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In reply to the discussion: Fiona Hill: Trump DID try to stage a coup using our military. US military refused. [View all]Cirque du So-What
(26,087 posts)24. Retired
Viddy well, COL Mustard. Viddy well.
An Air Force Combat Veteran Breached the Senate
As insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol this week, a few figures stood out. One man, clad in a combat helmet, body armor, and other tactical gear, was among the group that made it to the inner reaches of the building. Carrying zip-tie handcuffs, he was captured in photographs and videos on the Senate floor and with a group that descended on Speaker Nancy Pelosis office suite. In a video shot by ITV News, he is seen standing against a wall adjacent to Pelosis office, his face covered by a bandana. At another point, he appears to exit the suite, face exposed, pushing his way through the crowds of demonstrators.
A day after the riots, John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, at the University of Torontos Munk School, notified the F.B.I. that he suspected the man was retired Lieutenant Colonel Larry Rendall Brock, Jr., a Texas-based Air Force Academy graduate and combat veteran. Scott-Railton had been trying to identify various people involved in the attack. I used a number of techniques to hone in on his identity, including facial recognition and image enhancement, as well as seeking contextual clues from his military paraphernalia, Scott-Railton told me. Brock was wearing several patches on his combat helmet and body armor, including one bearing a yellow fleur de lis, the insignia of the 706th Fighter Squadron. He also wore several symbols suggesting that he lived in Texas, including a vinyl tag of the Texas flag overlaid on the skull logo of the Punisher, the Marvel comic-book character. The Punisher has been adopted by police and Army groups and, more recently, by white supremacists and followers of QAnon. Scott-Railton also found a recently deleted Twitter account associated with Brock, with a Crusader as its avatar. All those things together, its like looking at a persons C.V., Scott-Railton said.
Two family members and a longtime friend said that Brocks political views had grown increasingly radical in recent years. Bill Leake, who flew with Brock in the Air Force for a decade, said that he had distanced himself from Brock. I dont contact him anymore cause hes gotten extreme, Leake told me. In recent years, Brock had become an increasingly committed supporter of Donald Trump, frequently wearing a Make America Great Again hat. In the days leading up to the siege of the Capitol, Brock had posted to social media about his plans to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in Trumps Save America rally. Brocks family members said that he called himself a patriot, and that his expressions of that identity had become increasingly strident. One recalled weird rage talk, basically, saying hes willing to get in trouble to defend what he thinks is right, which is Trump being the President, I guess. Both family members said that Brock had made racist remarks in their presence and that they believed white-supremacist views may have contributed to his motivations.
In an interview, Brock confirmed that he was the man in the photos and videos. He denied that he held racist views and echoed Trumps baseless claims of election fraud, saying that he derived his understanding of the matter principally from social media. He told me that he had gone to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate peacefully. The President asked for his supporters to be there to attend, and I felt like it was important, because of how much I love this country, to actually be there, he said. Brock added that he did not identify as part of any organized group and claimed that, despite the scenes of destruction that day, he had seen no violence. When he arrived at the Capitol, he said, he assumed he was welcome to enter the building.
more...
As insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol this week, a few figures stood out. One man, clad in a combat helmet, body armor, and other tactical gear, was among the group that made it to the inner reaches of the building. Carrying zip-tie handcuffs, he was captured in photographs and videos on the Senate floor and with a group that descended on Speaker Nancy Pelosis office suite. In a video shot by ITV News, he is seen standing against a wall adjacent to Pelosis office, his face covered by a bandana. At another point, he appears to exit the suite, face exposed, pushing his way through the crowds of demonstrators.
