The Facts
Owen Shroyer, the host of "The War Room with Owen Shroyer" on InfoWars, was sentenced Tuesday to 60 days in jail for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. In his sentencing statement, US District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly said, "Mr. Shroyer was not merely at the building but he also did play a role in amping up the crowd on the steps that day."
Though he never entered the Capitol building nor committed violence, prosecutors charged him with violating a previous agreement from his 2019 arrest for disrupting a congressional hearing. He had been barred by that case from uttering "loud, threatening, or abusive language" or engaging in "disorderly or disruptive conduct" on Capitol grounds.
The Spin
Left narrative
First and foremost, no one can deny the fact that Shroyer clearly violated the terms of his legal promise not to engage in disruptive behavior near the Capitol. In addition, being a journalist doesn't clear you of wrongdoing when you use a megaphone to mobilize angry rioters who then attack a government seat of power. This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with law and common sense justice.
Right narrative
This prison sentence is politically motivated, and no plea agreement or legal jargon can change that fact. The entire sentencing document is filled with Judge Kelly's perspectives about Shroyer's speech — speech that is undoubtedly protected by the First Amendment. The government didn't care about Shroyer's bullhorn or rowdy people walking into the Capitol, they cared about stopping InfoWars coverage of the 2020 election. This is an authoritarian and dangerous ruling.
