A Texas man who was charged for participating in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and threatening Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, now says he’s sorry for actions and that he was only following the “instructions” of former President Trump, CNBC reports.
Garret Miller also apologized to Ocasio-Cortez for writing “Assassinate AOC” in a Twitter post. He also issued threats to Capitol police.
A statement released through Miller’s defense attorney said he was motivated by Trump’s false claims that mass voter fraud stole the election for Joe Biden.
“I am ashamed of my comments,” Miller said. “I was in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, because I believed I was following the instructions of former President Trump and he was my president and the commander-in-chief. His statements also had me believing the election was stolen from him.”
Miller said he also wanted to “fully recognize Joe Biden is now the President of the United States and that the election is over.”
“Donald Trump is no longer president and I would not have any reason to continue to follow his lead,” he said.
He added that he never intended to harm Ocasio-Cortez or any members of the Capitol police force. “I recognize that my social media posts were completely inappropriate. They were made at a time when Donald Trump had me believing that an American election was stolen.”
“I want to publicly apologize to Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and the Capitol police officers,” he continued. “I have always supported law enforcement and I am ashamed by my comments.”
Miller, who was arrested last Wednesday, said it was only recently that he became interested in politics.
“Nevertheless, what Donald Trump had been saying about the election really got to me and I felt I had to support him. Still, I recognize that I am solely responsible for my actions and that there are no excuses for what I did.”
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