John Sullivan led the crowd into the US Capitol on the day of the assault, filming fellow rioter Ashli Babbitt's demise. He then pretended to be a journalist and made over $90,000 selling the video material to news agencies. Politico notes that Sullivan was sentenced to six years in federal prison on Friday for that offense. According to NBC News, the court said that the defendant is the only one in the case who took advantage of the rioters' enthusiasm for Donald Trump without "subscribing to the goals of the protest."
Sullivan, 29, of Utah, has shown sympathy for anti-fascism and Black Lives Matter causes, according to the prosecution during the sentencing hearing. Then, supporters of Trump misrepresented his appearance on January 6 as proof that the disturbance was caused by agitators opposed to him. Prosecutors countered that Sullivan was really pursuing his own anti-government goal and wanted to "see the government burn," halting the validation of Joe Biden's electoral win. Politico reported that US District Judge Royce Lamberth described defendant Sullivan as a "chaos agent," stating that "violence was an end unto itself."
A jury found Sullivan guilty in November of five misdemeanors in addition to the felonies of rioting and delaying Congress' certification of the vote. According to the Washington Post, prosecutors said that he arrived to the Capitol with a knife, tactical vest, gas mask, and megaphone. The jury saw video of Sullivan threatening to inflict damage on the pro-Trump crowd. In the video, he stated, "I brought my megaphone to instigate s---." After sincerely apologizing in court for his actions, Sullivan condemned the DC jail's circumstances. Since prison authorities determined that Sullivan's political opinions rendered it too hazardous for him to be in with other Jan. 6 offenders, he has been placed under protective custody.
Sullivan, 29, of Utah, has shown sympathy for anti-fascism and Black Lives Matter causes, according to the prosecution during the sentencing hearing. Then, supporters of Trump misrepresented his appearance on January 6 as proof that the disturbance was caused by agitators opposed to him. Prosecutors countered that Sullivan was really pursuing his own anti-government goal and wanted to "see the government burn," halting the validation of Joe Biden's electoral win. Politico reported that US District Judge Royce Lamberth described defendant Sullivan as a "chaos agent," stating that "violence was an end unto itself."
A jury found Sullivan guilty in November of five misdemeanors in addition to the felonies of rioting and delaying Congress' certification of the vote. According to the Washington Post, prosecutors said that he arrived to the Capitol with a knife, tactical vest, gas mask, and megaphone. The jury saw video of Sullivan threatening to inflict damage on the pro-Trump crowd. In the video, he stated, "I brought my megaphone to instigate s---." After sincerely apologizing in court for his actions, Sullivan condemned the DC jail's circumstances. Since prison authorities determined that Sullivan's political opinions rendered it too hazardous for him to be in with other Jan. 6 offenders, he has been placed under protective custody.
