MAGA riot attorney takes on an 18th client — even as he is reportedly absent and seriously ill with COVID

On Tuesday, The Daily Beast reported that John Pierce, a right-wing attorney who has represented Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse and several accused January 6 Capitol rioters, has taken on an 18th defendant in the latter case — even though he is absent from court proceedings and reportedly is seriously ill with COVID-19.

But according to the report, evidence of Pierce's illness or even his whereabouts appear hard to find.

While Pierce's law partner has told a judge that Pierce is "in the hospital ... on a ventilator, non-responsive," no public facts corroborate this.

"A slew of credulous headlines followed about Pierce's apparent intubation," wrote Justin Rohrlich and Kelly Weill. However, "no one by that name had been admitted to Cedars-Sinai or the UCLA Medical Center, the two major hospitals where Pierce lives, and details about his condition were scant."

This comes as multiple other right-wing anti-vaxxers have died after serious COVID-19 infections, including talk radio hosts Phil Valentine and Marc Bernier, and self-styled "freedom defender" activist Caleb Wallace in Texas.

You can read more here (requires subscription).