The Washington Examiner’s Byron York has been following the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the January 6 storming of the Capitol and making a lot of people angry by doing it. For example, quite a few were angered by his tweet about Jill Sanborn, an FBI assistant director for the Counterterrorism Division who told Sen. Ron Johnson that, to her knowledge, zero firearms had been confiscated during the “armed insurrection” at the Capitol, and nobody has been charged with an actual firearm violation in the Capitol or on Capitol grounds.
A lot of people mistake that as York excusing what happened on January 6 when it’s really just giving people a clearer picture — a clearer picture than, say, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s anecdotes shared in an Instagram video, which were then misconstrued and published by outlets like Newsweek claiming there were rioters banging on her door and in her office.
First, we see this as a good thing; the FBI apparently acknowledges, as so many liberals don’t, that the majority of people in D.C. that day were there to attend a rally by President Trump and nothing more.
FBI dividing Trump ralliers, Capitol rioters into 3 groups: 1) Peaceful protesters not violating law. 2) People who intended to be peaceful but got caught up in low-level criminal acts, like trespassing. 3) Those who committed planned acts of violence. https://t.co/phpmseGU6R
— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 4, 2021
Among that third group would be the Oath Keepers militia. However, as York points out in this thread, they were unarmed, and their “Quick Reaction Force” was not the threat it would seem to be.
Talked a few days ago about charges against Oath Keepers militia in Capitol riot. Big part of story: They were unarmed — were careful to observe District of Columbia's strict gun-control laws… 1/5 https://t.co/P5dOrg3dX8
— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 4, 2021
…but there was talk of armed 'quick reaction force' waiting in Virginia to help Oath Keepers topple government if things got nasty. 2/5 https://t.co/P5dOrg3dX8
— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 4, 2021
Problem: Some of the Oath Keepers' communications before rally suggested 'quick reaction force' was actually one guy at the Comfort Inn in Ballston who was too tired to spend the day in the District. 3/5 https://t.co/P5dOrg3dX8
— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 4, 2021
Now, attorneys for one Oath Keepers defendant say 'quick reaction force' was indeed one person — 'in his late 60s, obese, and has cardio-pulmonary issues, a bad back, a bum knee, and is in need of a hip replacement.' 4/5 pic.twitter.com/oxt0P6ElvA
— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 4, 2021
Defense lawyers: 'The Government's fanciful suggestion that right-wing tactical commandos were waiting in the wings to storm the Capitol is one for the ages.' Now, we'll have to hear what prosecutors say. 5/5 End. pic.twitter.com/VtJ01G5o0Z
— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 4, 2021
Nine Oath Keepers have been charged with conspiracy and other related charges. Meanwhile, York’s mentions are filled with people saying that although they might not have been armed, a Capitol police officer was murdered … although we don’t know how he died, aside from knowing it wasn’t blunt force trauma with a fire extinguisher, which is still the narrative going around. If FBI Director Christopher Wray knows how Brian Sicknick died, he isn’t saying.
In light of the beefing up of security and the cancelation of Thursday’s session of Congress over a “mirage,” you’d think people would want to get to the bottom of what happened on January 6. Punish the guilty, absolve the innocent, and correct the narrative.
Related:
WaPo reports ‘March 4 threat from militant Trump supporters’ at US Capitol turned out to be a ‘mirage’ https://t.co/i20JJ85URz
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 4, 2021
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