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CHARLESTON (United States), Jan. 7 (AP) — Two years after storming the U.S. Capitol, the former West Virginia lawmaker serving time for his role in the unrest said Friday he wants to return to the scene of the crime as an elected official.
Derrick Evans cheered on what he called a “revolution” in the Capitol and announced he will run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024, live on Facebook on Jan. 6, 2021.
Others charged for their involvement in the rebellion have sought public office, but Evans is believed to be the first serving prisoner to officially announce his candidacy.
“I have chosen to announce my candidacy for the House of Representatives today because it marks an important anniversary in American history,” Evans said in a statement. “While my name will be indelibly part of it, so should we Use (it) as an opportunity to remind yourself why democracy is so important and how vulnerable it is.”
The tone of the statement was a stark departure from the remorse he expressed during his sentencing before a federal judge in June.
Evans, 37, pleaded guilty to felony civil disorder and served three months for participating in the riot. At sentencing, Evans told the judge he regretted his actions every day and was a “good man who was unfortunate enough to get caught”.
“I will always remember that I made a big mistake. I let myself down, I let my community down, and most importantly, I let my family down,” Evans said.
After his release in October, Evans began criticizing the federal government’s prosecution of the Capitol riot defendants. His Friday statement described the prosecution as a “miscarriage of justice.” Despite his remorse over the sentencing, Evans said his “determination has never waned.”
Neama Rahmani, a former U.S. attorney in San Diego who now practices at a law firm in Los Angeles, said the case could have turned out differently if Evans had spoken his mind before sentencing.
“You often see these shifts in criminal defendants,” Rahmani said in an interview. “It’s not uncommon for criminal defendants to speak from both sides of their mouths.”
Taking responsibility is something the federal judge is looking for, “it’s part of the sentencing guidelines,” he said. Rahmani said Evans could have received a longer sentence if he tried to excuse his actions.
“What makes it so unique about these capitol thugs is that they are really true believers and they act very irrationally. Most of them have almost no criminal records. A lot of them are ex- Military, ex-law enforcement. It’s unbelievable to see what they’re doing,” he said.
Although Evans has gone from Capitol mob to federal candidate, “I don’t think he’s the last,” Rahmani said.
In August, real estate broker Ryan Kelley, who lost the Republican primary for governor in Michigan, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges related to the Capitol riot.
Evans, who has made protecting the U.S. southern border and promoting America’s energy independence a top priority, will seek the U.S. House seat currently held by Republican three-term Rep. Carroll Miller.
A Republican from Prichard, Evans was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in November 2020. He was sworn in weeks before the riot that temporarily halted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory and injured more than 100 police officers.
Among them is Michael Fanone, who said Thursday that the MAGA extremists involved in the attack now entering Congress is an insult to the law enforcement officers who were there to defend it.
“I almost died defending the Capitol, the people who thought it was a good idea to overthrow the government.” The uprising is now replacing them as leaders of the new majority in the House of Representatives. “
Evans was arrested two days after the riots and resigned a month before the legislative session began.
Prosecutors said Evans fueled the chaos by egging on rioters around him. In a cellphone video that has since been deleted and circulated online, he recounted the riots to his 30,000 Facebook followers, cheering on the crowd and punching rioters as he and other mobs poured into the Capitol Kick.
“I can’t even explain what’s happening now, how amazing it is to see it firsthand. I’m in awe. The revolution has begun!” he said, according to court documents.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Fifield noted at the sentencing hearing that Evans had speculated at one point that former President Donald Trump would “pardon anyone arrested for entering the Capitol.”
“He knew what was going on around him was not legal,” she said.
Evans is serving three years of supervised release and must report to a probation officer. Federal prosecutors did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his statement. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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