On January 6, State Senator and apparent gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano issued this statement about his whereabouts in Washington, D.C. that day:
When it was apparent that this was no longer a peaceful protest, my wife and I left the area and made our way out of the area,” Mastriano said. “At no point did we enter the Capitol building, walk on the Capitol steps, or go beyond police lines.
But on Monday (May 24), Spotlight.org posted photos that showed that Mastriano had not left the area when the protest was no longer peaceful.
This vid is showing the group now moving towards the East Steps. #Mastriano is visible at 0:04s You'll see the steps have not yet been breached. Parler timestamp is 1:59pm#Mastriano #SenMastriano #SeditionHunters #IamDougMastriano #IamJeremyOliver https://t.co/YeGMT9jKWe pic.twitter.com/p8bUpdaWo0
— K2theSky (@K2theSky) May 23, 2021
Today Mastriano released a statement about the photos that appear to show him still “hanging around.” after protestors had advanced behind police lines and into the Capitol Building.
Mastriano said:
Contrary to the desperate claims of anonymous keyboard warriors, I followed the directions of the Capitol Police and respected all police lines as I came upon them. Even disingenuous internet sleuths know that police lines did shift throughout the course of the day. I followed those lines as they existed. Read more.