Background

Jake Lang (Edward Jacob Lang), of Narrowsburg, New York, was charged in the District of Columbia with assaulting law enforcement officers and related offenses for his conduct during the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach. He was arrested in January 2021 and held in pretrial detention for approximately four years without trial. He was pardoned on January 20, 2025, as part of President Trump’s proclamation covering certain January 6 offenses. After his release he has been described as a conservative influencer, organized the “March Against Minnesota Fraud” in Minneapolis in January 2026, and has announced a run for U.S. Senate in Florida.

The Case

Lang was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon (18 U.S.C. § 111(b)), civil disorder (18 U.S.C. § 231(a)(3)), unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds (18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)), and violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds (40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)). According to the FBI affidavit in support of his arrest warrant, video and photographs showed Lang at the lower west terrace door of the Capitol violently engaging with law enforcement. He raised a riot shield over his head and slammed it down repeatedly toward officers; in other footage he thrust the shield at officers and stood in the crowd while others swung bats and batons and threw projectiles. He retrieved an MPD helmet from the ground and wore it. In another video he held a dark and red baseball bat and swung, thrust, and jabbed it at officers multiple times, striking at least the shields they held. Lang posted images and video from the Capitol with captions including “1776 has commenced” and “THIS IS ME” pointing to the front of the crowd, and later “Pepper spray really does wonders for your complexion #1776.” He remained in custody for roughly four years without trial—including hundreds of days in solitary confinement—before being pardoned. His conduct was part of the January 6 attack that disrupted the certification of the presidential election, injured law enforcement officers, and damaged public trust in the peaceful transfer of power.

The Pardon

On January 20, 2025, President Trump granted Lang a full pardon under a proclamation covering certain offenses relating to the events at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Lang was released from custody the following day.

Post-pardon activism and New York protest

Following his release, Lang has used his pardon to build a public profile as a far-right activist and media personality. In January 2026 he organized the “March Against Minnesota Fraud” in Minneapolis, which drew a modest group of supporters and a much larger crowd of counter-protesters who denounced his messaging about the 2020 election.

In early March 2026, Lang organized a small anti-Muslim protest near Gracie Mansion, the official New York City mayoral residence, under slogans such as “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” and opposition to public Muslim prayer. Reporting describes him arriving in military-style camouflage and being closely escorted by NYPD officers as he and roughly a dozen supporters were surrounded by an estimated hundred-plus counter-protesters chanting against white nationalism and religious bigotry. During the confrontation, counter-protesters allegedly lit and threw at least one device wrapped in tape and packed with metal hardware toward the area where police and Lang’s group were standing. NYPD officials later said bomb squad analysis indicated the device was an improvised explosive device capable of causing serious injury, and that a second similar device was recovered nearby; at least six people, including two men accused of handling the devices and another person accused of using pepper spray, were arrested as police treated the incident as a public-safety and potential terrorism matter in coordination with federal authorities. No injuries were reported, but the episode highlighted how Lang’s post-pardon organizing has contributed to highly tense, sometimes volatile street confrontations around race, religion, and immigration in New York City.

Sources

• President Trump’s Proclamation Granting Pardons and Commutations for Jan. 6 Offenses (DOJ)
• Granting Pardons and Commutation of Sentences (White House, Jan 20, 2025)
• Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint and Arrest Warrant – Edward Jacob Lang (DOJ)
• Influencer Jake Lang's 'March Against Minnesota Fraud' draws small crowd (St. Cloud Times, Jan 2026)
• NY man pardoned for attacking cops during Jan. 6 Capitol riot eyeing political run (New York Post, Jan 2025)
• 6 people arrested after smoke device thrown at anti-Muslim protest near Gracie Mansion (Gothamist, Mar 7, 2026)
• Explosive device thrown outside of Zohran Mamdani’s residence at anti-Islam protest (The Guardian, Mar 8, 2026)