Category: Politics
Elderly man who falsely confessed to shooting Charlie Kirk sentenced to prison
The elderly man who was caught on video screaming, “Shoot me!” after falsely confessing to shooting Charlie Kirk has pleaded no contest to a third-degree charge of obstruction of justice.
71-year-old George Zinn added to the chaos on Sept. 10 when Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University by claiming to have been the shooter. He was dragged away while his pants slipped to his ankles.
‘I want to put the past behind me and move forward.’
After Zinn was questioned by police, they said they discovered child sex abuse material on his cell phone, which led to more charges.
On Thursday he also pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, but denied in a statement to the court that he was a threat to children.
Utah Fourth District Court Judge Thomas Low sentenced Zinn to up to 15 years for all of the charges. A parole board will ultimately decide how much time he spends in prison.
Zinn helped incite conspiracy theories about the shooting, but he was known for being a nuisance at high-profile political and cultural events in Utah. He had more than two dozen previous arrests, the most serious one involving an alleged bomb threat made to the Salt Lake City Marathon by email.
Police said that he admitted to trying to divert “the attention of multiple law enforcement officers from their efforts to secure the scene and find the actual shooter.”
22-year-old Tyler James Robinson was charged for the murder of Kirk based on a trove of evidence that included a confession note and extensive physical evidence.
RELATED: Panel explodes into chaos after leftist influencer defends mocking Charlie Kirk’s widow
Zinn did not mention Charlie Kirk in his statement to the court asking for mercy.
“I want to put the past behind me and move forward,” he said as he became emotional.
Zinn’s defense attorney, Carly Madsen, told the court that he never fit in and didn’t get the help he needed.
“Never really got the love or attention he deserved,” she added. “And never got the help he needed, resources that would that helped him years ago.”
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THE LAST WALZ: Minnesota Gov Says ‘I Will Never Run for an Elected Office Again’ [WATCH]
![THE LAST WALZ: Minnesota Gov Says ‘I Will Never Run for an Elected Office Again’ [WATCH]](https://hannity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2181651394-300x200.jpg "Kamala Harris Campaigns For President Across Michigan")
It’s over for Tim Walz.
Pipe-bomb prosecutors ‘reckless’ for insinuating Brian Cole’s family was involved, attorney says
The defense team for Jan. 6 D.C. pipe-bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. accused the U.S. Department of Justice of being “reckless” by insinuating that Cole’s sister and grandmother were somehow involved in the crime.
Defense attorney J. Alex Little filed an 11-page rebuttal of the DOJ’s recent 39-page opposition memo, which seeks to prevent Cole’s release from jail pending trial.
‘It is an unjustified deprivation of liberty.’
Oral arguments on the question were held before U.S. District Judge Amir Ali on Jan. 28. The judge said he would issue a ruling later. On Jan. 16, Judge Ali denied an emergency motion for Cole’s release from custody. The judge set a status hearing for Feb. 27.
Cole was arrested Dec. 4 on a criminal complaint alleging that he planted pipe bombs behind the Democratic National Committee building and near the Republican National Committee building between 7:54 p.m. and 8:16 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021. In January 2026, he was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with two explosives-related crimes.
‘Resorts to insinuation’
Near the end of its Jan. 23 memo opposing Cole’s release from jail pending trial, the DOJ mentioned that Cole’s sister texted her mother that she was going into D.C. on Jan. 5, 2021. Brittany Cole texted her mother that her grandmother cautioned her there could be protests.
“Unable to identify an actual, present threat, the government resorts to insinuation. It closes its response by suggesting that Mr. Cole’s sister and grandmother may have been involved in the charged conduct,” Little wrote.
“Its proof? Text messages showing that Mr. Cole’s sister — a club promoter who frequently works in Washington D.C. — told her mother she was going to the city, and that her grandmother had warned it might be crowded,” he wrote.
The DOJ memo also mentioned that Cole sent texts to his mother in the days leading up to Jan. 6. There was no mention of the content of those messages. Little said this reference baselessly suggested something nefarious.
