At the Conservative Political Action Conference this week in Dallas, attendees can gaze upon a bizarre exhibit in which an actor, pretending to be a Jan. 6 rioter, sobs in a jail cell.
Because the “f**k your feelings” crowd apparently has a soft spot for people the Justice Department considers domestic terrorists.
Journalist Laura Jedeed documented the confounding MAGA booth Friday and described is as “the most astonishing thing” she’s ever seen.
“At this CPAC booth you receive a silent disco headset that plays harrowing testimony from the people arrested for participating in J6,” she tweeted. “Instead of dancing, you stand around and watch this guy cry.”
(Watch video of the performance in the player above.)
In a remarkable bit of irony, the exhibit is the brainchild of Brandon Straka, a conservative influencer and Jan. 6 defendant who provided “significant information” to the FBI as part of a plea deal that kept him out of jail ― and presumably landed others there.
“What I need you to understand is that I stood here for about half an hour yesterday and this guy NEVER broke character,” Jedeed added, seeming genuinely impressed by the actor’s commitment to the role.
“He wept sitting on the bench. He wept sitting on the floor. He tallied days on a chalkboard set up for the purpose.”
Straka’s organization didn’t respond to an email seeking clarity on the exhibit’s meaning. Presumably, though, it wasn’t a genuine expression of remorse for participating in a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol and a tacit admission that actions have consequences.
Support HuffPost
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.