WASHINGTON — Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) is denying that she leaked audio to the New York Times of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) saying that he was considering telling former President Donald Trump to resign.
A Cheney spokesman told The Daily Wire on Friday morning that Cheney neither recorded nor leaked the tape of McCarthy and does not know how reporters obtained it, noting that the committee investigating the Capitol Riot has unsuccessfully asked McCarthy to discuss the matter.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/us/politics/trump-mitch-mcconnell-kevin-mccarthy.html">first reported Thursday morning</a> that McCarthy had contemplated calling on the president to resign, prompting McCarthy’s office to issue a flat denial of the story. But MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow aired an audio recording Thursday evening which cast doubt on the House minority leader’s claim.
The news prompted Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to accuse Cheney of recording McCarthy “for the New York Times” on Friday morning, warning McCarthy, “You should have trusted my instincts, not your own.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
While I was rallying in Wyoming against Liz Cheney…
Kevin McCarthy was defending Liz Cheney among House Republicans…
While Liz Cheney was secretly recording Kevin McCarthy for the New York Times. <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPLeader?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOPLeader</a> &#8211; you should have trusted my instincts, not your own. <a href="https://t.co/teTxIvUAUt">pic.twitter.com/teTxIvUAUt</a>
&mdash; Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1517466701402718208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“While I was rallying in Wyoming against Liz Cheney…Kevin McCarthy was defending Liz Cheney among House Republicans,” he tweeted. “While Liz Cheney was secretly recording Kevin McCarthy for the New York Times.”
Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.
“My gut tells me no,” McCarthy reportedly said during a private call with Republicans, responding to a question from Cheney about whether Trump would resign, <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/audio-contradicts-mccarthy-s-denial-that-he-said-he-would-recommend-that-trump-resign-138276933865?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma">according to audio aired on MSNBC</a>. “I am seriously thinking about having that conversation with him tonight. I haven’t talked to him in a couple days. From what I know of him, I mean you guys all know him, too, do you think he’d ever back away?
“We know it’ll pass the House, I think there’s a chance it’ll pass the senate even when he’s gone. And I think there’s a lot of different ramifications for that. … The only discussion I would have with him is I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation that he should resign,” he continued, referring to the impeachment resolution.
“That would be my take, but I don’t think he would take it,” McCarthy said. “But I don’t know.”
Cheney was the number three House Republican leader at the time, though she is now an outspoken opponent of Trump.
McCarthy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.
Before the audio was released, a McCarthy spokesperson told The New York Times that “McCarthy never said he’d call Trump to say he should resign.&#8221; McCarthy had also released his own statement calling the Times&#8217; reporting “totally false and wrong.”
“It comes as no surprise that the corporate media is obsessed with doing everything it can to further a liberal agenda,” McCarthy said. “This promotional book tour is no different. If the reporters were interested in truth why would they ask for comment after the book was printed?”
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies for breaking news, investigative reporting, sports, podcasts, in-depth analysis, books, and entertainment for a reason: because we believe in what we do. We believe in our country, in the value of truth and the freedom to speak it, and in the right to challenge tyranny wherever we see it. Believe the same? <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://utm.io/ueuP8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Become a member now and join our mission</a>.

Screen Shot 2022-04-22 at 10.06.42 AM

Liz Cheney Denies Leaking McCarthy Audio To New York Times

Capitol Riot

Donald Trump

January 6

January 6 Committee

Kevin McCarthy

Liz Cheney

Matt Gaetz

WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) denied Thursday that he considered asking former President Donald Trump to resign following the January 6 Capitol riot, but audio released Thursday evening appears to contradict that statement.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/us/politics/trump-mitch-mcconnell-kevin-mccarthy.html">first reported Thursday morning</a> that McCarthy had contemplated calling on the president to resign, prompting McCarthy&#8217;s office to issue a flat denial of the story. But MSNBC&#8217;s Rachel Maddow aired an audio recording Thursday evening which cast doubt on the House minority leader&#8217;s claim.
&#8220;My gut tells me no,&#8221; McCarthy reportedly said during a private call with Republicans, responding to Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney&#8217;s question about whether Trump would resign, <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/audio-contradicts-mccarthy-s-denial-that-he-said-he-would-recommend-that-trump-resign-138276933865?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma">according to audio aired on MSNBC</a>. &#8220;I am seriously thinking about having that conversation with him tonight. I haven&#8217;t talked to him in a couple days. From what I know of him, I mean you guys all know him, too, do you think he&#8217;d ever back away?
&#8220;We know it&#8217;ll pass the House, I think there&#8217;s a chance it&#8217;ll pass the senate even when he&#8217;s gone. And I think there&#8217;s a lot of different ramifications for that. &#8230; The only discussion I would have with him is I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation that he should resign,&#8221; he continued, referring to the impeachment resolution.
&#8220;That would be my take, but I don&#8217;t think he would take it,&#8221; McCarthy said. &#8220;But I don&#8217;t know.&#8221;
McCarthy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire. Before the audio was released, a McCarthy spokesperson told The New York Times: “McCarthy never said he’d call Trump to say he should resign.&#8221; McCarthy had also released his own statement calling the New York Times&#8217; reporting &#8220;totally false and wrong.&#8221;
&#8220;It comes as no surprise that the corporate media is obsessed with doing everything it can to further a liberal agenda,&#8221; McCarthy said. &#8220;This promotional book tour is no different. If the reporters were interested in truth why would they ask for comment after the book was printed?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My statement on the New York Times <a href="https://t.co/PWi2WkoWzh">pic.twitter.com/PWi2WkoWzh</a>
&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPLeader/status/1517164322782433287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The past year and a half have proven that our country was better off when President Trump was in the White House and rather than address the real issues facing Americans, the corporate media is more concerned with profiting from manufactured political intrigue from politically-motivated sources,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Our country has suffered enough under failed one-party Democrat rule and on amount of media ignorance and bias will stop Americans from delivering a clear message this fall that it is time for change.&#8221;
The news prompted Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to accuse Cheney of recording McCarthy &#8220;for the New York Times&#8221; on Friday morning, warning McCarthy, &#8220;You should have trusted my instincts, not your own.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
While I was rallying in Wyoming against Liz Cheney…
Kevin McCarthy was defending Liz Cheney among House Republicans…
While Liz Cheney was secretly recording Kevin McCarthy for the New York Times. <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPLeader?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOPLeader</a> &#8211; you should have trusted my instincts, not your own. <a href="https://t.co/teTxIvUAUt">pic.twitter.com/teTxIvUAUt</a>
&mdash; Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1517466701402718208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;While I was rallying in Wyoming against Liz Cheney…Kevin McCarthy was defending Liz Cheney among House Republicans,&#8221; he tweeted. &#8220;While Liz Cheney was secretly recording Kevin McCarthy for the New York Times.&#8221; 
Cheney, a Republican who has found herself estranged from the rest of the party over her strong opposition to Trump and her seat on the Democrat-run January 6 commission, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire, but a Cheney spokesman <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/22/politics/kevin-mccarthy-audio-trump-resign/index.html">told CNN</a> that the House committee investigating the Capitol Riot &#8220;has asked Kevin McCarthy to speak with us about these events but he has so far declined.&#8221;
&#8220;Representative Cheney did not record or leak the tape and does not know how the reporters got it,&#8221; the spokesman said.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies for breaking news, investigative reporting, sports, podcasts, in-depth analysis, books, and entertainment for a reason: because we believe in what we do. We believe in our country, in the value of truth and the freedom to speak it, and in the right to challenge tyranny wherever we see it. Believe the same? <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://utm.io/ueuP8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Become a member now and join our mission</a>.

