House pushes to impeach Trump after deadly Capitol riot

Eric Gavelek Munchel, who was arrested Sunday after being depicted in photos wearing black paramilitary gear and carrying plastic restraints inside the Capitol, had been first stopped by law enforcement on Jan. 6 because he was carrying a Taser for self-protection while attending the pro-Trump rally, according to his newly released charging documents. 

The FBI followed images of Munchel leaving the hotel carrying without a face mask and carrying a drink as just before President Trump began to speak that day to his supporters.

The charging documents released Monday detail how extensively the FBI has used publicly available photographs to help to identify and charge people allegedly involved in the violence. Munchel is charged with entering restricted grounds of the Capitol and violent entry or disorderly conduct.

The Nashville man was accompanied by a woman in photos who appears to be a relative on Jan. 6, the FBI said.

In other photos the FBI used to identify him, Munchel carried a rifle while standing in front of a TV tuned to Fox News showing a Trump speech. In one photo the FBI used to identify him, Munchel wore a Kid Rock-related shirt.

The FBI also noted he had been recorded on a livestream in a hotel lobby. 

In photos from inside the Capitol, Munchel wore a baseball cap made by the Black Rifle Coffee company and a patch on his chest atop body armor that showed the Tennessee "thin blue line" and one that showed the "Punisher" comic book character, according to descriptions included in his court documents. 

Two law enforcement officials told CNN earlier that Munchel was seen on Jan. 6 in photos and videos that depicted him inside the US Capitol wearing black paramilitary gear and carrying plastic restraints, an item in a holster on his right hip, and a cell phone mounted on his chest with the camera facing outward, ostensibly to record events that day.

He has not yet appeared in federal court in DC, where he is charged.

How the US Capitol riot unfolded, minute by minute:

##Riot Investigation#

Some House Republicans are privately discussing whether to censure President Trump as a way to express their disapproval about the President's actions without going along with the Democratic effort to impeach him, according to several GOP sources.

It's unclear, though, whether they will ever get a chance to vote on such a plan. Democratic leaders have shown no willingness so far to schedule a vote on anything short of impeachment.

It's likely to be a topic on the House GOP's 4:30 p.m. ET conference call today.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday refused requests from the Trump campaign and other Republicans to put several election-related cases on a fast track for consideration, in the latest sign that the justices have no interest in getting involved with the 2020 election results.

The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Daniel Hokanson, said up to 15,000 National Guard troops have been approved to meet current and future requests for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.

CNN reported earlier Monday that the Pentagon plans to have 10,000 National Guard troops in DC by Jan. 16 as troops already earmarked for the inauguration begin to arrive, according to a senior defense official. 

Currently, there 6,200 National Guard members who have already been mobilized in the wake of the Capitol being stormed by pro-Trump rioters. 

Rep. Debbie Dingell, a member of House Speaker Pelosi's leadership team, singled out tweets from freshman Rep. Lauren Boebert who noted that the speaker had been evacuated from the chamber during Wednesday's riot.

Dingell didn't name Boebert but it was clear whom she was talking about.

Read her tweets:

Hear what Boebert said on the House floor:

Twenty federal criminal defendants related to last week's deadly pro-Trump riot at the US Capitol have been rounded up across the country since the insurrection, with the allegations showing the danger of the mob.

Some of the defendants are accused of bringing weapons and bombs to Capitol Hill, indicative of the extremism of parts of the crowd.

Others were photographed ransacking the building, smiling while posing with congressional items such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern or at her staffer's desk, or publicly bragged about the crowd's violent and destructive joyride.

Here are some of the key people arrested so far tied to last week's attack:

Weapons and bombs brought to DC: The most unsettling of the allegations so far appear to be those against Lonnie Coffman, an Alabama man charged after authorities found 11 homemade bombs, an assault rifle and a handgun in his truck parked two blocks from the Capitol. The truck had sat there all morning during the pro-Trump rally, and Coffman was arrested as he tried to return to the vehicle after dusk.