A federal grand jury charged Brian Cole Jr. with two explosives-related charges, alleging he planted pipe bombs on Capitol Hill on Jan. 5, 2021. FBI, Prince William County photos
The DOJ said Cole’s sister texted their mother at 4:17 p.m. Jan. 5, writing: “I’m going to dc…Grams said it may be crazy out there so I was just letting you know.” The sister “sent a text message to the defendant a few hours earlier, at approximately 12:39 p.m. on Jan. 5,” the DOJ memo read.
“That is not evidence of involvement. Nor is it evidence of dangerousness,” Little countered. “It is family checking in with each other. The government’s decision to publicly imply, with no factual basis, that these private citizens are connected to domestic terrorism is reckless and reveals how little actual evidence it has that Mr. Cole poses a continuing danger.”
Brittany Cole provided an affidavit on Jan. 27 stating that her job as a concert promoter took her to D.C. that afternoon and that her trip had nothing to do with Jan. 6 or the crimes her brother is accused of.
‘Unable to identify an actual, present threat, the government resorts to insinuation.’
“As part of my work, I routinely had meetings and would attend events in the Washington D.C. area,” she wrote. “I attended these meetings and events as a networking event for my work and the nightclubs I marketed before.”
Tim Lauer, director of external affairs at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, told Blaze News, “When a defendant claims he should be released into the custody of his family, there will inevitably be a court discussion about the appropriateness of that release.”
For nearly a month, the two sides in the pipe-bombs case have argued whether Cole should be held behind bars until trial. The government insists that Cole is so dangerous that no combination of supervision or monitoring could adequately protect the public.
The DOJ said Cole had purchased other items besides the alleged bomb-making components used for the pipe bombs. This included a pressure cooker on July 25, 2020, a funnel and canning jar on Jan. 28, 2021, nails on Feb. 10, 2021, four alarm clocks and duct tape on March 28, 2020, and three analog wristwatches in 2020 and 2021.
Little said the pressure cooker was purchased to cook meals and was not some kind of bomb component.
“Mr. Cole explained during his interrogation that he bought it for the house for cooking, and there is no evidence it has ever been used for anything else,” Little wrote, noting that “millions of Americans own pressure cookers.”
Police walked right past DNC pipe bomb to first look under a bush where bomber sat 17 hours earlier. Photos by U.S. Capitol Police
“The government’s inclusion of this item in a list of purported ‘bomb-making components’ is the kind of innuendo that pervades its argument — suggestive without context but unsupported by any actual evidence,” Little said.
In numerous filings with the court, the DOJ said Cole “used beaker sets to conduct another science experiment to create potassium chlorate,” a chemical “oxidizing agent commonly used in explosives.” This experiment was done sometime after Jan. 5, the DOJ said.
Little said the DOJ “has the timeline wrong.”
‘There is significant evidence of the defendant’s continued interest in bomb-making.’
“This experiment occurred years before the charged conduct, not after,” Little wrote. “During his interview, Mr. Cole described the experiment in detail: He used beakers and got bleach on the carpet. The government’s own discovery confirms that the beakers the government describes were purchased in 2018.”
Cole’s mother, Delicia Cole, provided an affidavit stating, “In or before 2018, while living in my home, Brian attempted a science experiment to create homemade ‘rocket fuel.’” Her son’s attempt to make rocket fuel “was an innocuous science experiment without any ill intent,” Delicia Cole wrote.
Little said the DOJ has provided no forward-looking evidence of Cole being a danger to society. He said his client is willing to be placed under the strictest release conditions, including home detention and GPS monitoring.
“Mr. Cole’s alleged conduct occurred more than five years ago. He has done nothing dangerous since,” Little wrote. “He has no criminal history, strong community ties, and family — including a retired law enforcement officer — willing to ensure his compliance.”
‘Deprivation of liberty’
Given Cole’s willingness to submit to comprehensive release conditions, Little said that continued detention of his client “is not the ‘carefully limited exception’ the Constitution requires — it is an unjustified deprivation of liberty.”
The DOJ cited Cole’s alleged history of purchasing bomb-making components, his alleged confession, and a nearly five-year effort to avoid law enforcement as factors showing he is a danger to society and must remain in custody.
“There is significant evidence of the defendant’s continued interest in bomb-making, and there are concrete reasons to doubt that the defendant will abide by release conditions or that a third-party custodian will effectively monitor him,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles R. Jones wrote in a memo opposing Cole’s release.
