Politix

The founder and lead guitarist of heavy metal band Iced Earth is popular with the FBI these days, because he's now a wanted man.

Jon Schaffer was one of the rioters who stormed the Capitol Wednesday, and it's not like his presence was a big surprise. He's a die-hard Trumper who warned last month during a protest he and others like him were ready for violence if it came to that, and also warned the opposition ... "You're goin' down."

Schaffer is wanted for "unrest-related offenses" in connection with the failed coup attempt.

Schaffer’s involvement in the Capitol riot came a few months after he attended a D.C. Trump rally in November to protest against the election results.

Hansi Kursch, who's also in the band, Demons & Wizards, with Schaffer, was appalled at what he saw, saying ... "We are deeply shocked and our thoughts are with the relatives of the deceased. We expressly distance ourselves from any kind of violence irrespective if applied against institutions or persons. The incidents will be thoroughly investigated and the responsible will be brought to justice. We ask for your understanding that in view of the hourly news situation we will not make any further comments at present."

Schaffer's one of the more high-profile rioters, what with being in 3 popular bands and authorities know where he lives ... so it seems the FBI should find him with ease.

The FBI WANTS YOUR HELP in finding these 10 people whom they say are insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol.

The feds want this wanted poster, so to speak, plastered everywhere so everyone can be their eyes and ears to find these suspected rioters in the attempted coup that left 5 people dead.

There were so many people who breached the Capitol the FBI is rolling out its WANTED posters gradually ... catch 10, post 10 more.

The man suspected of placing bombs at the DNC and the RNC headquarters in D.C was also captured on camera by the FBI.

Numerous arrests have already been made, including the guy who mugged for the camera in Nancy Pelosi's office.

A retired lieutenant was one of the insurrectionists who took over the Capitol Wednesday, and it wasn't hard ID'ing him because of the gear he chose to wear during the invasion.

Larry Rendall Brock is an Air Force vet from Texas who was on the Senate floor during the chaos. He was decked out in body armor, a military helmet and a tag with a Punisher skull. That tag has been embraced by QAnon.

He was grasping zip-ties as he left Nancy Pelosi's office. Brock told the New Yorker he wasn't breaching the Capitol at all ... he says he thought someone had put the welcome mat out for the group. What he didn't explain ... if the group was so welcome, why did they smash windows, overtake the cops and storm the building? As for the zip ties, he said he found them in the building and was holding them to return to the cops.

He also said he came to Washington because "The President asked for his supporters to be there to attend, and I felt like it was important."

As we reported ... at least 2 men inside the Capitol had zip ties, which are substitutes for handcuffs. As you know, Congress was in session at the time of the attempted coup and the members literally fled for their lives. The question -- were they on the verge of becoming hostages, or worse?

Law enforcement also found explosives that were ready to detonate.

The sign language interpreter who went viral for his good looks is finding work easier to come by now ... thanks to celebs like Halle Berry.

Billy Sanders, now affectionately known as #ASLbae after signing for Mayor Muriel Bowser during the riots, tells TMZ ... he's getting tons of job requests -- double his normal workload -- with inquiries pouring in from all over the country and even overseas.

Billy says he's tickled by all the attention he's getting from Halle and a bunch of popular TikTokers ... and he hopes the spotlight shining on him encourages more minorities to pursue careers as ASL interpreters.

Before his newfound fame, Billy was already pretty popular on the music scene ... working concerts with go-go bands and Kirk Franklin before the pandemic. Now he's getting hit up by hospitals, urgent care centers, non-profits, major conferences and even mental health facilities .. all of whom want a piece of Billy!

The FBI has reasons to believe the mob of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol not only premeditated the assault, but might have been aided by police and staffers in the building ... TMZ has learned.

High ranking sources inside the Capitol Police Dept. tell TMZ the FBI is looking at several facts that stink of an inside job. For starters, the Bureau is puzzled by the ease with which the mob found its way to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office.

It's not off any main hallway or next to other Congressional offices ... in fact, the path to get to the entrance is maze-like and not open to the public like other parts of the Capitol. The rioters who took it over -- vandalizing it and stealing a laptop -- got there within 10 minutes of entering the Capitol.

We're told the FBI feels someone must have provided a roadmap for them to find it that quickly. Remember, the Capitol has been closed to the public since March due to the pandemic so it's not like these guys could have been casing it to plot their path.

As for suspects -- we're told the FBI is looking at Capitol Police officers and many other Capitol staffers, such as engineers, plumbers and janitors.

We're told another image raising eyebrows at the Bureau are those videos of a few police officers opening gates and removing barricades to give the hoard easy access to the Capitol.

Our sources say some officers could be charged with cowardice -- legally defined as failure to take proper police action. Additionally, we're told the rioters -- and anyone who aided them -- could also be charged for threats and menacing against Congress ... because the House and Senate were in session when the mob breached the building.

We're told the feds are also extremely motivated to find the people responsible for attacking Capitol PD officer Brian Sicknick ... who later died from his injuries.

