In the months since former President Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election prompted a mob of his extremist supporters to storm the United States Capitol on January 6, federal law enforcement officials have made hundreds of arrests.
Before January 20—when President Joe Biden took office—many of these rioters implored Trump to pardon them. Others have invoked the former President in their defense, claiming his disinformation campaign deceived them into taking part in the deadly failed insurrection.
Now, one rioter—right wing YouTuber Zvonimir Jurlina—is demanding Trump pay his legal fees.
Watch below.
\u201cDonald Trump, please pay for my legal fees,\u201d says one of the latest January 6 defendants after leaving the courthouse. \u201cThis all happened because of you.\u201d\n\nThe defendant, Zvonimir Jurlina, claims in a YouTube stream that he\u2019s a \u201cpolitical prisoner\u201d and a \u201creal American patriot.\u201dpic.twitter.com/jtCyVpUDLw— Jan Wolfe (@Jan Wolfe) 1625011541
Jurlina says in the video:
"I am a political prisoner. ... I can't get into any trouble. I can't do nothing bad. I can't do no drugs, no drinking to excess. I can't get into altercations with people. So, I'm a real American patriot. I would like to say, Donald Trump, please pay for my legal fees because this all happened because of you. Okay? How about that? And I did nothing wrong. Let's go. Let's go, I did nothing wrong."
Jurlina is facing charges for Destruction of Property in Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction and Aiding and Abetting, as well as an Act of Physical Violence on Grounds. He was seen destroying media equipment on the grounds of the Capitol and recorded saying, "I guess we should loot now, right?"
People weren't sympathetic to his plea.
Let me just take a minute to compose my thoughts... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh that\u2019s funny- TRUMP pay your legal fees??!!— Christian (@Christian) 1625015486
pic.twitter.com/FOlu3DgDM8— SadOldDog (@SadOldDog) 1625020177
pic.twitter.com/sQTlz0YKIW— Jamie (@Jamie) 1625013480
Political prisoner? pic.twitter.com/upBN9YoRC6— Marshall Law (@Marshall Law) 1625011767
#InsurrectionHasConsequencespic.twitter.com/EqoQTFjfzy— Marilyn Rautenbach (@Marilyn Rautenbach) 1625039141
People also reminded him that Trump has a track record of not paying his own bills, including his legal fees.
TFG doesn't pay his own bills so don't hold your breath. Now, try being a man and own up to what YOU did. No one forced you to be an idiot, you did that on your own.https://twitter.com/JanNWolfe/status/1410026720770641920\u00a0\u2026— LittleS (@LittleS) 1625061542
So he's upset because the court is ordering him to act like a responsible citizen? He wants Trump to pay for his fees? Ha! Trump doesn't pay for his own attorney fees.https://twitter.com/JanNWolfe/status/1410026720770641920\u00a0\u2026— Gigi \ud83d\ude0f (@Gigi \ud83d\ude0f) 1625064178
Now he knows how all those contractors felt getting stiffed by Trump!— Sandra Coppola (@Sandra Coppola) 1625054468
During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to pay the legal fees of any supporter who "knocked the crap" out of protesters at his rallies.
