With friends like rabid supporter Jenna Ryan, Donald Trump doesn't need enemies.
Ryan is the North Texas real estate agent who made national headlines for peddling her services while storming the U.S. Capitol. But facing the prospect that her next fixer-upper might be a prison cell, Ryan went on Dallas' CBS TV affiliate and made her bad situation worse.
"I just want people to know I'm a normal person. That I listen to my president who told me to go to the Capitol. That I was displaying my patriotism while I was there and I was just protesting and I wasn't trying to do anything violent and I didn't realize there was actually violence," Ryan said. "I'd just like to apologize for all of the families that are affected by any of the negative environment and I'd just like to say I really love people and I am not a villain that a lot of people would make me out to be, or people think I am, because I was a Trump supporter at the Capitol."
"I think we all deserve a pardon. I'm facing a prison sentence. I think I do not deserve that and from what I understand, every person is going to be arrested that was there, so I think everyone deserves a pardon, so I would ask the President of the United States to give me a pardon."
Ryan, who either doesn't have a lawyer or apparently needs a new one, didn't do the Trump legal defense team any favor by placing herself at the Capitol in direct response to his incitement. And as for that whole "didn't realize there was actually violence" thing, she'll probably wish the FBI hadn't been paying such close attention to her social media posts from the Capitol.
In the arrest warrant filed by FBI special agent Amie C. Stemen, Ryan doesn't quite come off as Mahatma Gandhi:
"On January 6, 2021, Ryan posted photographs of herself at the U.S. Capitol building grounds to her social media accounts, including Facebook and Twitter. Of particular note is an image Ryan posted of herself to her Twitter account, which depicts Ryan in front of a broken window at the U.S. Capitol building, with the caption "Window at The capital [sic]. And if the news doesn't stop lying about us we're going to come after their studios next..."
Presumably, that might be why CBS 11 in Dallas chose to interview Ryan in front of her house, rather than at the station. But the best part of Ryan's Capitol tour--not given much attention in the media--was contained in this prose from the FBI agent:
"Open source searches also uncovered a now-deleted Facebook live video taken by Ryan as she entered the Capitol building via the Rotunda entrance. The video was captured prior to deletion and reposted to YouTube for public viewing. The video shows Ryan in a large crowd attempting to walk through the entrance to the Capitol, which had visibly broken windows at the time. At the beginning of the live video, Ryan is heard stating, "we are going to f---ing go in here. Life or death, it doesn't matter. Here we go," as she approaches the top of the stairs in front of the columns immediately in front of the doors on the West side of the U.S. Capitol building. Ryan then turned on her rear facing camera--exposing her face-- and stated, "y'all know who to hire for your realtor. Jenna Ryan for your realtor." By minute 08:45 of the video, Ryan has made it to the front door of the building, clearly desecrated, with broken glass windows shattered, and security alarms sounding, as she yells "U-S-A! U-S-A!" and "here we are, in the name of Jesus!" Once inside the building among the crowd, Ryan is heard joining a chant "Fight for freedom! Fight for freedom!" and yelling, "this is our house!"
This is the fullest context we have for the most intriguing real-estate commercial ever. Plus, it's the only Jesus reference attributed to the insurrectionists, who have heretofore been more notable for their horns and Confederate and Trump flags.
