Henry Phillip “Hank” Muntzer (Photos from court documents)
A former President Donald Trump supporter from Montana who posted to Facebook, “We want our country back,” and admitted in an MSNBC interview that he entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted in the case.
Henry Phillip “Hank” Muntzer, 55, of Dillon, Montana, was found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder, both felonies, following a bench trial in Washington, D.C., prosecutors said. Muntzer was also found guilty of misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release. The obstruction charge has a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years.
He was a part of the “Stop the Steal” rally when rioters disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress counting the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election, authorities said.
Muntzer entered the Capitol that afternoon — at one point, recording a video of himself commenting that he had passed “through all the tear gas” to “tak[e] the Capitol by storm,” an affidavit said.
Inside, Muntzer was involved in physical confrontations with law enforcement and joined a crowd of rioters confronting officers blocking a doorway leading to the Capitol’s Upper West Terrace. He joined a group of rioters pushing back at officers, who had their backs to a set of stairs, officials said. At one point, Muntzer resisted police efforts to clear the Rotunda and was one of the last rioters in the area before leaving the building at 3:22 p.m., authorities said. FBI agents arrested him on Jan. 18, 2021.
Muntzer had given an interview on camera with MSNBC, confirming he was inside. He also posted videos of himself there on Facebook. In one post, he commented, “Here’s the video when we storm the capitol and got above the guards. Then entered the capital in D.C.”
In another post that included a video inside the U.S. Capitol Building, Muntzer said, “Stormed the Capitol in Washington DC we were able to push through the Capitol police and enter several chambers. I did not see anyone get hurt other than tear gas and pepper spray, and I got sprayed a lot. We sent the message that we are not going to take it, we want our country back …”
In a video posted to YouTube on Jan. 7, 2021, Muntzer revealed he was inside the Capitol for about an hour.
Authorities said the FBI’s Washington Field Office got a call from a witness who recognized Muntzer after seeing the MSNBC News clip and his Facebook posts on Jan. 6, 2021. The tipster identified him as a resident and business owner in Dillon, Montana.
Investigators learned that in the weeks before Jan. 6, Muntzer posted to Facebook about his intention to travel to Washington for the protest.
In one typo-laden post on Dec. 20, 2020, he posted a meme showing Trump’s encouragement to attend a “wild” rally, authorities said.
“I will be going to Washington DC,” he wrote, authorities said. “Anyone that would like to join me let me know be leaving Bozeman Montana January 5 return flight the 7th.”
Two days later, he posted that he’d pay for those who could not afford the travel expenses, officials said.
“If you’re in Montana and you’d like to go to the rally I will help pay for some or all the expenses,” he wrote, officials said.
On Jan. 1, 2021, Muntzer posted he had a large group going to D.C. and would stay in a rented house.
“[F]ellow Patriots we rented a house in Washington DC if you can’t find lodging let me know there’s lots of floor space and itll be warm,” the post said.
The Montana Standard reported in September 2021 that he owned Dillon Appliance, which was emblazoned with pro-QAnon murals. His store was the gathering point for Friday night parades called the “Trump Train.”
In an interview before one parade, Muntzer told the news site he would beat the rap.
“Not only will I be cleared, they are going to pay me a huge premium for this,” he said.
He’s set to be sentenced on June 20.
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