Photo provided
Jon Schaffer is facing six federal crimes for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection and has filed a motion to dismiss a civil case filed against him by Washington D.C. officials.
Copyright, The Republic, Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ind. — The legal team representing the District of Columbia has asked a federal judge to reject a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against a former Columbus resident who pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The attorneys filed a response in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Friday, challenging a motion filed earlier this month by former Columbus resident Jon Schaffer that seeks to dismiss the lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta, who is presiding over the case, had not ruled on the merits of Schaffer’s request as of Tuesday morning.
The lawsuit, filed Dec. 14, 2021, alleges that Schaffer and dozens of other defendants “played a leading role in unleashing a larger mob” and are liable for the damages and costs incurred by the District of Columbia during the Capitol attack, according to a copy of an amended complaint.
D.C. police, also known as the Metropolitan Police Department, dispatched more than 1,000 officers to the U.S. Capitol and the surrounding area to help defend the U.S. Capitol from a violent mob of pro-Trump rioters who sought to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election results, court filings state.
Schaffer, who formerly was a musician in the heavy metal band Iced Earth and member of the Oath Keepers, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to, among other things, breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, armed with bear repellent and obstructing an official proceeding.
Schaffer was one of the first six insurrectionists to push through the damaged doors of the Capitol and was photographed inside wearing a hat that said, “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member,” with bear spray in his hand, according to the lawsuit.
As part of his guilty plea in his criminal case, Schaffer acknowledged that he is “a founding, lifetime member of the Oath Keepers” and believes that “the federal government has been ‘co-opted’ by a cabal of elites actively trying to strip American citizens of their rights.”
The Oath Keepers is a militia group that recruits current and former military, police and first responders.
On March 10, Schaffer asked to join a series of motions to dismiss the lawsuit and some responses from other defendants, stating that the arguments made in those filings “similarly apply” to him.
For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