Screen Shot 2022-04-22 at 8.45.12 AM

Leaked Audio: Kevin McCarthy Considered Telling Trump To ‘Resign’ After Capitol Riot

The man who kicked his feet up at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s desk during the Capitol riot was &#8220;pushed&#8221; into the building by a wave of protesters, his lawyer says.
Richard Barnett, 61, was arrested two days after photos of him at the January 6 riot circulated on the internet, including one where he had his feet up on Pelosi&#8217;s desk and another where he held an envelope with her signature on it. But Barnett&#8217;s lawyer says his client was swept into the capitol while facing away from the building.
&#8220;He was pushed into the Capitol on the sixth by the crowd,&#8221; Joseph McBride, Barnett&#8217;s attorney, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Prior to the doors being opened, you had sort of a groundswell tidal wave. People were trying to get in. Other people were nearly swept up in the crowd because there was nowhere to go between them.&#8221;
Video reviewed by The Daily Wire shows someone — who McBride says is Barnett — saying &#8220;they&#8217;re pushing&#8221; and &#8220;we have no choice&#8221; when he entered the building. At 2:50 p.m., around seven minutes after court documents say he entered, Barnett was captured on surveillance video walking into the top Democrat&#8217;s conference room while holding an American flag, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1351656/download">according</a> to the DOJ. He has also said he took an envelope, leaving behind a quarter and a note on her desk calling her a &#8220;b****.&#8221;
He left Pelosi&#8217;s office six minutes after entering, according to the DOJ. His lawyer says law enforcement told him to leave, and that Barnett then went into the Rotunda, where police created a &#8220;holding area&#8221; and did not let people leave.
Barnett has been hit with a litany of charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding, theft of government property, entering and remaining in a restricted building with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and other misdemeanors. The defendant rejected a plea deal Wednesday that would have carried up to 87 months in prison. If convicted of the obstruction felony, he could face 20 years in prison.
The U.S. Attorney&#8217;s office in Washington, D.C., declined a request for comment.
Two days after the riot, law enforcement searched Barnett&#8217;s home and found packaging for a stun-gun hiking stick that he had in his possession on January 6, according to the DOJ. He was charged with a felony carrying a 10-year maximum prison sentence.
McBride believes his client would have been charged with having a dangerous weapon regardless of what he had been carrying that day. He also said the hiking stick&#8217;s stun-gun functionality couldn&#8217;t have worked.
&#8220;It had been disabled the night before,&#8221; said the lawyer. &#8220;He showed up with the stun gun device inoperable.&#8221;
His trial is scheduled for September 6.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies for breaking news, investigative reporting, sports, podcasts, in-depth analysis, books, and entertainment for a reason: because we believe in what we do. We believe in our country, in the value of truth and the freedom to speak it, and in the right to challenge tyranny wherever we see it. Believe the same? <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Become a member now and join our mission</a>.

Protester Who Kicked It At Pelosi’s Desk Was ‘Pushed Into The Capitol,’ Lawyer Says

Capitol Hill

Department of Justice

Nancy Pelosi

Washington D.C.

