(Headline USA) An actor known for his roles on the comedy television shows including FOX’s Bob’s Burgers and HBO’s Mr. Show with Bob and David was arrested Wednesday on charges that he joined a throng of Donald Trump supporters in confronting police officers during the U.S. Capitol uprising on Jan. 6, 2021, court records show.
Jay Johnston, 54, of Los Angeles, was arrested there on charges including civil disorder, a felony. A federal magistrate judge agreed to free Johnston on $25,000 bond after his initial court appearance in California. A public defender who represented him at the hearing declined to comment.
Video footage captured Johnston pushing against police and helping some of the more unruly protestors who allegedly attacked officers guarding an entrance to the Capitol in a tunnel on the Lower West Terrace, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.
Johnston appeared to hold a stolen police shield over his head and passed it to others during the melee, the affidavit says.
Johnston “was close to the entrance to the tunnel, turned back and signaled for other rioters [sic] to come towards the entrance,” the agent wrote.
Johnston was the voice of the character Jimmy Pesto on the animated Bob’s Burgers. The Daily Beast reported in December 2021 that Johnston was “banned” from the show after Jan. 6.
Johnston appeared on Mr. Show with Bob and David, a sketch comedy series that starred well-known comedians Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. His credits also include small parts on the television show Arrested Development and in the movie Anchorman, starring Will Ferrell.
United Airlines records show Johnston booked a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., departing on Jan. 4, 2021, and returning a day after the chaotic rally, according to the FBI.
Johnston allegedly helped other participants near the tunnel pour water on the faces of Capitol Police and then joined in pushing against the line of officers, the FBI says.
“The rioters [sic] coordinated the timing of the pushes by yelling ‘Heave! Ho!’” the affidavit says.
Three current or former associates of Johnston identified him as a suspect from photos that the FBI published online, according to the agent.
The FBI said one of those associates provided investigators with a text message in which Johnston acknowledged being at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“The news has presented it as an attack. It actually wasn’t. Thought it kind of turned into that. It was a mess. Got maced and tear gassed and I found it quite untastic,” Johnston wrote, according to the FBI.
More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes for their conduct at the Capitol on a Jan. 6. More than 500 of them have been sentenced, with over half getting terms of imprisonment ranging from seven days to 18 years, according to an Associated Press review of court records.
Democrats have continued to peddle false narratives, including the demonstrably false claim that police officers died as a result of the uprising, during which the only known homicide was that of pro-Trump demonstrator Ashli Babbitt, who was shot in the neck by Lt. Michael Byrd as he hid safely behind a barricade.
The circumstances surrounding another death, that of Roseanne Boyland, who may have been killed by police in or near the Capitol tunnels, remains shrouded in mystery.
Trump has signaled that if re-elected he would consider pardoning many of those unjustly targeted by the Biden Justice Department for exercising their First Amendment free speech rights, although he would hold accountable those who committed actual acts of violence or vandalism.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
