A Republican and then-member of West Virginia’s state House of Delegates who proudly livestreamed himself storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year and was subsequently charged swore revenge on Sunday.
Derrick Evans took to Truth Social, ex-President Donald Trump’s Twitter knockoff, to express his fury over the three-month prison sentence he’d received last month after pleading guilty to a felony civil disorder charge.
“If they think I was pissed over a stolen election, they haven’t seen anything now that they have forced me to say goodbye to my crying kids,” Evans wrote.
“Whenever I decide to run for office, I’m going to win, and I’m going to raise absolute hell in DC,” he added. “Liberals and RINOs [Republicans In Name Only] will be exposed every single day.”
The ex-lawmaker’s post ended with “#Jan6” and “#justice4J6.” The second hashtag stands for “Justice for J6,” a rallying cry among Trump supporters seeking to whitewash convicted Capitol insurrectionists as “political prisoners.”
Several hours later, Evans put out another post claiming he wasn’t threatening violence.
“Sad that I once again have to say this, but everyone knows I have consistently said I will fight this battle in a legal, peaceful, and political way,” he wrote.
Evans’ rage-filled social media post about being “forced” to face the consequences of storming the Capitol stood in head-spinning contrast with his somber mea culpa during his sentencing hearing last month.
“I’m a good person who was unfortunately caught up in a moment which led to me breaking the law. I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he told the judge.
Additionally, “I will forever bear the reminder that I made a crucial mistake,” the Republican said. “I’ve let down myself, I’ve let down my community and most importantly I’ve let down my family.”
Evans was unable to serve even a single day as a lawmaker due to his arrest and conviction: Several weeks before the Capitol attack, Evans was sworn into office on Dec. 14, and resigned a day after he was criminally charged, all before the West Virginia House began the new legislative session.
