GOP lawmaker asks for leniency for Jan. 6 rioter who attacked cops with pepper spray

A Republican lawmaker pleaded leniency this week for a Jan. 6 rioter who admits to arming himself with a crowbar, attacking police with pepper spray, and threatening to assault U.S. elected officials, court records show.

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) wrote a letter of support for Ryan Nichols, the insurrectionist who pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers in a Washington D.C. federal court, records show.

“He is a man of good character, faith and core principals,” Higgins wrote in a letter to judge Royce Lamberth dated Nov. 7. "His case must be considered fairly."

The same day, Nichols admitted to arming himself with a crowbar and attacking officers, according to a statement of offense he signed.

The complaint against Nichols contends he threatened to “drag motherf---ers through the streets," if President Joe Biden's election was confirmed.

After his arrest on Jan. 18, 2021, in his home state of Texas, Nichols spent less than two years in a federal prison and was then placed under house arrest, according to Higgins.

The time with his family has helped resolve liver and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder issues linked to his time with the U.S. Marines Corps, Higgins writes.

“Mr. Nichols has already paid a tremendous price in time and treasure,” Higgins argued.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has also been a concern for the Metropolitan Police Department officers who suddenly found themselves faced with an angry mob intent on storming the U.S. Capitol.

In the months that followed, officers Jeffrey Smith,Howard Liebengood, Gunther Hashida and Kyle DeFreytag died by suicide. Their deaths prompted Congress to pass law designating such suicides, after post-traumatic events, as having occurred in the line of duty.

This is not the first time Higgins’ views on former President Donald Trump’s controversial departure from the White House made made headlines.

When a criminal indictment dropped against Trump in Miami, the former sheriff’s deputy posted a baffling tweet.

“This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this. Buckle up. 1/50K know your bridges. Rock steady calm. That is all.”