On Thursday, a left-wing “known agitator” from Utah was charged, allegedly, for his participation in the Capitol’s breach last week.
According to the report of KUTV 2 News, John Earle Sullivan, a left-wing agitator, has been charged with civil disorders, entering a restricted building or grounds, and violent entry or disorderly conduct.
Following the breach, Sullivan appeared on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360 show, alleging that he witnessed the Capitol Police’s fatal shooting of protester Ashli Babbitt. In addition to this, he also appeared alongside Chris Hayes of MSNBC, according to Chuck Ross’s report by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
The man who shot the scene of rioters trying to break into the Speaker's Lobby—ultimately leading to Ashli Babbitt's death—has been arrested.
John Earle Sullivan faces three federal charges.
Story ahead by @AlbertoLuperon at @LawCrimeNews. pic.twitter.com/0vGsHoigXm
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) January 15, 2021
In addition to this, on Thursday evening, Chuck Ross also posted on Twitter, “left-wing activist John Sullivan charged in Capitol riots. He was filming as Ashli [Babbitt] was shot in the Capitol. Was interviewed by Chris Hayes and Anderson Cooper.”
However, according to an affidavit of probable cause, Sullivan openly cheered on the breach and the subsequent destruction of the U.S. Capitol. KUTV 2 News also quoted the affidavit in part, which contains the following:
“After the crowd broke through the last barricade, and as SULLIVAN and the others approach the Capitol Building, SULLIVAN can be heard in the video saying at various points: ‘There are so many people. Let’s go. This s— is ours! F— yeah,’ ‘We accomplished this s—. We did this together. F— yeah! We are all a part of this history,’ and ‘Let’s burn this s— down.'”
Sullivan also allegedly said, “We gotta get this s*** burned,” as highlighted by Ross.
6:52: "We gotta burn this. We gotta get this shit burned"
He's talking about burning down the Capitol. I bet that would interest the @FBI pic.twitter.com/MikNSyx8jQ
— Jennifer Mascia (@JenniferMascia) January 9, 2021
Meanwhile, according to Politifact, a left-wing fact-checking site, Sullivan is the founder of Insurgence USA. He started the group last year after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. However, other than this, Sullivan is also vocal about being against Trump saying that he does not align politically with the President.
Accordingly, Politifact also noted that Sullivan was not shy about his presence at the Capitol riot. He even filmed the events as they occur, and he was nearby when Capitol Police fatally shot Ashli Babbitt.
The report also added that Sullivan verified to PolitiFact that he indeed entered the U.S. Capitol Building together with all the rioters. He also said that he is in the photographs which were shown as part of the Facebook post.
Then on Thursday, KUTV 2 News reporter Heidi Hatch emphasized that Sullivan is a left-wing protester that openly expresses his anti-Trump activism.
John Sullivan's documentation of his time storming the U.S. Capitol. You can listen to his play by play and decide for yourself what to think about his actions and everyone around him. https://t.co/PbjbTl7FyE
— Heidi Hatch (@tvheidihatch) January 15, 2021
Hatch wrote on Twitter, “John Sullivan in D.C. in December- post from Instagram. He’s behind in the Tooele County Jail in Utah. His first court appearance 1/15 Friday,” captioning a video on Instagram which was allegedly posted by Sullivan.
In the video, it contains the caption written by Sullivan, “We got to rip that M.F. (motherf***er) out of office,” an apparent reference to Trump. It also contains the hashtags, “#F***Trump,” “#BLM,” “Antifa,” and “TrumpMeltdown.”
In the video, a man can be heard saying, “We gotta f***ing rip Trump out of that office, right over there. F***ing pull him out that s***. We ain’t about wait’ till the next election. We about to go get that motherf***er.”
According to the Department of Justice website, Sullivan is scheduled to appear in court in Utah on Friday at 4 p.m.
