{"id":118726,"date":"2024-10-26T22:00:27","date_gmt":"2024-10-26T15:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=118726"},"modified":"2024-10-26T22:00:27","modified_gmt":"2024-10-26T15:00:27","slug":"after-jan-6-do-the-marines-have-an-extremism-problem-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=118726","title":{"rendered":"After Jan. 6, do the Marines have an extremism problem? : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29603\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 3000;&#10;        --source-height: 1999;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1999+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4d%2F5c%2F89c17dc742bb8ae4382230a5cf7a%2Fjoshua-abate-micah-coomer.jpg\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1999+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4d%2F5c%2F89c17dc742bb8ae4382230a5cf7a%2Fjoshua-abate-micah-coomer.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1999+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4d%2F5c%2F89c17dc742bb8ae4382230a5cf7a%2Fjoshua-abate-micah-coomer.jpg\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1999+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4d%2F5c%2F89c17dc742bb8ae4382230a5cf7a%2Fjoshua-abate-micah-coomer.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1999+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4d%2F5c%2F89c17dc742bb8ae4382230a5cf7a%2Fjoshua-abate-micah-coomer.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Joshua Abate and Micah Coomer inside the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1999+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4d%2F5c%2F89c17dc742bb8ae4382230a5cf7a%2Fjoshua-abate-micah-coomer.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Josh Abate and Micah Coomer inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Kent Nishimura\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Kent Nishimura\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>For more reporting about Josh Abate and extremism in the military, listen to the new series &#8216;A Good Guy&#8217; from\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/podcasts\/510311\/embedded\"><em>NPR&#8217;s Embedded podcast<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHave you ever tried to overthrow the U.S. government?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re trying to get top secret security clearance for a government job, that\u2019s a standard question for the required polygraph exam. And the answer, obviously, should be no.<\/p>\n<p>But Josh Abate couldn\u2019t say no if he wanted to pass the test.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt depends,\u201d he said, when he took the exam in early 2022 for an internship.<\/p>\n<p>The polygrapher paused and asked him to elaborate.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWell, on January 6th, I went into the Capitol building.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the first time Abate, a 24-year-old sergeant in the Marines, had talked openly about what he did that day.<\/p>\n<p>At that point, he was doing well in the Marines. He made sergeant early, got a Navy commendation medal and was selected for this coveted internship with the National Security Agency.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29609-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImage965472049\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/02\/09\/965472049\/the-capitol-siege-the-arrested-and-their-stories\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/09\\\/965472049\\\/the-capitol-siege-the-arrested-and-their-stories&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/12\/19\/gettyimages-1230734223-resize_sq-6c76999700c1f0c1c44bd9ded9061a10fa7141af.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/12\/19\/gettyimages-1230734223-resize_sq-6c76999700c1f0c1c44bd9ded9061a10fa7141af.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/12\/19\/gettyimages-1230734223-resize_sq-6c76999700c1f0c1c44bd9ded9061a10fa7141af.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/12\/19\/gettyimages-1230734223-resize_sq-6c76999700c1f0c1c44bd9ded9061a10fa7141af.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/12\/19\/gettyimages-1230734223-resize_sq-6c76999700c1f0c1c44bd9ded9061a10fa7141af.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/12\/19\/gettyimages-1230734223-resize_sq-6c76999700c1f0c1c44bd9ded9061a10fa7141af.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/12\/19\/gettyimages-1230734223-resize_sq-6c76999700c1f0c1c44bd9ded9061a10fa7141af.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/12\/19\/gettyimages-1230734223-resize_sq-6c76999700c1f0c1c44bd9ded9061a10fa7141af.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESG-S1-29609-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you get the internship, you can basically ride that out until retirement if you wanted to,\u201d he said. \u201cIt exponentially grows your career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Abate has always wanted to be a Marine. \u201cThere&#8217;s nothing else I wanted to do. There was no plan B,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was Marine Corps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Abate is tall and muscular, with short brown hair and a bit of a baby face. One of his forearms is covered in a large and colorful tattoo depicting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It\u2019s from Revelations 6, he says.