We know that after Jan. 6, law enforcement reported that, “Antifa members disguised themselves with pro-Trump clothing to join the DC rioting,” and that the “infiltrators were recognized due to their participation in New York City demonstrations.”
We know extreme Black Lives Matter activists were involved in breaching the Capitol. One BLM activist, John Earle Sullivan, was photographed inside the building, and Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo reportedly showed a video of Sullivan and other BLM and Antifa members in the Capitol saying they were going to, “Burn this s*** down.”
That aligns with Sullivan’s previous behavior. In August of 2020, Sullivan spoke at a BLM rally in Washington D.C., identifying himself with a group called “Insurgence USA,” saying, “We f****** going to burn this sh** down.” He also said, “We gonna rip Trump outta that office right over there,” and, “We ain’t about f****** waiting for the next election, we’re gonna go get that m*****f******. He then led the crowd in a chant, saying, “It’s time for a revolution.”
We know that Sullivan’s group, Insurgence USA, helped organize a rally on Jan. 6 in Washington D.C., just two miles from the U.S. Capitol. The flyer for their event states, “Must have Tactical gear / bulletproof vest, bring first aid kits and water.”
We know that Sullivan “just happened” to be a few feet away from unarmed U.S. Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt as she was shot dead by a “plain-clothed officer” inside the U.S. Capitol.
Another question that should be answered: How did John Sullivan just happen to be interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper the evening of Jan. 6? Think for a moment. How does one just happen to be chosen to be a guest on CNN with Anderson Cooper on the night the Capitol was breached? And again on Good Morning America the next morning?
During Sullivan’s interview on CNN, he said one of the Capitol Police officers was crying as people entered the Capitol. “I remember just looking up and seeing one of them crying, saying they want to go home to their kids.”
“I ended up talking to a few of them,” Sullivan said. “I said ‘Hey, like, we can just make a path for you to get — by no means am I there on the Trump side – the MAGA side – but I don’t want to see people get hurt unnecessarily, especially when there should be a better way to go about it.’ So I told everybody to just let them go, they’re willing to go peacefully.”
We now know that Sullivan lied to Cooper. A video of Sullivan’s escapade into the Capitol shows Sullivan stirring up the crowd to climb up the wall and enter the Capitol, urging people to kick in doors, telling Capitol police that they need to go home, and warning Police officers that they are going to get hurt unless they let the crowd through.
Sullivan was a master manipulator who played both sides, and he did it seamlessly. When he wanted to stir up Trump supporters who became mixed in with the Antifa/BLM insurrectionists, he could be heard leading a chant of “USA! USA!” When police challenged him, he would claim to be part of the press and say, “I’m just recording.”
At one point, Sullivan told someone, “I’ve been to so many riots,” and then his voice became giddy after several obvious instigators rallied the crowd to push through police lines. Sullivan could also be heard yelling, “Push” when he wanted protestors to push through a police line, and he even offered the use of his knife to open locked doors.
When someone said they were going to be arrested, Sullivan said, “It’s just a little jail time,” and, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I do this all the time.”
The ultimate betrayal
Just before Ashli Babbitt was killed, it was Sullivan who told the police, “We want you to go home. I’m recording, and there’s so many people. They’re gonna push their way up here. Bro – I seen people out there get hurt. I don’t want to see you get hurt. We will make a path to get out.” Then Sullivan yelled for the crowd to make a path. As the police acquiesced and started leaving, Sullivan yelled, “I want you to go home!”
Then, after the police left and the doors to the Speaker Lobby became vulnerable, Sullivan yelled, “Go! Go! Let’s go! Get this s***!”
Immediately, two people started breaking the glass windows of the doors. These were the same people I previously described as instigators, and both were dressed in clothing typical of Antifa. As they continued breaking the safety glass, Sullivan saw someone on the other side of the doors holding a gun. Sullivan yelled out, “There’s a gun!” However, for the next 14 seconds, while filming someone’s hands holding the gun, Sullivan does not tell the two who are breaking the glass to stop. He doesn’t say anything to anyone. Later he says he personally wasn’t worried because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
After Ashli Babbitt was shot, Sullivan could be heard taunting the police and apparently attempting to stir the crowd at the same time. Sullivan said, “Are you going to shoot everybody?” Shortly thereafter, Sullivan again seemed to be trying to stir the crowd by yelling, “She dead! She’s dead!”
Additionally, in a separate snippet of video, Sullivan and video journalist Jade Sacker were standing in the Capitol, and Sacker was ecstatic that they made it in. In reply, Sullivan told Sacker, “I was trying to tell you – I couldn’t say much.”
Why not? What couldn’t he say? What did Sullivan know and when did he know it? How much foreknowledge did Sullivan have that the Capitol would be breached?