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Salon
Salon
Politics
John Wright

Back to jail for MAGA rioter?

A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask and holds a bust of him after he and hundreds of others stormed stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

Earlier this week, Jan. 6 insurrectionist Josh Pruitt appeared on CNN and indicated he would storm the Capitol again.

Now, federal prosecutors are seeking to revoke Pruitt's pretrial release and lock him up, pointing to his nationally televised statements, as well as numerous curfew violations and threats he's allegedly made against his ex-girlfriend and others.

Pruitt, a member of the Proud Boys who was living in DC at the time of the insurrection, has a long rap sheet, including 19 prior arrests and eight convictions, WUSA Channel 9 reported Friday.

In fact, Pruitt was on probation and wearing an ankle monitor when he stormed the Capitol, where he fought with police and was seen on surveillance video throwing a "Quiet Please" sign across the atrium. He was arrested later that night for violating curfew in DC, but subsequently released under "a high-intensity supervision program" after being charged in the insurrection.


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"According to a brief filed Thursday by the Justice Department, Pruitt has violated those conditions multiple times," WUSA reported.

While on pretrial release, Pruitt was sentenced to another term of probation for violating two civil protection orders.

"According to the DOJ, in a victim impact statement in that case, Pruitt's former girlfriend described fear that Pruitt would hit her and receiving a 'barrage' of text messages and video clips, including threats, 'some of which depict Pruitt playing with a knife or standing outside her apartment building,'" the station reported.

In addition to his ex-girlfriend, Pruitt has allegedly been threatening others on social media.

RELATED: Trump's former spokesperson reveals that he was "gleefully" rewinding Capitol riot footage on Jan. 6

"In various messages, Pruitt allegedly threatened to put someone 'six feet under' and said in another, in reference to the rounds in a Glock-19, that, 'I have 30 friends waiting for you.' In still another message, prosecutors say, he warned, '[Expletive] around and watch your pulse disappear princess.'"

Earlier this week, pretrial services officials filed a report alleging Pruitt had recently committed seven new curfew violations.

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