<\/p>\n<p>He grew up in rural Virginia, about 30 miles west of Washington, D.C., and met his wife, Ashley, when they were both in high school taking part in Junior ROTC. Abate is the son of a former Marine who became a cop. He tells us his dad is a Republican and his mom, a nurse, is a Democrat. Abate recalls that they would often argue about politics.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29604\" class=\"bucketwrap image medium\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 817;&#10;        --source-height: 1102;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/300\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 300w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 1600w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 300px, (min-width: 1025px) 300px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/300\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 300w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg 1600w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 300px, (min-width: 1025px) 300px, (min-width: 768px) 252px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/817x1102+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F2c%2F3e4b44ed49fba04a49f954f8354c%2Fimg-8795.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Josh Abate and his wife, Ashley. His tattoo depicts the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, from the Bible\u2019s Revelations 6. \" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Josh Abate and his wife, Ashley. His tattoo depicts the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, from the Bible\u2019s Revelations 6.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Facebook<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Facebook<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>But for Josh and Ashley, there was one politician for them: Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Ashley is blond and petite, and the day NPR interviewed her, she held their infant daughter as she spoke to us.<\/p>\n<p>She called Trump a moral man and said they share the same values.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, I come from a household where religion, manners, work ethic, that kind of thing, is very important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>And Josh? He said he likes the fact that Trump is supportive of a strong military.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-secondary-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap secondary\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Josh said he gets most of his news from Fox and conservative websites. When asked, he said he hasn\u2019t seen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2023\/10\/02\/trump-troops-fallen-soldiers-john-kelly\">headlines<\/a> like when Trump called fallen soldiers \u201closers\u201d and questioned John Kelly, his former chief of staff, saying, \u201cI don&#8217;t get it. What was in it for them?&#8221; at a 2017 Memorial Day event in Arlington National Cemetery, where Kelly\u2019s Marine son, Robert Kelly, is buried. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29609-101\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImage966396848\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/02\/10\/966396848\/read-trumps-jan-6-speech-a-key-part-of-impeachment-trial\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/10\\\/966396848\\\/read-trumps-jan-6-speech-a-key-part-of-impeachment-trial&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/02\/10\/gettyimages-1230450726_sq-57e58d6c3d3ad5157c18030d18344bfa49f839b9.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/02\/10\/gettyimages-1230450726_sq-57e58d6c3d3ad5157c18030d18344bfa49f839b9.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/02\/10\/gettyimages-1230450726_sq-57e58d6c3d3ad5157c18030d18344bfa49f839b9.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/02\/10\/gettyimages-1230450726_sq-57e58d6c3d3ad5157c18030d18344bfa49f839b9.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/02\/10\/gettyimages-1230450726_sq-57e58d6c3d3ad5157c18030d18344bfa49f839b9.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/02\/10\/gettyimages-1230450726_sq-57e58d6c3d3ad5157c18030d18344bfa49f839b9.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/02\/10\/gettyimages-1230450726_sq-57e58d6c3d3ad5157c18030d18344bfa49f839b9.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/02\/10\/gettyimages-1230450726_sq-57e58d6c3d3ad5157c18030d18344bfa49f839b9.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Read Trump's Jan. 6 Speech, A Key Part Of Impeachment Trial\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESG-S1-29609-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">A text invite<\/h3>\n<p>In the months before Jan. 6, 2021, Abate was at Marine Base Quantico, about an hour south of Washington. Fox News was playing on several base TVs most of the time. The pandemic was raging. Tens of thousands of Americans had died from COVID-19 at that point and most public spaces like bars and restaurants had been shut down. Abate and his fellow Marines were stuck in the barracks, day after day, staring at screens. The Marines even canceled a training trip to Norway.<\/p>\n<p>Abate found that annoying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were just cooped up in our rooms,\u201d he recalled. \u201cYou didn\u2019t join the Marine Corps to stay in your bedroom and work for a couple of hours a day and play video games.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the elections that November, the main message being spread by Fox anchors, reporters and guests was the same: Joe Biden had \u201cstolen\u201d a victory from President Donald Trump. Abate was buying into it.