Video appears to show right-wing streamer Tomas Morales illegally entering the Capitol on Jan 6
Tomas Morales, a Los Angeles-based right-wing streamer and notorious troll associated with the Proud Boys and the racist Groyper movement, appears to have entered the U.S. Capitol illegally on Jan 6th wearing a gas mask and body armor.
Tomas Morales at the Jan 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Credit: Emily Molli
My analysis of publicly available video and photo evidence, including surveillance footage released by federal prosecutors in the trial of a Jan 6th rioter, leads me to conclude that Tomas Morales joined the mob as they entered the Capitol building through the Parliamentarian's Door on the northwest side of the building, and that he remained inside the building for some time.
No legal exception for streamers who broke the law
The U.S. Department of Justice does not recognize a "streamer exception" for people who live-streamed as they joined the violent mob entering the Capitol on January 6th. Several streamers have already been charged with various federal crimes for entering the Capitol -- at least three of whom have pleaded guilty: Tim Gionet (better known as "Baked Alaska") and Infowars employees Owen Schroyer and Samuel Montoya.
That unexplained 16-hour gap
Unlike these streamers, the usually braggadocious Tomas Morales has remained unusually silent regarding his whereabouts during the Jan 6 Capitol attack. Morales tweeted a handful of early-morning photos from Trump's rally at the Ellipse, but then his Twitter shows a very noticeable 16-hour gap from 7:08am EST until 11:15pm EST on January 6th, when he tweeted a eulogy for Ashli Babbitt.
Where was Tomas Morales during the attack on the Capitol? Why has Morales remained silent about his whereabouts? And importantly, where is Morales's footage from that day? As far as I can tell, Morales's Jan 6 footage, which would surely be of great interest to those reporting on the Capitol attack, has never seen the light of day.
Could it be that Morales, unlike his now-convicted compatriots Baked Alaska and Owen Schroyer, understands the criminal penalties awaiting those who entered the Capitol illegally that day?
The evidence
Here is all the evidence supporting my conclusion that Tomas Morales, like Baked Alaska and Owen Schroyer, entered the Capitol building on January 6th. Please review the evidence for yourself and make your own independent conclusion.
Tomas Morales with his distinctive gas mask at his side
Tomas Morales at the Jan 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Note his helmet, black hooded sweatshirt, desert-colored plate carrier with flag patches, and the distinctive gas mask at his side. Source: Emily Molli on YouTube, timecode 19:04
Distinctive gas mask and flag patches on Capitol west side
A man who I believe to be Tomas Morales, wearing the same combination of helmet, distinctive gas mask, black hoodie, and plate carrier with flag patches with a line of riot police behind him. Source: YouTube (timecode 08:33)
Walking up the steps to the Parliamentarian's Door, west side
The following two photographs shows a man wearing the same distinctive gear, who I believe to be Tomas Morales, going up the steps towards the so-called Parliamentarian's Door on the west side of the Capitol building, which leads to the hallway outside the Senate Parliamentarian's office. You can see that the glass in the door appears to be broke, and one of the nearby windows has been smashed.
A man wearing the same distinctive outfit and gas mask, who I believe to be Tomas Morales, walking up the steps towards the smashed Parliamentarian's door. Source: Instagram video from @jamesgoesplaces (archived)
From another angle and from a distance, a man wearing the same distinctive gear walking up the steps towards the Parliamentarian's Door. You can see at least one other smashed window adjacent. Source: Alamy
Walking into the Capitol, just inside parliamentarian's door
Just inside the Parliamentarian's Door, surveillance video just inside the Parliamentarian's Door shows a man who I believe to be Tomas Morales, wearing the same distinctive gear, walking past other rioters into the Capitol, then disappearing off-camera. Soon after, police are seen pushing rioters out of the building with their batons. Source: Prosecution exhibit 200A in the trial of Dustin Thompson, timecode 2m:43s
Being pushed away from the Capitol
Later in the day (timestamps suggest these were shot after 4 P.M.), photos and videos show a man wearing the same distinctive gear (who I believe to be Tomas Morales) filming near the front line of rioters on the west side of the Capitol, as a line of riot police arrives to reinforce to the Capitol police and begins pushing the crowd away.
A man (right side) wearing the same distinctive gear, who I believe to be Tomas Morales, films with his phone near the front of the rioting crowd as reinforcement riot police push the crowd away from the Capitol. Source: Getty Images
That mysterious 16-hour gap, explained
I've had the unfortunate experience of meeting Tomas Morales in person. He showed up last year to shout in my face outside a Los Angeles courthouse along with other Proud Boys, where I defeated a frivolous SLAPP lawsuit brought against me by Proud Boy and Capitol rioter Adam Kiefer. That lawsuit ended with Kiefer paying me thousands of dollars in attorney's fees, and with a court order prohibiting Kiefer from coming near me and my family for three years.
I've long been curious about Tomas Morales's whereabouts on January 6th, 2021. The unexplained 16-hour gap in Morales's Twitter history on that date have raised questions about where Morales was, what he did, and what happened to his footage. With this open-source analysis, I believe I have answered most of those questions.
I do hope that Morales decides to act like a real journalist for once by releasing his unedited January 6th footage to the public. I won't hold my breath.
Note: I tried to contact Morales for comment prior to publishing this article, but I was unable to reach him because he has me blocked on all my social media accounts.