Morning Briefing: Colorado Republican Senate Candidate Blames 'Antifa Types' For Capitol Riot
Morning Briefing: Colorado Republican Senate Candidate Blames 'Antifa Types' For Capitol Riot
Ron Hanks, GOP candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado, claimed that "Antifa types that were scaling the scaffolding" were the cause of violence during the Capitol Riot.
Morning Briefing: Colorado State Rep. Ron Hanks (R-Cañon City), a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado, claimed during an interview that members of Antifa were the cause of the Capitol Riot. Hanks said that the “Antifa types that were scaling the scaffolding” were to blame for any violence that occurred during the Capitol Riot. Hanks, who has repeatedly trafficked in conspiracy theories and false allegations of widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election, was among several state lawmakers who participated in the events of January 6th.
From self defense to freedom of speech to following the orders of the President, jurors have heard and rejected an “array of excuses and arguments from the first rioters to be tried for storming the U.S. Capitol.”
Federal prosecutors want to “limit communication” among four Florida residents charged with crimes related to the Capitol Riot; the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia filed a motion to restrict the communication of Olivia Pollock, Joshua Doolin, Joseph Hutchinson, and Michael Steven Perkins. Prosecutors claim that the defendants “were extremely dangerous,” and “assaulted officers, broke through barricades, carried or acquired weapons and restraint devices, and planned and coordinated their actions.”
The FBI has also issued a $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Jonathan Pollock, the brother of Olivia Pollock.
Two men from New York pleaded guilty to pepper spraying U.S. Capitol Police officers during the Capitol Riot, and admitted “breaking through police barriers and entering the building during a trip to Washington they had planned for several days and prepared for by acquiring batons and pepper spray.” Cody Mattice and James Mault face between 37 and 46 months in prison, and have agreed to allow prosecutors access to their social media accounts.
A Texas man pleaded guilty to a “misdemeanor after he joined rioters intruding on the Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, has been sentenced to probation.” Thomas Paul Conover was sentenced to 36 months probation, 30 days at a residential reentry center, 60 hours of community service, $2,500 fine, and $500 restitution.
Two brothers and their cousin from Illinois pleaded guilty charges related to the Capitol Riot, including “misdemeanor counts of unlawfully entering a restricted government building and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds.” Jeremiah Carollo, Anthony Carollo, and Cody Vollan, admitted entering the U.S. Capitol building through a broken window adjacent to the Senate wing door and “wandered near the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.”
Must Reads
Ibram X. Kendi writes that “grooming white kids—usually males—in white supremacy can involve inciting them to commit acts of physical and verbal violence. Against kids of color. Against girls. Against Jewish kids. Against Muslim kids. Against trans kids. Against queer kids. Against other white kids. Defending kids against white-supremacist grooming keeps all kids safe.” [The Atlantic]
Chrissy Stroop writes “the question of whether the fall of Putin’s star among evangelical Americans leaves a void they will seek to fill by lionising another foreign strongman leader devoted to a ‘family values’ platform. If this does prove to be the case, a very likely candidate is the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, a thorn in the side of the EU who promotes what he calls “illiberal democracy” and has stifled dissent against his hardline, nativist, socially conservative agenda.” [openDemocracy]
Charles Homans writes that "Evangelical churches have long been powerful vehicles for grass-roots activism and influence on the American right, mobilized around issues like abortion and gay marriage. Now, some of those churches have embraced a new cause: promoting Donald J. Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. In the 17 months since the presidential election, pastors at these churches have preached about fraudulent votes and vague claims of election meddling. They have opened their church doors to speakers promoting discredited theories about overturning President Joe Biden’s victory and lent a veneer of spiritual authority to activists who often wrap themselves in the language of Christian righteousness.” [The New York Times]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right; Field Notes delivers research on key organizations and analysis of the strategies and tactics of the Radical Right.