<\/p>\n<p>So were two of his friends, Sgt. Dodge Hellonen and Cpl. Micah Coomer. They were planning to drive out to Washington, D.C., for the now infamous \u201cStop the Steal\u201d rally. And they texted Abate, asking him if he wanted to come along. He said he accepted because he wanted to listen to Trump\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI actually wanted to see him speak in person, like, the last time as sitting president,\u201d Abate said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29614\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 4000;&#10;        --source-height: 2667;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4000x2667+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fd9%2F5badc39f4e488c6769e96e25bf65%2Fgettyimages-1230452237.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a \" save=\"\" america=\"\" rally=\"\" near=\"\" the=\"\" white=\"\" house=\"\" in=\"\" washington=\"\" d.c.=\"\" u.s.=\"\" on=\"\" wednesday=\"\" jan.=\"\" trump=\"\" months-long=\"\" effort=\"\" to=\"\" toss=\"\" out=\"\" election=\"\" results=\"\" and=\"\" extend=\"\" his=\"\" presidency=\"\" will=\"\" meet=\"\" its=\"\" formal=\"\" end=\"\" this=\"\" week=\"\" but=\"\" not=\"\" without=\"\" exposing=\"\" political=\"\" rifts=\"\" republican=\"\" party=\"\" that=\"\" have=\"\" pitted=\"\" future=\"\" contenders=\"\" for=\"\" against=\"\" one=\"\" another.=\"\" photographer:=\"\" eric=\"\" lee=\"\" via=\"\" getty=\"\" images=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Then-President Donald Trump speaks during a rally near the White House in Washington, D.C., on  Jan. 6, 2021.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Eric Lee\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Eric Lee\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The two Marines picked up Abate at his home and drove north to Washington. But he said the traffic getting into D.C. slowed them down, so they missed the speech on the Ellipse, near the White House, which ended with Trump telling the crowd that they had to fight for their country. \u201cWe\u2019re going to walk down to the Capitol,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-third-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap third\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Abate said they all noticed a crowd heading that way and joined in, crossing the wide lawn toward the iconic building.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Something ugly<\/h3>\n<p>They entered through the Senate wing doors about seven minutes after the crowd broke through. This was the first entrance to be breached that day, so Abate and his friends were among the first people to actually go into the Capitol.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe walked right in,\u201d he said. \u201cWe didn&#8217;t see any signs that, you know, said \u2018do not enter\u2019 or \u2018no trespassing.\u2019 And as soon as we walked through the door of the Capitol building, there were two police officers standing right across from the door. I figured if we weren&#8217;t supposed to be there, they would have told us to get out. Nobody was trying to be, like, rambunctious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He told us he was inside the Capitol for about an hour and saw or heard no yelling, breaking glass, or violence.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29600\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 5616;&#10;        --source-height: 3744;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5616x3744+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fe6%2Fa90732b24eb1b54ddf96abababec%2Fgettyimages-1230477353.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Capitol police officers inside the building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. The protesters stormed the historic building, breaking windows and clashing with police. Trump supporters had gathered in the nation's capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. (Photo by Shay Horse\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Capitol Police officers inside the building on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Protesters stormed the historic building, breaking windows and clashing with police.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Shay Horse\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Shay Horse\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>But we were outside the Capitol at the exact same time and we experienced something very different \u2014 something ugly \u2014 and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/01\/15\/957362053\/january-6-inside-the-capitol-siege\"> reported on that extensively<\/a>. While getting crushed by a crowd of angry Trump supporters, we met rioters who spoke proudly into NPR microphones about plans to hang politicians from gallows before storming up the marble steps and surging through doors and windows. The overwhelming evidence is of one of the most violent and shocking days in American history.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Abate said he calmly and quietly strolled the halls for about an hour, helped put a MAGA hat on a statue, and then finally left with his friends when police ordered everyone out.<\/p>\n<p>Then he said they drove south, back toward Quantico, before joining Ashley at a restaurant called Fatty\u2019s.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29609-102\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImage957362053\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/01\/15\/957362053\/january-6-inside-the-capitol-siege\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/15\\\/957362053\\\/january-6-inside-the-capitol-siege&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/01\/15\/gettyimages-1230477353_sq-114ad485852aef31d56c3838dd5168deb3cadcdd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/01\/15\/gettyimages-1230477353_sq-114ad485852aef31d56c3838dd5168deb3cadcdd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/01\/15\/gettyimages-1230477353_sq-114ad485852aef31d56c3838dd5168deb3cadcdd.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/01\/15\/gettyimages-1230477353_sq-114ad485852aef31d56c3838dd5168deb3cadcdd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/01\/15\/gettyimages-1230477353_sq-114ad485852aef31d56c3838dd5168deb3cadcdd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/01\/15\/gettyimages-1230477353_sq-114ad485852aef31d56c3838dd5168deb3cadcdd.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/01\/15\/gettyimages-1230477353_sq-114ad485852aef31d56c3838dd5168deb3cadcdd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/01\/15\/gettyimages-1230477353_sq-114ad485852aef31d56c3838dd5168deb3cadcdd.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"January 6: Inside The Capitol Siege\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESG-S1-29609-102\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">\u201cHoly crap\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>While they were eating, every TV screen in the restaurant showed images of a raging mob at the Capitol, surging into the building and punching cops, smashing some with flagpoles and their own shields.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were all just looking at it like, holy crap,\u201d Ashley said.<\/p>\n<p>She said she turned to her husband, wide-eyed. \u201cDid you see any of the stuff they\u2019re talking about?\u201d she said she asked him that night.<\/p>\n<p>He said no. But all three Marines looked at each other. \u201cLike, we should probably not talk about this,\u201d Abate remembered. He told us he took out his phone and started deleting all pictures and videos from the day.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29602\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 1920;&#10;        --source-height: 1080;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/png\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F4f%2F2deb9b644e658fe828cca280e99e%2Fdiptych-2.png\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Photos of Dodge Dale Hellonen, Joshua Abate and Micah Coomer from their military access cards.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Photos of Dodge Dale Hellonen, Joshua Abate and Micah Coomer from their military access cards.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    FBI<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        FBI<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI knew that if word broke that Marines were in the Capitol it would reflect badly on the Marine Corps,\u201d Abate told us. \u201cAnd I knew that even though I didn\u2019t do anything bad \u2014 I didn\u2019t cause any violence, I didn\u2019t perpetrate any sedition or treason and things like that \u2014 I knew that I would just be grouped into everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-overflow-3-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap overflow\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The three never talked about Jan. 6 with each other again. And before long, Coomer was transferred to another assignment at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Hellonen was off to Camp Lejeune, N.C.<\/p>\n<p>Over a year later, Abate passed that polygraph test \u2014 the one where he admitted being in the Capitol on Jan. 6. He was sent to a special signals intelligence school in Florida. Josh and his wife returned to the Washington, D.C., area at the end of 2023, ready to start that prized internship and set up a home with Ashley, who had just found out she was pregnant.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">\u201cJust be truthful\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>Just two weeks before Abate was about to start his NSA job at Fort Meade in Maryland, he got a text. His sergeant wanted to meet for a cup of coffee. \u201cChange into civilian clothes,\u201d he told Abate, who figured the meeting was about his internship. But after passing the building where Abate was supposed to work, they pulled into the parking lot of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo NCIS just wants to ask you a few questions,\u201d the sergeant told him. \u201cNothing to worry about. Just be truthful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Abate said he got a sinking feeling.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29609-103\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImage1068891351\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/01\/02\/1068891351\/january-6-insurrection-capitol-attack-trump-anniversary\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/02\\\/1068891351\\\/january-6-insurrection-capitol-attack-trump-anniversary&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/12\/30\/gettyimages-1294927024_sq-4e9ccf453ca40b0f4608e1916607c6f8b4b9e89c.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/12\/30\/gettyimages-1294927024_sq-4e9ccf453ca40b0f4608e1916607c6f8b4b9e89c.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/12\/30\/gettyimages-1294927024_sq-4e9ccf453ca40b0f4608e1916607c6f8b4b9e89c.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/12\/30\/gettyimages-1294927024_sq-4e9ccf453ca40b0f4608e1916607c6f8b4b9e89c.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/12\/30\/gettyimages-1294927024_sq-4e9ccf453ca40b0f4608e1916607c6f8b4b9e89c.