It's not clear if Samsel has actually recanted his initial account to the FBI. But recall
Defendants can say anything to the media w/o risk of penalty.
However by altering an account to the FBI a defendant could theoretically be exposed to new charges of lying to federal agents
Moreover Samsel has been fighting w/the government over receiving treatment for serious medical issues.
In recent court hearings, he has become increasingly upset w/the prosecutors & judge about what he sees as neglect of his health and conditions of confinement.
Samsel is of course free to alter his account.
But if it happens here’s some context:
*Any contacts Samsel may have had w/the media took place w/o the knowledge or participation of his lawyer
*For 18 mths Samsel has been in jail where it can be perilous to be known as a snitch
In his first interview w/the FBI--only weeks after J6-- Samsel said a Proud Boys leader, Joe Biggs, urged him to confront the cops.
Samsel also said a man named Ray Epps encouraged him to calm down when he did confront the cops.
THREAD: An account may soon emerge questioning the role that the Proud Boys and a man named Ryan Samsel played in the tipping point confrontation of the Capitol attack.
(The J6 committee has focused on this moment.)
If that happens, here are a few things to bear in mind:
New: A look into why it matters that Cassidy Hutchinson testified on Tuesday that Trump asked her boss, Mark Meadows, to reach out to Roger Stone and Mike Flynn on the day before the Capitol was attacked.
New: A profile of Thomas Windom, the federal prosecutor helping to drive the accelerating inquiry into Donald Trump's efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election.
w/
@GlennThrush
and
@nytmike
BREAKING: Gateway Pundit is outraged that this video it claims exonerates the Proud Boys has been hidden from public view, which is weird bc here is the 1700 word NYT article reporting on it on Sunday.
UPDATED: The story on the seizure of John Eastman's phone by the DOJ's inspector general's office now takes notes of the connection b/t Eastman and Jeff Clark made at last week's J6 committee hearing.
The two searches show signs of being related.
Eastman submitted the search warrant written out in his name as part of his motion to retrieve property.
So, it looks like federal agents really did seize his phone--on the same day they seized Jeff Clark's.
"Throughout the meeting, Mr. Tarrio and others used blatantly misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic language, disparaging the Proud Boys’ female supporters and making references to the 'J.Q.' — or the Jewish Question, a phrase that harks back to Nazi ideology."
The virtual meeting was the the Ministry of Self-Defense, a group of Proud Boys hand-picked for Jan. 6.
The nearly two-hour video in which Enrique Tarrio & other Proud Boys leaders explain the MOSD, has been referred to in court papers but has not been widely seen.
New: In a video meeting a week before Jan. 6, a special group of Proud Boys got marching orders:
*Take a defensive stance at the Capitol
*Keep "normies" away
*Obey police lines
But none of this was followed when scores of Proud Boys stormed the building.