Daniel Phipps

Daniel headed to D.C. on January 6^th, 2021, to ensure his frustrations with the election fraud would be heard.  But he had no idea of what would happen when he got there but, he was willing to exercise his constitutional right to free speech, to find out. The D.C. Metro Police did not see it that way and therein lies the conflict.

Once Daniel and his friends and fellow patriots started heading towards the capital, they were met with strong resistance from the metro police. Things turned ugly at that point. The police were holding them back as Daniel and others pushed forward. After shoving three officers, he saw they were not going to move forward so he complied and left the Capitol grounds. And yet before leaving, he turned and said, “You know this isn’t the end. You know this isn’t over,” according to the statements from the officers involved.

Daniel also posted on social media that he helped, “take the Hill,” and later admitted, “I helped other Patriots prevent Antifa from damaging anything. I exercised my 1st Amendment right to take grievances to our representatives.”  He was angry, the crowd was angry, and said his purpose for being there was to ensure that the anarchist group Antifa, many of whom we now know were paid, would not spoil the day with their reckless violence.  His motives were good but none of it mattered to the court or law enforcement – shoving a policeman was considered assault and that was the action he most regretted.  In the heat of the moment however, in self-defense, it seemed like a reasonable thing to do.

Daniel was arrested by FBI agents In Corpus Christi Texas on January 27, 2021 on a tip from the Ft Worth, Texas police. He was arraigned a few days later and charged with the following counts; two felony offenses, including one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and one count of civil disorder, four misdemeanor offenses including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds or in a Capitol building, parading, and demonstrating and picketing in a Capitol building. He pleaded guilty to all the charges.

Daniel had this to say days later on social media, “Everyone talks about being a patriot until it’s time to do patriot stuff (not the word he used but, close). Texas is part of the U.S. Secession and should only be considered after the fight has been lost. I went to DC. I helped take the Hill. I helped other patriots prevent Antifa from damaging anything. I exercised my 1st amendment right to take grievances to our representatives. It was a mostly peaceful political protest.”

Since Daniel pleaded guilty, it was a simple bench trial from that point on, where the judge, not a jury, decides his fate. His plea and admission of guilt probably got him a lighter sentence that his fellow J6ers. U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols order him to serve 27 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and pay a $270 special assessment.

The offer words of encouragement and empathy…