A Minnesota man convicted of assaulting two Capitol officers during the Jan. 6 riot is trying to justify his actions to the gay son who reported him.
Brian Mock, 44, who was recently convicted of 11 counts related to the insurrection, allowed The New York Times to participate in the conversation series.
Mock is currently awaiting sentencing and his adult son AJ, 21, was instrumental in his arrest. He was one of several who turned him into the FBI after the attack and said his father told him he might not come home afterward.
AJ was even criticized in court by his own father after Mock decided to represent himself.
Despite his son’s betrayal that will land him in prison, Mock told AJ at the end of their court battle that he was proud of him and loved him.
Facebook posts Mock made after the attack suggested as much – one of them said: “I went to the Capitol not knowing what to expect, but I said goodbye to my four children and wasn’t sure. whether I would come home.” I was at peace with that knowledge.’
A federal judge ultimately found Mock guilty of all charges related to the insurrection, including four counts of assault on law enforcement officers. In conversations documented by the Times, he tried to explain himself to the son he still respects.
A Minnesota man convicted of assaulting two Capitol officers during the Jan. 6 insurrection tried to justify his actions to his son before his sentencing
Brian Mock, 44, is currently awaiting sentencing and his adult son AJ, 21, was instrumental in his arrest. He was one of several who turned him into the FBI after the attack and said his father told him he might not come home afterward
‘There. “That’s me,” he told AJ in a recorded conversation as they watched one of several clips used by police implicating him in the attack, pausing the film as he came into frame.
Mock zoomed in on a man wearing a black jacket and camouflaged hood who could be seen shouting at a line of police officers outside the Capitol. He pressed play and turned up the volume so that chants and explosions filled his Minneapolis apartment.
“They stole it!” someone shouted in the clip in question. Another shouted: “We want our country back.” Let’s take it. Light up!’ according to The Times.
Meanwhile, a visibly disinterested AJ – who made the 40-mile drive from his home in rural Wisconsin to see his father every few weeks – was reportedly fidgeting in his chair and burying his phone in his face.
The ad, noted Times reporter Eli Saslow, sparked a reprimand from the convict.
“Can I have your undivided attention for a few minutes?” asked Mock, who is seen in several photos trying to lead his fellow rioters before attacking two Capitol police officers and stealing their riot shields.
“I want you to know what really happened.” “It’s important to me,” the imposter continued, this time eliciting a reaction from his son.
‘Excuse me. “You just showed me that,” said AJ, who received full support from his father after coming out to him as gay.
‘I am tired.’
Facebook posts Mock (circled) made after the attack suggested the same thing – one of which said: “I went to the Capitol not knowing what to expect, but said goodbye to my four children and was not sure if I would come home.” I was at peace with this knowledge.
A federal judge ultimately found Mock – seen here with his girlfriend on the day of the attacks – guilty of all charges he faced in connection with the insurrection, including four counts of assault on law enforcement officers. In conversations documented by the Times, he tried to explain himself to his son
As AJ spoke, smoke from his e-cigarette flooded the room and he played with a rainbow ribbon on a keychain that read “Love is Love.”
In another exchange, Mock, who was facing six felony and five misdemeanor charges for his actions that day, attempted to make amends by charting his activities on a piece of paper, drawing the National Mall, Peace Circle and the Capitol , along with a food truck where he stopped for lunch.
“Because of course you needed tacos to storm the Capitol,” AJ reportedly replied, without doing much to hide his sarcasm.
Brian, in turn, responded with his own joke – supposedly replying: “What, do you expect me to overthrow the government on an empty stomach?”
The joke, The Times reported, caused AJ to roll his eyes — and Brian to crank up another video on his laptop.
“There were crowds like there was a river,” Brian said, recounting new footage of throngs of Trump supporters heading toward the Capitol. “You’re in the current. You’re being pushed.”
A few minutes later, as a burst of fire lit the screen, Mock, who bragged after the attack about hitting police officers, claimed: “A concussion grenade exploded right on me.”
Witnesses also reported that Mock “pointed and yelled aggressively” at the officers, yelling several times, “Get out!” – Several photos and media clippings cited by the government appear to show much of this
One piece of evidence that proved damning was footage of him shoving a Capitol officer to the ground during the chaos – nearly resulting in him being trampled by the unruly mob that Mock himself said owned his own strength.
Nevertheless, the convicted rebel tried to justify his actions to his at times disinterested son before his impending sentencing
“Can you imagine how that would provoke a crowd?”
At this point in the conversation he looked at his son questioningly, but AJ went back to staring at his phone.
“Earth to AJ,” Mock is said to have remarked, annoyed.
He added: “I’m not a crazy person foaming at the mouth.” I got into a bad situation for about five minutes. Do you see where I’m coming from?’
“I’m trying,” AJ replied.
For a man who posted solidarity posts with Black Lives Matter protesters on social media after the killing of George Floyd and an avowed Joe Biden voter, the term “try” might be somewhat understandable.
According to reports provided to the Times by the family, Mock AJ publicly said before his arraignment that the protests were being portrayed as peaceful only by the “liberal media,” calling it “some bs propaganda.”
Brian wrote to AJ on Facebook at the time: “I know I raised you better.”
Before Mock detailed what he experienced at the U.S. Capitol that led to his arrest and trial, he was seen in millions of photos trying to lead his fellow rioters.
Witnesses also reported that Mock “pointed and yelled aggressively at” the officers, yelling multiple times, “Get out!” – Several photos and media clippings cited by the government appear to show much of this.
