The accused Capitol hooligan John Sullivan sold video footage that he recorded in the Jan. 6 siege to NBC and CNN for $ 35,000 each, according to new court documents.
The news came when prosecutors tried on Tuesday to ban the Utah provocateur – an anti-Trump activist whom they claim to infiltrate protests to cause chaos and record video footage – from accessing social media, according to Politico.
Sullivan claims that he is a journalist for his website Insurgence USA – and his defense attorney presented invoices for $ 35,000 that NBC News and CNN apparently paid for the rights to use the videos.
But the feds claim in a criminal complaint that Sullivan was actively participating in and encouraging the siege. As a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building, Sullivan helped one of the protesters climb a wall leading to the Capitol entrance, a sworn statement alleges.
LEFT CAPITOL ACTIVIST JOHN SULLIVAN CHARGED FOR BREACHING THE LAUNCH TERMS WITH THE USE OF THE INTERNET
John Sullivan claims to be a journalist for his website Insurgence USA.
He then entered the Capitol through a window that had been broken by a rowdy.
While recording the footage inside the building, Sullivan reportedly said, “We have to burn this.”
“It is our home, m-rf-kers. We are getting this shit,” he added.
Still recording, Sullivan moved the crowd out of Speaker’s Lobby, where the rioters faced off against police officers who were closing the door.
Donald Trump supporters protest in front of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
He then captured a police officer who shot deadly rowdy Ashli Babbitt as she tried to pass through a broken window that was being guarded by police officers – images that he sold to various news networks.
CHARGED LEFT CAPITOL ACTIVIST JOHN SULLIVAN FACED NEW FEES
“On January 6, CNN was contacted by a reputable agent regarding an eyewitness video of the Capitol disturbances. The company signed a week-long contract to use 44 seconds of important content, which was assigned to witness in the air. When their role at the event was later questioned, the company informed employees to stop using the video, “said a CNN spokesman.
Sullivan was arrested shortly after the riot and indicted by a grand jury last week on six counts, including obstruction of official prosecution, civil disorder and disorderly conduct.
At a hearing on Tuesday, a magistrate judge in Washington blocked prosecutors’ request that Sullivan be prevented from accessing his social media accounts while he awaits the riot trial, according to Politico.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
The judge, however, ordered Sullivan to stop working for Insurgence USA and said he could not use social media to incite riots or violence.
An NBC representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
To read more in the New York Post, click here.