Judge orders Capitol riot defendant back to jail after he watched the MyPillow guy's election conspiracies

(Image credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

published 2 September 2021

A Capitol Riot defendant is returning to jail less than two months after he got out thanks to his viewing of conspiracy theories, including from the MyPillow guy.

A judge on Thursday ordered Capitol riot suspect Doug Jensen to return to jail because he violated the conditions of his release by using the internet to watch conspiracy theory content, CNN reports.

Prosecutors previously said in a court filing that Jensen admitted that he "spent two days watching Mike Lindell's Cyber Symposium regarding the recount of the presidential election," even though he wasn't permitted to access the internet after being released. Jensen is accused of leading a mob that chased a Capitol Police officer in the Jan. 6 riot, during which supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. His lawyer had argued that he has since recognized that he "bought into a pack of lies," according to BuzzFeed News.

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But District Judge Timothy Kelly said Thursday it was "clear that he has not experienced the transformation that his lawyer previously described, and that he continues to seek out the conspiracy theories that led to his dangerous conduct on January 6," CNN reports. The judge added, "I don't see any reason to believe that he has had the wake-up call that he needs." Per CNN, Jensen's lawyer argued it "sounds a bit Orwellian" that the "government wants to jail him" for "streaming the news," but he added, "Orwellian aside, he was wrong, and he's not denying that."

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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.

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