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/12\/30\/gettyimages-1294927024_sq-4e9ccf453ca40b0f4608e1916607c6f8b4b9e89c.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/12\/30\/gettyimages-1294927024_sq-4e9ccf453ca40b0f4608e1916607c6f8b4b9e89c.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2021\/12\/30\/gettyimages-1294927024_sq-4e9ccf453ca40b0f4608e1916607c6f8b4b9e89c.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Trump still says his supporters weren't behind the Jan. 6 attack \u2014 but I was there\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESG-S1-29609-103\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>A half dozen agents came from both sides of the building and surrounded him, telling him he was under arrest for Jan. 6. They clasped on handcuffs and escorted him to an interrogation room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was like, s***, this is happening,\u201d Abate said.<\/p>\n<p>They showed him pictures of himself inside the Capitol, along with Hellonen and Coomer. Then they put Abate in the back seat of a government car and drove him south to Washington, where he was booked. He spent the night in jail, sleeping on a metal bench with a bright light shining from the ceiling.<\/p>\n<p>What he didn\u2019t know yet was that not all of his Marine friends were able to keep that vow of silence about being inside the Capitol.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-overflow-4-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap overflow\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>According to the FBI, just three weeks after Jan. 6, Coomer sent a private message to a friend. An FBI search warrant found that he was talking about the extremist movements present in the Capitol that day, including guys in Hawaiian shirts who often call themselves the Boogaloo Bois. Coomer said to his friend, \u201cI\u2019m waiting for a Boogaloo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His friend wrote back asking, \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coomer simply replied: \u201cCivil War 2.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both Coomer and Hellonen declined our requests for comment.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">The charm offensive<\/h3>\n<p>All three Marines were charged with the same crimes in early 2023. Federal prosecutors had them on four charges, including entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct.<\/p>\n<p>Over the next few months, Abate was placed on administrative duty at work. And as he and Ashley waited at home for the legal case to run its course, the grim reality set in. \u201cYou think all the typical things,\u201d she said. \u201cLike, what are we going to do when he loses his job?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Abate and his lawyer, Dave Dischley, a family friend in Warrenton, Va., were eventually able to work out a deal with prosecutors. They were willing to drop most charges in exchange for a guilty plea on just one misdemeanor. And the recommendation was a reduced sentence of 21 days in jail.<\/p>\n<p>Abate appeared before U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee. She was assigned to Hellonen and Coomer, as well. She declined a request for an interview.<\/p>\n<p>But what we know about Judge Reyes is that, going into the sentencing, she was openly stunned that a Marine would participate in the insurrection. \u201cIt\u2019s scary to think that our active duty military were part of the insurrection,\u201d Reyes told Abate, according to a transcript of the hearing. Reyes said she was inclined to give Abate six months behind bars.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-overflow-5-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap overflow\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Abate told the court in a written statement that he was wrong about the election being stolen, about what Trump was telling the country. \u201cEach of the lies circulated by President Trump were incredibly harmful to our democracy and our unity as a nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And then came the letters. More than 50 of them from family members, friends and fellow Marines. Judge Reyes said she read them all beforehand. Twice.<\/p>\n<p>One was from a Gold Star mom whose son was killed in 2011. \u201cI have met many Marines that are truly good Marines and good people,\u201d she wrote. \u201cJosh is one of those Marines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mother of a childhood friend wrote: \u201cEven though I\u2019m a strong liberal, I would never consider Josh to be a threat. I truly believe he is just fundamentally good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone was willing to write a letter. Abate said a fellow Marine told him basically, &#8220;Josh, I like you, but not what you did.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But there were more than enough to sway Reyes. She went as far as telling Abate that his case had made her a \u201cbetter judge.\u201d And she gave him a sentence: 279 hours of community service \u2014 one hour she said, for each Marine casualty in the American Civil War.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe mentioned something about how she\u2019s kind of envious of the story that I can tell my daughter and help her learn from my mistakes,\u201d Abate told us. So this federal judge had gone from being openly disgusted with Abate for joining the violent mob at the Capitol, to essentially helping to craft a redemption story for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe this won\u2019t be so bad after all,\u201d Abate remembers thinking.