A defense attorney who has represented defendants in the January 6 Capitol riot is offering her services pro bono to conservatives and has already helped clear a Virginia dad accused of slander for saying a Left-wing activist was &#8220;grooming&#8221; children.
Marina Medvin, who started RightDefense.org earlier this year with help from the nonprofit Coolidge Reagan Foundation (CRF), is offering the free services in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. The project was inspired by what she said was widespread skepticism that conservatives could find lawyers they could rely on.
&#8220;As I am sure everyone noticed in the January 6 Capitol arrests, conservatives were scrambling to find lawyers they could trust to represent their interests in criminal court,&#8221; Medvin told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Our goal is to prevent this scramble in the future.&#8221;
The project is being launched as the trials of multiple January 6 defendants get underway. One defendant, Matthew Martin, was acquitted of all charges last Wednesday after a federal judge ruled that Martin plausibly believed that Capitol Police waved him into the building. That ruling sent shockwaves through the Washington legal community, as dozens more defendants accused of trespassing could likely make the same case. Alan Dershowitz <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/if-thats-the-rule-we-will-win-january-6-acquittal-enormously-important-dershowitz-says">told</a> The Daily Wire that the &#8220;enormously important&#8221; decision, by U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden, could set a legal precedent for a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hes-facing-over-20-years-for-january-6-charges-his-lawyers-say-he-just-went-to-protest">case</a> in which he is representing January 6 defendant Brady Knowlton.
RightDefense.org, which has not made its foray into January 6 cases yet, won a case last week against Virginia dad and former PTA President Harry Jackson, who faced criminal charges for accusing a Left-wing activist of &#8220;grooming,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dad-will-no-longer-face-criminal-charges-for-calling-leftist-activist-a-groomer">The Daily Wire</a> reported. All four charges were dismissed with prejudice — meaning they cannot be brought back.
&#8220;The father who was victimized by the criminalization of free speech is now free to speak his mind,&#8221; said Medvin.
Medvin said donations will help CRF&#8217;s initiative defend people like Jackson, January 6 defendants, and also fight for legal reforms.
&#8220;We can use the foundation to do more than just represent conservatives in criminal court — we can go further and advocate for changes in the law,&#8221; she said.
Dan Backer, founder and president of CRF, said the need for conservative legal representation became clear when Virginia parents and children were targeted by the legal system for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-judge-denies-governors-request-to-immediately-strike-down-mask-mandates">not wearing</a> masks after Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) removed the statewide mandate.
He said that CRF&#8217;s &#8220;mandate is to defend conservatives who are being criminally prosecuted for living and speaking their conservative values.&#8221;
The defense of Jackson and conservative families caught in the masking dispute come cheap compared to defending alleged Capitol rioters. Backer said just one such case could cost a defendant as much as $250,000.
&#8220;Financial support at that level – or anything close to it – is wildly beyond the amount CRF has raised to date,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Maybe one day we’ll have those kinds of resources, but we’re still a modest effort to do whatever we can, when we can, to offset the pain being inflicted by leftists persecution.&#8221;
January 6 defendant John Lammons, who was arrested in March and <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/case-multi-defendant/file/1487231/download">charged</a> with four misdemeanors, told The Daily Wire RightDefense.org offers an alternative to beleaguered public defenders.
&#8220;It&#8217;s definitely valuable,&#8221; he said in an interview, clarifying that he has already hired legal counsel. &#8220;It&#8217;s just all in if you trust your court-appointed lawyer.&#8221;
Send story tips to Gabe Kaminsky at <a href="mailto:gekaminsky@protonmail.com">gekaminsky@protonmail.com</a>. Follow him <a href="https://twitter.com/gekaminsky">on Twitter</a>
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Attorney For Pro Bono Criminal Defense Project Eyeing January 6 Cases

Alan Dershowitz

Brady Knowlton

Conservatives

On Wednesday, a federal judge acquitted a January 6 defendant on all charges after ruling that the New Mexico man &#8220;reasonably believed&#8221; he was allowed to enter the Capitol building during the protest against the 2020 election results after being let in by United States Capitol Police officers.
Judge Trevor McFadden &#8220;issued the verdict from the bench after hearing testimony without a jury in the case against Matthew Martin,&#8221; The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/man-who-testified-at-his-capitol-riot-trial-awaits-verdict/2022/04/06/38b91c54-b5cc-11ec-8358-20aa16355fb4_story.html">reported</a>.
Martin was the first January 6 defendant to testify in his defense trial and argued that Capitol Police allowed him to enter the facility. According to the Post, Martin &#8220;said he &#8216;went with the flow&#8217; as he approached the Capitol and testified that he saw a police officer wave him into the building.&#8221;
He was in the Capitol building for roughly 10 minutes on that day.
The Post reported:
<div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body">
<blockquote>
Martin was charged with four misdemeanor counts: entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
</blockquote>
Buzzfeed <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/capitol-riot-verdict-matthew-martin-not-guilty">provided</a> more details behind McFadden&#8217;s verdict:
<blockquote>Announcing his decision from the bench, US District Judge Trevor McFadden said that although prosecutors argued there were numerous instances when Martin would have been aware that he wasn’t allowed on Capitol grounds or inside the building — as he walked past fences with signs saying “AREA CLOSED” and recorded video of a broken window, blaring alarms, police in riot gear, and people who appeared to have encountered tear gas — those were outweighed by Martin’s “plausible” belief that he had permission because officers didn’t try to stop him from entering.
McFadden said that Martin’s conduct was as “minimal and non-serious”as the judge could imagine for someone who went into the Capitol on Jan. 6. He said that Martin seemed to be a “silent observer” of the scene and didn’t try to crowd the police, protest, or wave the “Trump” flag that he was carrying. Martin appeared “quiet” and “orderly” as he walked inside the building, filmed video inside the Rotunda similar to how the media would behave, and didn’t appear to interfere with officers as he filmed a clash with rioters later in the afternoon on a north terrace of the building.</blockquote>
According to The Post, &#8220;More than 770 people have been charged with riot-related federal crimes. Over 240 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and over 140 of them have been sentenced.&#8221;
As noted by Buzzfeed,  the verdict &#8220;represented an early test of efforts by some Jan. 6 defendants to argue that police allowed them to enter the Capitol, or that they believed they had permission because no officer told them to stop.&#8221;
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies for breaking news, investigative reporting, sports, podcasts, in-depth analysis, books, and entertainment for a reason: because we believe in what we do. We believe in our country, in the value of truth and the freedom to speak it, and in the right to challenge tyranny wherever we see it. Believe the same? <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Become a member now and join our mission.</a>
</div>

