'From the Don himself': Two new Capitol riot defendants cited Trump's words as call to violence

Two new Capitol riot defendants accused of assaulting police specifically cited former president Donald Trump's words as a call to violent action on Jan. 6.

Marshall Neefe and Charles Bradford Smith, both 25 and from Pennsylvania, were arrested Monday, according to the Department of Justice.

Court records show that both men "repeatedly said they understood Trump's Dec. 18 tweet — "Be there, will be wild!" — as a command," Law & Crime reports.

"The call to action was put out to be in DC on January 6th from the Don himself," Smith allegedly told Neefe on Dec. 22.

"Trump is literally calling people to DC in a show of force," he told another Facebook user on Dec. 31.

Neefe, meanwhile, sent a photo of a wooden club he made to Smith, writing, "Now introducing The Commie Knocker," adding that he was "getting prepped for the 6th lol."

Law & Crime notes that the pair were "hardly unique" in their interpretation of Trump's rhetoric.

"Several other U.S. Capitol breach defendants have pointed to the 45th president's comments before Jan. 6 to mitigate their own alleged or admitted conduct, like so-called 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley, Proud Boy William Chrestman, and a man accused of spraying a fire extinguisher during the melee," the site notes. "As for Neefe and Smith, prosecutors claim that their rhetoric radicalized after the election, and even the violence on Jan. 6 did not dissipate their alleged bloodlust."

After Trump announced a "big protest in D.C." on Jan. 6, Neefe wrote to Smith on Facebook, "We goin? ...Cause hot damn son I really wanna crack some commie skulls."

In a Facebook message sent after storming the Capitol, Neefe wrote, "If i [sic] had it my way every cop who hurled a baton or maced on [sic] of us would be lined up and put down."

"While on the grounds, Neefe carried a wooden club and participated in hoisting and pushing a large metal sign frame into a defensive line of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers attempting to prevent the crowd from further advancing on the west front plaza of the Capitol," DOJ said in a release about their arrests.

Neefe faces 10 charges, including seven felonies, while Smith faces seven charges, including four felonies.