A Texas real estate broker who participated in the US Capitol riots has issued a public plea for President Donald Trump to pardon her and all other rioters as they’re currently facing prison sentences.
Jenna Ryan, who was captured in several photos participating in the January 6 riot, spoke to CBS 11 where she insisted that she, along with everyone else involved, deserves to be pardoned.
On January 15, Ryan turned herself in to authorities after the FBI had executed a search warrant at her home in Carrollton, TX.
“It was a very strange experience to be arrested by the FBI,” she told CBS 11 later that same day. “They’re very professional and it was a very strange feeling. I have a lot of faith in God and I was just praising him and praying and I was just knowing God would take care of me in this situation.”
On the day of the riots, Ryan posted photos to her social media of herself taking a private plane to Washington DC.
Apparently she and several friends took the jet together to participate in the riots.
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The since-deleted photos were reportedly captioned “Let’s go!!” and included such hashtags as #stopthesteal, #PatriotParty, and #MarchForTrump.
That same day, Ryan also went live on Facebook to stream her participation in the riots in several now-deleted videos.
The clips have have since been re-uploaded to YouTube .
“We are going to f***ing go in here,” Ryan says while at the Capitol building. “Life or death, it doesn’t matter. Here we go.”
Ryan also posted a tweet on January 6, writing, “We just stormed the Capital [ sic ]. It was one of the best days of my life.”
Ryan is now facing charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
In her interview with CBS 11 , the real estate broker said she wants people to know that she’s just a “normal person” who listened to her president “who told [her] to go to the Capitol.”
“I was displaying my patriotism while I was there and I was just protesting and I wasn’t trying to do anything violent and I didn’t realize there was actually violence,” she continued, adding that apologizes to families affected by the “negative environment” and insists she isn’t a “villain.”
In that same interview, Ryan pleaded with President Trump to pardon her, as well as everyone who took part.
“I think we all deserve a pardon,” she said. “I’m facing a prison sentence. I think I do not deserve that and from what I understand, every person is going to be arrested that was there, so I think everyone deserves a pardon, so I would ask the President of the United States to give me a pardon.”
Ryan isn’t the first rioter to publicly beg for a presidential pardon.
Jacob Chansley, who was perhaps the most notable rioter for his face paint, horned-headwear, and spear, has also asked for a pardon through his lawyer after he was arrested following the attacks.
As the Guardian reported, Chansley’s lawyer said Trump should do the “honorable thing and pardon those of his peaceful followers who accepted the president’s invitation.”
The Arizona man is being held without bail and is facing six federal charges.
