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CASEY Cusick and his father never thought it would end like this.
The pair of Republicans headed to Washington, D.C. from Florida with some friends in January 2021 to voice their discontent over the growing anger surrounding Joe Biden’s election victory a few months earlier.
Rioters descend on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 on what became one of the most infamous days in American history[/caption]
Casey Cusick told The U.S. Sun about the nightmare of being caught up in the January 6 riots and the hell of spending 10 days in prison as a result[/caption]
President Trump has indicated he could pardon some protestors who were charged for their part in the now infamous disturbances[/caption]
WORLD TORN APART
They went in peace – yet returned with their life set to be smashed into pieces.
The horrific scenes of violence and disorder at the Capitol shocked the world and continue to reverberate to this very day.
Cusick and his dad, a proud pastor and decorated Vietnam veteran who was 73 years old at the time, were equally shocked.
“We were back at the hotel and just saw what had happened on the news,” he told The U.S. Sun. “We had no idea.”
Like thousands of others, the Cusicks attended the organized rally, and it was only when Donald Trump said during his speech about “heading down to the Capitol” that they even considered venturing that far.
Casey said he thought Trump was going to make a statement there. With the COVID-19 lockdowns turning DC, like many other cities, into a ghost town with most places closed, he claimed “there was nothing else to do.”
They stayed for the entire rally before making the short trip to the Capitol building. All he could see was a “flood of people.”
“It was peaceful,” he admitted. “My dad always says there was a preacher on every corner with a megaphone. People were talking; some were standing there with flags.”
Events, however, started to take a violent turn for the worse.
Casey admits people “began to get stupid,” and he could see protestors climbing scaffolding.
“I didn’t do any of that,” he admitted.
TROUBLING SCENES
With the Capitol’s doors wide open, the Cusicks walked up to the steps and stood there, looking out at the unfolding scenes. They became bewildered as they saw “kids and grandmas” coming out of the building.
They started thinking that perhaps the cops were letting people in. They witnessed people fist bumping with officers and taking pictures.
“I had to go to the bathroom, and it was freezing cold,” he continued. “Outside, the wind was blowing hard, so I finally stopped a young girl and her father, and I said, ‘You know what’s going on inside?’ And she said, ‘Oh, they’re letting people walk in there. Just don’t touch anything.’ “
Casey needed to use the restroom. Yet, with the queues ridiculously long, the small business owner and host of the Watchmen podcast, which takes a ‘Biblical outlook at the political world’, decided to walk out of the same door.
They stood there for another 30 minutes, yet when the riot police began to gather, the Cusicks headed back to their lodgings.
“When we saw the news, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,” Casey recalled.
What followed, however, left him and his father equally stunned and shattered.
Cusick says his family went through hell and have only just recovered from being charged with attending the Trump rally in 2021[/caption]
Pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to protest Joe Biden’s victory over President Trump in the 2020 election[/caption]
Some friends who had traveled to DC during authorities’ questioning on the day of Biden’s inauguration let slip that the Cusicks were also in attendance.
“The guy was asked many questions, and he said he went to the rally with his pastor,” he continued. “He refused to give any names and told me what had happened later that day. That was it.”
I would die for this country. I love my country. I would never do anything to harm it.
Casey Cusick, Republican who was in the U.S. Capitol during the notorious January 6 riots of 2021
In the meantime, Casey moved on with his life. His small business was thriving, and his young family was growing.
His world fell apart, however, on the morning of June 24 – six months since Jan 6.
At 7.45 am there was a rap at the door. A group of FBI agents had surrounded his house, equipped with AR-15 rifles.
As his two young daughters and wife looked on, Casey was handcuffed and thrown into a waiting car.
“They scared the daylights out of everyone,” he said. “They started telling me this was all in regards to January 6. I was like ‘what did I have to do with it?’ “
At the same time, his dad also received an early, unexpected alarm call, and before they knew it, both were questioned. David Lesperance, 71, a member of their Global Outreach Church of Melbourne congregation, was also arrested.
TRACKED BY COPS
They were asked if they were members of the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys and questioned about their actions on that fateful day.
A warrant with a District of Columbia masthead was issued, and he quickly discovered the police had been tracking his movements since January 6. Cars had been stationed outside his house, tracking his every move.
“One of the officers told me they got nervous when my truck disappeared,” he said incredulously. “They thought I had gone on the run. How could I run from something I didn’t even know about? I immediately felt so dirty.”
“They were tracking me for months.”
Presidential inauguration ceremony rundown
President-elect Donald Trump sworn-in as the 47th president of the United States by receiving the oath of office on January 20, 2025.
