MAGA rioter defending himself uses trial to question his son who turned him in

Brian Mock, a Minnesota man who stormed the Capitol on January 6 and is accused of assaulting police officers, was turned in to the FBI by his own son, A.J. — and he used part of his trial to speak to his son from the heart on the stand, reported NBC News on Monday.

Mock, who requested a bench trial, is representing himself in the case, according to the report.

"What you guys did today was treason and a homeland security threat ... Everyone there should be locked up for the rest of their lives, including you," wrote A.J. Mock in one text message that prosecutors showed at trial. "You STORMED THE F---ING CAPITOL." He asked his father "what the hell" made him think "that was a good idea?" And he was, according to the report, "one of several tipsters who turned him into the FBI after the Capitol attack."

"Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gordon, on cross-examination, asked A.J. Mock to describe his relationship with his dad as complex. A.J. Mock testified that he loved his dad and that he doesn't want to see him go to prison," said the report. "A.J. Mock said that his dad was like a broken record when it came to talking about the 2020 presidential election, which Brian Mock believed was stolen. A.J. Mock said he'd make an effort to avoid discussing the topic with his dad and that he 'tried to tune it out' when his father talked about the election."

"At one point, on redirect, Brian Mock tried to elicit his son's sexual orientation on the stand, but Judge Boasberg said it was beyond the scope of his testimony. It's unclear what he intended by the question and he moved on," said the report. "Brian Mock said that he'd forgiven his son right away when he learned that A.J. Mock had turned him into the FBI and asked his son whether he would lie on the stand to keep him out of jail. 'No,' A.J. Mock said at trial. 'I just want the truth to be heard.'" The elder Mock told his son, "You know I'm proud of you, right? And you know I love you, right?" to which he said yes.

Over 1,000 people have been charged, convicted, or accepted deals in connection with the attack on the Capitol — the largest number of defendants for a single event in American history.

Most face misdemeanor charges like trespass and unlawful picketing; more serious cases involve assaulting law enforcement, like Mock. Higher-ups among the far-right groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who were key figures in planning the violence, have been convicted of seditious conspiracy.