Judge Acquits January 6 Defendant: ‘Reasonably Believed’ Capitol Police Let Him In Building

Capitol Grounds

President Joe Biden reportedly believes that former President Donald Trump should be prosecuted for crimes related to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol last year.
Biden has made comments to trusted friends and advisers as recently as late last year that he believes his predecessor is responsible for some crime related to January 6 and should be prosecuted. He has gone so far as to voice frustration with the pace of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s investigation into the riot that has not resulted in charges against Trump, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/02/us/politics/merrick-garland-biden-trump.html">The New York Times</a>. As The NYT reports:
<blockquote>The attorney general’s deliberative approach has come to frustrate Democratic allies of the White House and, at times, President Biden himself. As recently as late last year, Mr. Biden confided to his inner circle that he believed former President Donald J. Trump was a threat to democracy and should be prosecuted, according to two people familiar with his comments. And while the president has never communicated his frustrations directly to Mr. Garland, he has said privately that he wanted Mr. Garland to act less like a ponderous judge and more like a prosecutor who is willing to take decisive action over the events of Jan. 6.</blockquote>
On Friday, Garland was asked about potential political pressure he may be feeling to deliver results in the investigation into January 6 and hundreds of criminal charges already filed over the event. Garland said that the only pressure he feels is “to do the right thing.”
“The only pressure I feel, and the only pressure that our line prosecutors feel, is to do the right thing. That means we follow the facts and the law, wherever they may lead,” Garland <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/01/politics/merrick-garland-january-6/index.html">said</a>.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates told The NYT in a statement that the president has not attempted to interfere with the Justice Department’s investigation, asserting that Garland had “decisively restored” the department’s independence in a shot at the Trump administration and DOJ under former Attorney General Bill Barr.
Bates told The NYT: “President Biden is immensely proud of the attorney general’s service in this administration and has no role in investigative priorities or decisions.”
Notably, Trump’s relationship with his attorney general <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bill-barr-trump-2020-election-results/">deteriorated</a> in the final months of his administration as Barr pushed back against Trump’s allegations of widespread voter fraud. Barr resigned in December 2020 before Trump’s term finished the next month.
As Biden reportedly wants more from Garland on the January 6 investigation, Biden’s son, Hunter, is under federal investigation over his foreign business deals, including deals in Ukraine and China. Last week, the White House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-stands-by-claim-that-hunter-biden-did-not-profit-off-chinese-business-deals-docs-show-his-companies-made-millions">said</a> that it stands by Biden’s 2020 claim that his son did not benefit financially from deals in China, despite documents showing that companies controlled in part by Biden collected millions in payments from a Chinese energy conglomerate.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest growing conservative media companies for breaking news, investigative reporting, sports, podcasts, in-depth analysis, books, and entertainment for a reason: because we believe in what we do. We believe in our country, in the value of truth and the freedom to speak it, and in the right to challenge tyranny wherever we see it. Believe the same? <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">Become a member now and join our mission.</a>

Joe Biden

Report: Frustrated Joe Biden Wants Donald Trump Prosecuted Over January 6

A 37 year old who was charged in the U.S. Capitol breach reportedly died by suicide on Friday, about a month before he was scheduled to be sentenced.
Matthew Perna was charged with trespassing on the Capitol, &#8220;obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, disorderly and disruptive conduct on a restricted building or grounds and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building,&#8221; ABC27News <a href="https://www.abc27.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-man-charged-in-capitol-riot-dies/#:~:text=Perna%20was%20federally%20indicted%20in,conduct%20in%20a%20Capitol%20building">reported</a>.
The defendant trespassed and participated in chanting &#8220;USA,&#8221; <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/page/file/1356831/download">according</a> to Justice Department documents. Perna apparently did not commit any violence, though he did say he &#8220;tapped&#8221; on a window in the Capitol using a &#8220;metal pole&#8221; when he was &#8220;frustrated,&#8221; documents reveal.
An <a href="https://www.flynnfuneralhome.com/obituary/matthew-perna">obituary</a> for the deceased published online said Perna, who always had the support of his family, &#8220;died &#8230; of a broken heart,&#8221; adding that &#8220;the justice system killed his spirit.&#8221;
&#8220;Matthew Lawrence Perna died on February 25, 2022 of a broken heart,&#8221; the obituary said. &#8220;His community (which he loved), his country, and the justice system killed his spirit and his zest for life. Matt was an amazing man! In his 37 years, he experienced more than most people do their entire lives.&#8221;
Perna was facing up to 20 years in prison, though his sentence, which was set to be doled out on April 1, was expected to be far lighter.
&#8220;The most serious charge to which Perna had pleaded guilty was a federal obstruction charge that carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, though he likely would have received a far lighter sentence,&#8221; Law &amp; Crime <a href="https://lawandcrime.com/u-s-capitol-breach/qanon-adherent-who-pleaded-guilty-to-breaching-capitol-on-jan-6-reportedly-dies-by-suicide-before-sentencing/">explained</a>. &#8220;So far, three Jan. 6 defendants have pleaded guilty to this charge, and all have been sentenced to prison: Paul Hodgkins to 8 months, and Scott Fairlamb and Jacob Chansley, also known as the &#8216;QAnon Shaman,&#8217; to 41 months each.&#8221;
&#8220;Perna was also charged with three misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds,&#8221; the report added.
The obituary contends Perna&#8217;s actions were entirely peaceful on January 6, 2021, and that the Justice Department unfairly targeted him, Law &amp; Crime highlighted. Here&#8217;s a portion of the obituary:
<blockquote>He attended the rally on January 6, 2021 to peacefully stand up for his beliefs. After learning that the FBI was looking for him, he immediately turned himself in. He entered the Capitol through a previously opened door (he did not break in as was reported), where he was ushered in by police. He didn’t break, touch or steal anything. He did not harm anyone, as he stayed within the velvet ropes taking pictures. 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. The constant delays in hearings and postponements dragged out for over a year. Because of this, Matt’s heart broke and his spirit died and many people are responsible for the pain he endured. Matt did not have a hateful bone in his body. He embraced people of all races, income brackets and beliefs, never once berating anyone for having different views.</blockquote>
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.
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Trump Supporters Hold “Stop The Steal” Rally In DC Amid Ratification Of Presidential Election