The swearing-in ceremony for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will begin on January 20, 2025, at noon EST.
However, the inauguration events began on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Inauguration timeline:
- Saturday, January 18, 2025: Reception and fireworks at Trump’s golf club in Virginia.
- A cabinet reception and vice president dinner.
- Sunday, January 19, 2025: Wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery.
- Trump delivered remarks at a victory rally at Capitol One Arena in Washington DC and a candlelight dinner.
- Monday, January 20, 2025: The inauguration will begin with a service at St. John’s church, followed by tea at the White House.
- The official presidential oath of office of Trump and JD Vance will start at noon.
- A farewell to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will follow.
- President Trump will then head to the President’s Room in the Capitol near the Senate chamber, where he is expected to sign nominations and other documents in his first official act.
- A luncheon hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies follows after the signing ceremony.
- President Trump kicks off the presidential parade from the Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue and to the White House.
- After the parade, the Oval Office signing ceremony begins at the White House.
- President Trump will attend three inaugural balls – the Commander in Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball, and the Starlight Ball. He is expected to make remarks at all three events.
- Tuesday, January 21: A National Prayer is held to conclude the official inaugural ceremony.
Father and son were hauled up to Orlando and processed into the system with their ankles shackled.
“To see my dad, a Purple Heart recipient who had never committed a crime in life, choked me up,” Casey said.
NIGHTMARE WORSENS
The Cusicks were charged with violent entry into the Capitol building, entering and remaining on Capitol grounds, and disruptive and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. They were also hit with a further charge of picketing and parading.
Casey admits to being “shocked and disgusted” with the charges, especially for his father, who had put his body on the line in Vietnam. The pair were taken down to court, where they were arraigned before being released later that day.
Their nightmare, however, continued for another two years. Their court hearing began in DC in November 2023, and the instant feelings weren’t promising.
“On the first day of trial, when the court declared it was the United States versus Casey Cusick was a really harsh reality check,” he said.
“I would die for this country. I love my country. I would never do anything to harm it. I would never insurrect – we didn’t even really know what that meant until this all started, and so to hear those things and to have the Federal Government against you opened my eyes. The justice system in our country is so corrupt.”
Jury selection also began worryingly when they heard the judge attempting to coax the jurors into “putting aside their bias.”
Investigators had compiled, according to Casey, “80 pages of surveillance information” while staking out his house.
Friends had begun to disassociate themselves from the Cusicks – “my dad received horrible things in the mail, the nature of which I can’t even repeat” – yet worse was to follow as they were both sentenced to 10 days in jail.
They were also ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and $500 in restitution.
While James was sent to a facility in Florida, Casey was sent to a prison in Texas full of child molesters and sex offenders.
“The guards had never seen anyone without a felony come to a federal prison,” he said. “The caseworker even admitted there was no point evaluating because by the time she would have finished, I would have been out.”
JAIL HELLSCAPE
The conditions were deplorable. From cockroach-infested water systems to rotting eggs served for breakfast, the experience was eye-opening in more ways than one.
Casey rubbed shoulders with pedophiles, Somalian pirates, and gang members, all being fed “some of the most disgusting stuff you’ve ever seen or tasted in your life.”
“You wouldn’t give any of that stuff to animals,” he said with a shudder.”
While both father and son came through their prison ordeal, their agony continued. Both received criminal records, their passports are still with the authorities.
Casey has manfully soldiered on with life – he’s now a car salesman in Oklahoma – although constant reminders of his January 6 hell remain.
His young daughter now anxiously recoils every time she sees a police officer. Still, he admits to seeing the faults of the American justice system play out before his eyes as an authentic learning experience.
“One of the things that has changed me since this started was I’ll never look at the term prisoner ever again,” Casey admitted.
“Because when you think of prisoner, you think of murderer, rapist, thief. But you never think of somebody wrongfully charged, or maybe they didn’t do what they were accused of. You keep seeing that over and over and over again. “
He welcomes Trump for his second term and will party hard once his return to the White House is signed and sealed on Monday.
He hopes a further boost will be provided, too. There is a chance that Trump may pardon some of the people who were in DC on January 6.
As reported by the State Attorney’s office, more than 1,488 defendants have been charged, with 547 of them facing accusations of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees.
Among these, roughly 163 individuals have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or inflicting serious bodily harm on an officer.
Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol, including around 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Whatever transpires, Casey is looking forward to a new dawn.
“I am back on my feet now,” he concluded. “My life has been on pause for the last four years, but I don’t regret anything.”
Around 1,500 people were charged with offenses following the disturbances four years ago which stunned the watching world[/caption]
