James Phillip Mault was within the Nationwide Guard when he assaulted police in the course of the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. 4 months after participating within the riot to upend the 2020 presidential election, he reenlisted within the active-duty Army, in line with service data.
Mault, 30, who remains to be serving as an Army specialist, turned the one active-duty service member convicted and sentenced for the pro-Trump assault after being arrested at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was sentenced July 15 to 3 and a half years in jail for felony assault on regulation enforcement – one of many longest sentences amongst these convicted to date for Jan. 6.
The case raises questions in regards to the Army’s potential to fight extremism, in addition to its vetting of troops who wish to reenlist, after courtroom data confirmed Mault additionally had a conviction for driving whereas impaired.
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Federal prosecutors stated he descended on the Capitol on Jan. 6 to violently overturn the election outcomes and was interviewed by investigators simply weeks later. However he was nonetheless in a position to rejoin the Army — even because the Protection Division introduced a brand new effort to root out extremism within the ranks.
Mault is one in all not less than three Nationwide Guard members who assaulted the Capitol. As a result of he later reenlisted into the common Army, he seems to be the primary active-duty service member to be sentenced to jail in connection to the siege, in line with information from George Washington College’s Program on Extremism.
On the afternoon of Jan. 6, Mault, together with hundreds of different rioters, breached the Capitol constructing in an effort to disrupt or overturn the election certification of President Joe Biden, in line with courtroom filings.
Mault, together with co-defendant Cody Mattice, 29, who doesn’t have any recognized army connection, crawled excessive of different rioters towards a tunnel main into the Capitol the place regulation enforcement officers had retreated and had been being assaulted by the gang.
It was there that Mault and Mattice pepper-sprayed Metropolitan and Capitol law enforcement officials who had been making an attempt to defend the Capitol.
Mault dedicated the assault whereas he was serving within the New York Nationwide Guard. His standing as a Guard soldier might contribute to media studies referring to him merely as a veteran. However so far as the Army is worried, Mault was on the army’s part-time muster on Jan. 6 and, 4 months later, was a everlasting, salaried member of the service.
Mault initially enlisted within the energetic Army as a Patriot missile operator in 2012, in line with army data. The next 12 months, he deployed to Kuwait for a 12 months and in 2016 transitioned into the New York Nationwide Guard as a fight engineer.
Two years later, whereas nonetheless serving within the Guard, he was convicted of driving whereas impaired, in line with the felony historical past listed in federal courtroom paperwork associated to his Jan. 6 sentencing, although the small print of the conviction are unclear. The offense is punishable below the Uniform Code of Army Justice, however could be waived when enlisting into the common army, relying on the severity of the case.
In Might 2021, simply 4 months after federal brokers interviewed him for his involvement within the Jan. 6 assault, Mault reenlisted within the active-duty Army, the place he’s at present serving.
Army.com’s makes an attempt to contact Mault and his lawyer, Richard S. Stern, had been unsuccessful.
Along with their sentences, Mault and Mattice owe $2,000 in restitution for damages on the Capitol; the Division of Justice says the entire price is over $1.4 million.
Mault doesn’t have any recognized ties to extremist teams such because the Oath Keepers or Proud Boys, whose members now face seditious conspiracy costs associated to Jan. 6. However his reenlistment got here at a tenuous time for the DoD — one month after Secretary Lloyd Austin introduced an “instant” initiative to counter extremism within the army.
“The [soldier’s] command is conscious of the conviction and is working the suitable subsequent steps,” stated Army spokesperson Matt Leonard. The army has been reluctant to take administrative motion in circumstances of service members who’re related to Jan. 6 till convictions or sentencing.
The Army didn’t reply to a follow-up request for touch upon how Mault was in a position to reenlist whereas below investigation for Jan. 6 and with a DWI. In October, HuffPost reported that the Army was not conscious of his involvement in Jan. 6 previous to his reenlistment.
A minimum of 4 days earlier than the assault on the Capitol, each Mault and Mattice mentioned touring to Washington, D.C., from Rochester, New York, to attend former President Donald Trump’s rally with the intent of assembly or inflicting violence, in line with DoJ filings.
A day earlier than the assault, the co-defendants mentioned bringing gear, with Mault recommending to a number of rioters by means of textual content that they carry long-sleeved shirts, gloves, knives, batons, pepper spray, “asskicking” boots, helmets and eye safety.
Based on testimony from the FBI particular agent who investigated the case, Mault’s father drove him and not less than 5 others to D.C. to attend the rally.
Mault was recognized partly from video of his laborious hat, which sported stickers from his ironworker job — employment he was fired from, in line with The Washington Publish. Mault claimed he introduced the laborious hat to guard himself from antifa – a loosely organized far-left group that has prompted disruption and property injury at U.S. protests – in line with the agent’s assertion.
An FBI particular agent stated it was an nameless tip that recognized Mault and that the tipster claimed to have seen an image of him contained in the Capitol.
Mattice filmed a number of the pair’s day, together with recording himself that afternoon saying, “We’re on the point of go march on Capitol Hill. We’re gonna go f— some s— up. It is about to be nuts.”
He added, “Let’s do that. Let’s f—ing do that. I can not wait,” whereas Mault stood beside him, in line with DoJ filings.
Mault tried to persuade officers to hitch the rioters in the course of the preliminary afternoon breach of the police line.
“Your jobs might be right here whenever you come again after we kick the s— out of everybody,” he stated. Hours later, he would stand above a crowd of rioters on the opening of the Decrease West Terrace tunnel of the Capitol and discharge pepper spray into the group of regulation enforcement officers blocking the doorway.
Lower than two weeks later, Mault admitted to federal brokers that he was on the Capitol on Jan. 6, although he claimed to have been pushed towards the constructing by the gang and denied that he had assaulted anybody. In October, after video surfaced exhibiting the assault, he was arrested at Fort Bragg, in line with courtroom paperwork.
Greater than 850 folks have been arrested in connection to the Capitol assault. Over 260 have been charged with assaulting regulation enforcement.
The Division of Protection has come below scrutiny because of the variety of Jan. 6 contributors related to the army. Six of the 11 Oath Keepers members indicted on seditious conspiracy costs are veterans, together with the group’s chief Stewart Rhodes. 4 of the 5 Proud Boys indicted on these costs are veterans.
George Washington’s Program on Extremism studies that, as of July, the federal authorities has leveled federal costs in opposition to 102 people with recognized army connections — roughly 12% of whole people charged. Different researchers estimate that nearer to 120 rioters had army connections, however could also be together with those that had been separated at fundamental coaching.
— Drew F. Lawrence could be reached at drew.lawrence@army.com. Comply with him on Twitter @df_lawrence.
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