Home » News » Paramilitaries accused of the assault on the Capitol: “Trump deceived us”

Paramilitaries accused of the assault on the Capitol: “Trump deceived us”

History will judge Donald Trump.

That is the consolation of many in light of the former president’s ruling of political impunity handed down for the assault on the Capitol on January 6.

But there is another open front. At least 200 participants in the Trump-encouraged insurgency face long-term jail terms. This week, as the Senate held the impeachment , in courts of the United States there has been a trickle of indictments.

The Democrats who argued the accusation in the House repeatedly cited one of those detainees, one of the first to break the siege and who, in turn, has recognized that he participated in the siege by “invitation” of the great leader of Trumpism .

His name is Dominic Pezzola, a 43-year-old ex-marine, a resident of Rochester (New York state) and an alleged member of the Proud Boys, one of the fascist groups that seconded Trump’s words to try to prevent recognition in Congress of the victory of Joe Biden.


Read also

Beatriz Navarro | Washington

Spatz , as they call him, is imprisoned for those events. “The president deceived us,” said Pezzola in his letter before the judge to request bail, a question that the court denied him due to the seriousness of the matter. His lawyer, Jonathan Zucker, presented that fifteen-page document in which his client blames Donald Trump for everything that happened.

He says they were just another of the puppets of his role.

“Pezzola acted under the belief that he was responding patriotically to the pleas of the commander-in-chief,” the lawyer stressed. “He is one of the millions of Americans who were manipulated by the president’s delusion,” he added.

“Many of those who responded to his call are going to spend a substantial part, if not all that remains of their existence, in prison, while Donald Trump will continue with his life of luxury and privilege,” he stressed.

There is jurisprudence that the intellectual author is as responsible as the material author.

Some say before the judge that they acted believing that they responded patriotically to the “commander in chief”

Besides Pezzola, half a dozen of his colleagues were already behind bars. And the Justice Department announced last Thursday the arrest of five others on conspiracy charges. Some are accused of directing masses of assailants to gain access to the legislative building, taking the police out of the way. They wore military-style equipment.

As the investigation progresses, chilling details are revealed. Another relevant name: Thomas Edward Caldwell, 66. This former member of the Navy Intelligence and former FBI agent acted as coordinator among the Oath Keepers paramilitaries, one of the groups with the greatest protagonism in the attack.

According to prosecutors, this group drew up plans to ship weapons up the Potomac River and conduct urban guerrilla training for control and rescue after the assault.

Caldwell, who was found in possession of a list of officials to kill, contacted the day before the siege with members of the Three Percenters, other ultra-right paramilitaries. In his text, he suggested they use a boat to move equipment and give “a quick response” with “heavy weapons” around the Capitol.

Always from this version, the Oath Keepers were waiting for “orders” from Trump from the day that Biden was declared the winner.

The investigations revealed that the founder of this group, Stewart Rhodes, ordered his people on January 6 to “be ready to support Donald Trump.”

There are those who, after the failed assault, assured that they have learned their lesson “for next time.”

“Potus (acronym for President of the United States) also has the right to activate his units,” wrote Jessica Watkins, an Oath Keeper. “If Trump asks me to go, I’ll be there,” he said.

And it was. Watkins, 38, a veteran of the military, was part of that rapid action force in “if things go wrong.”

They found a good arsenal at his home in Ohio. He viewed Biden as an existential threat. “Our republic will be over. Our obligation as Americans is to fight, kill and die for our rights, ”he said.

Prosecutors said that, unlike many Americans, “Watkins has trained and prepared for that.”

It didn’t go well. But Caldwell, after the failed operation, left another message for colleagues in his group. “Next time, and there will be another opportunity,” he stressed, “we will have learned our lesson and we will be stronger.”


Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.