Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Man Who Stormed Capitol In Burberry Coat Ordered To Stay At Parents' Mansion Before Trial

Man Who Stormed Capitol In Burberry Coat Ordered To Stay At Parents' Mansion Before Trial
U.S. Department of Justice

When primarily White Evangelical Christian voters elected former Republican President Donald Trump in 2016, defenders claimed his support was all disenfranchised poor or working class White people. His well-documented history of racism, misogyny, homophobia, Islamaphobia and various other bigotries as well as allegations of criminal conduct were dismissed as being irrelevant as opposed to central to why many of his biggest fans supported him.

The same excuse is being given for those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6.


Those who defend the violent rioters describe them not as the White nationalists, White supremacists or QAnon conspiracy theorists they are, but rather as disaffected, downtrodden souls angry about their impoverished lots in life.

Scores of data have proven this excuse to be untrue. Socioeconomic status is not the most common factor among his MAGA supporters.

White nationalism, bigotry and belief in conspiracy theories, regardless of socioeconomic status, has proven to be the biggest common denominator among ardent Trump supporters. Now there's a new example to counter the disenfranchised poor people misconception.

24-year-old Christian Kulas stormed the U.S. Capitol January 6 in a thousand-dollar Burberry coat. He will await trial for his participation in the deadly attack at his parents' multi-million-dollar mansion.

Kulas was arrested Tuesday for his participation in the deadly January 6 coup attempt after he was identified from Instagram videos Kulas posted showing him following crowds to the Capitol, climbing a wall, entering the Capitol building and walking around inside.

Ultimately, according to the FBI's report, it was Kulas' mother who positively identified him after seeing her son in screenshots posted by the FBI in an attempt to identify suspects from the insurrection.

He has been charged with unlawful entry and disorderly conduct and faces a prison sentence if convicted.

Kulas was released after posting $4,500 bond on the condition he surrender his passport, stay away from Washington, D.C., and live at his parents' sprawling mansion, perched atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan in the Chicago suburb of Kenilworth on the city's ritzy North Shore.

Local CBS affiliate WBBM spoke to Mary Bowman, a neighbor of the Kulas family, who expressed disbelief at someone like Kulas being duped by the conspiracy theories that motivated many of the insurrectionists.

"It shocks me that someone that seemingly affluent—and let's go out on a limb and say educated—would believe all this craziness."

Kulas is a graduate of Lake Forest High School in the elite suburb of Lake Forest, which is ranked among the top 10 public high schools in the state of Illinois.

On Twitter, people greeted Kulas' situation with a collective eyeroll.

Many scoffing at right-wingers' overused "economic anxiety" excuse.










Others cited White privilege as a greater factor in Kulas' situation.



Kulas is one of more than 500 people who have been arrested so far for their involvement in the Capitol coup attempt.

More from Trending

Close-up of an unrecognizable hand texting on a phone.
Photo by DuoNguyen on Unsplash

People Reveal The Worst Thing They've Ever Texted The Wrong Person

Mistexting can be perilous.

I have had literal panic attacks about it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Halle Berry speaks during SiriusXM's Front Row Series with the cast of "Crime 101."
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Halle Berry Reveals Her Teachers Refused To Accept That She Was Voted Prom Queen Over A White Girl

Halle Berry has cemented herself as a Hollywood icon, from her breakout role as Angela Lewis in Boomerang to her historic Academy Award win for Monster’s Ball to the way she continues to shape her own future by producing and directing her own film projects and advocating on social media.

But behind those milestones lies a life lesson rooted in self-definition and learning to survive spaces not built with her in mind.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images; Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Bashes Trump For Questioning How People Of Faith Can Vote Democrat At National Prayer Breakfast

California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized President Donald Trump for questioning during an appearance at the bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast how people of faith can vote for a Democrat.

Trump's comments came during a rambling 75-minute speech at the Washington Hilton in D.C. He falsely alleged Democrats "cheat" in elections and reiterated his call for voter identification laws after his recent remarks about having Republicans "take over the voting" in at least 15 states.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lindsey Vonn; Breezy Johnson
Kevin Voigt/GettyImages; IOC via Getty Images

Lindsey Vonn's Olympic Teammate Defends Her Decision To Compete Despite Rupturing Her ACL

Olympic champion skier Lindsey Vonn suffered a terrifying setback with just one week left until the Milan Cortina Olympic Games: a ruptured ACL.

But Vonn has made the risky decision to compete in downhill skiing anyway, and her teammate Breezy Johnson is backing her up.

Keep ReadingShow less
Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Finneas Epically Defends Billie Eilish From 'Old White Men' Attacking Her Over Her Anti-ICE Grammys Speech

During Sunday's Grammy Awards telecast, several artists used their platform to promote social justice and human rights.

Among them was singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, who addressed atrocities committed by the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump through Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security via her Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees.

Keep ReadingShow less