Another violent insurrectionist has been arrested, thanks to social media sleuths:
When former President Donald Trump sent a tweet early this year promoting Jan. 6 as a “Historic day,” a conspiracy-minded former bodybuilder from Michigan let the president know he had his back.
“I’ll be there,” Logan Barnhart replied to @realDonaldTrump on Twitter.
Now, seven months after the man online sleuths dubbed #CatSweat was photographed dragging a police officer down a set of stairs during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Michigan man has been arrested by the FBI. An official confirmed the arrest to HuffPost Tuesday morning.
Barnhart, whom the FBI referred to as Capitol suspect 128-AFO because he was wanted for assaulting federal officers, was a major target for the “Sedition Hunters” community, which had given him the nickname “CatSweat” because he was wearing a sweatshirt branded with the name of Caterpillar, the construction equipment manufacturer. (Barnhart worked as a machine operator for Barnhart & Son Inc., which is owned by his father.) [snip]
Barnhart was a “white whale” for members of the Sedition Hunters community, which sprung to life after Jan. 6. An image from that day shows a man in a hooded “CAT” sweatshirt grabbing onto a D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officer whom he and others are dragging down a set of stairs outside a tunnel on the western side of the U.S. Capitol. (our emphasis)
Ah, but pride goeth before a fall, CatSweat:
After participating in the attack on the Capitol, Barnhart continued to post right-wing material on Instagram that dismissed the threat of COVID-19. He posted a video of himself inside a Walmart (where he said he was the only person not wearing a mask) as well as memes about LeBron James and rants about Black Lives Matter.
In February, about a month after taking part in the attack, Barnhart sarcastically mocked the “amazing FBI doing some fine investigative work,” citing a Capitol image that was doctored to include a meme that was included in an FBI affidavit.
“Like I’ve said multiple times. Everything you’re being told about this is a lie and it will be revealed,” Barnhart wrote on Feb. 5. “Sorry but what really happened at the [Capitol] is being hidden from you.” (our emphasis)
Pure, un- distilled MAGAt violence- prone delusion combined with prodigious ignorance and hubris. Multiply that by millions, and that's what we're up against in this country.
On- line sedition hunters, as well as tips from social media, have played an important part in tracking down and bringing these fascist insurrectionists to heel. The FBI is still looking for many of the insurrectionist morons. Check out their web site to see if anyone looks familiar.
(Image: seditionhunters.org, via HuffPo)
