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I recently did some digging into right-wing activist @AbbyJohnson's account of herself at the Capitol riots. I asked if anyone had more evidence, and a follower sent me second video with Johnson. It undermines her efforts to downplay her engagement. https://projects.propublica.org/parler-capitol-videos/?id=WvNy0mY8LFTq
(Johnson drew controversy over an invitation to speak at Catholic U. Many opposed her for comments about COVID, racial profiling, and being at the riot. She ended up getting dropped by the Pro-Life club, but picked up by the Republicans.) https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2021/02/10/abby-johnson-catholic-university-race-pro-life-239959
The initial video was recorded by @imhelana from CNN. https://twitter.com/imhelana/status/1346932632735551488 . Johnson eventually confirmed it was her. Of the first video, Johnson claimed it was from "around 5pm."
She wasn't in the Capitol, but "hours later walking away from the Capitol." She added "I walked in front of the Capitol. Lol. That's not a crime." Later: "There were no barricades. No police officers. It’s public grounds." See https://twitter.com/AngelaRasmussen/status/1357558298497671170 and other public comments.
The new video, from Parler and archived at ProPublica, is from 4:05. Ms. Johnson (and her green-scarf friend) can be seen below the fight from :00 to :07, and then 2–3 times when the camera pans in her direction. (Bonus: spot the "Q-Shaman.") https://projects.propublica.org/parler-capitol-videos/?id=WvNy0mY8LFTq
What does this add? First 4:05 is earlier in the timeline of the riot, before Trump's equivocal video, and with insurrectionists roaming the halls and pitched battles going on between rioters and police. Things were under somewhat better control later.
Second, the two videos are from OPPOSITE SIDES of the Capitol. The CNN video shows the *WEST* face of the Capitol--the side toward the Mall--with its inauguration scaffolding and all those steps running parallel to the building.
The Parler video was taken on the *EAST* face of the Capitol, on the center stairs. When the camera pans up at :36 and :43 you can see the telltale rectangular pavement design, and the Supreme Court across First Street. The steps she was on lead to the Rotunda entrance.
Her minimizing was never convincing. The whole Capitol was a secure zone, and trespassing a crime. Capitol Police declared the protest a riot at 1:5pm. While claiming to "abhor violence" she trod a space cleared by violent rioters who overran police barricades and lines.
With video of her on opposite sides of the Capitol, any notion that she was "walking in front of the Capitol" is shown to be false. She was at BOTH the outdoor zones, either going the long way around or cutting through the building. She wasn't walking by, she was a participant.
That she saw no police or barricades cannot be right. Note the rioters standing on official vehicles behind her. And on the east side alone there was a *strong* police presence from around 3:42, with a line of cops trying to prevent people from reaching the Capitol steps.
(For video of this, see https://projects.propublica.org/parler-capitol-videos/?id=c0nIoRasIm5z , https://projects.propublica.org/parler-capitol-videos/?id=zthIgvp11n1o , https://projects.propublica.org/parler-capitol-videos/?id=ZWOMZ2Y2ugQ5 ; for police in general, the ProPublic collection has a LOT of videos of barricades and police in the area.)
This line is in many videos; how did she get behind it? From Parler it seems she was *descending* the stairs from the Rotunda. Maybe, like the horned "Q-Shaman," Johnson was escorted from (or otherwise left) it. But I find no direct evidence of this, so it must remain a guess.
The other video shows her coming down stairs too, a fact Johnson used in her defense. A little thought, however, will disclose that one can't come down steps on two sides of a raised building without having gone up the stairs twice the first place. So there's something missing.
The Capitol riot was so well covered, there must be more video out there—positive or negative. But it's too bad this video didn't come out before Johnson spoke at Catholic, because it undermines her minimizing account. That's my take. If you have any questions, leave a note.
