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NEW: “Bullhorn Lady,” one of the FBI's most wanted after she battered windows and issued orders at the capitol, is Rachel Powell, a mother of eight from rural PA. Her path to radicalization, and what it reveals about extremism in America: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-pennsylvania-mothers-path-to-insurrection-capitol-riot
Powell, whose name is being made public for the first time in this story, spoke to me for two hours from an undisclosed location and expressed concern about the FBI finding her. She confirmed her identity and participation in the riot.
In videos, she is seen accepting the bullhorn from another rioter and using it to issue detailed instructions about the layout of the Capitol. Powell claimed that her knowledge of the floor plan was based on her presence there that day.
She was also visible in several other moments of violence and destruction, including an effort to smash windows with a battering ram.
Powell said some of her actions were “worth blocking out.”
She was identifiable partly based on her attire and accessories, including a jacket designed to hold a gun (she denied that she had one) and a Kate Spade iPhone case that was visible at another far-right protest she attended.
Powell said that she, unlike some of the other insurrectionists on whom I have reported, was not part of any militia or organized group. However she did decline questions about her company after the riot.
I did identify several friends who accompanied her to Washington, DC, including Kevin Lynn, who was with her for the early part of demonstrations on the 6th (and whose identity has been a source of public speculation) but said they parted ways as they approached the Capitol.
Powell may embody a trend of radicalization online and through friends without the involvement of organized militias. Facebook appears to have been a conduit. Powell posted extremist misinformation with increasing frequency and received enthusiastic support from online friends.
She has posted about the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and cited Rudy Giuliani as a significant source of her information.
She supports election fraud conspiracy theories and protests masks, calling herself “unashamedly a super spreader.” She says she does not share the racist views of some on the far right. (Though she did defend the use of the N-word. I’ll, uh, let her speak for herself here.)
Powell has emerged as one of the most prominent mysteries of the riot.
Many people sought to identify her online (and sometimes got it wrong—a reminder of the importance of seeking confirmation from a news outlet or law enforcement). @Forrest_Rogers reported her name to the FBI. @jsrailton also independently identified her.
