Another Monday, another weekly update. Shorter than last few weeks. Covered here includes the following:
- More J6 updates, focusing on OH, GA, and the group make-up of the stormers
- Legal updates for Rittenhouse and New England Minutemen
- “Recall Newsom” drama aimed at San Diego mayor
J6 updates:
Sandra and Bennie Parker, a couple from Ohio, were arrested for their alleged involvement alongside other Ohio-based Oath Keepers in the storming of the US Capitol Building. Six individuals who guarded Roger Stone earlier in the day were involved in the storming.
Half a dozen Georgians are now among the 200+ facing charges for the storming, the newest of which is Andrew Nalley, whose initial hearing was held this past week.
There’s substantial disagreement still about how meaningful group involvement among the Capitol arrestees actually is. The ADL claims this is high, while an ongoing study by UChicago’s Chicago Project on Security & Threats (CPOST) argues that this number is low. The MilitiaWatch view is more in line with the CPOST assessment, though ADL’s Oren Segal in a tweet did acknowledge that the overwhelming majority of arrestees (75%) are “part of the new pro-Trump extremist movement”, for what it’s worth.
In a recent poll through their police union, the Capitol Police also overwhelmingly voted no confidence in their leadership. Most union leadership speaking about the vote stated this is due to poor planning/information-sharing ahead of and during 6 January’s events.
Legal updates:
Rittenhouse hearing garners protests, calls for judge to resign
After a judge determined to not push a re-negotiation of Rittenhouse’s bond or to re-arrest the teen shooter, protesters demonstrated against the decision. They called for a Kenosha County judge to resign and staged a die-in over the move.
4/5 of charged New England Minutemen plead guilty
This week, four members of the New England Minutemen militia group pled guilty to charges for their intervention into a BLM protest this summer. Their charges are a mix of disorderly conduct, criminal possession of a weapon, the most egregious of which carries a maximum of 15 years. The arrestees were tied to the militia group through a tactical manual for the group recovered from one of their cars when they were arrested on 7 June. The fifth member of the group arrested and charged, Noah Latham, did not plead guilty and was allegedly carrying a “ghost gun” near the BLM protest.
Other misc updates:
The mayor of San Diego, Nathan Fletcher, in audio released last week referred to the “Recall Newsom” campaign as linked to an assortment of actors, including “extremists”, “conspiracy theorists”, “neo-Nazis”, “right-wing militia groups”, and “white supremacists”. Some or most of these links are factually discernable. This past week, angry “Recall Newsom” protesters have nonetheless demanded that Fletcher publicly apologize to their campaign members.
Further reading:
- On some Orange County Oath Keepers/sheriff’s office links (West Milford Messenger)
- On some infiltration efforts (Rolling Stone)
- Another on some infiltration efforts, specifically III% (GQ)
- On it “Happen[ing] Here” (High Plains Reader)