January 6 Defendant Dies By Suicide

Former Arizona Oath Keeper Ray Epps is set to appear before the January 6 select committee for a transcribed interview on Friday, according to recent reports.
Epps &#8220;intends to sit for a transcribed interview Friday with the select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol, his attorney said in a phone interview,&#8221; a Politico report <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/18/ray-epps-jan-6-select-committee-527306">confirmed</a>.
Video shows Epps encouraging Trump rally attendees to go into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Notably, the FBI scrubbed Epps from a January 6 suspect list.
As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ray-epps-atty-fbi-scrubbed-his-face-from-suspect-list-because-he-was-no-longer-unidentified">The Daily Wire</a> on Thursday, Epps&#8217; attorney John Blischak said his client was scrubbed from the suspect list &#8220;partially because he was not an unidentified suspect any longer,&#8221; and:
<div class="intra-article-ad intra-article-ad-half" data-rendered="true">
<blockquote>
John Blischak told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/18/ray-epps-jan-6-select-committee-527306">Politico</a> that Epps contacted the FBI on January 8, 2021, and “explained his position” after a relative informed him news reports had featured him. “The list contains images and videos of rioters who were caught on camera in the crowd but who have not been identified or tracked by the bureau,” Politico added.
Blischak admitted he was unaware why Epps’ face was not scrubbed from the website for months.
</blockquote>
</div>
Republicans and select journalists have been publicly questioning to what extent the FBI was involved or aware of the breach.
Notably, journalist Glenn Greenwald posed four questions related to the FBI and the events on January 6.
“How many FBI informants or agents helped plan 1/6?” Greenwald asked via Twitter. “How many FBI informants or agents were present at 1/6? How many FBI informants or agents were implanted in the 3 key groups? Why don’t we know the answers?”
As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-refuses-to-state-that-it-did-not-commit-crimes-during-jan-6-riot-encourage-violence">The Daily Wire</a> last week, video of Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz went viral when he pressed Jill Sanborn, the FBI’s executive assistant director of the National Security Branch, if the FBI committed any crimes during the breach. She refused to answer. Here’s the exchange:
<blockquote>CRUZ: I want to turn to the FBI. How many FBI agents or confidential informants actively participated in the events of January 6th? 
SANBORN: Sir, I’m sure you can appreciate that I can’t go into the specifics of sources and methods. 
CRUZ: Did any FBI agents or confidential informants actively participate in the events of January 6th? Yes or no?
SANBORN: Sir, I can’t. I can’t answer that. 
CRUZ: Did any FBI agents or confidential informants commit crimes of violence on January 6th? 
SANBORN: I can’t answer that, sir. 
CRUZ: Did any FBI agents or FBI informants actively encourage and incite crimes of violence on January 6th? 
SANBORN: Sir, I can’t answer that.</blockquote>
The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/725-people-have-been-arrested-for-jan-6-capitol-breach-most-hit-for-entering-or-remaining-in-capitol">boasted</a> earlier this month that more than 725 people have been arrested in connection to the January 6 breach.
According to the press release, 640 defendants “have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds.” Some defendants are facing multiple charges.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ray-epps-atty-fbi-scrubbed-his-face-from-suspect-list-because-he-was-no-longer-unidentified">Ray Epps’ Atty: FBI Scrubbed His Face From Suspect List Because He Was No Longer Unidentified</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/journalist-glenn-greenwald-asks-four-questions-about-jan-6-and-the-fbi">Journalist Glenn Greenwald Asks Four Questions About Jan. 6 And The FBI</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-refuses-to-state-that-it-did-not-commit-crimes-during-jan-6-riot-encourage-violence">FBI Refuses To State That It Did Not Commit Crimes During Jan 6 Riot, Encourage Violence</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 6: Scene outside the Capitol after Tru

Ray Epps Set To Appear Before Pelosi’s Jan. 6 Committee

Ray Epps

McClatchy DC White House correspondent Alex Roarty said that even in the days following the anniversary of the Capitol Hill riot, a focus group of moderate voters had no real reaction to the mention of &#8220;January 6th.&#8221;
&#8220;Watched 2 focus groups w/moderate voters last night, put on by a liberal group. Moderator asked 1st group (five women) about Jan 6th. Long pause followed, before one of the women asked what he meant. Invoking &#8216;Jan. 6&#8217; didn&#8217;t immediately mean anything, even days after anniversary,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Alex_Roarty/status/1480938114528993283">Roarty</a> began a Twitter thread on the subject.
According to Roarty, some clarification and even direct questions about the riot did not steer the female focus group in a direction that was more favorable for Democrats — in fact, it led to several in the group criticizing Democrats for taking the pageantry too far as they commemorated the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/qanon-shaman-sentenced-to-41-months-in-prison-over-capitol-riot/">anniversary</a> of the attack with a <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/nancy-pelosis-january-6-grief-session-brings-broadway-tunes-equity-and-a-rewrite-of-americas-ideals/">Broadway performance</a>, a candlelight vigil, and a <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/588592-pelosi-leads-moment-of-silence-for-jan-6-with-no-republicans-except-cheneys">moment of silence</a> on the House floor.
&#8220;The conversation didn&#8217;t get much better from there for Dems, in either focus group,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Alex_Roarty/status/1480939096679849986">Roarty explained</a>. &#8220;Once the convo got going, it was clear Jan. 6 hadn&#8217;t been memory holed by the 1st group. But one woman said flat out it wasn&#8217;t she was worried about anymore compared to other concerns. And two others, after agreeing how awful the attack was, said they thought Biden and Democrats had gone too far in the way they talked about last week on the anniversary. One of the women said she thought they had over-embellished it.&#8221;
The second focus group, consisting of moderate men, appeared to yield similarly disappointing results as far as Democrats were concerned.
&#8220;The 2nd group, this time five moderate men, had a similar reaction (though I&#8217;ll include one important caveat later). None of them mentioned Jan 6 when prompted broadly about what news they had been paying attention to lately, mentioning Manchin, Arbery verdict, etc,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Alex_Roarty/status/1480939612444975107">Roarty</a> noted, <a href="https://twitter.com/Alex_Roarty/status/1480940174007799810">adding</a>, &#8220;Later, when asked specifically about how POTUS and Dems marked the anniversary, two men jumped in pretty eagerly to talk about how Biden had made a mistake looking backward instead of trying to move the country forward. They expressed a feeling he had politicized a tragedy.&#8221;
&#8220;One of the participants would later add that they also resented how reporters who were there personalized their experience,&#8221; he continued.
Roarty said that the consensus at the end was that the riot had been terrible and had certainly <a href="https://twitter.com/Alex_Roarty/status/1480940687432601607">raised concerns</a> about the future of American democracy — and several agreed that President Biden&#8217;s speech recognizing the anniversary had been appropriate — and both groups voiced concern that the people responsible for the attack on the Capitol had not yet been held responsible.
&#8220;One man — who was clearly very far from a liberal — said he abandoned the GOP after Jan 6 and thought the way Biden handled the anniversary was fine,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Alex_Roarty/status/1480941095487954944">he added</a>. &#8220;So people thought what happened on Jan 6 was awful and raised serious questions about the country&#8217;s direction. But they didn&#8217;t all necessarily connect it with the GOP/Trump.&#8221;
Both groups, Roarty said, consisted of &#8220;soft Biden voters&#8221; who had supported Joe Biden but not former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — or &#8220;soft Trump voters&#8221; who had supported former President Donald Trump in 2020 but said they regretted doing so.
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Vigil for January 6th Anniversary

Moderate Focus Groups Have No Reaction To ‘January 6,’ Say Democrats ‘Over-Embellished’ Anniversary

Hamilton

Ron DeSantis

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) released a statement Wednesday calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s (D-CA) January 6 Committee &#8220;illegitimate&#8221; and saying that he would not participate in its &#8220;abuse of power.&#8221;
&#8220;This committee is not conducting a legitimate investigation,&#8221; McCarthy said, according to Fox News congressional reporter <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1481447182800769024">Chad Pergram</a>.
&#8220;And now it wants to interview me about public statements that have been shared with the world, and private conversations not remotely related to the violence that unfolded at the Capitol,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1481447184172257284">McCarthy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1481447185107537922">added</a>. &#8220;I have nothing else to add. As a representative and the leader of the minority party, it is with neither regret nor satisfaction that I have concluded to not participate with this select committee’s abuse of power that stains this institution today.&#8221;
In addition to the comments Pergram reported, <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-im-kicking-3-democrats-off-their-committees-if-republicans-win-back-house-in-2022/">McCarthy</a> released a full statement on his decision not to cooperate with the committee&#8217;s requests.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pelosi’s select committee is illegitimate.
Read my statement here: <a href="https://t.co/UKVYoFmLMo">https://t.co/UKVYoFmLMo</a>
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPLeader/status/1481442488053284868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
&#8220;This committee is not conducting a legitimate investigation as Speaker Pelosi took the unprecedented action of rejecting the Republican members I named to serve on the committee. It is not serving any legislative purpose. The committee’s only objective is to attempt to damage its political opponents – acting like the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee one day and the DOJ the next,&#8221; <a href="https://republicanleader.house.gov/leader-mccarthys-statement-about-pelosis-illegitimate-select-committee/">McCarthy wrote</a>, referencing Pelosi&#8217;s unilateral decision to bar his selected representatives — Congressmen <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/jim-jordan-rejects-january-6-committees-unprecedented-and-inappropriate-request-for-interview/">Jim Jordan</a> (R-OH) and Jim Banks (R-IN) — from serving on the committee.
&#8220;The committee has demanded testimony from staffers who applied for First Amendment permits. It has subpoenaed the call records of private citizens and their financial records from banks while demanding secrecy not supported by law. It has lied about the contents of documents it has received. It has held individuals in contempt of Congress for exercising their Constitutional right to avail themselves of judicial proceedings. And now it wants to interview me about public statements that have been shared with the world, and private conversations not remotely related to the violence that unfolded at the Capitol. I have nothing else to add,&#8221; McCarthy continued. &#8220;As a representative and the leader of the minority party, it is with neither regret nor satisfaction that I have concluded to not participate with this select committee’s abuse of power that stains this institution today and will harm it going forward.&#8221;
Jordan also drafted a letter to the January 6 Committee, saying that he had nothing to add.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/aAlnLX0CTk">pic.twitter.com/aAlnLX0CTk</a>
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1480329304936529921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
Jordan panned the committee&#8217;s claim that he was a &#8220;material witness&#8221; and rebuffed the request for his communications and testimony as &#8220;far outside the bounds of any legitimate inquiry,” that it “violates core Constitutional principles, and would serve to further erode legislative norms.&#8221;
&#8220;Even if I had information to share with the Select Committee, the actions and statements of Democrats in the House of Representatives show that you are not conducting a fair-minded and objective inquiry,&#8221; he added.
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Minority Leader McCarthy Speaks To Media In Weekly News Conference

