President Trump

A Florida substitute teacher who was caught on video telling students Antifa was responsible for the Capitol riot has been fired ... TMZ has learned.

Dr. Damien Moses, principal at Bok Academy in Lake Wales, FL., tells TMZ ... the teacher's conduct was immediately dealt with following the incident from earlier this week. Moses said, "We met with her and she has been dismissed not only from our school, but also from the Lake Wales Charter School System."

A student at the academy started recording the substitute teacher's rant during a middle school language arts class in which she falsely claimed 3 Antifa members were paid to storm the Capitol in last week's failed coup, and were solely responsible for the violence.

Remember ... the FBI has said there is no indication Antifa played a role in the mob that stormed the Capitol.

The substitute teacher was referencing a Washington Times story from last week with the headline "Facial Recognition Claims Antifa Infiltrated Trump Protesters who Stormed Capitol." The story has since been retracted ... after the Singapore-based XRVision tech company refuted the report, adding the company was never in contact with the outlet.

You can hear the student recording the video tell the sub rioters were seen wearing MAGA hats and Trump flags ... but the sub fired back saying, "When they're paid to be there and cause a riot they wanna make it look like Trump supporters so they wear Trump hats and carry Trump flags."

You can sense the discomfort in the room ... and one student asked for permission to leave, while another said, "I don't care about your opinions."

Ali Alexander -- the pro-Trump organizer of the "Stop the Steal" movement -- calls himself one of the originators of the D.C. rally that preceded the Capitol riots ... but he claims he got help from 3 Congressmen.

The right-wing activist had been vocal for weeks about holding a huge event on January 6 in order to stop Congress from certifying the election win for Joe Biden, and he stated on video he schemed with 3 GOP Representatives to make it happen -- Andy Biggs and Paul A. Gosar from Arizona and Mo Brooks from Alabama.

All 3 GOP lawmakers are hard-line Trump supporters and have links to Alexander through video and social media posts ... and Ali claims their plan was to put "maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting."

He adds that they wanted to "change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body, hearing our loud roar from outside."

As you know, the D.C. rally for President Trump was followed by a march to the U.S. Capitol, where an angry mob of his supporters violently stormed in ... resulting in 5 deaths.

Alexander and his "Stop the Steal" group have been banned from Twitter, and though he's denied inciting the riot ... the 3 Republicans are taking heat for aiding him.

Biggs and Brooks have denied involvement with Alexander in organizing the Jan. 6 rally, and Gosar has not responded yet.

As we've reported ... Democratic members of Congress like Rep. Jim Clyburn have suggested the Capitol riots were part of an inside job facilitated by GOP politicians -- though he didn't name names. Similarly, Rep. Mikie Sherrill claimed she saw some of her GOP colleagues leading groups on "reconnaissance" tours of the building the day before the insurrection.

The storming of the U.S. Capitol is taking a serious toll on the undermanned police officers who were on the front lines ... so their mental health is now a top priority.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... counseling services provided by the Capitol Police have been in high demand over the past week, as officers are reeling and grieving after the violence that took place on January 6.

As you know, the riots resulted in 5 deaths ... including Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who was killed by rioters, and officer Howard Liebengood died by suicide days later.

We're told Capitol PD brass is periodically encouraging the rank and file to utilize their Employee Assistance Program ... and welcoming administrative leave, if needed.

The program includes on-site, confidential counselors who can help employees cope with a wide range of issues. It's been in place for decades, and was a huge help to officers after 9/11.

Our sources say the counseling is available 24/7 -- usually via phone call -- and a large number of officers have been taking advantage of the program ... and it's likely saving lives.

Former "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Siggy Flicker is calling BS on the internet sleuths who say she was at the Capitol riots ... and she's got an alibi.

Siggy tells TMZ ... she was never near the Capitol during last week's attempted coup, despite some social media users claiming she was there. She says she wasn't even in D.C.

SF claims she's been holed up with her family at their home in Boca Raton, FL for the last 2 months and she was at the Boca Hotel and Resort with her kids and husband while the mob was busy storming the Capitol.

Siggy's on the defense because actress Vivicca Whitsett sent a tweet to the FBI, alleging Siggy is the woman wearing a MAGA beanie in this grainy picture from inside the Capitol. Siggy tells us the tweet is a "blatant lie."

Siggy also posted video of a Jan. 5 flight to D.C. showing a plane full of people singing "The Star-Spangled Banner," which seems to have gotten the ball rolling on the allegations ... but she tells us it's not her video, and she downloaded it from Twitter and reposted it on her IG because she thought it was "beautiful."

A diehard Trump supporter, Siggy tells us she last went to a Trump rally Oct. 16 in Ocala, FL and she doesn't support or condone the violence ... she says anyone who caused damage inside the Capitol during the insurrection should go to jail, no matter their political beliefs.

Siggy says she wouldn't be caught dead at a mass gathering like the Capitol riots because she's gearing up for another surgical procedure on her ankle and isn't supposed to be around large crowds.

