Enrique Tarrio, leader of the extremist group Proud Boys, talked with reporters Friday about violence against police officers, serving time in prison, and his role in the Jan. 6 riots. NBC6’s Steve Litz reports
The Miami man in charge of the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys says he might sue the federal government.
“I was just some dude eating tacos in a hotel room, smoking cigarettes, that’s what I was doing on January 6th,” Enrique Tarrio said at a news conference Friday in Doral.
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WATCH HEREA Cuban restaurant there has been a hub of activity for Jan. 6 defendants, along with their family and friends.
News crews crammed into the back room as Tarrio, his mother and his lawyers explained his connection to the Capitol Hill riots.
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Tarrio denied being involved. Prosecutors say he helped organize the calamity.
Tarrio called for an investigation into the way he was treated by the federal government.
“I want accountability, and I want to focus on accountability for those that did this to us,” he said.
Tarrio was one of some 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants who were pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Some violently attacked police officers that day, and that’s a crime, according to a former South Florida police executive.
“We are talking about aggravated battery, we are talking about using weapons, we are talking about using bear spray,” said former Miami Police Assistant Chief David Magnusson. “I’m not going to let that rest, I mean it is what it is. Is it a legit decision to pardon them? Yes. Is it the proper decision? No.”
Tarrio said several times that he condemns violence.
“People who put their hands on a police officer should get charged with whatever it is, whether it’s assault on a police officer, but that is not where the problem in these cases lie,” Tarrio said. “The problem on these cases lie in the miscarriage of justice and how it was performed.”
Tarrio was serving 22 years in prison, then received a presidential pardon as soon as Trump came into office.
He promises his group will remain active, especially in local politics.
“The Proud Boys did nothing wrong and American patriots did nothing wrong, asterisk, there might be some people in there that were violent, but, the process was corrupt, and they do deserve a pardon," Tarrio said.
