Sorry, not sorry: Some 1/6 rioters change tune after apology (Associated Press, February 3, 2023)

So it turns out a whole lot of “remorseful” January 6 defendants, who, right after either serving a short sentence or getting probation, are running off the Wingnut Media Industrial Complex and complaining they did nothing wrong or are being persecuted.

Prosecutors and judges are noticing this and are pushing for longer sentences, and in some cases trying to lengthen sentences (if they are still in jail or on probation).

FILE - In this image provided by the West Virginia Legislative Photography, Derrick Evans is shown during his swearing-in ceremony to the West Virginia House of Delegates on Dec. 1, 2020, in Charleston, W.Va. Some Jan. 6 defendants who have expressed remorse in court after joining the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol have later struck a different tone or sought to downplay the riot publicly. After pleading guilty to a felony charge in the riot, former West Virginia lawmaker Derrick Evans told a judge in June that he regrets his actions and takes full responsibility for them. He’s now running for Congress (Will Price, West Virginia Legislative Photography via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Appearing before a federal judge after pleading guilty to a felony charge in the deadly Capitol riot, former West Virginia lawmaker Derrick Evans expressed remorse for letting down his family and his community, saying he made a “crucial mistake.”

Less than a year later, Evans is portraying himself as a victim of a politically motivated prosecution as he runs to serve in the same building he stormed on Jan. 6, 2021. Evans is now calling the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 prosecutions a “miscarriage of justice” and describes himself on twitter as a “J6 Patriot.”

“Some ppl have said I need to apologize and condemn #J6 if I want to win my election as the media will attack me,” he tweeted recently after announcing his bid for a U.S. House seat in 2024. “I will not compromise my values or beliefs. That’s what politicians do. We need Patriots not politicians.”

Evans joins a series of Jan. 6 defendants who — when up against possible prison time in court — have expressed regret for joining the pro-Trump mob that rattled the foundations of American democracy only to strike a different tone or downplay the riot after receiving their punishment.

(more)