Carrying American Flag at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was a Crime, DOJ Says

‘Parading’ charge based on William Pope carrying an American flag ‘in support or disapproval of a particular viewpoint.’ He decried the charge as ‘un-American.’

William Pope of Topeka, Kansas, displays an American flag in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. U.S. Capitol Police/Graphic by The Epoch Times

Federal prosecutors say carrying an American flag in the U.S. Capitol in support of a “particular viewpoint” is a criminal act punishable by up to six months in prison.

In a filing in the criminal case against Jan. 6 defendant William Alexander Pope of Topeka, Kansas, the U.S. Department of Justice said carrying a flag in support of “free elections, fair elections and President Trump” constitutes a crime under Title 40 of the United States Code.