Anti-vaxx lawyer for 17 Capitol riot defendants who has been MISSING for a week is 'non-responsive on a ventilator'
An anti-vaxxer and principal lawyer for 17 Capitol riot defendants is reportedly ill with COVID-19 and currently in the hospital, according to court documents from The Department of Justice.
John Pierce, a civil attorney with Pierce Bainbridge, has not appeared in court hearings since August 23, and is 'on a ventilator' and 'unresponsive,' in the hospital, court documents state.
Pierce was scheduled to appear in court on August 24 to represent Nathaniel Degrave, who was captured on video shoving U.S. Capitol Police officers in the hallway of the Senate Gallery, but did not show up, court records indicate.
Instead, Ryan Marshall, an unlicensed attorney from Pierce's law firm, acted on Pierce's behalf throughout the court proceedings.
“Mr. Pierce is in the hospital, we believe, with COVID-19, on a ventilator, non-responsive,” Marshall told a judge last Wednesday, according to court records.
Marshall also said his colleague couldn't be reached because of a 'conflict,' later telling prosecutors Pierce was headed to the hospital after an accident.
Court documents state that John Pierce, a civil attorney with Pierce Bainbridge, has not appeared in court hearings since August 23, and is 'on a ventilator' and 'unresponsive,' in the hospital
Pierce has tweeted that anyone 'who trusts the government to shoot some vague, unknown 'vaccine' in their arm,' is taking a 'very big risk'
Trump supporters gather outside the U.S Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Pierce's absence creates an issue in the hearing because his clients do not have a secondary attorney to defend them, the DOJ stated in a court document filed Monday
After that information was released, an individual close to the case reached out to an NPR correspondent explaining that Pierce did not, in fact, have COVID, but instead was 'hospitalized on Monday due to symptoms that he believed might be related to Covid-19.'
That same individual added that Pierce appeared to have been suffering from 'dehydration and exhaustion'; and 'remains under the care of his doctors.'
The L.A-based attorney has been tasked with representing numerous most high-profile alleged Capitol rioters, including some accused of conspiring with the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump scale the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C on January 6, 2021
Pierce was scheduled to appear in court on August 24 to represent Nathaniel Degrave who was captured on video shoving U.S. Capitol Police officers in the hallway of the Senate Gallery on January 6, 2021
Illinois teen Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, was charged with fatally shooting two protestors and injuring another after opening fire during a Kenosha protest on August 25, 2020
Pierce has linked himself to far-right supporters of former President Donald Trump, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whom he formally represented
His absence creates an issue in the hearing because his clients do not have a secondary attorney to defend them, the DOJ says.
Although Pierce's vaccination status is unclear, and his law firm has not officially confirmed his illness, the attorney has been extremely vocal in the argument surrounding vaccines.
In March, Pierce tweeted that anyone 'who trusts the government to shoot some vague, unknown 'vaccine' in their arm,' is taking a 'very big risk.'
He has linked himself to far-right supporters of former President Donald Trump, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Carter Page and George Papadopoulos, in addition to representing alleged Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse.