Capitol riot defendant could end up back in jail for watching MyPillow guy's election symposium

Mike Lindell
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A Capitol riot defendant who was released from jail reportedly could end up going back after he spent two days watching MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's election conspiracy theories.

Prosecutors in a filing on Thursday said they want alleged Capitol rioter Douglas Jensen to be sent back to jail as a result of "egregious" violations of his release conditions, which barred him from accessing the Internet after he was released in July, BuzzFeed News reports. According to the filing, Jensen admitted that he "spent two days watching Mike Lindell's Cyber Symposium regarding the recount of the presidential election." Lindell has repeatedly pushed baseless conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was illegitimate.

Jensen allegedly "led a mob chasing Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman" during the Capitol riot and "joined rioters by climbing through a broken window to enter the Capitol while armed with a knife." According to BuzzFeed News, his lawyer has argued that after spending six months in jail, he recognized "that he bought into a pack of lies" and "feels deceived."

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But prosecutors said that after violating his release conditions, he "has proven that not even six months in jail will deter him from returning to the conspiracy theories that led him to commit an assault against a federal officer on January 6, 2021," and that "contrary to what Jensen claimed at his bond hearing, he is still very much bought into QAnon's 'pack of lies.'"

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.