'I Thought I Was the Good Guy': First Video of Alleged Capitol Rioter FBI Interrogation Released

© AP Photo / Jose Luis MaganaU.S. Capitol Police officers push back rioters who were trying to break into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.
U.S. Capitol Police officers push back rioters who were trying to break into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. - Sputnik International, 1920, 01.12.2021
Subscribe
Danny Rodriguez is alleged to be one of the rioters who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January – he's also accused of tasering Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone. Rodriguez was arrested by the FBI in March.
US Judge Amy Berman Jackson has ordered that Danny Rodriguez's FBI interrogation video be released – but Rodriguez has objected to this, claiming that he wasn't read his Miranda rights.
In the clip, Rodriguez is seen weeping, admitting to tasering the police officer, and lamenting how "stupid" the idea to break into the Capitol was.

"I mean, that sounds stupid. I don't know if I tasered him to protect him, but maybe just to, like – so he wouldn't struggle and get hurt, maybe," the alleged rioter told the two FBI agents. "If they're going to beat him up or injure him or, like – I don't know if they're going to – I don't know what was going to happen to him. And, honestly, I didn't think very much about it because, when I did it, I was like, oh, my God. What did I just do? And I got out of there. I left. I did it and I left."

Rodriguez breaks down in tears when asked about his motivation to taser the officer, calling himself a "piece of s**t."

"I don't know. He's a human being with children, and he's not a bad guy. He sounds like he's just doing his job," Rodriguez said.

Elaborating on why the rioters stormed the US Capitol, Rodriguez says that they thought Trump "was calling for help" as "commander-in-chief."
"We felt that they stole the election... we felt that they stole this country, that it's gone, it's wiped out. America's over... it's very stupid and ignorant, and I see that it's a big joke, that we thought that we were going to save this country," he's heard saying.
In the video, he also says that he expected some sort of "a big battle" to take place in Washington, DC as "Trump called everyone there."
According to Rodriguez, he was an enthusiastic Trump supporter and even considered enlisting the US military after he became president.
He concludes that he wanted to be "on the right side of history" when taking part in the Capitol riot but soon realised he was doing the wrong thing.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he said, crying, in the clip. "I didn't know that we were doing the wrong thing. I thought we were doing the [...] right thing."
The FBI agents told him that he's facing seven federal felony counts, noting that it is "a lot of years" behind bars if he's found guilty.
The Capitol riot took place on 6 January, resulting in five deaths, including that of a Capitol police officer. The building was stormed by a violent mob who, like former President Trump, did not agree with the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and demanded that Congress abstain from certifying it. Trump was accused of inciting the insurrection and was impeached over the accusations. After his presidential tenure ended, the Senate acquitted him.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала