Confirmed Capitol attackers rode buses paid for by Mastriano — who remained at the Capitol as violence escalated
PENNSYLVANIA — This week, new details emerged surrounding QAnon sympathizer and likely gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano’s ties to the January 6 insurrection.
According to an extensive piece in the New Yorker on Mastriano’s extremism, the buses paid for by the senator’s campaign funds carried a number of confirmed Capitol attackers.
From The New Yorker:
“Later that evening, Mastriano appeared on Facebook Live for his fireside chat, looking spooked. He told viewers that he had left the Capitol after he saw things ‘get weird,’ saying, ‘When it was apparent that this was no longer a peaceful protest, my wife and I left the area.’ Mastriano later told a radio interviewer that he stayed long enough to witness both the first and second breaches of the building. ‘There were several speaking events planned,’ he told me, by e-mail. ‘It was to be a peaceful gathering as it had been previously. When it no longer looked that way, the buses departed.’ James Sinclair, a man from Bensalem, Pennsylvania, who rode one of the buses to the Capitol, was arrested for a curfew violation and possession of a weapon. Sandy Weyer, a bus rider who was photographed at the door of the Capitol with her first raised, tweeted, ‘Truth be known about storming the capitol . . . we were sick and tired of DITHERING!!!'”
PA Spotlight also published a detailed account of Mastriano’s known movements during the Capitol riot. The piece notes that Mastriano did not leave at the first signs of violence, and instead joined former GOP legislator Rick Saccone for a selfie.
From PA Spotlight:
“At 6 minutes and 46 seconds into the interview with the radio hosts, Senator Mastriano recalls during the mayhem on the East side of the Capitol building, he encountered former Pennsylvania State Representative Rick Saccone, who posted a picture on Facebook with Senator Mastriano. He also posted a video that stated “we’re storming the capitol. Our vanguard has broken thru the barricades. We will save this nation. Are u with me?” The violent assault on the Capitol began around 1:50 pm on the Northeast side spreading to both the West and East side by 2:00 pm.
This new reporting demonstrates that Senator Mastriano was at the forefront of the deadly insurrection, saw the first and second attempt to breach the Capitol, and then only left not after the first few signs of violence, but after taking a few selfies with people he claims to not know. While painting a clear timeline of events, additional questions remain for Senator Mastriano about the totality of his involvement in the deadly insurrection.”
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