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">An unlikely assist<\/h3>\n<p>Earlier this year, NPR spent several hours talking with Abate and wanted to learn more about his activities that day. His description of the insurrection \u2014 that he meandered in and never really noticed that what he was doing was wrong \u2014 just didn\u2019t make sense based on what we saw that day.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-overflow-6-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap overflow\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>We went through a few other direct questions about Abate\u2019s actions that day.<\/p>\n<p>Did you chant?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of the statue he put the MAGA hat on: A statue of what? A specific person?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was just a random statue in the Rotunda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He really didn\u2019t see anything disturbing or aggressive?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think if I had seen any violence, I would have left sooner,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 21, he called us back for a second interview. When we arrived, he was holding a printout from the FBI\u2019s official statement of facts and started reading from it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c \u2018Abate appears in the crowd and then he walks,\u2019 \u201d he said. \u201cAnd it talks about how he walks and walks and walks and walks and walks. And nothing in our summary of our actions is actually, you know, spooky or violent or scary. I thought it was humorous that they, in their summary of me, my time in the Capitol building, that\u2019s all they could really sum it up to was walking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But down at the bottom of the printout it said \u201cPage 1 of 45.\u201d So clearly there was a lot more to the story.<\/p>\n<p>Including video.<\/p>\n<p>A few weeks after we talked with Abate, the House Republicans started dropping some 5,000 hours of security camera footage from Jan. 6 on a public video platform, including time stamps. The security footage does not contain any audio.<\/p>\n<p>What we saw was that seven minutes after the doors to the Capitol were breached, Abate walked in with Hellonen and Coomer. They slowly made their way toward the front of a crowd just 20 steps from the House chamber itself. At one point, Abate cupped his hands around his mouth, and the video shows he clearly is chanting \u201cstop the steal\u201d over and over. At one point, Abate is holding a yellow flag with the words \u201cDon\u2019t Tread on Me.\u201d He appears to gesture to his friends to follow him to the front of the crowd toward the chamber doors. Soon, tear gas starts to fill the hallway. They make their way out of the space and back into the Capitol Rotunda.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-overflow-7-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap overflow\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Way in the back of the Rotunda video, you can make out Abate taking a hat out of someone\u2019s hands and trying to place it on top of a statue. He finally gets it on there by climbing onto the pedestal.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a bust of Martin Luther King Jr.<\/p>\n<p>From there, Abate and his friends became part of a large, rowdy crowd. The front of the crowd is facing off against a line of Capitol Police who are attempting to push everyone out. Abate stands firm amid the crush and scuffles happening around him, not turning around and leaving. Finally, after several minutes and jostling in the crowd around them, the three of them make their way out of the Rotunda and out of frame.<\/p>\n<p>The story that Abate told us \u2014 about an almost casual stroll through the Capitol \u2014 just didn\u2019t hold up.<\/p>\n<p>We called his lawyer to tell him what we\u2019d just watched and to ask to sit down with him again. Abate declined.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29599\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 4192;&#10;        --source-height: 2795;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4192x2795+0+65\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2F10%2F23d1d91945d59ad3e230530a6557%2Fgettyimages-1230454930.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Supporters of President Donald Trump protest in the Capitol Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. \" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                A crowd gathers in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Saul Loeb\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Saul Loeb\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">The Marines and Jan. 6<\/h3>\n<p>Despite avoiding jail time, Abate\u2019s career with the Marines was still on the line. In December 2023, he had a retention hearing, where a panel of his colleagues would decide whether he stayed or would be kicked out. It was held in a nondescript government building at Quantico. The hearing lasted 4\u00bd hours.<\/p>\n<p>Retention hearings are administrative but structured like a courtroom. There was a Marine officer who argued in Abate\u2019s defense, saying he was remorseful and accepted responsibility for what he did. His defense lawyer, Dave Dischley, was also there.<\/p>\n<p>Ashley and their baby showed up to support him. Dischley made sure to introduce them to the room.