In another startling complaint, Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr. is accused of writing in text messages that he wanted to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and that he had brought hundreds of rounds of ammunition and three guns to Washington, DC, having driven from Colorado, according to court records.

On Sunday night, authorities arrested two more men, Eric Munchel of Tennessee and Larry Rendell Brock of Texas. Both had drawn attention online because of photos showing them wearing body armor inside the Capitol building and carrying plastic ties that could restrain a person.

Viral rioters also charged: One of the federal defendants so far, Jacob Chansley — who wore into the Capitol no shirt, a bearskin headdress, face paint and horns and was captured in many images of the crowd — has already told the FBI he came to Washington "as a part of a group effort, with other 'patriots' from Arizona, at the request of the President that all 'patriots' come to D.C. on January 6, 2021," according to his court documents.

Others charged with taking part in the melee, such as Proud Boys Hawaii founder Nick Ochs and Joshua Pruitt, who is identified in a November video reciting an oath to the Proud Boys, appeared to have allied with fringe groups like the Proud Boys and QAnon that have followed Trump.

Several others who were not charged with crimes have lost their jobs for attending the rally at which Trump spoke. One man, Derrick Evans, resigned from his recently won seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates after federal prosecutors charged him. He said he took responsibility for his actions — which included allegedly livestreaming his entry into the Capitol building and shouting "We're in! We're in, baby!" A man later approached him and shakes his hand, saying, "Welcome to Congress."

Read more here

Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican of South Carolina, tweeted Monday that he’s “confident” Congress will provide any necessary resources to bring all of those who participated in the US Capitol riot to justice.

The South Carolina Republican also tweeted that he is “Very pleased with the zeal and determination @TheJusticeDept @FBI and other federal agencies are showing in holding domestic terrorists accountable for defiling the Capitol, attacking the police, and undermining our democratic process."

See his tweets:

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) told CNN's Manu Raju that they "have the numbers to pass” the articles of impeachment against President Trump. Cicilline drafted the articles along with Reps. Ted Lieu, Jamie Raskin, and House Judiciary staff.

Cicilline told Manu Monday that he expected they'll “have Republican support,” to impeach President Trump after Trump spurred supporters to storm the Capitol last Wednesday, though he did not expect Republican co-sponsors.

Cicilline also told Manu he expects a vote Wednesday, but that it’s House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s call.

Pressed by reporters on the timeline, Cicilline said, “I think it’s urgent that the President be removed immediately,” warning that, so long as he remains in office, Trump represents “a clear and present danger.” 

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told CNN he expects the vote to impeach President Trump will occur on Wednesday.

He said he wants the articles to be sent right away to the Senate and not delay sending them over. That could mean a Senate trial in the first few days of the Biden presidency.

House Democrats formally introduced their resolution to impeach Trump today, charging him with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in last week's riots at the US Capitol.

The impeachment resolution that the House is poised to vote on is the Democrats' first step toward making Trump the first president in history to be impeached twice.

Hoyer also he said he’s going to a meeting right now on Capitol security surrounding the inaugural.

An Army officer assigned to the Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg in North Carolina is being investigated by the US Army for her involvement in the events in Washington last week that led to rioters breaching the US Capitol. 

Commanders at Fort Bragg are investigating the involvement of Capt. Emily Rainey at the US Capitol last Wednesday, Major Dan Lessard, spokesperson for the 1st Special Forces Command said. 

Rainey told the Associated Press on Sunday that she led 100 people from the Moore County Citizens for Freedom group in North Carolina to the rally in Washington last Wednesday but said she did not know of anyone form the group who entered the Capitol. 

“I was a private citizen and doing everything right and within my rights,” Rainey told the AP.

A defense official told CNN that Rainey had submitted her resignation from the Army prior to the events that unfolded last week, and that her resignation was not tied to Wednesday’s events. 

CNN affiliate, WRAL  in Raleigh, North Carolina, reported that Rainey last May posted a video of her ripping down caution tape at a playground that was closed because of North Carolina’s coronavirus restrictions. 

CNN attempts to reach Rainey have been unsuccessful.