31-year-old Ryan Taylor Nichols, was arrested and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon; theft of government property; and more.
Nichols&#8217; attorney has argued that he was swept up in the riot, <a href="https://www.news-journal.com/news/public_safety/federal-judge-denies-pretrial-release-for-longview-man-accused-in-jan-6-riots-at-u/article_9ac40cd4-61ed-11ec-9887-b7c15d7fa661.html">the Long-View News Journal reported</a>, but prosecutors said that Nichols thought the 2020 election results were illegitimate and sought to prevent the certification of the election through any means necessary, as shown by his illegal possession of a crowbar and pepper spray on Capitol grounds, according to the District of Colombia <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/page/file/1356236/download">affidavit</a>.
The publication reported that prosecutors argued in November that he &#8220;presents a clear, concrete, and continuing danger to the community.&#8221; His wife believes he has been denied his &#8220;due process rights,&#8221; concurrent with statements made in a fall 2021 <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/536779608/Ryan-Nichols-Motion-for-Modification-of-Bail-to-Place-Defendant-on-Conditional-Release-Pending-Trial">motion</a> by his attorney regarding bail conditions.
&#8220;He&#8217;s been denied access to worship,&#8221; said Bonnie, who described the D.C. Correctional Treatment Facility where he is being held as &#8220;the D.C. gulag.&#8221;
&#8220;He hasn&#8217;t seen sunlight in months. He doesn&#8217;t have a proper, healthy diet. And due to the conditions of confinement, one of the major side effects and prolonged side effects is vision loss.&#8221;
&#8220;Worst of all,&#8221; she said, &#8220;he&#8217;s been denied access to see his children due to COVID. I have two young boys ages five and seven, and they share with me every night how they are concerned that their father is not going to come home. And my youngest is five, and he doesn&#8217;t even remember what his father looks like anymore.&#8221;
Cynthia Hughes, founder of the Patriot Freedom Project, told The Daily Wire that Timothy Hale-Cusanelli has also been held in the D.C. Correctional Treatment Facility since February 3, 2021. Hughes is a family friend of Hale-Cusanelli, and refers to herself as his &#8220;adoptive aunt.&#8221; Timothy Hale-Cusanelli is a 12-year army reserve veteran, she said, who lost his housing and his job and was thrown out of the army last year after he was arrested.
&#8220;He has been denied all religious services,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He&#8217;s been denied all grooming services. He&#8217;s been denied all access to me seeing him. I have not been able to even so much as have a video visit with him. I get to talk to him once a day. He had a trial two weeks ago. I saw him at trial. He does not look healthy, he does not look well.&#8221;
Hale-Cusanelli was a contractor at a New Jersey Naval Weapons Station as well as a U.S. Army Reserves member who was found guilty on all charges relating to his illegal entry into the Capitol, according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/27/1101841769/former-army-reservist-and-alleged-white-supremacist-found-guilty-in-capitol-riot">NPR</a>. His former coworkers claimed he harbored white supremacist views, with them recalling statements such as &#8220;Hitler should have finished the job.&#8221;
Hughes said that Hale-Cusanelli developed severe ear infections while incarcerated that became so bad that his ear began bleeding. The inmate begged for help but was denied medical care for a long time, she said, adding that he developed the same infection with the same symptoms in the other ear later on.
&#8220;When we went to trial I was not allowed to embrace him, I was not allowed to hug him,&#8221; Hughes added. &#8220;He was treated like a hardened criminal, like a murderer.&#8221;
Authorities arrested Robert Morss, who is in his late twenties, in June 2021 and charged him with &#8220;federal offenses that include assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; obstruction of an official proceeding; civil disorder; and robbery of personal property of the United States,&#8221; <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/pennsylvania-man-arrested-assault-law-enforcement-during-jan-6-capitol-breach">the DOJ said in a press release</a>.
His mother told The Daily Wire that he has been imprisoned for more than a year. She said he was subjected to &#8220;terrible&#8221; conditions while incarcerated at the D.C. Correctional Treatment Facility before being transferred to Northern Neck Regional Jail in Virginia.
&#8220;There were times when his rations there smelled like cleaning fluid, there are pubic hairs in his food sometimes, and the drinking water was dirty, absolutely terrible mold in the cells, roaches lived amongst them, that type of thing,&#8221; she said.
She also claimed that he was the victim of an unprovoked, &#8220;extensive&#8221; assault that had a &#8220;sexual component to it.&#8221; Morss believes the attack occurred because the guards were &#8220;frustrated&#8221; with his attorney and were acting out of retaliation against his representation.
&#8220;There were five guards,&#8221; she said of this alleged assault, saying it &#8220;included mace&#8221; and &#8220;him being naked.&#8221;
&#8220;It was really horrific,&#8221; the prisoner&#8217;s mother said.
&#8220;It&#8217;s extremely painful because you wouldn&#8217;t imagine that anything like this could happen in America,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And with his training, I know that he is strong. He can withstand a lot. But really, there&#8217;s only so much a person can take. And so, you know, my heart is very sad for him and what he is having to endure and what is being ignored by so many.&#8221;
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment concerning the alleged assault on the inmate. According to the June 2021 DOJ press release, Morss led &#8220;an assault on police and organized support from other rioters&#8221; during the riot on the lower west terrace of the U.S. Capitol.
&#8220;In this country, we have something called due process,&#8221; Hughes said. &#8220;And no matter what the charge of crime is, you&#8217;re entitled to your day in court. You&#8217;re entitled to a fair and speedy trial. You&#8217;re entitled to due process. These people, because they are Trump supporters, are not getting those things. It&#8217;s not just the people that are arrested and charged in this. It&#8217;s the families.&#8221;
Hughes called the January 6 Commission hearings &#8220;political theater,&#8221; and said Democrats are using them to target Trump supporters.
&#8220;If you listen to the committee hearing the very first thing it aired with Liz Cheney, all she did was go on and on and on about Donald Trump. Donald Trump. Donald Trump. That&#8217;s what this is about. And it&#8217;s really time for the American people to wake up and say, enough.&#8221;
The District of Columbia Department of Corrections did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

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Jan. 6 Families Beg Americans Not To Forget About Their Loved Ones

'They Miss Their Father': January 6 Families Beg Americans Not To Forget About Their Loved Ones

Washington D.C.

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