<\/p>\n<p>Another officer served as a kind of prosecutor. One of the points he argued is that Abate by his actions violated an agreement he signed when he joined \u2014 one that explicitly forbids participation in extremist activities. The officer said Abate should be kicked out with an other-than-honorable discharge, a red flag to all future employers.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-overflow-8-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap overflow\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Several Marines acted as witnesses, all telling the panel that Abate is a fine Marine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would say that his initiative is top-notch, sir,\u201d one said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy far the most outstanding professional Marine I\u2019ve ever encountered,\u201d said another. \u201cGentlemen, I wouldn\u2019t be here if someone didn\u2019t give me a second chance. If he can pull off what I know he\u2019s capable of, as a man, as a Marine, as a father, he will show that growth can occur, and that he can overcome even something as trivial as this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And then something truly startling happens. The panel includes two officers and a senior sergeant. They all are asked by Abate\u2019s defense attorney about their views on the attack on the Capitol. Are they positive, negative or indifferent?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDepending on what news source you look at, you get a different narrative, different perception,&#8221; Lt. Col. Sean Foley said. &#8220;It\u2019s a tale of two cities, and at this point, I mean, to be honest I\u2019m tired of hearing about it three years later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then Master Gunnery Sgt. Steven Glew, who said, \u201cSo I wasn\u2019t there. I can\u2019t say I know exactly what happened there. So I\u2019m indifferent to what happened that day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And finally, Capt. Spencer Morris: \u201cThe video footage I\u2019ve seen of the day, specifically focused on the more violent parts of Jan. 6, it definitely gives me a negative perception of how things transpired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the end, the panel unanimously decided to keep Abate in the Marine Corps. Separate panels for Hellonen and Coomer did the same. But Coomer was kicked out shortly after his hearing by a general at Camp Pendleton; Hellonen ran out his enlistment \u2014<strong> <\/strong>his contract with the Marines was up \u2014 and he left the Corps.<\/p>\n<p>Glew, who had said he was indifferent to what happened that day, was the only one of the panelists who agreed to talk with us about why he voted to retain Abate.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-overflow-9-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap overflow\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI have just seen a lot of him in me,\u201d Glew said. \u201cAnd then, you know, just seeing his family there, his baby, just made me think, you know about my family and what they would have been going through if I was in Josh\u2019s position.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Extremism in the ranks?<\/h3>\n<p>Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro will be the one who makes the final decision about Abate\u2019s fate in the Marines. Ten months later, he has yet to make the call.<\/p>\n<p>Digging into Abate\u2019s story and the aftermath of Jan. 6, we learned that Abate was by far not the only Marine \u2014 active or retired \u2014 who went into the Capitol that day. Some one-third of the 200 participants arrested for their role in the Capitol attack were Marines. That\u2019s a disproportionate number, considering the Marines are the smallest of the fighting forces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is shocking when somebody that\u2019s taken an oath to protect the country is doing something to harm it,\u201d said Michael Jensen, who researches domestic terrorism at the University of Maryland. He said the Marines have one of the highest rates of extremist activity going back more than three decades.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Army is the largest branch, so you\u2019d expect for it to have the highest numbers,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the second highest number comes from the Marine Corps. They are having an outsized impact driving these numbers of cases, yet they are doing the fewest investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Jan. 6 attack forced the Pentagon to come up with a definition of prohibited extremist activity. That definition came out at the end of 2021, and it basically says service members can\u2019t get involved in any activities that call for political violence, passing out literature or raising money for extremist groups, liking something on social media, even wearing clothing or having bumper stickers that promote extremist causes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29609-105\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImage1111132464\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/07\/12\/1111132464\/jan-6-hearing-recap-oath-keepers-proud-boys\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2022\\\/07\\\/12\\\/1111132464\\\/jan-6-hearing-recap-oath-keepers-proud-boys&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2022\/07\/12\/gettyimages-1408293040_sq-ca0937e4f30dfc6942e726d23082eb5d8957b5cd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2022\/07\/12\/gettyimages-1408293040_sq-ca0937e4f30dfc6942e726d23082eb5d8957b5cd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2022\/07\/12\/gettyimages-1408293040_sq-ca0937e4f30dfc6942e726d23082eb5d8957b5cd.