A Florida man He pleaded guilty to participating in a riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 – the same day the state’s governor called the riot a “protest.”
Anthony Sargent, 47, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in the District of Columbia to one count of civil disorder along with six felony counts. He faces up to five years in prison at a September 28 sentencing hearing, the AP reported.
A St. Augustine man was arrested in September 2021 after video footage showed him trying to enter the Capitol’s north entrance, according to a criminal complaint, on the now-famous day of Jan. Trump Protesters against the 2020 election results stormed the government building. Sargent was later seen exiting the building in a cloud of white smoke and twice separately throwing what appeared to be a rock at the entrance doors.
Later that day, Sargent physically separated a law enforcement officer from a violent man, preventing the officer from arresting the man, prosecutors said.
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol violation, officials said. More than 350 people were charged with assaulting and obstructing law enforcement.
Florida Gov. and Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantisHowever, he downplayed the events of January 6 during a podcast interview with comedian Russell Brand on Friday.
He said the day’s events, in which five people died, stemmed from “protests” which he said were “in a really tragic way, you know”.
The governor told Mr. Brand that the idea that Jan. 6 was “somehow a plan to overthrow the government of the United States” is not true, and is something the media has misrepresented.
DeSantis, now, is challenging both former President Donald Trump and his vice president. Mike Pence The 2024 Republican presidential nominee said Friday that it was “ridiculous” how much money was given to the US Capitol Police in the wake of the attack.
Florida’s governor has made similar comments in the past, calling the shooting a riot in January 2022, saying at a press conference that “no one has been charged” and calling it a riot “is an insult to people.”
His comments echo those of Trump’s Republican supporters, who have taken the attack to varying degrees. While campaigning for the White House, DeSantis has sought to appeal to Trump supporters, often portraying Trump as unable to follow through on his own policies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.