The husband of a Florida sheriff's deputy who was recently charged for participating on the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6 was once the editor for a blog founded by Augustus Sol Invictus, a prominent white nationalist, The Orlando Sentinel reports.
Invictus, whose birth name is Austin Gillespie, played a key role in the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville. He's also a former U.S. Senate candidate who once claimed he sacrificed a goat and drank its blood. The blog, called The Revolutionary Conservative, claims to "present brutally honest commentary" on politics unfit for traditional conservative media, focusing on "the defense of the West."
Now, the Orange County Sheriff's Office is investigating what Deputy Sarah Jackman knew about her husband's participation in the riot. Arthur Jackman was arrested in March and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and engaging in disruptive and disorderly conduct.
Along with his white nationalist bonafides, Arthur Jackman was also reportedly vice president of the Central Florida chapter of the far-right group Proud Boys and is one of a handful of the group's members charged in the riot.
The blog, called The Revolutionary Conservative, claims to "present brutally honest commentary" on politics that traditional conservative media doesn't cover, focusing on "the defense of the West." The site's writers often use anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric.
In a statement, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said it had been told by the FBI there is "no evidence or indication" that Sarah Jackman "had anything to do with the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 or is a member of any extremist organization" and that "it would be concerning if a deputy is associated with people or groups that exhibit extremist ideology."
Police reform advocate T.J. Legacy-Cole said the agency's decision to investigate one of its own deputies instead of calling for an independent probe raises questions.
Read the full article over at The Orlando Sentinel.