Brandon Fellowes has no regrets about frowning at Fauci on January 6th

As Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke before a congressional subcommittee about the death threats he and his family have received, a young man sitting in the front row of the gallery sneered, cast a mocking look on his face, begging the question: “Who on earth behaves like that?”

The answer is Brandon Fellows, 30, a chimney repairman from New York state who just finished serving a three-year sentence for his role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

Watching this Trump stooge despise Dr. Fauci is a reminder that the former president’s felony conviction in the hush money trial is a relatively minor offense compared to his ongoing efforts to destabilize democracy through the power of his misled supporters.

“There was harassment of myself, my wife and my three daughters through emails, texts, letters, everything,” Fauci said. “There were also credible death threats that led to two arrests. And by credible death threats, I mean people who were clearly trying to kill me. So I basically had to use an escort service all the time.”

Fellowes, 30, pouted his lower lip and mocked the “poor thing” look during the hearing like an unempathetic child, appearing to return to the Capitol with the same attitude he displayed in a January 6 post that was used as evidence in his trial on charges of obstruction of justice, trespassing in a restricted area and disorderly conduct.

“It has given my heart great joy to see my members fear for their lives,” he posted, “and I hope they will always live in fear for what they have done and are doing to this country.”

In an interview with The Daily Beast on Tuesday, Fellowes defended himself for mocking Fauci’s face behind his back while he spoke about death threats against him and his family.

“He’s not a victim, he’s a perpetrator,” Fellows said.

Fellows last visited the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when he was one of thousands of people called by Trump to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s legitimate victory. Fellows wore a fake red beard and stood on broken furniture in the Senate Wing, waving a Trump 2020 flag.

“The cheerleader,” prosecutors later called him, “was glorifying the violence of his fellow rioters.”

He once sat at Sen. Jeff Merkley’s (D-Ore.) desk, stretched his legs out and smoked marijuana, and later called January 6 the best day of his life.

“That was 100 percent my best day,” he told The Daily Beast.

Following his arrest on January 16, 2021, Fellows was initially granted pretrial release, but was subsequently detained after repeatedly violating the terms of his release. He was being held in a section of the Washington DC prison known as the “Patriot Pod” along with 30 other inmates as of January 6. He was nicknamed Elon due to his admiration for Elon Musk.

“Plus, I talk fast just like him,” he said.

MTG in chaos, Fauci hearing a disaster

He regularly sang the national anthem with other inmates — 17 of whom were convicted of assaulting police officers — and a recording of the singing was later played at a Trump rally on March 16 as the former president saluted.

Fellows counted March 24, 2023, as another great day, when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) visited the prison along with several other lawmakers. She described Fellows and the other inmates as “political prisoners.”

Fellows went on trial four months later, acting as a mini-Trump, firing a string of lawyers and accusing U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden of being a “modern-day Nazi” in a “camouflage courtroom.” The jury found Fellows guilty.

“In all my years of experience as a judge, and before that as a litigation lawyer, I have never seen such contemptuous conduct,” Judge McFadden told the defendant during sentencing. “You have repeatedly made a mockery of this justice.”

What McFadden said later could equally apply to Trump’s own legal troubles.

“There is no grand conspiracy. Rather, it is your defiance of every attempt to conform your actions to the requirements of the law that has brought you to this point.”

In contrast, the judge’s next words could apply to all MAGA minions manipulated by leaders who mislead them with illusions born of reality TV.

“It’s time to grow up!”

Anthony Fauci responds to MTG-induced chaos at House hearing

The judge added five months for contempt to the 37-month guideline sentence, followed by three years of probation. Fellows, who served his time before trial, was released on May 20. He returned to the Capitol on Monday for Fauci’s hearing, which also included House members who made Fellows’ day by visiting him and the other inmates who were incarcerated on January 6.

Fellows provided visuals as Greene and other Republicans launched a fierce attack on Fauci. Greene insisted on calling him “Mister Fauci” because “you’re not a doctor.” She accused Fauci of unnecessarily “muzzling” children with masks and, at one point, brandished a photo of a beagle that Fauci allegedly used to experiment on “nasty, evil science.”

“You should be in jail!” she declared.

A fan of Greene, who had just been released from prison, told The Daily Beast that Fauci had already gotten up and was about to leave when he yelled that he should be in jail. Fellows denied reports that he was chased away by Capitol Police officers.

“He was just checking to see if I was still heading for the door, which I was,” Fellows said.

He posted on Facebook late Monday about his return to the Capitol.

“Things are going great here in Washington. Within hours of returning to the Capitol, our Twitter views have exceeded 1 million combined,” he wrote. “Maybe we’ll hit 2 million?”

He reported meeting with his new probation officer on Tuesday, describing him as “the coolest, most calm person.”

“He probably wouldn’t admit it, but I saw him laughing at the Fauci video,” Fellowes posted.

Let’s bring America back to its senses.

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