“On this record, and given the statutory presumption of detention, there is clear and convincing evidence that no combination of conditions will reasonably assure the community’s safety if the defendant is released,” Jones wrote.
A U.S. Capitol Police bomb robot (center) responds to the Democratic National Committee building on Jan. 6, 2021. Photos by FBI, U.S. Capitol Police
Little scoffed at the idea that his client evaded law enforcement for nearly five years.
“The government paints him as a criminal mastermind who engaged in a sustained effort to avoid apprehension. But the government’s own evidence tells a different story,” Little wrote.
While the DOJ said Cole “wiped” his Samsung cell phone more than 940 times, Little said that began 18 months after Jan. 5. “If Mr. Cole were trying to destroy evidence of the January 5, 2021, offense, one would expect the wiping to begin immediately afterward, not 18 months later,” Little said.
“The government’s own discovery shows that Mr. Cole purchased CCleaner, an application that advertises its ability to make phones and computers operate faster by cleaning out junk files,” Little wrote. “According to Mr. Cole’s interview, he understood it to be antivirus software.
“According to the government, beginning in July 2022, he started compulsively using the cleaning function — a pattern consistent with his documented OCD.”
The defense submitted an affidavit of Maryland neuropsychologist David O. Black, who said he diagnosed Cole with autism spectrum disorder, level 1, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“Over the past several years, Mr. Cole has repetitively wiped his phone of junk files,” Black wrote. “Repetitive behavior of this nature is consistent with behavior that is often seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
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Dr. Oz exposes alleged fraud in Los Angeles — so Gavin Newsom calls for investigation into his ‘racially charged’ claims
The head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services posted a video exposing alleged government funding fraud in Los Angeles, and the Democratic governor instead opened an investigation into the “racially charged” allegations.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz posted a video on his Instagram account showing businesses in Van Nuys that he suspected were fronts for criminal activity and fraud.
‘Given the historic sensitivities involved, we are taking these allegations seriously. Any and all acts of hate have no place in California.’
“What we have learned, there’s roughly $3.5 billion of fraud taking place here in Los Angeles, in hospice and home care,” Oz said. “It’s run, quite a bit of it, by the Russian-Armenian mafia; you notice the lettering and language behind me.”
He called L.A. County the “epicenter” for health care fraud in America.
“Criminals have corrupted the system so much that fraud is now almost expected,” he added. “President Trump has made it clear: We will not tolerate the patient harm or taxpayer funded theft any longer. More to come.”
However, the targeting of Armenian business owners by Oz, who is Turkish-American, led many to believe they were being racially discriminated against.
Rather than look into the claims of fraud, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he would investigate Dr. Oz.
“Our office is reviewing reports that Dr. Mehmet Oz targeted the Armenian American community in Southern California recently — making racially charged claims of fraud outside Armenian-owned businesses, including a popular bakery,” he posted on social media.
“Given the historic sensitivities involved, we are taking these allegations seriously,” he added. “Any and all acts of hate have no place in California.”
RELATED: Entire board of directors at charter school resigns after allegations of massive fraud scheme
Newsom was referring to hostility between Armenians and Turkish people over the 1.5 million Armenians that were killed beginning in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, which is now Turkey.
Dr. Oz fired back at the governor.
“If there were a real defense for California’s fraud crisis, we’d hear it. CMS and law enforcement will keep doing the actual work: going after fraudsters, period.”
Garen Janbachian with the Armenian National Committee of America told KNBC-TV that the community was outraged that Oz was singling them out, and they denied allegations of fraud.
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‘He is no victim’: Sister of man shot by Border Patrol in Arizona tells anti-ICE protesters to stop defending him
While many on the left expressed outrage at the shooting reported near the U.S.-Mexico border by federal agents, the sister of the man shot says he’s “no victim.”
Very few details were initially available when the shooting 10 miles from the border was reported on Tuesday. One person was shot at about 7:30 a.m. and was in serious but stable condition.
‘He is no victim. He is a violent person. That’s who he always has been.’
The man was later identified as 34-year-old Patrick Gary Schlegel. Police said he had an active warrant for human trafficking when he was stopped and that two men rushed out of his truck after he drove away.
