Capitol rioter says he's running for Congress despite being banned from DC

One of the more than 400 people arrested as part of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol told a local NBC affiliate in Boston that he’s running for Congress in New Hampshire — a move that could be complicated by the fact that he’s currently prohibited from entering the District of Columbia thanks to his charges from the riot.

Jason Riddle told NBC10 Boston that he’s running for Congress as a Republican in New Hampshire’s 2nd District, saying “I guess, ‘Let’s get back to work,’ that’s going to be the slogan I go with.”

Riddle was charged in February with three counts as part of his role in the insurrection, including “knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority,” “theft of government property, and “violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.”

Riddle admitted to his role in the insurrection, telling the same NBC affiliate in January that he not only entered the Capitol during the insurrection, but he also stole a bottle of wine from the office of a member of Congress, “poured a glass … and watched it all unfold” while inside.

According to the complaint:

RIDDLE provided photos and videos of the events that day to NBC10 News. According to the reporter who spoke with him, RIDDLE stated that he took the videos himself. Some of the video footage depicted a group of protestors outside the U.S. Capitol. RIDDLE also apparently provided NBC10 News with a photograph of himself inside a lawmaker’s office, holding a bottle wine he stole.

While Riddle faces federal charges and is currently banned from the District of Columbia, he told NBC10 that his role in the insurrection won’t hurt his candidacy.

“In the long run, if you’re running for office, any attention is good attention, so I think it will help me,” Riddle told the outlet.

In fact, the Trump supporter thinks voters will approve of his conduct.

“It tells them I show up,” Riddle said. “I’m going to actually keep my promises and make some changes.”

If he does indeed run, Riddle would be vying to face Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster in New Hampshire’s 2nd District. The seat is heavily Democratic, as President Joe Biden won it by an 8.7-point margin in 2020, according to Daily Kos Elections.

Riddle, however, was confused about what role Kuster had, telling NBC10, “I thought Ann was a state representative.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.