Jan 6 prisoners are not “hostages” as Trump claims, they are MAGA Terrorists.

The only injustice is Trump is not already in prison

Donald Trump despicably spent the third anniversary of MAGA’s Jan 6 terrorist attack defending both that brutal assault and those who waged that attack in his name. He began on Saturday by telling Iowa voters that Jan 6 was "patriotic and peaceful." Trump--who is out on bail--then declared that the treatment of the Jan 6 prisoners was “a horrible thing.”

From there, Trump repeatedly referred to the prisoners as “hostages,” telling his supporters, “Some people call them prisoners. I call them hostages.” He then demanded President Biden release his supporters who waged that deadly attack, bellowing to the crowd, “Release the J6 hostages, Joe. Release them, Joe. You can do it real easy, Joe.”

These people are not “hostages,” they are terrorists. That is legally what they should be called given that DOJ has designated the Jan 6 attack as an act of “domestic terrorism.” That means all involved were terrorists from Trump down.

But apparently Trump’s new edict to all in MAGA is to call those still in prison for Jan 6 “hostages.” We saw that the very next day when GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik on Meet the Press stated, “I have concerns about the treatment of January 6th hostages.”  

In reality—and as both Trump and Stefanik know—those still in jail today for Jan 6 are the most dangerous of all those involved. As I will detail below, these are the people who savagely beat police officers and/or were in the pro-MAGA paramilitary groups like The Proud Boys who had planned their assault in support of Trump for weeks in advance.

For starters, of the more than 1,200 arrested for Jan 6, only about 450 were sentenced to prison after being convicted or pleading guilty. (There are still approximately 350 cases still pending—including Trump’s own criminal case where he’s facing four felonies for attempting to overturn the 2020 election.) Of those sentenced to prison, many were only given short prison sentences of less than 30 days for lesser crimes such as “of entering and remaining in a restricted building.”

Then there are visible people like Jacob Chansley, the QAnon Shaman, who was sentenced to a little more than three years in prison. After being given credit for good behavior while in prison, he was released last May and has since filed the paperwork to run for Congress in Arizona. But again, he is out of prison.

That leaves us with the MAGA supporters still in prison. These people deserve to be there given the heinous acts they committed. Here are some of the people Trump calls “hostages” who demands should be released:

1.     Albuquerque Head, 43, of Kingsport, Tennessee, who was sentenced to seven and half years in prison after he pled guilty to assaulting the police on Jan 6. Specifically, Head used a riot shield to beat officers, including Michael Fanone who he “wrapped his arm around this officer’s neck and pulled him into the crowd of rioters outside the tunnel, yelling “I got one!” As DOJ notes, Head’s actions enabled to the other rioters to assault, tase, and rob “the officer of his badge and radio while he was in the mob.”

2.     Julian Elie Khater, 33, of Somerset, New Jersey, who attended Trump’s speech at the Ellipse and then headed to the Capitol. As DOJ detailed, Khater “walked through the crowd to within a few steps of a bike rack barrier being used by a line of law enforcement officers attempting to secure the Capitol and its grounds.” Khater then sprayed pepper type “spray from a cannister in his right hand at the officers,” including directly into the face of officer Brian Sicknick, who died the next day of multiple strokes. Khater also sprayed other officers in the face including a female officer, who “dropped her head and retreated, requiring the assistance of another officer because she was unable to see.” After pleading guilty to numerous felonies for his assault of these police officers, Khater was sentenced to six and half years in prison.

3.     Daniel Joseph “DJ” Rodriguez, 40, of Fontana, California—who was the administrator of an online group chat titled, “PATRIOTS45MAGA Gang.”  He travelled to Washington, D.C. to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally.  As DOJ details, after attending Trump’s speech at the Ellipse, he headed to the Capitol where video footage showed him spraying police officers with a fire extinguisher who were guarding the double doors of the building.  Rodriguez was later seen in video using a taser on the police officers, including on Officer Michael Fanone’s neck. “Rodriguez then entered the Capitol building and continued to vandalize offices, ransack rooms, break windows, and steal other items.” He was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after being convicted by a jury of nine felonies and two misdemeanors

4.     Peter J. Schwartz, 49, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of nine felonies and two misdemeanors by a jury—including four counts of assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon. Schwartz first threw a folding chair at the police, then stole a duffle bag of pepper type spray from the police which he distributed to other rioters. As DOJ notes, “Schwartz began indiscriminately spraying O.C. spray at any retreating police officers he could find.”  He also provided pepper spray to other attackers—in some cases showing them how to use it—and they then together sprayed other police officers who were trying to prevent the mob from entering the Capitol.

5.     Then there are Trump’s para-military supporters known as The Proud Boys, who Trump told in the September 2020 president debate to “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.” Examples include Ethan Nordean, 32, of Auburn, Washington, who was sentenced to 18 years and Dominic Pezzola, 45, of Rochester, New York, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison. These two “directed, mobilized and led a group of Proud Boys onto the Capitol grounds, leading to the dismantling of metal barricades, destruction of property, breaching of the Capitol building, and assaults on law enforcement.” As DOJ notes, they “led participated in every consequential breach at the Capitol,” with Pezzola smashing “open a window allowing the first rioters to enter the Capitol at 2:11 p.m.”

6.     There are also the leaders of the rabidly pro-Trump Oath Keepers like Elmer Stewart Rhodes III and Kelly Meggs. As DOJ detailed, following the 2020 presidential election, “Rhodes, Meggs, and others began plotting to oppose, by force, the lawful transfer of presidential power.” Their efforts included teaching “paramilitary combat tactics,” bringing “paramilitary gear, weapons, and supplies – including knives, batons, camouflaged combat uniforms, tactical vests with plates, helmets, eye protection, and radio equipment…” all with the goal of “breaching and attempting to take control of the Capitol grounds and building on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to prevent and delay the certification of the electoral college vote.”

And on Jan 6, at approximately 2:30 p.m, “Meggs, along with other Oath Keepers and affiliates – many wearing paramilitary clothing and patches with the Oath Keepers name, logo, and insignia – marched in a “stack” formation up the east steps of the Capitol, joined a mob, and made their way into the Capitol. Rhodes remained outside, directing and coordinating activities.”

After a jury convicted Rhodes and Meggs of “Seditious conspiracy” and other crimes, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison while Meggs received 12 years.

As a reminder, The Oath Keepers had a close relationship with many in Trump world, including providing security for Roger Stone on January 5. In fact, one of those who protected Stone the day before Jan 6 was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison for being part of the J6 attack.

These are just some of the people Trump calls “hostages” who he says should be released. After all, these are his supporters who waged this brutal attack on his behalf to help him remain in office.

A more alarming issue is whether Trump wants these people released because they are the most loyal and lethal?! Trump is a desperate man whose only chance of not spending the final days of his life in a prison cell are by winning the 2024 election. We all know Trump will utilize violence to achieve that.

In any event, these people are not hostages. They are terrorists who deserve to be in prison.  The only injustice is that Trump is not already in a prison cell next to them.

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