‘Time ... to do bad things.’ Kentucky man latest charged in Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection
A Kentucky man who said it was “time for good men to do bad things” has been charged with taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that resulted in several deaths and millions of dollars in property damage.
Daniel Edwin Wilson, a 47-year-old Louisville resident, was arrested Thursday based on a criminal complaint by an FBI agent.
“I am ready to lay my life on the line. It is time for good men to do bad things,” Wilson had posted on social media a couple of weeks before the Capitol breach, according to the agent’s affidavit.
Later the same day, he posted, “Y’all wanna do it. Ask your self. Are you really ready. This is not for the faint of heart.”
Wilson entered the Capitol building the afternoon of Jan. 6 with hundreds of other protesters.
Wilson is not charged with assaulting police officers or damaging property, as many others were, but is charged with obstructing or impeding an official government proceeding, meaning the vote that day to certify the results of the November 2020 election in which President Joe Biden beat former President Donald Trump.
The House and Senate had to evacuate as a result of the breach of the building, delaying the certification for hours.
The obstruction charge is a felony.
Wilson also is charged with several misdemeanors: knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and parading, demonstrating or picketing on Capitol grounds, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Trump has falsely claimed the November 2020 election was stolen from him.
However, he and his supporters have presented no credible evidence of widespread fraud, and judges across the country dismissed challenges to the election.
Wilson used the name Live Wire online and said he was a “gray ghost ranger.” The FBI agent said he understood that to mean Wilson was affiliated with the Gray Ghost Militia.
Wilson began communicating online with other people in late 2020 about interfering with the vote in Congress on certifying Biden’s win, according to the affidavit.
After Trump made a post on Twitter in mid-December about a protest on Jan. 6, Wilson posted “Ooh Rah. Curb stomp crew all in!!!” according to the FBI statement.
According to the affidavit, the other posts Wilson made in late December include:
“What’s the current thoughts on Battle rattle? Everyone has differing opinions my personal opinion is if we’re going to go in and take over the world Guns up. if we’re just trying to put on a show leave them at home.”
“It is an easy choice but it’s not an easy choice I stand with you all I will go down swinging.”
“In my opinion I don’t think it’s time to gun up for the sixth we have to play this out but if they seat biden on the 20th all bets are off it’s gonna happen even if Trump wins we have to get this government under control it’s been crossing my mind if we go to a Civil War do we try to take Washington DC first or do we try to take state capitals first.”
Wilson attended Trump’s speech near the Capitol building on Jan. 6 then headed to the Capitol with thousands of others, according to the affidavit.
The FBI affidavit includes photos from inside the Capitol. Wilson was wearing a gas mask in some photos.
Wilson entered one door, walked around for 12 minutes and then left, according to the statement.
The FBI identified him through online communications and photos.
When federal agents interviewed him March 9, Wilson repeatedly denied entering the Capitol during the breach.
He also said he associates with some Kentucky militia groups, but is not a member of any, according to the affidavit.
In a search of Wilson’s home, police found six guns, including semiautomatic weapons. Wilson is a convicted felon so he isn’t allowed to have guns, according to the statement.
Wilson is among several people from Kentucky charged in connection with the Jan. 6 case.
The longest sentence for any Kentucky resident so far was for Peter Schwartz, an Owensboro man who sprayed police with pepper spray during the melee. A judge sentenced him to 14 years.
Nationwide, more than 1,000 people have been charged, including more than 300 charged with assaulting or impeding police, according to the DOJ.
