A far-right livestreamer who was arrested for participating in the breaching of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 asked a federal judge to remove his court-mandated GPS monitor, saying that he can be trusted since he was raised as a Christian and respects law enforcement, The Daily Beast reports.
Anthime Joseph Gionet, also known as “Baked Alaska,” has been charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct. He livestreamed a half-hour video of himself and others roaming around inside the Capitol — video that the FBI later used to identify and arrest him. In portions of the video, Gionet can be heard hurling profanity-laced insults at Capitol police — contradicting his claim of being a police supporter to the judge.
This Friday, Gionet’s lawyers argued that he “has no criminal record” and only entered the Capitol as a “journalist.” The lawyers, citing his alleged “Christian upbringing” and education in a “private Christian” school, added that Gionet “does not come from a background of violence and disdain for law enforcement” and should be allowed forgo wearing an ankle monitor while waiting for his trial.
“Mr. Gionet made a music video several years back called ‘We Love the Cops.’ The video has been viewed tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of times on youtube,” the motion argues.
Gionet, a former BuzzFeed employee turned pro-Trump activist, is also facing unrelated charges for pepper-spraying a bouncer last year.
