Call me crazy, but I’m of the belief that it’s never a good idea to storm the Capitol building. But — and hear me out — it’s an especially bad idea to storm the Capitol building without scrubbing your social media first, as one rioter is discovering.
Jeremiah Caplinger was part of the failed coup on January 6, and he’s already pleaded guilty to “stepping on, climbing, removing, or injuring property on Capitol grounds,” according to Business Insider. He faces up to six months in prison, and prosecutors are using a Game of Thrones quote that Caplinger posted on social media as proof of intent.
Prosecutors explained the plot of a “Game of Thrones” episode to argue that a Capitol rioter who quoted the character Cersei Lannister on social media showed proof of criminal intent, according to a sentencing memorandum filed Tuesday. Two days after the insurrection, Jeremiah Caplinger, 25, posted an image of a soldier from the American Revolution with the caption: “As said by Cersei Lannister ‘I choose violence,'” according to the document.
The quote comes from the season six episode, “No One,” when Lancel, the religious fanatic who was previously in a romantic relationship with Cersei, tells his cousin, “Order your man to step aside or there will be violence.” She replies, “I choose violence.” The filing argues that “in stating, ‘I choose violence’, Cersei Lannister embraced — and then carried out — mass murder to achieve her political ends. In the context of Caplinger posting this just two days after January 6, Caplinger’s adoption of this quote is alarming and provides insight into his mental state and intent in storming the Capitol.”
You know nothing, Capitol rioter.
(Via Business Insider)
