Incompetence is everywhere. The Peter Principle: People rise to their level of incompetence, then are stuck there.
U.S. charges Proud Boys with conspiracy in Capitol assault that turned deadly https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-capitol-arrests-idUSKBN2BB1RL A federal grand jury charged four leaders of the far-right Proud Boys with conspiring to block Congress from certifying U.S. President Joe Biden’s election on the day of a deadly assault on the Capitol, according to court papers unsealed on Friday. The indictment alleges that Ethan Nordean of Washington, Joseph Biggs of Florida, Zachary Rehl of Pennsylvania and Charles Donohoe of North Carolina conspired to encourage members of the group to attend the Stop the Steal protest in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. All four defendants in the superseding indictment released on Friday are the leaders or organizers of Proud Boys chapters in their respective states, the indictment says. It says they worked to obtain paramilitary equipment used for the attack on the U.S. Capitol, dismantled metal barriers set up to protect the building, and communicated using handheld radios and encrypted messaging applications. It also says the effort included soliciting donations through an online crowdfunding campaign to help the Proud Boys pay for protective gear, and an online fundraiser that generated more than $5,500 to help cover travel expenses to Washington. More than 300 people have been charged in connection with the attack which left five people dead after a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the building in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s victory. Approximately 20 people charged to date are associated with the Proud Boys, and some of the others have been tied to anti-government militias such as the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters. The indictment also alleges they made their intentions clear as far back as November, with Biggs declaring in a social media post on Nov. 5, threatening war if the election was stolen from Trump, who lost the vote. Later that month, on Nov. 27, Nordean declared: “We tried playing nice and by the rules, now you will deal with the monster you created.” On Jan. 5, 2021, a new encrypted messaging channel called “Boots on the Ground” was created, and more than 60 users participated, including the four defendants and a fifth unindicted co-conspirator, the indictment says. It says that later that day, the unnamed co-conspirator sent a message telling everyone that Nordean, who also goes by the name Rufio Panman, would be a leader in the effort. “Rufio is in charge, cops are the primary threat, don’t get caught by them or BLM...” the unnamed person is quoted as saying. BLM stands for the Black Lives Matter movement. The next day, the indictment alleges, they advanced towards the Capitol, knocked down metal barricades and eventually made their way into the Capitol. Nordean and Biggs had previously been arrested on criminal complaints. Earlier this month, however, the Justice Department lost its bid to keep Nordean detained pending trial, after a federal judge said the government had failed to substantiate allegations that Nordean was a ringleader of the attack. Biggs was arrested back in January and released on a $25,000 bond.
Congressman calls for service members, veterans who stormed the Capitol to be stripped of benefits https://www.stripes.com/news/us/con...e-capitol-to-be-stripped-of-benefits-1.666505
MAGA rioter who says Americans were 'robbed' of election has two past robbery convictions https://www.rawstory.com/mark-ponder/ A man who was arrested for rioting at the United States Capitol on January 6th told investigators that he believed the 2020 election was being "robbed" from the American people. However, as Newsweek reports, the suspect has long personal experience with robbery. During his interview with the FBI, MAGA rioter Mark Ponder said that he felt he had to storm the Capitol building because the Supreme Court and former Attorney General Bill Barr weren't doing enough to keep former President Donald Trump in the White House. "You cannot stand if someone is going to take it from you, if you are going to get robbed," he said. "And you go to work every day and you go outside and somebody robs you. That's something you can't take, right?... And that's how I feel about this election." "In 2008, he admitted to entering a PNC bank, demanding money and walking out with $2,469," the publication writes. "A week later, he admitted to stealing a taxi after he forced the driver and a passenger out of the vehicle." Ponder now faces allegations of assaulting a Capitol police officer, as prosecutors allege that he beat an officer with a long pole.
Capitol riot suspect arrested while wearing 'I Was There' T-shirt https://thehill.com/homenews/news/5...pect-arrested-while-wearing-i-was-there-shirt A Dallas man who was arrested in late January and charged with involvement in the riot that overtook the Capitol on Jan. 6 was reportedly wearing a shirt that declared his participation in the siege during his arrest. The Associated Press reported that federal prosecutors wrote in a court filing Monday that Garret Miller was clad in a shirt bearing the message “I Was There, Washington D.C., January 6, 2021,” when he was arrested on Jan. 20. Despite his shirt's apparent admission and evidence submitted by prosecutors Monday indicating that Miller had tweeted "assassinate AOC" at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in the days following the riot, he reportedly told his mother, "I don’t feel that I’ve done anything wrong and now I’m being locked up." (More at above url)