A Republican lawmaker who went to prison forbreaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after live-streaming the event on Facebook chose the two-year anniversary of the insurrection to announce he is running for Congress.
“Two years ago today I boarded a passenger bus to Washington DC,” Evans said in his statement, adding that he “was inside the capitol for 10 minutes” but “was nowhere near the chaos.”
West Virginia state Del. Derrick Evans.Perry Bennett/West Virginia Legislature
But for Evans, Jan. 6, 2021, was a day that “changed my life and shaped me into the man that I am today,” he says in his announcement, which closes with: “There’s just one thing to do. Let’s hit the campaign trail, listen to our constituents, and set our sights on Capitol Hill.”
Rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Samuel Corum/Getty
Evans was first elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2020, but his time in office was short-lived — lasting one month and eight days — after video surfaced showing the Republican celebrating alongside pro-Donald Trumprioters at the Capitol.
Journalists recorded the video and re-shared the clip on social media, prompting fellow West Virginia lawmakers to call for his resignation.
Shortly after the riots, Evans shared a written statement on Facebook saying he was headed back to West Virginia and “did not have any negative interactions with law enforcement, nor did I participate in any destruction that may have occurred.”
Days later, however, U.S. officials announced that Evans was charged with entering a restricted area and entering the Capitol. Evansannounced his resignationthe following day.
Evans was sentenced to three months in prison in June, after pleading guilty in March to onefelony countof civil disorder for being among those whoinvaded the U.S. Capitol buildingin 2021.
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In an earlier statement, Evans said that he spent his time in prison thinking about politics and “all the variables” that led him to be incarcerated.
source: people.com
