Garret Miller was sentenced this week to 38 months in prison for charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
A 36-year-old man from Texas has been sentenced to 38 months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Garret Miller, who also tweeted threats to New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York Senator Chuck Schumer, will also have to serve 36 months of supervised release, the Department of Justice said.
Miller pleaded guilty in December to charges of assaulting a police officer, interstate threat to injure or kidnap, three counts of interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder, entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, impeding ingress and egress in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in disorderly conduct in a capitol building, impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings, and demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, the DOJ said.
"During the breach of the U.S. Capitol Building, Miller was at the forefront of every barrier overturned, police line overrun, and entryway breached within his proximity that day. He was so disruptive on the East Front of the building that he was twice detained, the second time resulting in him being put in handcuffs," the DOJ said in a statement. "After being released and vowing to leave, Miller instead stayed at the riot, initially recording himself talking about a revolution."
Miller traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 with "rope, a grappling hook, a mouth guard and a bump cap," the DOJ said.
The DOJ also said that Miller had threatened multiple people on social media, including Senator Chuck Schumer, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and then-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
On Jan. 6 at 7:26 p.m., in response to Ocasio-Cortez’s social media post to “Impeach,” Miller directly responded: “Assassinate AOC.”
“At the time that I tweeted at the Congresswoman, I intended that the communication be perceived as a serious intent to commit violence against the Congresswoman,” Miller said as part of his guilty plea, according to court documents obtained by CNN.
The day after the insurrection, prosecutors say Miller bragged to a friend in a message that the rioters "terrified congress.”
He was arrested weeks after the riot, on Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. "Miller was so proud of his conduct, that when he was arrested on January 20, 2021, he was found wearing a shirt with an image of the former president and the words 'I was there, Washington, D.C., January 6, 2021,'" the DOJ said.
Miller's attorney, F. Clinton Broden, said in court documents obtained by Fox News that despite his client's tweet about Ocasio-Cortez and messages about the officer, "there is no indication that he made any effort whatsoever to actually harm anybody."
"It should be always be remembered that, although Garret is fully responsible for his individual actions that day, his actions and the actions of many others were a product of rhetoric from a cult leader that has yet to be brought to justice," Broden told Fox News. "Garret Miller was not the name on the flag carried by those who invaded our Capitol on this dark day in our nation’s history. "
Broden told Fox News that Miller has already served more than two years behind bars since his arrest and with credit for good behavior, he's expected to serve another eight months.
"In the 25 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 985 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including approximately 319 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement," the DOJ said in a statement. "The investigation remains ongoing."
