Jenna Ryan: The un-remorseful Texas real estate agent prepping for jail with YouTube videos
‘Definitely not going to jail,’ she tweeted. Her prison sentence begins in early January
Jenna Ryan made the prosecutor's job easy.
In reviewing the evidence used against Ms Ryan, a 50-year-old north Texas realtor who stormed the Capitol on 6 January, it becomes apparent that she had no intention of obfuscating her actions that day.
She not only posted a video on social media saying "We're gonna go down and storm the Capitol," but she later posted another, longer video in which she shows her face to the camera and says her full name while advertising her company – and the fact that she is going to break federal law by participating in an attempted insurrection.
"We are going to f***ing go in here. Life or death, it doesn’t matter. Here we go.” she said, according to court documents. “Y’all know who to hire for your Realtor, Jenna Ryan for your Realtor.”
Once she reached the Capitol, Ryan posted a photo on social media, showing herself – decked out with a knitted hat bearing Donald Trump's name - standing next to a window broken during the attack.
Prosecutors claimed she entered the Capitol along with the thousands of other Trump supporters who attacked police and destroyed doors and windows that day. They claim she chanted "USA, USA" and could be heard saying they were there "in the name of Jesus."
She would later call it "one of the best days of my life" in a Twitter post.
It wasn't long before Ryan found herself in police custody. On 15 January, she surrendered to the FBI on charges of disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds. She initially tried to downplay her involvement in the riot, claiming it was not "illegal to stand next to a broken window." Ryan even condemned the violence of the event, but her remorse was too little, too late.
Two months later, she gave up the remorse schtick and decided instead to double down on her actions – a decision that may have been ill-advised considering she still had to stand trial and face possible sentencing.
“Definitely not going to jail.” she famously tweeted. “Sorry I have blonde hair, white skin, a great job, a great future, and I’m not going to jail. Sorry to rain on your hater parade. I did nothing wrong.”
Despite allegedly having done nothing wrong and her confidence that she would not see the inside of a jail cell, Ryan – beset by federal prosecutors and the press – appealed to a higher power for deliverance.
"President Trump I want you to know that I have been a true supporter of yours and I believe that you won the election," she said during an NBC News interview. "I believe in America and I believe in your values. And I was not a violent protestor and I would ask that you would pardon me from this misdemeanor."
Mr Trump passed on the deal.
In August, Ryan finally relented and – facing the mountain of evidence against her that the prosecution had collected – pleaded guilty to her misdemeanor charges.
Three months later, a federal judge handed down his sentence. Ryan would spend 60 days in prison and would pay a $1,500 fine, $500 of which would go to the Capitol architect.
With her sentencing behind her, Ryan is back to feeling no remorse for her actions – to do so would be committing a "thought crime," she claims – and lying about the Capitol riot.
In a recent interview, Ryan told WFAA's William Joy that the riot was a peaceful event, and that the press had misconstrued its image.
“It was a beautiful parade of red flags, it wasn’t the violence you see on the news,” Ryan said. “It was very peaceful.”
Ryan herself acknowledged the violence just a week after the attack, as she issued a statement saying "I was not part of the violence."
She told WFAA that she is preparing for her prison stay by watching YouTube videos about prison life. She said she plans to do "a lot of yoga" while incarcerated, as she "has already written a book." Unfortunately for Ryan, her book – apparently a self help read – was dropped by her publisher.
Ryan's prison sentence will begin in early January 2022.