Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) posed with a “fully constructed” gingerbread replica of the U.S. Capitol months after the Department of Justice (DOJ) confiscated a Capitol building Lego set from an alleged January 6 rioter.
“The gingerbread replica of the US Capitol is sure to get u in the Christmas mood,” Grassley tweeted.
Earlier this year, the President Joe Biden’s DOJ arrested a man alleged to have partaken in the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, reportedly confiscating a “fully-constructed” Capitol building lego set that can be bought on Amazon for $266.95.
“During his arrest, law enforcement recovered some clothing and other items that appear to match those he carried with him on the 6th – including a ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag, a neck gaiter, a military utility bag, a black tourniquet, and military fatigues,” court documents read. “(Law enforcement also recoverd a fully constructed U.S. Capitol Lego set.) In addition, MORSS had three different firearms including a handgun, a shotgun, and a rifle.”
At the time, it was “unclear” why the man had the Lego set. Less than a week later, the DOJ retracted the claim that the man had a “fully constructed” Lego set and that it was in a box.
“In the original detention memoranda, the undersigned stated that law enforcement found a ‘fully constructed U.S. Capitol Lego set,'” the new court filing said. “Please note that after a review of the photographs from the search, there appears to have been a miscommunication and that statement appears to be inaccurate. The Lego set was in a box and not fully constructed at the time of the search, as pictured below.”
The man, former Army Ranger Robert Morss, was recently denied a release from U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who ruled that he “will remain in jail pending trial as he faces charges of assaulting police officers during the Capitol attack on January 6,” according to Newsweek.
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