An anti-Trump activist from Utah — who claimed he traveled to Washington, DC, to document the violent siege on Capitol Hill — was arrested Thursday.
John Sullivan was taken into custody Thursday and faces charges of civil disorder, entering a restricted building and violent entry or disorderly conduct after participating in the violent mob of President Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol last week, according to court documents filed in federal court.
In the footage he provided to the FBI, Sullivan can be heard saying as rioters climb a wall, “You guys are f—–g savage. Let’s go!,” prosecutors say.
Once inside the Capitol, he tells the protesters, “We gotta get this s–t burned.” He also says, “it’s our house m———–s” and “we are getting this s–t” as he roamed the building, according to court papers.
Sullivan can also be heard arguing with cops, telling them, “you are putting yourself in harm’s way. The people have spoken,” and “there are too many people, you gotta stand down.”
Prosecutors say Sullivan entered the Capitol through a broken window and was sporting a ballistic vest and gas mask during the attack.
Sullivan, who founded Insurgence USA, a group that bills itself as “the revolution” and purports to stands against police brutality, previously told KSL-TV he only attended the riot to “document” the violence.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Sullivan claimed he tried to blend in with Trump supporters so they would trust him.
“I had to relate to these people, and build trust in the short amount of time,” he told the magazine. “To the front of the crowd to see the dynamic between the police and the protesters, because nobody wants to see the backs of people’s heads from a far-off distance.”
Sullivan, who was arrested over the summer in Utah for organizing a protest that left one person shot, remained in custody in Tooele County on a US Marshals hold request.