'Taking over the Capitol again': Violent J6 rioter now seeks Marco Rubio's old Senate seat

A pardoned Jan. 6 defendant who was accused of violently attacking police at the Capitol is hoping to take over the Florida Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Jake Lang never stood trial for his alleged role in the insurrection due to repeated delays in his case. He was ultimately pardoned, along with 1,600 other rioters, by President Donald Trump.

Lang posted to X, "Today I am blessed by God to officially announce my candidacy for US Senate in the great State of Florida!! The story of the January 6 Hostages isn’t over - it’s just begun!! The Golden Age of America is HERE. WE ARE TAKING OVER THE CAPITOL AGAIN. This time as America’s Public Servants & Elected Leaders!"

Lang proclaimed, "The January 6ers have been chosen & made for such a time as this."

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According to The Guardian, "Lang has not expressed regret for his actions on 6 January 2021 and has frequently referred to himself as a political prisoner. Photo and video footage of him on that day show him repeatedly fighting police and yelling things such as: 'This is our house. We paid for this f-----g building.' At one point in the riot, he wore a gas mask and beat police with a shield and bat, the justice department alleged, in an entrance to the Capitol that saw some of the most violence. He posted on social media afterward and wrote: 'arrest me.'”

The Guardian continued, "Some Florida Republicans have said they don’t see Lang as a serious contender. Jake Hoffman, the executive director of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, told the Florida Phoenix: 'Every cycle, both parties have insane candidates with a less than 0% chance of winning enter a race, but they do it anyway. This is one of those cases.'”

After Rubio was tapped to be Trump's secretary of state, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody was appointed to fill his seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). Lang would ostensibly need to primary Moody to run for the seat.

Read The Guardian article here.