We're told the FBI and the National Security Agency are using cell phone tower data, and state-of-the-art digital imaging systems to help ID people who were in the Capitol during the insurrection -- that includes rioters, Capitol staffers.

An Alabama man seemed to be gearing up for mass destruction and murder at the Capitol Building on Wednesday ... at least based on what cops say they discovered in his truck.

Lonnie Coffman has been arrested and charged with possession of destructive devices and carrying an unlicensed gun ... but that doesn't tell the half of it.

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Coffman approached cops and told them he was trying to get to his vehicle -- a red pickup -- the same suspicious vehicle they had received calls about.

Cops say he asked them if they found the bombs, and upon searching his truck ... they found 11 mason jars containing an unknown liquid with a golf tee in the top of each jar, cloth rags and lighters. AKA -- Molotov cocktails.

They also discovered one M4 Carbine assault rifle with rifle magazines loaded with ammunition ... and a black handgun on the front passenger seat. Cops say he also had 2 guns in his pockets when he was detained.

According to the docs ... while questioning him, he told them the mason jars contained "melted Styrofoam and gasoline." ATF officers say this mixture has the effect of napalm.

Coffman's been arrested, and cops say -- based on security footage -- he was seen leaving the vehicle parked near the Capitol building on Wednesday morning.

Lindsey Graham belatedly tried distancing himself from Donald Trump Wednesday night after the insurrection, and a group of hecklers just gave Graham even more distance between him and Trump.

The South Carolina Senator was trying to fly out of Reagan National Airport in D.C. Friday morn when he encountered a pack of fervid Trumpers pissed off at him for publicly breaking with the Prez.

As Graham's being escorted by security, he's repeatedly called "traitor" by the angry Trump supporters ... with one woman chanting "Audit our vote!"

Graham continues to get hit with a barrage of insults until he makes it to an exit, and the mob makes it clear ... he's on their s*** list.

As we reported ... Mitt Romney also got the mob treatment from Trump supporters earlier this week on a flight to D.C. The Utah Senator is one of Trump's most vocal Republican critics.

Feds have arrested the guy they believe is the Capitol rioter who was photographed sitting at Nancy Pelosi's desk during the failed coup ... TMZ has confirmed.

Federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... feds arrested Richard Barnett in Arkansas and charged him with entering and remaining on restricting grounds, violent entry and theft of public property. Barnett is believed to be the guy who was photographed inside the House Speaker's office ... with his feet kicked up. He also seems to be the guy taking a selfie with Pelosi's mail and also left a note that read, "We will not back down."

After getting into Pelosi's office ... Barnett reportedly told a New York Times reporter, "I wrote her a nasty note, put my feet up on her desk and scratched my balls."

As we reported ... the FBI asked for the public's help to help them find the insurrectionists involved during Wednesday's deadly attack. The FBI asked for "tips and digital media depicting rioting and violence in the U.S. Capitol Building and surrounding area."

Barnett's allegedly one of just hundreds of President Trump supporters who breached security and stormed the Capitol ... triggering panic in the Senate and House Chambers before order was finally restored.

Pelosi's laptop was apparently taken from her office. No word on whether classified documents were on the computer. Likewise, the laptop and iPad of Rep Jim Clyburn's were also stolen.

It comes as no surprise after his actions this week, but President Trump is finally saying what we've suspected -- he will not attend the Inauguration of Joe Biden.

It's the first time since Andrew Johnson an outgoing U.S. President will not be attending the inauguration of the President-elect. Trump tweeted, "To all those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration."

Of course, there's still a slim chance he won't even be POTUS by that time, as some members of Congress met after the Capitol riots about invoking the 25th amendment to remove him from office ... and there are impeachment talks again too.

This after Trump was accused of inciting the storming of the Capitol, and his initial failure to condemn the rioters ... instead choosing to say he loved the insurrectionists and calling them special.

If Trump sticks with his plan ... he'll join John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Johnson as the only presidents to refuse to accompany the incoming Prez.

Vice President Mike Pence is expected to attend Biden's inauguration.

CNN's Bakari Sellers says America needs to look in the mirror after rioters waving Confederate flags ran through the halls of Congress because it says a lot about our country.

Bakari joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and discussed one of the lasting images from Wednesday's attempted coup ... insurrectionists storming the Capitol waving Confederate flags and Trump flags.

It's a sight we haven't seen in 200 years -- a foreign flag paraded inside the Capitol -- and Bakari suggests the size of the mob that pulled it off proves this IS America ... or at least a painfully large part of it.

While President-elect Joe Biden says the chaos at the Capitol "does not represent who we are," Bakari thinks Biden and the rest of America have to admit it is so the country can move forward and find a way to coexist.

Here's an up-close and graphic view of the kind of violence police were facing as the mob stormed the Capitol -- an injured officer screaming for help as the rioters crushed him between a riot shield and a door.

The intense video captures the moment insurrectionists tried to bully their way inside the halls of Congress, clashing with the Capitol Police Department and leaving one officer on the front lines fighting for his life.

