“Evan Neumann of Mill Valley, California, who fled to Belarus in order to escape criminal charges for his part in the attempted insurrection on Jan 6, 2021, has given an exclusive interview to Russia’s state media outlet RT. In his previous appearance, which was on Belarusian state TV, Neuman inferred that Russia was his preferred destination, and Belarus simply happened to be closer. Now this man – on the run from the American justice system – seems to be courting refuge from Putin.”

“Neumann is wanted in the United States on six criminal charges related to the Capitol riot, including two felonies for assaulting an officer and participating in civil disorder. The U.S. fugitive’s comments to the notorious state media outlet seem like an attempt to ingratiate himself to the Kremlin and perhaps to land in Moscow at some point in the future. He provided RT with a tasty sound bite that is sure to play well in Russian propaganda circuits: ‘I don’t understand why Russia is our enemy today.’ During his earlier interview with Belarusian TV, Neumann condemned the U.S. sanctions against Russia and Belarus and described them as ‘a form of terrorism.’ In his appearance on RT that premiered over the weekend, Neumann complained about Trump being unjustly accused and hounded by the media. According to the criminal complaint filed in his case, Neumann was videotaped on January 6, 2021 assaulting and berating Capitol officers in the performance of their duties. He defied their demands to move away from the barricade by calling the officers ‘little bitches,’ ‘piece of shit’ and exclaiming: ‘You’re nothing.’ Neumann allegedly assailed officers and struck them with a metal barricade. He said: ‘I’m willing to die, are you?'” – Daily Beast