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Another Violent Foot Soldier Radicalized by Donald Trump

In this post, I noted that many of the people who engaged in the most violent action on January 6 were not known to be part of one of the organized militia groups, which seem instead to have set off and channeled the violence of others. I described how the only explanation that Emanuel Jackson gave for twice assaulting cops was that after attending Trump’s rally, he followed the crowds to the Capitol and beat up several cops, including with a baseball bat, in order to prevent the certification of the vote.

In updates, I noted how the son of the guy whose dad was pictured carried a Confederate flag through the Capitol punched out windows because, after attending the rally, he followed someone yelling directions in a bullhorn (which could be Alex Jones) and then followed the instructions of someone else to clean out the glass in a window. And a former Marine beat up several cops after he, “got caught up in the moment” after marching down from the Ellipse.

The charging documents from the recent arrest of Kyle Fitzsimons provides another example of someone who got inspired by Trump and went onto first grab and then charge the cops trying to protect the Capitol.

The affidavit quotes from a local article, in which he described being “asked” by President Trump to go give weak Republicans the kind of boldness they needed to take back the country.

“The speeches from the morning were overtly preaching the election was not over, there was a path to victory through decertification, there was a plan to delay the certification by the House and Senate and then state legislatures would convene and (certify) the right result.” FITZSIMONS stated that as the rally at the Ellipse ended, the crowd was asked by President Trump to walk to the Capitol to “give our Republicans, the weak ones … the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”

In another interview he described that “Trump is a lion leading an army of lambs through ‘lawfare'”

After the rally he went and changed into his work clothes, a butcher’s uniform, then walked to the Capitol and fought the cops until he got hit in the head with a police baton.

Two witnesses who know him describe that before January 6, he was known for his right wing beliefs, his gun ownership, and his racism, but not for being a violent person.

Yet on January 6, after hearing Trump’s request to go to the Capitol and embolden other Republicans to steal an election, he did so, violently.


Here’s my running list of the people who, as of yesterday, had been charged with intimidating or assaulting police.

  1. Daniel Page Adams, whose arrest affidavit describes engaging in a “direct struggle with [unnamed] law enforcement officers” (his cousin, Cody Connell, described the exchange as a “civil war”).
  2. Zachary Alam, who pushed cops around as he was trying to break into the Speaker’s Lobby.
  3. Matthew Caspel, who charged the National Guard.
  4. Scott Fairlamb, who was caught in multiple videos shoving and punching officers (one who whom is identified but not named); Cori Bush has said she was threatened by him last summer.
  5. Kyle Fitzsimons, who charged officers guarding the doorway of the Capitol.
  6. Alex Harkrider, who after being filmed fighting with police at the door of the Capitol, posted a picture with a crowbar labeled, “weapon;” he was charged with abetting Ryan Nichols’ assault.
  7. Michael Foy, a former Marine who was caught on multiple videos beating multiple cops with a hockey stick.
  8. Robert Giswein, who appears to have ties to the Proud Boys and used a bat to beat cops.
  9. Emanuel Jackson, whom videos caught punching one officer, and others show beating multiple officers with a metal baseball bat.
  10. Chad Jones, who used a Trump flag to break the glass in the Speaker’s Lobby door just before Ashli Babbitt was shot and may have intimidated three officers who were pursuing that group.
  11. Edward Jacob Lang, who identified himself in a screen cap of a violent mob attacking cops and who was filmed slamming a riot shield into police and later fighting them with a red baseball bat.
  12. Mark Jefferson Leffingwell, whom a Capitol Police officer described in an affidavit punching him.
  13. Patrick Edward McCaughey III, who was filmed crushing MPD Officer Daniel Hodges in one of the doors to the Capitol.
  14. Ryan Nichols, who was filmed wielding a crowbar and yelling, “This is not a peaceful protest,” then spraying pepper spray against police trying to prevent entry to the Capitol.
  15. Dominic Pezzola, a Proud Boy who stole a shield from cops.
  16. Ryan Samsel, who set off the riot by giving a cop a concussion; he appears to have coordinated with Joe Biggs.
  17. Robert Sanford, who was filmed hitting Capitol Police Officer William Young on the head with a fire extinguisher.
  18. Peter Schwartz, a felon who maced several cops.
  19. Barton Wade Shively, who pushed and shoved some police trying to get into the Capitol, punched another, then struck one of those same cops later and kicked another.