Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Capitol Rioter Sobs During Interrogation While Claiming He Thought Trump Was 'Calling For Help'

Capitol Rioter Sobs During Interrogation While Claiming He Thought Trump Was 'Calling For Help'
@MacFarlaneNews/Twitter

A new video of a January 6 insurrectionist breaking down in tears during his FBI interrogation has gone viral after being made public by court order.

The clip is one of several in which rioter, Daniel Rodriguez, shares so-called "Big Lie" theories about the 2020 election and espouses allegiance to conspiracy theorists aligned with former Republican President Donald Trump.


But one moment stood out far beyond the others.

Rodriguez collapsed into sobs and told FBI investigators he attended the Capitol coup attempt at former Republican President Donald Trump's behest, in order to provide the "help" Trump was "asking for."

See the clip below.


Rodriguez has been charged with conspiracy, among other crimes, and is believed by the Justice Department to have helped plan the insurrection. He is also the man who tased Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone in the back of the neck until he went unconscious while he was being beaten nearly to death.

Rodriguez's testimony gives a startling glimpse into the role Trump himself played in the insurrection in the minds of his supporters. Rodriguez told the FBI that like so many other insurrectionists before him, he understood the President to be explicitly calling for them to storm the Capitol.

"Trump called us to DC."

He then broke down while explaining his reasoning.

"If he's the Commander in Chief of our country, and he's calling for help... I thought he was calling for help! I thought he was...
"I thought we were doing the right thing..."

The video clips also paint a bracing picture of the depth of delusion that seems to have gripped so many Trump supporters. Rodriguez spoke at length about conspiracy theories he believed and which he and other Trump supporters thought were the catalyst of an oncoming civil war.



He also spoke of having spent more than a decade following InfoWars host Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist infamous for claiming the Sandy Hook school massacre was staged and who has been one of the loudest voices in Trump's retinue of election fraud fabulists. Jones helped plan several "Stop the Steal" rallies that led to January 6.


Rodriguez's tearful claim about helping Trump was just one of the times he broke down during questioning. He also burst into tears when FBI agents showed him a video of Fanone's account of being tased, after which Rodriguez called himself "a piece of sh*t."

But on Twitter, Rodriguez's tears drew very little sympathy.










Many others responded to the videos by calling for the prosecution of the conspiracy theorists who have deluded people like Rodriguez.





In addition to conspiracy, Rodriguez's charges also include assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon; impeding, obstructing or interfering with law enforcement during the commission of a civil disorder that obstructs an official proceeding; and theft of government property.

He and his attorneys are attempting to have the videos of his interrogation deemed inadmissible in his forthcoming trial.

More from People/donald-trump

Bowen Yang
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Hennessy

Bowen Yang Offers Hilariously NSFW Clapback After Troll Questions Why He's Grand Marshal Of NYC Pride

One good thing about trolling comedians, they always know exactly how to respond.

New York City Pride recently announced the Grand Marshals for its annual Pride parade, scheduled for June 28.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images; Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Claps Back With Blistering Reality Check After Trump Shares Meme Of Newsom As A Zombie

On Sunday, May 17, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump went on a posting spree on Truth Social. Between 4:02pm and 4:54pm, Trump posted or reposted 32 times—much of it "AI slop"—like a child with a new toy.

The POTUS had just returned from a trip to China where pundits opined Chinese President Xi Jinping walked him like a dog, openly mocking him multiple times.

Keep ReadingShow less
JD Vance
Eric Lee-Pool/Getty Images

JD Vance Gets Blunt Reminder After Telling Voters To Oust The 'Crazy Leadership In Washington'

Vice President JD Vance received a blunt reminder after urging voters—with no sense of irony whatsoever—to "vote against the crazy leadership in Washington, D.C.," in the midterms later this year.

Speaking at a manufacturing plant in Missouri, Vance was touting President Donald Trump’s economic agenda and trying to energize supporters ahead of the midterm elections when he appeared to misspeak.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mike Lee
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

MAGA Senator Gets Epic Reality Check After Sharing Photos Of Four Black Congressmen To Prove GOP 'Is NOT The Party Of Jim Crow'

Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee was given a dose of reality after sharing an image of four Black Republican House members to claim that the GOP "is NOT the party of Jim Crow," only for people to point out there was a glaring issue with his declaration.

Lee posted images of Representatives Wesley Hunt (R-TX), John James (R-MI), Byron Donalds (R-FL), and Burgess Owens (R-UT), apparently intending it as a political flex. He failed to note, however, that all four are departing the House after this year, without any Black Republicans to fill their shoes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Henry Winkler (left) and Elon Musk (right) have publicly clashed over the role of empathy in modern society.
Emerson College/YouTube; Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images

Henry Winkler Pushes Back On Elon Musk's Claim That America Has Too Much 'Empathy' In Must-See Commencement Speech

For generations of television viewers, Henry Winkler has built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most universally beloved figures. Now, the Happy Days icon is using that platform to push back against one of Silicon Valley’s most controversial voices, delivering a commencement message that directly challenged Elon Musk’s criticism of empathy.

The ceremony was held on May 9 at Boston's Wang Theatre. Winkler, who graduated from Emerson College in 1967, delivered an inspiring and humorous eight-minute speech focused on perseverance, self-belief, and recognizing one's unique gifts.

Keep ReadingShow less