I must end live updates a bit early today, but before I do, here’s where things left off with direct examination of Special Agent Kate Camilieri:
The Parler posts from defendant Proud Boys are now coming out, setting the stage for jurors to see how members of the extremist group communicated about the 2020 election. The messages go toward their state of mind and intent, per Judge Kelly.
After the election in November 2020, defendant Ethan Nordean called for the formation of his own political party, “Rebels of America” and cited the widespread “fraud” he insisted was the handiwork of Democrats and “commies.”
On Parler, someone told Nordean they would join his new party “as long as all of the politicians we have currently are lynched on your inauguration day and all bureaucrats summarily shot on sight.”
Nordean replied: “Deal.”
Proud Boy Zachary Rehl parroted former President Donald Trump’s tweets on Parler and so too did Tarrio.
“It isn’t over yet, “ Tarrio wrote after the election. “Just read the president’s legal argument. Keep the faith.”
Tarrio also advertised the Nov. 14 Million MAGA March on Parler with some frequency, urging people to join the Proud Boys and link up with them to fight back against a “stolen election.”
Jurors saw a picture of Tarrio on a private plane as well. He had posted it to the site vowing a can of “whoop ass” was headed to D.C. On Nov. 12, Tarrio wrote on Parler: “Fuck unity, no quarter, raise the black flag.”
On the day of the march, Tarrio posted heavily on Parler. Proud Boys would be “on the streets of DC all night.”
“Tonight, we don’t sleep. We keep our enemies awake. Tonight we become nightmares,” Tarrio wrote on Nov. 14.
Defendant Joseph Biggs posted videos on Parler that depicted “Proud Boys showing up in force,” for that event, he wrote.
“Just spoke with Noble Lead,” Biggs wrote after the Nov. rally that turned violent and led to brawls in the streets. “Proud Boys had one hell of a day in self defense, they whipped commie ass and were victorious.”
“Noble Lead” was Tarrio’s handle on Parler.
Nordean posted messages around the same time.
Nordean wrote after the march: “Antifa and BLM got tossed all over the place but more needs to be done. We need to all come together and run the scumbags out of our cities and anyone supporting them. POYB.”
(POYB is shorthand for ‘Proud of Your Boy,’ a mantra members repeat to one another.)
Defendant Zachary Rehl posted graphic video of the Proud Boys and counter-protesters clashing in D.C. the night of Nov. 14. Video showed a group of people walking down the street at night in D.C., the camera shooting from behind. There’s a few Proud Boys in the shot and then, a few more as they approach other people they have deemed “antifa.”
“Fuck you, commie faggots,” a person screams in the back.
The video shows a woman who approaches the Proud Boys after another person on a motorbike is approached by them. The person on the motorbike has what appears to be a Black Lives Matter flag tucked onto the back of their bike and the Proud Boy and that person are talking. The woman shows up on screen and is carrying what looks to be a knife in her left hand.
Words were exchanged, the motorbike starts to move. The woman with the knife goes to move and it was not immediately clear in the brief video shown today in court if she visibly swung the knife at the Proud Boy. Within a moment, the woman carrying the knife is knocked over the head with a large object and collapses to the ground.
In a post of that altercation, Rehl went on Parler and wrote: “She clearly had a knife, clearly threatening to use it and clearly swiped at someone… she got what she deserved.”
Then, he reposted a Trump tweet to Parler where Trump said “antifa scum ran for the hills today” and urged D.C. police to “do their job.”
Rehl appeared to celebrate the message from Trump.
“They are still running, sir,” Rehl wrote.
Tarrio reposted the video of the woman being struck over the head too.
“Because of this, there’s some terrorists eating ice cream and drinking from a straw as a I type this post. They should learn not to attack innocent people, including women and children,” Tarrio wrote.
Assistant U.S. attorney Jason McCullough asked Agent Camilieri what she thought Tarrio meant by that remark.
She explained: It meant someone had their jaw broken and wired shut.
The direct examination of the witness will continue Tuesday afternoon. Before jurors were permitted to go on a short break, however, defense attorney Carmen Hernandez called for a mistrial, saying the graphic video shown for jurors was prejudicial.
Judge Kelly did not agree.
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