Affidavit on Capitol riot appears to exonerate Trump

FPI / January 22, 2021

An affidavit filed by an FBI agent in a criminal case against several people involved in the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol undermines claims made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell that President Donald Trump's speech to supporters that day was an "incitement of insurrection."

An affidavit filed by FBI agent Michael Palian Jr., in a case against Thomas Edward Caldwell, Donovan Ray Crowl and Jessica Marie Watkins, makes clear the violence was the result of pre-planning rather than day-of-the-riot "incitement."

Rush Limbaugh noted the affidavit on his Wednesday broadcast.

"Trump did not encourage any of the activity that happened," he said. "This exonerates Trump. Amazing."

Trump "was impeached for inciting an insurrection, as you know," Limbaugh said. "There's no evidence of this. Trump told those assembled for his speech to protest peacefully. We know that those who stormed the Capitol started before Trump's speech, the timeline does not work at all. Trump did not encourage any of the activity that actually happened. He did not utter the words."

The leftist Washington Post has even acknowledged that "militia members planned on storming the U.S. Capitol days in advance of Jan. 6 attack."

The National Pulse commented that the Washington Post story, written by three non-political reporters, "illustrates just how out of control the blatant misinformation about 'incitement' by the president has been over the past two weeks."

Agent Palian's affidavit stated: "Evidence uncovered in the course of the investigation demonstrates that not only did CALDWELL, CROWL, WATKINS and others conspire to forcibly storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 – they communicated with one another in advance of the incursion and planned their attack."

The affidavit states some of the perpetrators prepared ahead of time with "helmets, reinforced vests" and more.

According to the affidavit, items found in a search of the defendants' homes included "a camouflage hat and jackets; a backpack with medical/PPE supplies; a black tactical kit with medical supplies, radio, mini drone, and pepper spray; a bag containing a helmet and respirators; and a bag containing a helmet, radio, and belt … cellular telephones; numerous firearms, a paintball gun with rubber-steel balls and a cylinder."

Palian said there were Facebook comments dating back to Dec. 24 about a plan for the defendants to meet up in D.C. On Dec. 30, a statement said, "This is our call to action … see you on the 6th in Washington."

Even though the FBI agent's affidavit appears to exonerate Trump, Pelosi on Wednesday said Trump could be considered an accessory to murder.

"Presidents' words are important. They weigh a ton," she said. "And the crime, in some cases, was murder. And this president is an accessory to that crime because he instigated that insurrection that caused those deaths and this destruction."

Video from Jan. 6 reveals MAGA hat-wearing Trump supporters asking Capitol Police officers to stop rioters from breaking into the Capitol and ultimately being ignored.

The video, from a Daily Caller compilation, shows a Trump supporter repeatedly telling police dressed in riot gear to “call for backup.”

“Why are you letting this happen? Why haven’t you called for backup? Where is your backup? This is our damn Capitol building, and y’all are letting it get destroyed on your watch,” the man adds.

The video comes as former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund reveals he “asked House and Senate security officials for permission to request that the D.C. National Guard be placed on standby in case he needed quick backup” – a request that was ultimately denied.

The video also shows Trump supporters screaming at violent protestors “we don’t break shit.”



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