WASHINGTON (CN) — A right-wing YouTuber who recorded himself at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, yelling at police officers and asking if they were “willing to pay the price” was sentenced to one month in prison after a contentious hearing in federal court on Wednesday.
William Kit, 47, was inconsistent in accepting responsibility and recognizing the severity of the charges levied against him, arguing in his statement before U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb that he was influenced by former President Donald Trump and was not an active participant in the riot.
“I wasn’t there to take over the Capitol,” Kit said. “I went, I documented and I left.”
Cobb, an appointee of President Joe Biden, rejected that argument, highlighting Kit’s words to police officers that day, explaining that she found it hard to view him as merely a peaceful observer.
“Screaming at officers at the Capitol, asking if they were willing to die … that’s language that suggests violence,” the judge said before passing down his sentence.
Kit was charged with two misdemeanors, one for his actions at the Capitol and a second for possession of an unregistered firearm at the time of his arrest, allowing for a lighter sentence compared to other Capitol rioters charged with felonies.
His own videos and CCTV footage show him entering the Capitol with the crowd, then leaving out a broken window about four minutes later. He pleaded guilty to both charges in December 2022.
Kit, also known as “Semore Views,” has over 36,000 subscribers on YouTube and 77,000 followers on Instagram. He livestreamed himself at the Capitol and in the days leading up to and after the riot.
In videos presented by Department of Justice attorney Jason Manning, Kit recorded himself on the morning of Jan. 6, saying to his followers that “this is our last chance to say something, to fight.”
Manning argued that such statements and others following them showed Kit’s lack of remorse and attempts to minimize them.
“People can’t participate in an attack on our democracy and avoid the consequences,” Manning said.
One point of contention throughout the hearing was the sentencing memo submitted by the defense, which Kit said he had not had the chance to read beforehand and alleged that he himself did not write it, but had rather provided his sister with bullet points and asked her to write it for him.
The memo said Kit was a “victim of police aggression” and “a subject of misleading rhetoric by then President Donald Trump,” characterizing himself as a peacemaker who tried to calm the crowd rather than antagonize them.
According to Kit, his lawyer, Atiq Rahman Ahmed, had requested the memo be submitted to him “through the cloud” as he was on leave, something that Kit said he was unfamiliar with and had asked his sister to help him with.
Cobb was concerned and “disappointed” by that revelation, saying that it gave her an even greater sense that Kit was not remorseful for his actions on Jan. 6 and was not taking the proceedings seriously.
“You’re telling me that you thought so little about this that you farmed this task out to someone else," the judge said.
Despite Kit’s words in court, Cobb opted for a lighter sentence than the government request of 90 days in prison, ruling that his employment obligations and role as a primary caregiver warranted the two-month reduction.
After passing down the sentence, Cobb wished Kit good luck and emphasized to him that rather than blame others – like the police, the former president or his sister – he needs to take responsibility for his actions.
“It would be a disservice to you and to the public for you to walk out of this courtroom today feeling like a victim,” Cobb said.
The Justice Department has charged more than 1,000 people to date in connection with the Capitol riot. As of last month, approximately 541 people have pleaded guilty and 445 have been sentenced.
Nearly 140 police officers — 73 of them Capitol Police officers and 65 of them Metropolitan Police — were assaulted during the Capitol riot. Five died as a result, one during the violence and four more from suicide in the subsequent months.
The FBI investigation is still ongoing, with 250 people who assaulted police officers still unidentified.
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