A joint motion was filed to allow both parties more time for discovery as it appears Harding is looking for a “resolution” to avoid a trial.
Since the March 31, 2021 hearing, the government has provided some discovery to the defendant, which the defendant is reviewing. Additionally, the parties agreed to a protective order that the Court subsequently issued. The parties have also begun discussing whether a resolution short of trial is possible.
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Open in new tab Harding hasn’t seemed to let his legal troubles get in the way as he continues to try and radicalize anyone who will listen to him. He’s also been busy the past few weeks, organizing anti-mask and anti-vax protests across WNY with the very same “patriot organizations” he associated with during his participation in the Jan. 6th riots at the US Capitol.
Harding, in a photo released by the FBI, is seen inside the Capitol Building during the riot, while social media videos show Harding attempting to light media equipment on fire outside the building.
The FBI’s statement of facts also cites a Jan. 8 Buffalo News article, in which Harding admitted to the paper that he entered the Capitol building for approximately 40 minutes and that he attempted to light media equipment on fire.
The FBI is also using Harding’s own social media as evidence, according to documents recently posted on the U.S. Department of Justice website.
In a statement of facts, the FBI cites Harding’s live streams both during and after the storming of the Capitol building. In an hour-long livestream posted the day after the riot, Harding, according to the FBI, says, “We learned how strong our numbers are. If we can take the Capitol building, there is nothing we can’t accomplish — county government, city government, town government, state government.”
Harding also says in the video that “none of this” was “orchestrated,” but ends the video by thanking the “Marching Patriots for organizing it,” according to the FBI. The Marching Patriots is one of the several right-wing groups that Harding is a part of. He was wearing a Marching Patriots maroon hoodie during the riot.
From the WNY.antiracist.network Instagram account:
Yesterday a friend of our team was driving along Ellicott Rd (Route 240) in West Falls (a hotbed for local right-wing extremists, despite it’s very small size), into Orchard Park. They noticed a group of individuals gathered in the Emmanuel United Methodist Church parking lot. This church is very small and rarely has anyone there other than on Sunday mornings. A sizable group gathered on a Friday night was out of the ordinary. They spotted the Golf Car City business truck and gave us a call to ask if it was connected to anything we had seen regarding far-right organizing lately. When they turned around to drive by again and get a better look, they saw that the person who was speaking and had the attention of the group of 8-10 people in the parking lot, was none other than Capitol insurrectionist Pete Harding.
This was surprising to hear as local groups have insisted in the last month that they have completely cut ties with Pete Harding. The Constitutional Coalition then back-pedaled a bit, stating that someone simply attending a meeting doesn’t make them a member. When our friend provided the closest cross intersection for Emmanuel UMC, we realized that our attention had recently been drawn to this church with a new supporter logo being added to the Buffalo Backs Beasley rally flyer, for the Black Robed Regiment, which lists their address on Facebook as the address of Emmanuel UMC.
When we looked into the church further, we noticed that Stephen Mannion is the pastor. He is a member/leader of the Free NYS group and uses the Black Robed Regiment logo as his avatar in the Free NYS chat, where he often spouts off anti-LBTQIA rhetoric).
In addition, Pete was yet again featured on Channel 2 news yesterday, at an Unmask our Children rally. A previous story showed him at an Alden Unmask our Children rally in a Rolling Patriots hoodie, but this time he was in an Unmask our Children shirt, speaking to the crowd on a megaphone. Unmask our Children is another organizer of the Buffalo Backs Beasley rally, as is Marie Rock’s Business and Community Recovery Initiative.
Harding was charged Jan. 13 with knowingly entering any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
