Jan. 6 Rioter Calls Out Donald Trump for Posting About Him on Truth Social

[ad_1]

An Idaho woman, who said she left the “MAGA cult” and pleaded guilty to her involvement in the January 6, 2021, siege of the US Capitol, told Newsweek that she wants former President Donald Trump and other Republicans to stop using him as “propaganda.”

Pam Hemphill, a 70-year-old Boise, Idaho, resident who was sentenced to 60 days in jail, 36 months probation and a $500 fine in restitution for her connection to the riots, called out the MAGA leader in a post on Sunday night on his Truth Social platform where he appeared to lament his punishment. Hemphill responded, saying he chose to plead guilty because he was.

As Congress met to confirm the election of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on January 6, 2021, rioters stormed the Capitol building. They breached security and entered the floor of the House where many stormed the offices of elected officials. Hemphill, who told Newsweek he was at the Capitol to “see what it was all about” and took video but fully admitted he broke the law, was trampled by other rioters and required 40 stitches. He credits the Capitol police for saving his life, even after the mob pushed him inside the Capitol building and over the barricades.

Hemphill called Jan. 6 a “terrible” and “violent” day that he regretted participating in, and said, “In hindsight, I should have left. I know that now.” In the aftermath of the riots, which resulted in several deaths and hundreds of injuries, Trump was impeached by the House over statements he made during the riots. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the Capitol mess, which is among the many legal battles Trump is facing as he campaigns for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Former US President Donald Trump waits to be introduced at the Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner at the Suburban Collection Showplace on June 25, 2023, in Novi, Michigan. Idaho resident Pam Hemphill, who served 60 days in prison for her involvement in the riots at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, called out the former president on Twitter. Scott Olson/Getty

Newsweek has reached Trump representatives by email for comment.

Hemphill is one of more than 950 defendants arrested in connection with the riots, with about 480 of those individuals pleading guilty to federal charges, according to a DOJ report from earlier this year . The DOJ added that many of those who pleaded guilty face or will face prison terms upon sentencing.

Trump has been heavily criticized for promising to pardon those convicted if he wins the presidency in 2024, arguing that “many of these people are innocent.”

However, Hemphill called out Trump on Twitter, telling the former president to “stop spinning.”

Hemphill, whose Twitter bio describes her as a former MAGA Granny, told Newsweek in a phone interview that she has left the “Trump cult” and is now focusing her efforts on helping “others come out in denial” about Jan. 6. He said he voted for Trump twice, in 2016 and 2020 before he said he realized he was “rubbing” his supporters.

“Trump supporters stress and lie to them about everything,” he said, adding that family and friends can help MAGA followers “come out” by continuing to present the facts.

Trump’s Truth Social post taking issue with Hemphill was in response to another Truth Social user comparing Hemphill’s 60-day prison sentence to the terms of Hunter Biden’s recent plea. As part of the deal, President Joe Biden’s son had to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor counts related to failing to pay past taxes. Legal experts said that if sentenced, Biden would likely get probation.

In a Truth Social post, user STKOLBEOFPOLAND claimed that Hemphill was given a harsher sentence for “walking into” the US Capitol than Biden could have faced for his alleged crimes.

“AMERICAN JUSTICE: 69-Year-Old Lola with Cancer Given More Prison Time for Walking Inside US Capitol than Hunter Biden for Sharing Classified Documents with Foreign Regimes and Multi-Million Dollar Bribery Schemes. THE GATEWAY PUNDIT,” STKOLBEOFPOLAND said in the post.

Trump responded to STKOLBEOFPOLAND, with one word: “terrible.”

Hemphill’s Twitter post going after Trump went viral, garnering nearly 1,000 comments and more than 15,000 likes as of Monday night.

“Please @realDonaldTrump don’t be using me for anything, I’m not a victim of Jan6, I pleaded guilty because I was guilty! #StopTheSpin,” she said on Twitter with a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post.

Hemphill, who has nearly 16,000 followers on Twitter, is a self-proclaimed citizen journalist, telling Newsweek that he likes to take videos and share them on social media, and that led to his involvement in the riots. Capitol.

She said she wants Trump and other MAGA followers to stop using her as propaganda and hopes her story will help other people “see the red flags” like she did and leave the “cult of Trump.”

“I learned to trust my gut, not social media, not the news, not anyone but my gut. And my gut told me there was something wrong with Trump,” Hemphill said of the man he voted for twice . “He’s a narcissist. The way he talks to people and about people is a red flag.”

[ad_2]