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Here’s the alarming reason the Capitol rioters were so easily captured — according to experts
January 19, 2021
Some of President Donald Trump's supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol were laughably easy to identify and arrest, but two experts on extremism say that's a warning sign.
The rioters often posted social media photos or videos of themselves laying siege to the Capitol, and sometimes even made things easier for investigators by boasting about their involvement or sending incriminating evidence directly to the FBI, but George Washington University researchers Seamus Hughes and Jon Lewis wrote a Washington Post column explaining why their impunity was cause for alarm.
<p>"While we can view the perpetrators' self-incrimination as a result of their poor criminal tradecraft, it also reflects their belief that they did nothing wrong," wrote the pair, who are researchers at the university's Program on Extremism. "In this light, any humor found in these cases quickly fades. The 'true believers' present during the Capitol siege documented their activities because they were participating in what they saw as the start of a second American revolution, and surely the victors of such things would never be punished for their heroism."</p><p>Most of the dozens of rioters have so far been hit with relatively minor charges, but that will likely change as the Justice Department finishes investigating pipe bombs found in the area and the killing of Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, as well as the overarching conspiracy that led to the violent takeover -- and follow-up actions still being hatched.</p><p>"While things could have been worse on Jan. 6, it would be a mistake to write off these actions as those of a motley crew of bumbling miscreants," Hughes and Lewis wrote. "Many of them may be that, but they were also dangerous and untethered to the norms we accept in society — and even more concerning people are surely to come. Accelerationist actors, anti-government extremists and adherents of the QAnon conspiracy have evidenced a desire to commit further acts of targeted violence against what they perceive as a tyrannical and illegitimate government. This coalition of extremist actors will probably utilize lessons learned at the Capitol, as well as connections developed both offline and online in furtherance of these goals."</p>
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'Start up the firing squads!' NYC conspiracy theorist charged in threats against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Dems
January 19, 2021
A New York court employee was charged with threatening to kill prominent Democratic lawmakers with "firing squads" on the day President Donald Trump's supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Brendan Hunt, a former actor who works for New York's Office of Court Administration, was taken into custody Tuesday morning by FBI agents at his home in Queens and arrested for making white supremacist threats against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, reported the New York Daily News.
<p>"Trump, we want actual revenge on democrats," <a href="https://lawandcrime.com/u-s-capitol-siege/man-charged-with-threatening-to-publicly-execute-democrats-in-trumps-name/" target="_blank">wrote Hunt</a>, on his Facebook account "HuntBrendan," according to a criminal complaint. "Meaning, we want you to hold a public execution of pelosi aoc schumer etc. And if you dont do it, the citizenry will. We're not voting in another rigged election. Start up the firing squads, mow down these commies, and lets take america back!"</p><p>The 37-year-old Hunt, who led <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/wall-street-protesters-say-they-re-fed-up-with-irresponsible-outsiders-1.3267468" target="_blank">drum circles</a> during Occupy Wall Street protests a decade ago and <a href="https://www.salon.com/2013/03/20/sandy_hook_truthers_are_not_giving_up/" target="_blank">produces</a> Sandy Hook "truther" content, posted similar messages later on Jan. 6, investigators said.</p><p>"F*ck the lockdown po-lice!" Hunt posted, according to investigators. "Yeah booiii run those pigs over! Anyone enforcing this lockdown mask vaccine bullsh*t deserves nothing less than a bullet in their f*cking head! Including cops! If you're going to shoot someone tho, go after a high value target like pelosi schumer or AOC. They really need to be put down. These commies will see death before they see us surrender! USA!!"</p><p>Two days after the riots, Hunt posted an 88-second video using anti-Semitic language and encouraging viewers to "slaughter them all," and on Jan. 12 replied to a Parler account purportedly operated by Michael Flynn encouraging Trump supporters to bring guns to Joe Biden's inauguration.</p><p>"Lets go, jan 20, bring your guns #millionmilitiamarch," Hunt posted, according to court documents.</p>
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Pence cites 'logistical challenges' as reason for avoiding Trump's big Air Force base sendoff: report
January 19, 2021
President Donald Trump wants to have a big sendoff by supporters and allies on Wednesday morning at Andrews Air Force base -- but Vice President Mike Pence reportedly will not be attending.
According to Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey, Pence "is not expected to attend" Trump's sendoff because it would be "logistically challenging" for him to attend Trump's departure and President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
<p>Trump's relationship with Pence has deteriorated after the president falsely told supporters that Pence had the power to unilaterally throw out the results of the 2020 presidential election from his position as president of the Senate.</p><p>When Pence refused to scrap the electoral college vote tallies, Trump accused him of lacking courage, and the president's supporters began chanting, "<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/mike-pence-donald-trump-2649791644/" target="_blank">Hang Mike Pence!</a>" as they stormed the United States Capitol building.</p><p>Pence had long been one of Trump's most loyal and dedicated political allies, although that apparently changed after the Secret Service had to rush him to safety to avoid betting attacked by an angry mob of Trump supporters.</p>
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