A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the release of a Tennessee man accused of breaking into the US Capitol last month armed with ties of strength.
In a strong opinion, US District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said Nashville resident Eric Gavelek Munchel, 30, and his mother, Woodstock, Georgia, nurse Leslie Marie Eisenhart, 56, represent “a clear danger to the republic” in ways that would have bothered George Washington.
In widely publicized photographs, Munchel was seen inside the Senate chamber with zipper ties and a Taser in the holster. He was between two men nicknamed “the guy with the tie” because of the images. Eisenhart was beside him on some of the filming.
By joining pro-Trump mobs and attacking the Capitol on January 6 in an attempt to overthrow the November election won by President Joe Biden, the suspects reached the heart of American democracy, the judge said.
Lamberth cited Washington’s famous farewell speech in 1796, when the country’s first president said: “The very idea of people’s power and right to establish a government presupposes the duty of each individual to obey the established government.”
“In fact, few crimes are more threatening to our way of life,” wrote the judge of the charges against the suspects.
Munchel, arrested on January 10, and Eisenhart, taken into custody on January 16, were charged with conspiracy, entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct during the deadly uproar.
A judge had previously granted his release, but suspended the order to allow federal prosecutors to appeal.
Lamberth cited interviews that Munchel and Eisenhart gave to the London Times, when they compared January 6 to the American Revolution of 1776, as evidence that they are supposed to be prone to violence to achieve political goals.
“By word and deed, Munchel supported the violent overthrow of the United States government. He represents a clear danger to the republic,” wrote Lamberth. “By word and deed, Eisenhart supported the violent overthrow of the United States government. As a self-declared martyr, she represents a clear danger to our republic.”
Both will remain in prison until the trial, the judge decided.
The suspects’ lawyers could not be reached immediately for comment on Thursday.
