Western Reader
Owen Shroyer, a host at Infowars, has been sentenced to 60 days in prison for his involvement in the January 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol. What makes this story intriguing is that Shroyer never actually entered the Capitol building.
Shroyer, known for hosting “The War Room,” was accused of violating a deferred prosecution agreement he had previously signed. This agreement was a result of his protest during a Donald Trump impeachment hearing back in 2019.
According to the agreement, Shroyer was not allowed to use any “loud, threatening, or abusive language” or engage in any disorderly or disruptive conduct on the United States Capitol Grounds.
Owen Shroyer was sentenced to 60 days in jail today for covering J6 at the U.S. Capitol as a journalist.
This is a Shroyer moment most people have forgotten.pic.twitter.com/v4mdSCElHY
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) September 13, 2023
Court documents reveal that Shroyer was accused of spreading “election disinformation paired with violent rhetoric to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of viewers.”
On January 6, Shroyer reportedly used a megaphone to lead a crowd towards the Capitol, declaring, “The Democrats are posing as communists, but we know what they really are: they’re just tyrants, they’re tyrants.”
He continued by saying, “So today, on January 6, we declare death to tyranny! Death to tyrants!” He then proceeded to march around chanting ‘1776!’
In response to these allegations, Shroyer held a press conference where he defended his actions, stating that he was supporting a legal process.
He questioned whether this was the country we want to live in when a prosecution, multiple U.S. attorneys, and a judge quote him saying ‘1776’ and ‘U.S.A.’ in a criminal offense.
He pointed out that the Democratic Party challenged every presidential election they lost in the 21st century, and this legal process was what he was trying to support.
Shroyer’s defense team issued a written statement expressing their disappointment with the decision. They argued that it “represents a low-water mark in the government’s prosecution of January 6 cases, taking direct aim at freedom of speech. It seeks to penalize Mr. Shroyer for his viewpoints.”
Owen Shroyer “it breaks my heart that future Americans may have to suffer the same fate, or worse”
Phil Labonte is spot on, here: “There is never a time where the government says ‘oh, this isn’t a new power. this is only in this case.’ They are going to look at this as ‘oh no,… pic.twitter.com/CFMJlDIIbV— Liberty Lockdown w/ Clint Russell (@LibertyLockPod) September 13, 2023
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who also sentenced former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio to 22 years in prison. The government initially sought a 120-day sentence for Shroyer, arguing that while he didn’t enter the Capitol, “many of those who listened to him” did.
Shroyer’s defense team countered this argument by stating that on January 6th, he “wore two hats,” one as an “outraged citizen who believed that an election had been rigged” and another as a “full-time journalist and commentator who sought a front-row seat at a historic event.”
This case raises important questions about the boundaries of free speech and the role of media personalities in shaping public opinion.
This article appeared in Watch Dog News and has been published here with permission.
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