A violent Capitol rioter is seeking his pretrial release from the DC Jail, arguing that it’s “not healthy” to be “stuck in a bubble” with other insurrectionists who share his views.
Robert Gieswein is member of the Three Percenters militia group who’s accused of assaulting police officers at the Capitol after traveling to Washington from Colorado “prepared for battle,” according to media reports.
In a handwritten letter to U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan filed in court on Thursday, Gieswein wrote that he read a recent Vice News article about the “Patriot Wing” of the DC Jail, where he is housed with other hardcore perpetrators of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“I am not an expert in anything, but I do know it’s not healthy to spend every day in here like it’s Groundhog’s (SIC) Day, with people with the same viewpoint, in the same situation, because we are all portrayed by much of the media as one type of person,” Gieswein wrote. “It is natural in this environment for the conversation to turn to January 6, and for us to look to each other for strength.”
Gieswein added that he does participate in nightly singalongs of the national anthem that take place in the Patriot Wing — because it helps him remember that he loves his country.
“And I am saying nothing against the other men in here,” he wrote. “Still, most of us do share a lot of the same views, and it’s easy to get stuck in your bubble in this environment. … Outside, I could choose to seek out other perspectives.”
Gieswein wrote that he tries to watch “many news sites for perspective” — from CNN to Steve Bannon’s War Room.
“But it seems like they try to rile everybody up to make money,” he wrote. “What I am missing in here is time away from a bubble, and a real chance to talk to real people I trust who may have different perspectives on January 6.”
Read the full letter below.