Ex-Capitol Police Officer to Discuss Jan. 6 'Set-Up' in New Documentary

A former Capitol police officer will discuss the incidents of Jan. 6, 2021, in a new documentary, maintaining it was a set-up to trap former President Donald Trump.

"Everybody that was on the ground on J6, police officers and demonstrators alike, were all set up," Tarik Johnson said in a trailer for the film Capitol Punishment 2: The War on Truth, presented by From the Earth to the Moon actor Nick Searcy.

Without little more than conjecture, Johnson has repeatedly claimed that the events of Jan. 6, when supporters of former president Donald Trump protested at the Capitol—some entering the Capitol illegally, leading to over 1,000 arrests and jail time for some—were a "set up" and that the subsequent charges on which Trump was indicted are "crazy."

Many supporters attended the protest-turned-riot with 'Stop the Steal' banners, echoing Trump's claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

"It's crazy to me that Trump is going to take the fall for causing an insurrection," Johnson said.

This year, Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights in Washington, D.C. The charges relate to Jan. 6 and his alleged involvement in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Trump denies all charges and says he is the victim of political persecution.

On X, formerly Twitter, Johnson said Former Assistant Chief Yogananda Pittman "held back intel" to stop then-United States Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Steven Sund from gaining support from the National Guard. He did not specify what intelligence Pittman purportedly held back.

He added that he was "begging for help on the radio" but his "pleas were ignored on that day by the person in charge watching the events unfold on CCTV in the Command Center."

Johnson said this was Pittman and that she acted "to gain the favor of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and to become the chief of the USCP."

Despite the claims, Pittman became acting chief after Sund's resignation, but J. Thomas Manger took the role full-time on July 23, 2021. She left the USCP in 2022 and is now at the University of California, Berkeley.

Newsweek has contacted Pittman and the via LinkedIn. The USCP declined to comment.

Previously, a former colleague poured scorn on Johnson's comments.

USCP Officer Harry Dunn told Newsweek: "If he had something, then go ahead and show it. I've been all for the truth coming out and if he got something that will show the truth, then show it."

Dunn does not speak on behalf of the USCP.

Johnson was seen on Jan. 6 wearing a MAGA hat which he says was to help him coordinate with the mob and de-escalate the situation. "I figured that if I was wearing a MAGA hat, that people probably wouldn't want to try to attack me," he told NPR in January. He was suspended and eventually left the USCP.