A day after the riots, John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, at the University of Torontos Munk School, notified the F.B.I. that he suspected the man was retired Lieutenant Colonel Larry Rendall Brock, Jr., a Texas-based Air Force Academy graduate and combat veteran. Scott-Railton had been trying to identify various people involved in the attack. I used a number of techniques to hone in on his identity, including facial recognition and image enhancement, as well as seeking contextual clues from his military paraphernalia, Scott-Railton told me. Brock was wearing several patches on his combat helmet and body armor, including one bearing a yellow fleur de lis, the insignia of the 706th Fighter Squadron. He also wore several symbols suggesting that he lived in Texas, including a vinyl tag of the Texas flag overlaid on the skull logo of the Punisher, the Marvel comic-book character. The Punisher has been adopted by police and Army groups and, more recently, by white supremacists and followers of QAnon. Scott-Railton also found a recently deleted Twitter account associated with Brock, with a Crusader as its avatar. All those things together, its like looking at a persons C.V., Scott-Railton said.
Two family members and a longtime friend said that Brocks political views had grown increasingly radical in recent years. Bill Leake, who flew with Brock in the Air Force for a decade, said that he had distanced himself from Brock. I dont contact him anymore cause hes gotten extreme, Leake told me. In recent years, Brock had become an increasingly committed supporter of Donald Trump, frequently wearing a Make America Great Again hat. In the days leading up to the siege of the Capitol, Brock had posted to social media about his plans to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in Trumps Save America rally. Brocks family members said that he called himself a patriot, and that his expressions of that identity had become increasingly strident. One recalled weird rage talk, basically, saying hes willing to get in trouble to defend what he thinks is right, which is Trump being the President, I guess. Both family members said that Brock had made racist remarks in their presence and that they believed white-supremacist views may have contributed to his motivations.
In an interview, Brock confirmed that he was the man in the photos and videos. He denied that he held racist views and echoed Trumps baseless claims of election fraud, saying that he derived his understanding of the matter principally from social media. He told me that he had gone to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate peacefully. The President asked for his supporters to be there to attend, and I felt like it was important, because of how much I love this country, to actually be there, he said. Brock added that he did not identify as part of any organized group and claimed that, despite the scenes of destruction that day, he had seen no violence. When he arrived at the Capitol, he said, he assumed he was welcome to enter the building.
more...
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/an-air-force-combat-veteran-breached-the-senate
Carrying flexible cuffs. Sounds like he planned on taking some hostages.
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Fiona Hill: Trump DID try to stage a coup using our military. US military refused. [View all]
CousinIT
Jan 2021
OP
Screw the training, how about he freakin' oath he took when he was commissioned?
Rural_Progressive
Jan 2021
#74
I wonder if Biden could re-hire Fiona Hill? She is a brilliant and patriotic American. NT
CottonBear
Jan 2021
#3
It is obvious this was a coup attempt, whether we see any justice is another thing
beachbumbob
Jan 2021
#6
i'm struggling to suppress what I want to say right now because I don't want to get in trouble
TomDaisy
Jan 2021
#13
I agree. I've been wondering since Wednesday who planned and coordinated this.
Lonestarblue
Jan 2021
#28
He seems to do a lot of that (miscalculation). Only way to stay in power is through violence
erronis
Jan 2021
#80
From what I have seen the Pentagon was involved in this attempted coup.
Ferrets are Cool
Jan 2021
#36
Gov. of Maryland stated the Sec. of Defense Trump installed delayed NG deployment
randr
Jan 2021
#40
Yes. "... without explicit approval from Trump's defense secretary". Why Esper was fired Nov 9
Bernardo de La Paz
Jan 2021
#46
When I saw all those Secretaries of Defense come out with a united front I knew something was up.
patphil
Jan 2021
#37
tRump fired Esper Nov 9 because he would not go along. Had tRump loyalist as Chief of Capitol Police
Bernardo de La Paz
Jan 2021
#44
An hour an half being denied the NG by the DOD and finally an army person approved sending NG.
LizBeth
Jan 2021
#68
That is a prosecution I don't see as ever being brought, let alone won and punished.
BobTheSubgenius
Jan 2021
#72
And that's a pity because they'll keep on trying and killing in the name of white supremacy.
erronis
Jan 2021
#81
after he called them idiots and babies? bet he didnt have many friends in the pentagon
KG
Jan 2021
#83
I've heard, read, that a large number of people with guns, probably ARs and such,
fwvinson
Jan 2021
#91