by Julie Kelly
George Tanios’ fiancée encouraged him to go to Washington on January 6 to hear President Trump’s speech. “You’re gonna regret it if you don’t go,” she said, hoping he could take a break from working 100-hours-a-week to run his popular sandwich shop in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Tanios and I both laughed after he told me that during a two-hour interview this week. (I was in contact with his fiancée, Amanda, as she cared for their three young children while he was incarcerated for five months.)
But there is nothing funny about how Joe Biden’s Justice Department is trying to ruin Tanios’ life to maintain the myth that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died at the hands of Trump supporters on January 6.
Tanios, 40, was arrested in front of his five-year-old son at home on Sunday, March 14 around 9 p.m. “I was about to get in the shower and had my robe on when I heard crazy banging on my front door,” he said. “Then I heard ‘put your fucking hands up!’”
About 15 FBI agents and the acting head of the U.S. Capitol Police raided his home, interrogated Amanda, and took Tanios into custody.
“I had no idea what I was being arrested for,” Tanios said. “No one would answer me. Some of the agents seemed to feel bad about it. One [agent] said they had been arresting people all over but they had never arrested anyone without a criminal record like this.”
Tanios was held in jail for four days before his attorney arrived and informed him of the charges related to Sicknick, including one count of conspiracy to injure an officer and three counts of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon—chemical spray.
“I almost had a heart attack,” Tanios said. “I begged them to take the handcuffs off me because my heart dropped. ‘I am not a cop killer,’ I said.” Tanios had heard an officer had been killed on January 6, but that’s all he knew.
What Tanios also did not know at the time was he and his friend, Julian Khater, would become the scapegoats for one of the biggest lies about the Capitol protest; the claim that Trump cultists killed a cop in cold blood on January 6.
Reports of Sicknick’s death in the immediate aftermath of the Capitol protest served two purposes: to bury the news that a Capitol Police officer had killed an unarmed female Trump supporter in the building on January 6, and to fuel more public outrage about a “deadly insurrection.”
Adding to the shocking news, the New York Times reported on January 8 that Sicknick “died from brain injuries he sustained after Trump loyalists who overtook the complex struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher.”
The anonymously sourced account went viral; no other news organization bothered to check its veracity. Ditto for most Republican lawmakers. “Neither the institution of Congress, nor the American people, will ever forget the bravery and the valor of officer Brian Sicknick, who sacrificed himself to protect this place and those inside it,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on January 19.
Heartbreaking images from a formal procession through the nation’s capital to a rare memorial service in the Capitol rotunda were splashed across cable news and the front page of every newspaper and online publication. Joe and Jill Biden offered their respects to Sicknick as his remains lay in repose in early February, days before the second impeachment trial against Donald Trump began.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) both spoke during a somber service attended by every prominent lawmaker; Sicknick’s remains were then transported to Arlington National Cemetery.
But the Times retracted the “fire extinguisher” story, which was featured as evidence in the impeachment trial, on February 12. The cause of Sicknick’s death remained an open question; the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Officer refused to release official autopsy results.
With so many powerful people and news organizations fully invested in the murder-by-MAGA-mob narrative, a new excuse to blame Trumpists for Sicknick’s death was quickly concocted.
Enter George Tanios and Julian Khater.
On March 15, the Justice Department announced in a press release that the pair had been arrested for spraying Sicknick and two other officers. The latest twist, eagerly echoed by the media, was that Sicknick died of a reaction to chemical spray.
Even though Tanios wasn’t accused of using the pepper spray—he told me they brought the spray to Washington over fears Antifa and Black Lives Matter activists would attack Trump supporters as they did after the Million MAGA March on November 14, 2020—a magistrate judge denied bond on March 22. “I don’t think I have ever seen anything play out in a way that was more dangerous to our community,” Judge Michael Aloi said of the Capitol protest.
In May, D.C. District Judge Thomas Hogan, a Reagan appointee, again denied Tanios’ release. Tanios and Khater, Hogan said, “attacked uniformed police officers and I can’t get around that.”
