An Indiana man convicted of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 with his mom has reportedly applied for asylum in Canada — and is already living there — after failing to report to prison over the summer.

Summary

Antony Vo, convicted for participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots alongside his mother, has fled to Canada and applied for asylum instead of reporting to prison to serve a nine-month sentence.

Vo claims his conviction was “political persecution” and part of a government conspiracy.

Currently living in Canada with his mother, who also faces federal charges, Vo believes Trump will pardon Jan. 6 rioters.

U.S. authorities have been actively searching for him, while his asylum application remains under review by Canadian officials.

  • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
    292·
    4 days ago

    Adoration from his base.

    It’s a mistake to assume because he’s been voted in his base has nothing left to offer.

    For him to fully seize permanent autocratic power or even implement the most horrific parts of his agenda, he needs Congress to stay under his thumb. The pardon will cost him nothing, and keep his base rabid, which will keep Congress in line.

    Edit: A few important additional reasons:

    • Trump never admits he’s wrong and never forgets being “wronged.”
    • Pardons continue to overwrite history of Jan. 6th with the narrative he was the victim.
    • They help create noise to drown out signal as to whether it was an insurrection, demotivating people to further seek justice.
    • They solidify further his claim related prosecutions (including of him by extension) were politically motivated.
    • They demoralize his opponents by subjugating reality to his own narrative (a classic Putin move, maybe not coincidentally).

    It’s doubtful he consciously thought any of this through. If probably just “feels right” to him. But in typical Trump fashion, by pardoning those involved, he’d be doing something deeply nefarious for coincidentally shallow narcissistic and instinctive reasons.

    • boydster@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      10·
      3 days ago

      Someone else on Lemmy referred to him as an instinctual fascist, and I really thought that was a succinct way of framing the “just feels right” aspect you laid out here

    • tigeruppercut
      2·
      3 days ago

      I wonder if he has to physically sign each pardon. That alone could keep him from getting everyone off.