‘I Have Nothing Else To Add’: Kevin McCarthy Won’t Participate In January 6 Committee’s ‘Abuse Of Power’

Jim Banks

Jim Jordan

Journalist Glenn Greenwald on Wednesday posed four questions related to the FBI and the January 6, 2020, Capitol breach, following Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz&#8217;s viral exchange on the matter with Jill Sanborn, the FBI&#8217;s executive assistant director of the National Security Branch.
&#8220;How many FBI informants or agents helped plan 1/6?&#8221; asked Greenwald via Twitter. &#8220;How many FBI informants or agents were present at 1/6? How many FBI informants or agents were implanted in the 3 key groups? Why don&#8217;t we know the answers?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Leave the bizarre Ray Epps case to the side for a moment:
&#8212; How many FBI informants or agents helped plan 1/6?
&#8212; How many FBI informants or agents were present at 1/6?
&#8212; How many FBI informants or agents were implanted in the 3 key groups?
Why don&#39;t we know the answers?
&mdash; Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) <a href="https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1481267242444546051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-refuses-to-state-that-it-did-not-commit-crimes-during-jan-6-riot-encourage-violence">The Daily Wire</a> on Tuesday, Cruz pressed Sanborn to answer if the FBI committed any crimes during the breach. She refused to answer. Here&#8217;s the exchange:
<blockquote>CRUZ: I want to turn to the FBI. How many FBI agents or confidential informants actively participated in the events of January 6th? 
SANBORN: Sir, I’m sure you can appreciate that I can’t go into the specifics of sources and methods. 
CRUZ: Did any FBI agents or confidential informants actively participate in the events of January 6th? Yes or no?
SANBORN: Sir, I can’t. I can’t answer that. 
CRUZ: Did any FBI agents or confidential informants commit crimes of violence on January 6th? 
SANBORN: I can’t answer that, sir. 
CRUZ: Did any FBI agents or FBI informants actively encourage and incite crimes of violence on January 6th? 
SANBORN: Sir, I can’t answer that.</blockquote>
Greenwald praised Cruz&#8217;s questioning and retweeted a post from political commentator Krystal Ball, a Democrat, stressing the need for more questions to be answered.
&#8220;If you want accountability for 1/6 you should care deeply about what sort of insight and active presence the feds had,&#8221; she wrote via Twitter. &#8220;NYT (The New York Times) has already reported on presence of at least 1 informant. You don’t have to go down the rabbit hole of false flag conspiracies to want answers here.&#8221;
Ball was referring to a Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/25/us/politics/capitol-riot-fbi-informant.html">report</a> published in October that said a member of the Proud Boys was texting with his &#8220;FBI handler&#8221; during the breach.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If you want accountability for 1/6 you should care deeply about what sort of insight and active presence the feds had. NYT has already reported on presence of at least 1 informant. You don’t have to go down the rabbit hole of false flag conspiracies to want answers here. <a href="https://t.co/DYPa6gif2P">https://t.co/DYPa6gif2P</a>
&mdash; Krystal Ball (@krystalball) <a href="https://twitter.com/krystalball/status/1481270856391307268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/725-people-have-been-arrested-for-jan-6-capitol-breach-most-hit-for-entering-or-remaining-in-capitol">boasted</a> earlier this month that more than 725 people have been arrested in connection to the January 6 breach.
According to the press release, 640 defendants “have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds.” Some defendants are facing multiple charges.
“Thursday, Jan. 6 2022, marks one year since the attack on the U.S. Capitol that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of affirming the presidential election results,” the DOJ <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/725-people-have-been-arrested-for-jan-6-capitol-breach-most-hit-for-entering-or-remaining-in-capitol">said</a>. “The government continues to investigate losses that resulted from the breach of the Capitol, including damage to the Capitol building and grounds, both inside and outside the building.”
The Justice Department said the monetary cost of damage to the Capitol building is estimated to be $1.5 million worth.
Notably, the left-wing riots and looting that took place across American cities following the death of George Floyd racked up an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/riots-looting-that-followed-george-floyds-death-could-cost-2-billion-most-expensive-incident-in-insurance-history">estimated $2 billion</a> in damages.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-refuses-to-state-that-it-did-not-commit-crimes-during-jan-6-riot-encourage-violence">FBI Refuses To State That It Did Not Commit Crimes During Jan 6 Riot, Encourage Violence</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/different-from-any-other-jail-in-america-a-january-6-prisoner-speaks-out">‘Different From Any Other Jail In America’: A January 6 Prisoner Speaks Out</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-unarmed-trump-supporting-grandma-charged-in-jan-6-capitol-breach">Another Unarmed Trump-Supporting Grandma Charged In Jan 6 Capitol Breach</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Glenn Greenwald