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2022\/07\/12\/gettyimages-1408293040_sq-ca0937e4f30dfc6942e726d23082eb5d8957b5cd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2022\/07\/12\/gettyimages-1408293040_sq-ca0937e4f30dfc6942e726d23082eb5d8957b5cd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2022\/07\/12\/gettyimages-1408293040_sq-ca0937e4f30dfc6942e726d23082eb5d8957b5cd.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2022\/07\/12\/gettyimages-1408293040_sq-ca0937e4f30dfc6942e726d23082eb5d8957b5cd.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2022\/07\/12\/gettyimages-1408293040_sq-ca0937e4f30dfc6942e726d23082eb5d8957b5cd.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Jan. 6 panel shows evidence of coordination between far-right groups and Trump allies\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESG-S1-29609-105\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Each of the services this year put out guidelines and said they would start collecting data on any extremist activities in the ranks. Right now, the military has yet to start collecting data that was called for in the recently released guidelines, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other officials say they think the numbers are small. Still, some say that even a small number of extremists can have an outsized effect on the military force.<\/p>\n<p>We have spent the last six months trying to get officials to talk about the new guidelines, and most have refused. But just a few weeks ago, we were able to ask the Marines&#8217; top officer, Gen. Eric Smith, this question: Do the Marines have an extremism problem?<\/p>\n<p>He said a minuscule percentage of Marines engage in inappropriate behavior.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I don\u2019t want to do is hit a fly with a sledgehammer,\u201d he said, \u201cand accuse all Marines of doing something untoward because that\u2019s just not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But what about the lopsided number of Marines who took part in the Capitol attack?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I don\u2019t worry about that. I think what you see is an anomaly. Those individuals who participated in the Jan. 6 events, those weren\u2019t Marines. They were individuals masquerading as Marines. Our culture didn\u2019t bind to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d heard the word \u201canomaly\u201d before. In Abate\u2019s retention hearing from his defense lawyer Dave Dischley<strong>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe odds that another event like January 6th is going to occur in this country, you know, in the next hundred years in this country, I think is very slim,\u201d Dischley said. \u201cI think we can all agree to that. The odds that Sergeant Abate would be a part of that? Less than a fraction of a percent.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-29601\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 3000;&#10;        --source-height: 2000;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+1\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8a%2F22%2F6476ea0245f5b0f306cfe8a2b746%2Fgettyimages-1241111950.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Tear gas drifts over the crowd outside the U.S. Capitol. Some people hold American flags or Trump 2020 signs.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Tear gas drifts over the crowd outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Evelyn Hockstein\/for The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Evelyn Hockstein\/for The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>But an <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/military-extremism-pentagon-veterans-terrorism-capitol-riot-jan-6-0c1fdd7b6b761e9c9e8556a9b9e45dc9\">Associated Press investigation<\/a> found that nearly 100 people were killed or injured since 2017 in plots that included U.S. military or veterans, most of them in service of a far-right agenda.<\/p>\n<p>In mid-October \u2014 just weeks before the 2024 election \u2014 Trump was asked about the Capitol attack at a Univision town hall. His answer was defensive and laced with inaccuracies. He also called it \u201ca day of love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for Abate, he wasn\u2019t ruling out another vote for Trump in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI still like Trump,\u201d he said. \u201cThere&#8217;s no bad taste in my mouth about Trump.\u201d But, he said, he was still deciding.<\/p>\n<p>We called Josh Abate back one more time as we wrapped up reporting, to ask again if he still liked Trump. But through his lawyer, he declined to speak with us again. He was done telling his story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/10\/25\/g-s1-29609\/jan-6-riot-donald-trump-insurrection-marines\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Josh Abate and Micah Coomer inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Kent Nishimura\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kent Nishimura\/Los Angeles Times via Getty &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=118726\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=118726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118726\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=118726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=118726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=118726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}