For four months—the first month was spent in West Virginia jails—Tanios lived at the D.C. Correctional Treatment facility, part of which is used solely to detain January 6 defendants. He described to me, as many have, the overall camaraderie between the detainees. “I found my tribe there, like-minded individuals who love their country and support the flag like I do,” Tanios said. “The guys in there supported Trump because he was an outsider. We finally felt like we had an outsider fighting for us.” But many were in D.C. on January 6 to protest a rigged election, not necessarily to support the president. “They didn’t cheat him, they cheated us,” he told me.
Occasionally, the atmosphere with Tanios becomes tense. “People are being wrongly accused, they can’t get any response from their lawyers and judges keep kicking things down the road,” Tanios said. Detainees have reported lack of access to defense counsel, personal hygiene needs, religious services, and exercise. For months, detainees were kept in their cells for 23 hours a day.
While Tanios was behind bars, the medical examiner’s office in April finally confirmed the cause of Sicknick’s death. He died of natural causes—two strokes caused by blood clots—not from an allergic reaction to any chemical.
Julie Kelly and Darren J. Beattie have both been at the tip of the spear when it comes to the deconstruction of the fake insurrectionist narrative of January 06, 2021.
Sicknick died of natural causes. Ashli Babbitt was executed by michael byrd, a racist capital police officer.
Yet, scores of individuals languish incarcerated without any formal charges brought.
Not since Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during the civil war, have Americans been detained without the ability to petition the court for unlawful detainment.
“I found my tribe there, like-minded individuals who love their country and support the flag like I do,”
Maybe this peaceful demonstrator should have left his can of bear spray at home.
—
March 15, 2021 – Two Men Arrested and Charged for Assaulting Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police Officer Who Died the Day After Jan. 6
The capitol “riot” was a false-flag commissioned by the FBI and dismissed by every thinking American who rejects the premise.
Which is the vast Majority.
Jan. 6th was precisely what any common-sense analysis of of the many participant-recorded videos show it to be.
It’s what happened when Trump’s most delusional hard-core supporters were sicced on one of America’s democratic institutions—and anyone who has taken the time to watch the rally before it saw him do the siccing.
That the GOP continues to be controlled by this man tells us everything we need to know about the current state of the GOP.
The GOP will not save America from Donald Trump. They will serve it to him on a silver platter. They have been intimidated and seduced. They have surrendered all principles and abdicated all responsibility. They’re setting things up for his comeback. In spite of all that has happened, they’ve convinced themselves that they’ll somehow be able to control him if he does. That isn’t how it works. HE controls THEM.
This has all happened before—but never in America.
There is no one now or in 2-3 years who can go head to toe with President Trump and you know it. His poll numbers are on the rise and directionally proportional to bidens drop in approval. The more biden drops the more President Trump rises.
The movement in America is pro America and that is why your type oppose it. We prefer America first, you and your type are America last demonstrated by obama and now biden.
Keep denigrating President Trump and those of us who support him and the movement for America first. It only makes us stronger.
It isn’t only one person who is determined to stop him. The damage Trump has done already is more than enough.
Trump built our economy up and did great things for the country.
Limiting bad trade with China.
Actual results for Black Americans in the way of prison reform and other things.
Ended the UnConstitutional mandate on Obamacare
Record low unemployment.
Peace in the ME. Getting us our of endless wars.
75 million voted for him because of his successes.
81 million DID NOT vote for Biden. Fake, copied, and glitch votes do not win elections. The fear of investigation alone is admittance of guilt.
Trump was and is a great President. It’s fact. You fear him because he wasn’t installed like all the rest by the usual cabal.
Trump 2024. He can then be our 45th AND 46th President when we wipe away the filth of this impostor, Biden.
Oh, we know who’s “determined to stop him.” Big pharma, big banks, Billionaires, all those rich people who he didn’t hook up during his Presidency with lobbyist deals and insider trading.
Trump finally gave us what we deserve: an executive who leads.
They had to release a bioweapon and rig an election just to pretend he’s not there.
But he is…
Big pharma is spending ten$ of million$ trying to convince you that bargaining for the best drug prices is anti-consumer.
The GOP is the main focal point of anti-consumer pressure. Their power comes from special interests that finance their campaigns, supply them with propaganda, and surround them with well-funded lobbyists.
Greggie:
How come the job to defend idiot Biden (which you don’t even do, you just attack Trump with lies) falls totally upon you? Where are all your liberal buddies that voted for idiot Biden and are impressed with all his successes?
