Brandon Straka reportedly told people “go, go” and encouraged protesters to remove a policeman’s shield while forcing his way into the Capitol building.
Patrick T. Fallon / Getty Images
Brandon Straka, a supporter of former President Donald Trump who developed an online article after denouncing Democrats as racist, anti-gay and violent, was charged on Monday for participating in the Capitol insurrection earlier this month.
An actor who describes himself as an “ex-liberal”, Straka founded the WalkAway Campaign to encourage others to leave the Democratic Party, earning Trump likes, as well as regular appearances on conservative TV shows. On January 5, Straka was a speaker at the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, DC. According to the Justice Department, on January 6 he urged protesters to forcibly enter the Capitol building – which can be seen in the video he recorded.
Federal charges against him include preventing a policeman during civil unrest, intentionally entering restricted land without authority and engaging in disorderly conduct to obstruct a Congressional hearing.
After going viral with a video in which he describes why he was leaving the Democratic Party in 2018, Straka gained hundreds of thousands of followers and became a frequent commentator on vehicles, including Fox News. He spoke out against the Black Lives Matter movement, was banned from American Airlines in June after refusing to wear a face mask on a flight to Dallas and spread lies about the results of the November election on social media.
According to a federal statement, at the Stop the Steal rally on January 5, Straka spoke for about five minutes, referring to the movement as a “revolution” and participants as “patriots”.
“We are sending a message to the Democrats: ‘We are not leaving. You have a problem!'” Straka told the crowd.
The next day, according to court records, Straka was scheduled to speak at the rally again, and he was on his way when he heard news that people had broken into the Capitol building.
In a video that Straka posted about the events on January 6, he says he saw “nothing being broken” and “no one committing acts of violence”.
“I had no idea that there was any vandalism or violence or any of that,” says Straka in the video.
Later, one of Straka’s relatives provided a video to the FBI showing him walking to the Capitol entrance and urging people to enter. The video was deleted by Straka, but republished on YouTube.
“We are entering, we are entering,” says Straka as she approaches the door. “Go, go.”
An official tries to keep the crowd at bay using a transparent shield, which the protesters pull out, forcing him into the angry crowd, the video shows.
“Get that out of him,” says Straka, according to the video and the statement. “Take it! Take it!”
Moments later, some people can be seen moving away from the entrance.
“They are using gas,” says Straka. “We are being gassed now.”
After the attack on the Capitol, Straka tweeted, rebuking Trump supporters and politicians who condemned the protesters.
“I’m completely confused,” said Straka on Twitter, according to the statement. “For 6 to 8 weeks, everyone on the right said ‘1776!’ and that if Congress moves forward, it will mean a revolution! So Congress moves on. Patriots invade the Capitol – now everyone is virtually signaling their embarrassment that this has happened. “
In another tweet, he criticized those who later denied being on the Capitol.
“Also, be ashamed and hide if you need to, but I was there,” he wrote on January 6, according to the statement. “It was not Antifa on the Capitol. It was freedom-loving patriots who were DESPERATE to fight for the hope of our Republic because literally nobody cares about them. Everyone else can report them. I will not go”.
Straka’s Twitter account has since become private and many posts have been deleted, according to the statement provided by the FBI. However, the agents managed to obtain copies of the video and screenshots of the tweets.
Straka did not respond to requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.