Law firm for Capitol riot suspect blames Fox Information, Trump
A Capitol riot suspect was persuaded to storm the creating on Jan. 6 soon after shelling out several hours seeing Fox Information and listening to former President Donald Trump’s election fraud lies, his lawyer said.
Anthony Antonio, 27, of Delaware, was arrested final month on five federal rates like knowingly getting into or remaining on restricted grounds without the need of lawful authority violent entry and disorderly carry out impeding law enforcement during civil ailment disrupting Congress and damaging authorities house.
According to the Huffington Article, Joseph Hurley, a Delaware-dependent lawyer, blamed Antonio’s actions on him seeing Fox Information also considerably.
“He became hooked with what I connect with ‘Foxitus’ or ‘Foxmania’ and grew to become fascinated in the political facet and started believing what was currently being fed to him,” Hurley claimed Thursday in the course of a digital listening to on Zoom, the outlet documented.
A spokesperson for Fox Information did not right away return a ask for for remark.
Hurley told NBC Information in a phone job interview Friday that Antonio was extremely involved in his church and experienced “absolutely no political desire in any way.”
That modified when Antonio lost his occupation at the begin of the pandemic. His attorney mentioned that Antonio would devote hours in a household he shared with a few other persons who watched Fox Information.
“By that position in his existence he experienced in no way been acquainted with Fox. He understood extremely small about Trump,” Hurley mentioned. “He had practically nothing to do but sit with these fellas all through the day and watch Fox 6 hours, eight several hours a working day. He grew to become infected with the misinformation delivered by them and he turned an ally of this person Trump.”
Hurley explained that simply because Antonio is patriotic, he considered that supporting Trump “was performing the patriotic thing.” So when the former president told his supporters to swarm the Capitol, Antonio created the 13-hour travel from Chicago, exactly where he was living at the time, to D.C.
According to Hurley, Antonio considered the protest would be pretty peaceful but wore a defend under his coat “mainly because he experienced some misgivings.”
A federal affidavit states that Antonio was dressed in a black tactical bulletproof vest with a Three Percenter patch on it. He was observed at the Decrease West Terrace Entrance of the Capitol developing, which “noticed a great total of violent prison exercise,” the affidavit states.
Federal authorities stated Antonio was viewed on online video squirting drinking water and throwing a h2o bottle in the path of a Metropolitan Law enforcement Officer as he was dragged down a established of stairs. Overall body digital camera footage also confirmed him shouting at officers, “You want war? We acquired war. 1776 all above again.”
At one particular position all through the riot, Antonio used a bullhorn to explain to the crowd that they have been not leaving “until we get our way.”
“This is a peaceful protest now. This is a peaceful protest now and usually has been. Don’t forget this is our Capitol this is our household, these are our methods. If we have to sit right here all night time, we will,” he reported, in accordance to the affidavit.
Antonio later entered the Capitol building via a damaged window, federal authorities claimed. Video clip confirmed him throwing a piece of damaged household furniture, in accordance to the affidavit.
Antonio told FBI agents that he arrived to D.C. due to the fact Trump “instructed him to do so.”
Hurley mentioned that his customer was striving to “relaxed” the group when he dealt with them with the bullhorn and threw a drinking water bottle at a particular person dragging the officer down the steps. Antonio left after looking at folks tear up a space inside of the Capitol, Hurley explained.
He went on to say that Antonio is “upset” and “offended at Trump for lying to him.”