Less than a fortnight removed from an attempted coup sparked by Donald Trump, the president has been impeached a second time and dozens of the rioters that breached the US Capitol have been arrested and charged with a variety of crimes. In the days following the MAGA riot we’ve learned more about the planning and potential for the insurrection to be much worse than the already terrible reality of five people dying as a result of the attacks.
We’re also learning more about the individuals who were arrested, including the woman from Texas who took a private plane to DC to take part in the coup attempt. Jenna Ryan, a life coach and real estate broker from Frisco, Texas, was arrested on Friday after taking a private airplane to DC and documenting her part in the riot, which was an attempt to prevent the election Donald Trump lost from being certified.
NEW: Feds charge Jenna Ryan, the real estate broker from Frisco, Texas, who flew on a private jet to storm the Capitol.
Photos of her boarding the plane included in the criminal complaint unsealed in DC today —> pic.twitter.com/4Sp21WEfIK
— Ben Feuerherd (@benfeuerherd) January 15, 2021
As The Daily Beast detailed, Ryan has been publicly speaking about her actions for a while now, though in the aftermath of the riot she claimed she “answered the call of my president” and implied you can’t get arrested for trespass at the Capitol because “we the people own this building.” But as it turns out, you can get arrested, especially if you heavily document yourself committing crimes.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Ryan diligently documented her participation in the mob—starting from her flight on a “small private aircraft” on Jan. 5.
The next day, she posted a bathroom mirror selfie on Facebook with the caption: “We’re gonna go down and storm the capitol. They’re down there right now and that’s why we came and so that’s what we are going to do. So wish me luck.” She added: “This is a prelude going to war.”
In one now-deleted video, she filmed herself in a crowd going into the Capitol through the Rotunda entrance. She walked past broken windows, up some stairs, and said, “We are going to f*cking go in here. Life or death, it doesn’t matter. Here we go.”
Ryan’s name was trending on Twitter on Friday, perhaps in part due to federal prosecutors unsealing the charges against her. They have some pretty incredible details, including photos of her quite literally boarding a private plane to a coup.
In a now-deleted FB video, prosecutors say, Ryan is heard saying “We are going to f—ing go in here. Life or death, it doesn’t matter.”
Just before entering the building, she adds: “Y’all know who to hire for your realtor. Jenna Ryan for your realtor.” pic.twitter.com/UMQu43FABf— Alan Feuer (@alanfeuer) January 15, 2021
Though perhaps the most startling fact is that Ryan basically did an ad-read for her business while in the middle of an attempted insurrection. Either way, it’s yet another good reminder not to film yourself while committing federal crimes. Or any crimes at all, really. Maybe just not to do crimes at all. And definitely not to make it an ad-read for your employer.
Meet Jenna Ryan, the Texas real estate broker that took a private jet to join Trump supporters at the DC rally, “We’re all going to be up here. We’re going to be breaking those windows, dealing with the tear gas… WE HAVE TO because THEY are taking our sh*t” pic.twitter.com/HD51tG3FD8
— Cleavon MD (@Cleavon_MD) January 8, 2021
That might make it a bit easier for authorities to track you down in the aftermath of your attempt to undermine the very seat of American democracy.