After the initial shock of the incident wore off, his face, like hundreds of others, appeared on FBI posters. Several showed him casually puffing on a cigarette as he joined in the mayhem until his son finally betrayed him
One piece of evidence that proved damning was footage of him shoving a Capitol officer to the ground during the chaos – nearly resulting in him being trampled by the unruly mob that Mock himself said owned his own strength.
The officer, identified as Stevin Karlsen, was then stripped of his protective shield by Mock, who is pictured taking a step forward with his right foot and pressing both hands against the shield.
Karlsen was then filmed falling backwards toward a marble step behind him, causing him to fear for his life, he testified in July.
“The best way I can describe what I felt at that point was panic,” Karlsen said when asked by prosecutors about the vulnerability he felt as he fell to the ground.
The testimony — along with reports of three other assaults committed by Mock and witnessed by other witnesses that day — was enough for a federal judge to find the father of four guilty of all charges against him.
He refused to admit his crimes earlier in the trial and now faces a much longer prison sentence.
The state also used in their case a series of social media posts Mock made before and after the insurrection that demonstrated his willingness to participate in the deliberate, politically motivated strike.
A comment written on January 3 said, in part: “This was not the war we wanted…but if it is forced upon us, we will fight with the ferocity and justice of a thousand angels.”
“When the actions of these days enter the history books… will you be like the German citizens who watched the Nazis take over their country, or like those who stood by during slavery and Jim Crow?”
The Times report said Mock and his son texted each other on Jan. 6 in which his son reprimanded him for participating in a terrorist attack
“Get the fuck out of the way or prepare to defend yourself.” A storm has been brewing that will sweep across this country very soon.
Another post from Jan. 6, shortly after the attack, said he was “tear gassed six times, pepper sprayed and finally mustard gas.”
“But we remained true to our patriotism and marched to the capital.”[sic] and stormed the front,” it continued. “No regrets…I’m ashamed of the blue that harmed everyone there to advocate for the cause.”
Another, written two days later, showed Mock willing to die and leave his four children behind while he fought for his faith.
In it, Mock wrote, “I went to the Capitol not knowing what to expect, but said goodbye to my four children and wasn’t sure if I would come home.” I was happy with that knowledge.
Another saw the father praising himself as a “real man” before bragging about going to “war” in the Capitol, even if it meant leaving his children behind.
“I held my own and even more so when I watched the Capitol Police beat women and old men. “When they faced real men, free men and brave men, they fled with fear and tears in their eyes,” the Jan. 8 post said.
Also not helping were witnesses who said they saw Mock and his girlfriend bragging about tearing down barricades set up by police while attacking several officers and destroying federal property during the attack.
Afterward, a person told investigators they heard Mock bragging about “beating up” an officer – evidence that was eventually used against him in court.
After the initial shock of the incident wore off, his face, like hundreds of others, appeared on FBI posters.
A retired New York police officer who also assaulted police officers during the riot is currently receiving the harshest sentence: 10 years. This may now be surpassed by Mock’s verdict after he overrode his lawyer’s advice and pleaded not guilty
Several showed him casually puffing on a cigarette as he joined in the mayhem until his son finally betrayed him.
The Times report said Mock and his son texted each other on Jan. 6 in which his son reprimanded him for participating in a terrorist attack.
The situation paved the way for the back-and-forth that followed: “What you did today was treason and a threat to internal security,” AJ wrote.
“Actually, everyone should stay locked up there for the rest of their lives.” Including you.’
Mock, in turn, replied: “You’ve got to be kidding me.” “We showed up there and it was peaceful, and then they gassed and attacked people.”
AJ then shot back: You stormed that [EXPLETIVE] CAPITOL!’
Mock was unconvinced and insisted on his innocence.
“They started the violence, and now they understand the extent of our resolve,” they wrote
“You have four kids at home.” What the hell made you think that was a good idea? If this had been a BLM protest, everyone would have been killed, no questions asked.”
In July, lawyers took the same stance and handed down the harsh sentence that will likely put Mock behind bars for the next few years.
During the trial, in which Mock unsuccessfully represented himself, prosecutors expressed tentative plans to call AJ to the stand, but that never happened.
Instead, Mock asked him to testify for the defense, creating a strange courtroom dynamic in which the pair’s contrasting personalities and political views were on full display.
AJ continued to testify that his father exaggerated and exaggerated online and said he felt guilty about turning his father over to the FBI.
During cross-examination, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gordon asked AJ if he would describe his relationship with his father as complex, prompting the son to respond only that he loved his father and that he did not want him to go to prison go.
AJ also added that he was “in shock” when his father told him and other relatives that he didn’t know if he would return to D.C. after the more than 1,600-mile journey.
The younger Mock said at the time that he “didn’t know how to react to his father’s statement” and claimed he wasn’t sure whether Mock meant he was going to die or simply be arrested.
Still, the muted statements were not enough to save his father, who will be sentenced in January.
In the meantime, their meetings continue – where the couple told the Times they hope to find at least some semblance of understanding between each other and perhaps some common ground.
In another exchange observed by Saslow, Mock asked, “How complicated do you think our relationship could be?” To which his son replied, “We don’t always agree.” “We’re both pretty stubborn.”
The second came when AJ recalled how he mustered up the courage to send his father a text message with a link to an over-the-top YouTube song proclaiming he was gay.
He remembered his father replying just moments later: “I love you.” I’m proud of you. But I’ll never forgive you for getting that stupid song stuck in my head.’
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, with a significant increase last summer, just before Mock’s trial.
A retired New York police officer who also attacked police during the riot is currently receiving the worst sentence award related to the attack, receiving 10 years in prison last May.
That may now be surpassed, or at least equaled, by Mock’s sentence after he overruled his lawyer’s advice and pleaded guilty in return for a reduced sentence.
His fate will now be decided at the beginning of next year.