The cop was bleeding from his mouth as he was pinned against a door guarding the entrance to the west side of the Capitol. You could hear the mob yelling "heave ho" as they attempted to push through the police line -- and officers were swinging batons and deploying pepper spray to keep them back.

"Elizabeth from Knoxville" -- the woman who said she got maced storming the Capitol -- is being accused of using an onion to make it look like she was crying, but there could be a deeper, more ominous reason for the bulb -- that she and others were banking on violence at the Capitol.

Onions are an antidote to tear gas. They can relieve the burning sensation from the gas. It's been reported for several years that onions can be used for this purpose. So the question ... why was this woman armed with an onion?

As we reported ... the woman was interviewed as rioters were making their way into the Capitol Building, and claimed she got pushed out and maced. While crying and talking about a "revolution," she repeatedly kept dabbing her eyes with a towel.

The looming question is whether the invasion of the Capitol was premeditated or not. Did the rioters plan the attack or did it just happen? It's interesting ... if this were just a peaceful protest, why carry an onion?

There is other evidence the plan may have been to invade the Capitol. As we reported, one of the insurrectionists had zip ties ... and given the building was filled with members of Congress, it sure feels like someone might have been thinking in advance of taking hostages.

The storming of the U.S. Capitol was shocking, but photos of pro-Trump insurrectionists holding a bunch of zip-tie handcuffs show they might've planned to do much worse.

There were reports Wednesday some of the insurrectionists were prepared to occupy the Capitol throughout the night, and these zip tie pics suggest they were prepared to hold people -- perhaps Congressional leaders -- against their will.

At least 2 different men were seen holding the zip ties -- commonly used as disposable handcuffs -- inside the U.S. Senate Chamber after members of Congress were forced to flee due to the security breach.

On top of this ... we already know many members of the mob that invaded the Capitol were armed, willing to bust into offices and take whatever they wanted, and someone even left behind the threat, "Murder the media," by scratching it on a door.

And, don't forget -- D.C. cops also found explosives near the building that were safely detonated.

It's all potentially crucial evidence, as it could show President Trump wasn't spontaneously urging his amped-up followers to "show strength" and simply march to the Capitol -- it could show the attack was all a premeditated plan.

That means more serious charges for all the rioters, and possibly, for Trump once he's out of office.

"If those were my kind storming the Capitol, what would have been the outcome? And, I think we all know."

LeBron James says the pro-Trump mob attack on D.C. is another prime example of Black people being treated differently in the U.S. ... claiming the handling of the incident proves "we live in 2 different Americas."

The NBA superstar -- wearing a shirt with the message "Do You Understand Now?" -- spoke about the riot after the Lakers' loss to the Spurs Thursday night ... and put all the blame on President Donald Trump.

"The events that took place yesterday was a direct correlation of the president that's in the seat right now ... of his actions, his beliefs, his wishes," James told reporters.

"He cares about nobody besides himself. Nobody. Absolutely nobody. He doesn't care about this country. He doesn't care about his family."

"He doesn't care about anybody besides himself."

LBJ says anyone who can't see the difference in the handling of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Capitol riots needs to take a step back ... and "ask yourself 'how do you want your kids, or how do you want your grandkids, or how do we want America to be viewed as?' Do we want to live in this beautiful country?"

As for where we go from here, James says he will use the incident as an opportunity to continue to uplift and educate Black people ... "even when times like yesterday feel like it was another gut punch to us."

Donald Trump was like a roadmap for the protesters who descended on D.C. Wednesday and wreaked havoc in the building that is the hallmark of our democracy, and as a result, he may have a new, non-presidential title -- criminal defendant.

Criminal defense lawyer Mike Cavalluzzi joins us on "TMZ Live" Friday to tick off the possible criminal charges Trump could face for inciting the crowd and encouraging them to wreak havoc in a building that is the foundation of our nation.

Mike zeroes in on the death of Ashli Babbitt, a woman who was part of the insurrection who was shot dead under the Capitol dome. There's something called felony murder ... that's when someone engages in or incites the commission of a violent felony in which someone dies.

The people who committed the initial felony -- even if they didn't fire the fatal shot -- could be charged with murder, and Trump's words and actions over the last 2 weeks arguably triggered the violent attempted coup that resulted in battery on police officers, vandalism and desecrating the hallowed structure.

Mike says Trump's words ... "You'll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength and you have to be strong." Well, that could be viewed by prosecutors as inciting a riot.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter wants to see the rioters who stormed the Capitol get more than a slap on the wrist ... she says letting them off easy sends the wrong message.

Bernice King tells TMZ ... she's disturbed the pro-Trump rioters had almost free reign when they laid siege on the Capitol ... a very different reaction from the one her father's peaceful marchers got back in the day in D.C.

MLK's youngest child tells us she's baffled how rioters were able to move through the Capitol without much resistance -- they were in the House and Senate chambers, Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, everywhere -- and then they just walked out the front door.

Like Michelle Obama and others, Bernice wonders how the rioters would have been treated if they were Black Lives Matter supporters. She's not really wondering ... she knows.