Journalist Glenn Greenwald Asks Four Questions About Jan. 6 And The FBI

Ted Cruz

Nick Searcy attended the Jan. 6, 2021 protests summoned by then-President Donald Trump, camera in hand.
The “Justified” star couldn’t have predicted what would happen later that day or the ensuing political earthquake.
His documentary, “Capitol Punishment,” offers a media corrective to the “insurrection” mania that gripped the press over the past year. He also lets many of the protesters speak, everyday Americans who didn’t even step foot in the Capitol building but are paying an astronomical price for suggesting the election was “stolen.”
So far, so necessary.
Director Chris Burgard’s film opens with a quote from Harry S. Truman about governments silencing the opposition. When leaders seize control of the narrative, it “creates a country where everyone lives in fear.&#8221;
We’re flooded with incendiary news coverage of the riot, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez <a href="https://people.com/politics/alexandra-ocasio-cortez-feared-other-things-were-going-to-happen-to-me-on-day-of-jan-6-insurrection/">saying</a> she feared she would be sexually assaulted by the Trump supporters. Note: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-aoc-instagram-live-video/fact-check-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-did-not-claim-that-she-was-in-the-capitol-during-siege-nor-that-rioters-entered-her-office-idUSKBN2A51RK">She wasn’t in the Capitol during the melee</a>.
Searcy, serving as narrator and comic foil, dubs himself a “domestic terrorist” during a mock interrogation by prominent Democrats. He, too, thinks the election was stolen, but “Capitol Punishment” lobs but a few generic arguments to that effect.
His man-on-the-street vantage point shapes the narrative he says the media ignored.
“It didn’t look like a riot. It looked like a tailgate party,” Searcy says, mixing folksy humor with videos rarely shown in mainstream sources. Yes, the vast majority of people peacefully protested in the truest sense of the word, singing in unison and praying for a brighter tomorrow.
A select few, in large enough numbers to matter, rampaged through the Capitol without a plan but bringing chaos with them. That “peaceful protest” taunt conservatives shouted over the press’s framing of violent BLM protests can’t camouflage that.
We also see video of protesters perusing inside the Capitol, taking snapshots and moving about as if touring the Louvre.
It’s worth noting the Capitol is a vast building. That many of these protestors entered through doors opened by police, or wandered past barricades lifted by police wholly unaware of the more dramatic activity in other parts of the building is a point Democrats and the media are eager to ignore. “Capitol Punishment” succeeds at giving its audience a sense of the sheer scope of the protest, perhaps putting the actions of some of the more well-meaning protestors in a context not seen before.
The film&#8217;s purpose is clear. The U.S. government is using the Jan. 6 riot as a pretense to chill dissent. On that ground Searcy scores some fundamental wins.
“Capitol Punishment” introduces us to several protesters whose homes were raided by dozens of heavily armed FBI agents.
We even watch home security footage of armored vehicles festooned with agents who appear more like soldiers entering combat than police making an arrest approaching the homes in question. One man describes seeing “red dots all over his chest,” as agents swarmed his front door.
We meet two families, one white, one Latino, sharing why they came to the protests. Neither entered the Capitol building, they allege, and both brought medical equipment in case they could help someone on site.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="vimeo-player" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/644123614?h=abbea7fcca" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The film uses existing media – audio, video snippets and still photographs, to back up some of the participants’ stories.
“It sounded like war,” one 13-year-old said of the experience.
Twin sisters, 74, were told they were now on a list of domestic terrorists and threatened with a year in federal jail for trespassing.
“It was so over the top, there’s still no words to describe it,” says Dr. Simone Gold, a member of the America’s Frontline Doctors group which criticized COVID-19 protocols and promoted Hydroxychloroquine early in the pandemic.
She addressed the pro-Trump crowd during a quiet moment inside the Capitol. According to Dr. Gold, the door was open no one was ever asked to leave. She has been paying the price for it ever since.
One protester describes spending nine straight days in solitary confinement. Others recall not being able to make a phone call to lawyers or loved ones while incarcerated.
The film demands more legal experts here, neutral sources who can weigh in on what’s being alleged, but the accusations are certainly startling.
The documentary’s running time is too easily expanded by detours involving the JFK assassination conspiracy, social media shadow banning and communist infiltration.
We’re also told Antifa-style agitators sparked the violent part of the protest. Some of the video footage hints at that argument, but it doesn’t explain away what happened nor excuse it.
A thornier theory, and one previously made by Tucker Carlson via his “Patriot Purge” docuseries, suggests FBI agents stoked the protest’s violent turn.
What seems like an inflated charge got new life on Tuesday when Sen. Ted Cruz asked Jill Sanborn, FBI Executive Assistant Director, National Security Branch, if FBI agents “actively participated” in the Jan. 6 riot. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-refuses-to-state-that-it-did-not-commit-crimes-during-jan-6-riot-encourage-violence">She refused to answer</a>.
The lengthy segment on pro-Trump protester Ashli Babbitt, the only person to die on Jan. 6 at the hands of Capitol police, is heartbreaking. Searcy drops the humor and lets her widower share his side of the story without comment or editing.
She clearly took an aggressive stand during the melee, eager to push past a makeshift barricade. Still, an unarmed woman should not have been shot to death that day in that manner.
Her passing should enrage the same critics who demanded police reform over the past two years and likely would have had she been at a BLM protest.
Those riveting sequences lead to … Dee Snider, the free speech rocker who famously <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dee-snider-on-pmrc-hearing-i-was-a-public-enemy-71205/">wrestled</a> with Tipper Gore and the PMRC movement in the late 1980s.
The issue? His band Twisted Sister’s signature track, “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” and how Trump tried to use the song for his campaign. The segment feels disconnected from much of what we’ve just witnessed, above and beyond the song’s rebellious streak.
The film stumbles further by turning the track into a quasi sing-a-long. Coming off what we’ve just been told, from attacks on the Constitution to a veteran’s death at the hands of police, the transition lands with a thud.
Happy Warriors on the Right? Sure, but the events captured in the film, and via the story updates revealed before the end credits, are anything but celebratory.
“Capitol Punishment” pushes beyond biased media narratives and gives a voice to those facing significant jail time for insignificant crimes. It also overplays its hand, mirroring what we’re witnessing this month from Democrats genuflecting at the legacy of Jan. 6.
You can purchase and watch the film <a href="https://capitolpunishmentthemovie.com/">here</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">member</a>.

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