Donald Trump quite hilariously claimed to be a champion of the working class in America, but it’s been clear for some time, and never more so than on January 6, that Trump was most interested in his supporters when he could exploit their hatred and fear for his own benefit. That’s how the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol Building happened.
Michael Leon Brock, a 54-year-old resident of Walls, is the first Mississippian to be charged in connection to the events of Jan 6. More than 535 people have been arrested across all 50 states for crimes committed during the deadly pro-Trump riot. https://t.co/arbYCa509o
— Mississippi Today (@MSTODAYnews) July 21, 2021
Supporters flooded to a speech promoted by Trump, who promised it would be “WILD!” and then marched to the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying the results of an election Trump lost. Some of those marchers then attacked the building, beat police officers, and pursued our elected officials with the intent of harming them.
In the aftermath, arrest numbers are piling up, and Trump has not paid the legal fees for any of his supporters, including Michael Leon Brock, who was arrested on Thursday.
Mississippi Today reports that:
‘Footage from a Capitol police officer’s body camera, and a video posted to the far-right social media platform Parler, show Brock beating multiple law enforcement officers with a four-foot-long metal rod. Two confidential witnesses identified Brock as the man in the footage to investigators, one who had known him for two decades.
‘In addition to the video footage, federal investigators obtained phone records for Brock, which showed his phone connecting to a cell tower that provided service to the interior of the Capitol Building during the riot.’
“GET THE SHIELDS!”
“Oh my god! He got him good! He got the cop good… with the green hoodie”
Here’s the Parler video cited in the affidavit: https://t.co/Gv7Kg2xHp8 pic.twitter.com/wMBaLJxULP
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) July 21, 2021
The day after audio recordings of Trump talking about the love fest he witnessed between his supporters and Capitol Police on Jan. 6, Brock was arrested on charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, disorderly conduct in the Capitol building, active physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, and obstruction of law-enforcement during civil disorder.
‘Brock made his initial appearance in the Northern District of Mississippi on Wednesday. The felony assault charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison. A Florida man became the first Capitol riot defendant to be sentenced for a felony charge on Monday. That rioter, Paul Hodgkins, was sentenced to eight months in prison. He was not accused of physical violence, however, but of obstructing an official proceeding.’
Tucker Carlson is using an interview with Jim Jordan to push an absurd conspiracy theory that the MAGA insurrection was actually an FBI setup pic.twitter.com/DhGSspIiNn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2021
The first insurrectionists sentenced for his offenses came earlier in the week, when 38-year-old Paul Hodgkins of Florida was sentenced to just eight months after attempting a coup in Washington, D.C. It remains to be seen whether the decision will set a precedent for other Capitol rioters in court.
According to CNN:
‘The sentence is far less than the 1.5-year prison term that the Justice Department requested. At a hearing Monday, prosecutors argued that 1.5 years would deter future political violence and send a strong warning to “people who may be contemplating a second act” after January 6.
‘District Judge Randolph Moss departed from that recommendation. He said Hodgkins contributed to a grave offense against democracy but deserved some leniency because he pleaded guilty “exceptionally early,” wasn’t involved in violence and issued a “sincere” apology.’
A 38-year-old Florida man who was the first US Capitol rioter convicted of a felony has been sentenced to eight months in prison https://t.co/2NGzVixy02
— CNN (@CNN) July 19, 2021
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