The only damage Trump did was to the elitist establishment in DC which works harder to enrich themselves than to provide any positive benefits for the American people. The damage Trump did was to the deep state, completely exposing its existence, power and harm to the nation.
What could rehabilitate Trump’s term more than being followed by the absolute, total disaster of idiot Biden? It’s like comparing a steak dinner to having a root canal.
75 million votes for Trump…votes not mired in any scandals involving copy machines or dead voters or software glitches or zip drives handed off or coming in statistically impossible numbers when all the poll watches…carry a lot of weight.
This is just people choosing who they want for President, and the crony/globalist machine denying it to us.
Jan. 6th was a pathetically executed False-flag operation that no thinking American even remotely believes.
“This has all happened before—but never in America.”
Agreed. Germany, banana republics, communist sh*tholes like China…false-flags and rigged elections…
…this is what they do.
If you are actually American I suggest you either accept we are a democracy, or leave.
That’s right. It was a protest that got out of hand when police began attacking the protesters. The left set it up to provide fodder for another impeachment of Trump.
Greg, you are an expert on Biden. Why does he need a fake White House set for talking to the American people? What’s wrong with the actual White House that’s just a few yards away?
Why do you need simple and obvious things to be repeatedly explained?
“Maybe this peaceful demonstrator should have left his can of bear spray at home.” As explained, the defensive weapons were for BLM/ANTIFA, who have a well-documented record and reputation for attacking any protesters that are not fascist leftists.
How many ANTIFA terrorists are in jail, without charges or court dates? Hell, how many even have charges against them? They, who assaulted cops with fireworks, projectiles, Molotov cocktails, lasers and clubs have had their charges dropped. Get back to us when you can present some argument that the persecution of anyone involved in 1/6 is anything but political attack.
Sicknick died of natural causes
Bear or paper spray had nothing to do with his death.
That is a bigly lie
The most significant insurrectionist in the January 06 saga is pelosi. It was pelosi who in charge of security for the US Capital, knowing the intelligence had warned of potential issues, denied additional security measures. pelosi was not alone in complicity to allow violence.
DC mayor murial bowser(formally of Sha Na Na) refused an offer from President Trump for 10,000 National Guardsmen.
Then pelosi following January 06, conspired with Benedict milley to deny President Trump, should it have been necessary, to use the nuclear codes in an effort to protect the United States.
pelosi is not in the nuclear chain of command and conspiring with the head of the joint chiefs is a treasonous act.
Ut oh
Gary Miller troll alert
Lol, yup
Why is bargaining for the best drug prices anti consumer. Should not consumers be price conscious?
There are several internet RX providers touting their prices as the best. Are this providers anti consumer?
Biden wants Medicare to be allowed to bargain for the lowest drug prices on behalf of those covered. Republicans do not.
Has the simple and obvious reason biden can not answer reporter’s questions been repeatedly explained?
Biden stops answering questions when he has said all that he intends to say.
He doesn’t answer questions so, apparently, there is nothing in his idiot brain for saying.
Except to stop answering questions, one has to first answer one or two or three. Your president ends his mumbling and slurring speech and immediately exists stages left shuffling off to have his depends changed…
Just a couple of days after the riot it was already being rumored Officer Sicknick died of a stroke. Since THAT turned out to be the absolute fact, it could have and should have been investigated and reported.
Instead, Democrats, just as they did with the evidence that the Russian collusion attacks were based totally on lies, kept that information buried and, instead, disgustingly used Sicknick’s remains as a prop in their little drama of “Trump led insurrection of white supremacy” horseshit.
“Joe and Jill Biden offered their respects to Sicknick as his remains lay in repose in early February, days before the second impeachment trial against Donald Trump began.” Apparently there is a huge clock hung on the wall of the Rotunda, because you damn sure didn’t see idiot Biden looking at his watch during that disgusting display. He had been fully briefed on how politically important it was to appear concerned about the death of a police officer in order to blame Trump for it. These people are the lowest low-lifes in the nation.
The autopsy results were suppressed; was this because what was in it was known or unknown? Which one makes sense?
Do we know without question sicknick died of natural causes?