He eventually ran out of the truck and fired gunshots in the direction of a police helicopter pursuing him, which led to his getting shot and being injured in the leg and head.
Amber Schlegel, the man’s sister, told KOLD-TV Wednesday that he had placed many people in danger through his actions.
“To hear that he’s back running illegals again didn’t surprise me, but to hear that he actually fired at federal agents — that took me by surprise,” she said. “He is no victim. He is a violent person. That’s who he always has been.”
She said that she had already sought a protection order against him when he threatened her for speaking out against him.
“He’s where he should be,” she added. “Whether he recovers or not, he needs to be locked up for a very long time.”
Police said they found a handgun, a .45 pistol, and a cell phone in Schlegel’s possession.
The two men who were in his truck allegedly told police that they had paid Schlegel to bring them across the border. One claimed to have paid $8,000, while the other said he paid him $14,000.
The man is charged with assault on a federal officer and had many other previous run-ins with the law.
“Schlegel has a significant criminal history to include an active federal arrest warrant issued in 2025 by the U.S. Marshals Service for escape related to a previous smuggling conviction,” said Heith Janke, FBI special agent in charge in Phoenix.
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‘This isn’t organic’: Joe Rogan says Minnesota’s anti-ICE protests are ‘coordinated’ to induce chaos
Podcast giant Joe Rogan is leaning on investigative reporting from independent journalists to find the truth about left-wing protests in Minnesota.
Chats on the Signal messenger app that were “infiltrated” by reporter Cam Higby showed that a complex and coordinated network of left-wing groups have been working together to allegedly impede federal operations in Minnesota.
‘The idea that this is an organic protest — these riots are organic — is nonsense.’
The chats, reviewed by Fox News, allegedly detailed socialist, communist, and Marxist-Leninist cells in the United States organizing protests after the death of Alex Pretti. In fact, the report said that agitators were already mobilized to the scene of the death before it happened.
Color me shocked
Rogan explained on his podcast that the riots and anti-government protests in the state are akin to a color revolution, which he described as a “a coordinated effort to cause chaos.”
“This is a very coordinated thing,” Rogan told commentator Andrew Wilson on episode No. 2444 of “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
“The idea that this is an organic protest — these riots are organic — is nonsense. It’s provably nonsense because now they have access to the Signal chats,” he continued.
Rogan made it clear that he did not believe that Pretti should have been shot but said he understands that federal agents were operating under chaotic circumstances.
RELATED: Klobuchar running for Minnesota governor on anti-ICE platform
‘Coordinated effort’
The Austin-based comic made the distinction that it was not Immigration and Customs Enforcement that shot Pretti, rather it was Customs and Border Protection that was brought in to assist ICE.
These agents have been “harassed outside of any hotel they’re at. People blow horns. They try to smash into the hotel. They doxx them,” Rogan explained, which he said is the reason why so many agents are wearing masks.
“It’s a coordinated effort.”
Pretti was reported to have a gun with two magazines on him at the time of his death; Rogan, who has displayed intricate knowledge of weapons over the years, discussed the nuances of concealed carry licenses with Wilson, who said he had experience in teaching weapons training.
“If you know anything about concealed carry, if you are a concealed carry holder and you are carrying not just a pistol, but two full magazines as well, you do not ever physically engage with someone,” Rogan explained. “You also are supposed to carry your license on you, and you’re supposed to have ID on you.”
Pretti was reportedly not carrying ID on him at the time of his death.
Rogan went on, “When you go to what’s supposed to be a peaceful protest and you’re fully armed like that with two magazines, it’s kind of crazy, right? Like … why do you need so many bullets?”
RELATED: ‘More arrests to come’: Bondi shares photos of anti-ICE agitators now charged with crimes
Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images
Welcome diversion
The comedian was careful not to get himself into legal battles over the story but overall cited the riots in Minnesota as distractions that have been welcomed to draw attention away from billions in fraud abuse in the state.
“There would be a reason why you would want to distract from all that fraud,” he added.
Recently new footage of Pretti from 11 days before his death has surfaced. The video showed Pretti swearing at federal agents, spitting at them, and even kicking the taillight off of a vehicle containing federal agents as it was driving away.
Outlets and witnesses had previously described Pretti as simply a “calm observer.”
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