President Trump just became the first Commander-in-Chief to be impeached twice -- and what happens next may decide whether he can ever run for office again.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday on one article of impeachment that was introduced earlier this week -- incitement of insurrection -- and the motion passed with majority ... which included a couple handfuls of Republicans.

The House needed just 217 votes for impeachment, and they greatly exceeded that number. Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, John Katko, Fred Upton and Jaime Herrera Beutler were among the Republicans who voted to impeach.

The impeachment vote comes after Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave VP Mike Pence an ultimatum -- either remove Trump using the 25th Amendment, or we'll do it ourselves with another impeachment. Pence refused Pelosi's proposition, saying it was time to heal and move on.

As such, the House charged 45 with high crimes (again) -- and now, the Senate will have to take the matter up among themselves ... either voting to convict, or acquit. Remember, Trump was cleared of wrongdoing last time ... but it might be different now.

Fact is, several Republicans are said to be fed up with Trump at the helm of their party -- and the Capitol riot was the last straw. Some have proven to be loyal no matter what -- like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley -- but others have denounced POTUS, publicly or privately.

Here's the deal ... if Trump is impeached and convicted by the Senate, not only would the President be removed, but he couldn't run for federal office again. Sen. Mitch McConnell says the Senate will not take up the trial until after Biden is sworn in as the 46th President.

As for how 45 feels about all this, well ... you've heard it all before. Trump's refused to take responsibility -- denying his words and actions sparked the mob he assembled to storm the Capitol, and insisting his comments beforehand were wholly "appropriate."

And, of course, he's cornered the term "witch hunt," which he's been invoking again.

Nancy Pelosi's lectern is back at the U.S. Capitol ... a week after a Florida man gleefully carried it out during a failed coup.

The House Speaker's lectern was wheeled into the building Wednesday and, as we reported, it did not suffer any damage. Still, pretty sure the lectern was or will be sanitized like hell. No word yet if the gavel was also returned.

As you know by now ... Adam Johnson is the man picked up last week on a federal warrant in Florida for his role in the Capitol riots, which, of course, included him taking the lectern. Images of the 36-year-old were plastered online and on TV during and after the insurrection. Goes without saying, it wasn't hard to ID him.

Johnson, a married man and stay-at-home father of 5, is slated to appear later this month in D.C. but already Johnson's lawyer told reporters earlier this week the case is going to be an uphill battle 'cause, ya know, there are pictures of the guy taking the lectern!

Johnson's attorneys, Dan Eckhart and David Bigney, acknowledged as much during a news conference this week outside a Tampa courthouse. Eckhart said, "You have a photograph of our client in a building, unauthorized to be there, with what appears to be a podium or a lectern."

When a reporter told Eckhart how the photo will be problematic, he said, "Yeah, I don't know how to explain that. But, that would be a problem. I'm not a magician."

President Trump is singing a different, more peaceful, tune now that he's about to be impeached a second time -- he's now urging law and order from his followers.

Banned from Twitter, the Prez instead had to issue a statement Wednesday through the White House in which he urged non-violence among his supporters.

Trump says ... "In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for."

As we've reported ... insurrectionists are vowing to stage protests in all 50 state capitals, including a return to the U.S. Capitol, and the FBI has said many are plotting violence.

Rep. Jim Clyburn says the Republican members of Congress who want to be armed on the House floor are striking fear into colleagues -- and he believes they might have ill intentions.

The Congressman from South Carolina dropped his bombshell Wednesday on "TMZ Live" ... revealing his suspicion of several GOP legislators who refused to go through metal detectors Tuesday night at the Capitol. He says some of them were armed, and that made other Reps nervous.

That's because, according to Clyburn, some of the armed lawmakers might be suspected of helping the pro-Trump insurrectionists ... part of a possible inside job.

Rep. Clyburn says other Congressmen and women are afraid these armed lawmakers might do "crazy things" while on the House floor.

On a less dividing note ... Clyburn told us why he recently introduced legislation to make "Lift Every Voice and Sing" the official national hymn in the U.S.

The guy who authorities say was the one wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" hoodie during the Capitol riots has been arrested ... TMZ has confirmed

Robert Keith Packer was busted Wednesday morning in Newport News, VA and he's been charged with knowingly entering restricted grounds and disorderly conduct. He'd already drawn outrage for his hoodie, flippantly referencing the Nazi concentration camp where more than 1 million Jews were killed during World War II.

As if that wasn't disturbing enough ... the back of the hoodie also had the word "Staff" emblazoned on it. The bottom of his hoodie had the words, "Work brings freedom" ... a rough translation of "Arbeit macht frei" ... words inscribed on the concentration camp gates.

This apparently is not the first time Packer's run into trouble with the law. According to CNN, Packer's criminal history includes 3 convictions for driving under the influence and a felony conviction for forging public records.

The authorities say Parker was among hundreds who stormed the Capitol in a failed coup last week.

President Trump's call for unity after the failed coup hasn't found its way to the suburbs just yet ... this Ohio homeowner missed the memo, and he's got a new way to irk neighbors.

Check out these yard signs sitting outside a home in a Cleveland suburb ... we're told the signage went up Thursday in response to the deadly siege on the Capitol.

The brainchild behind the signs is taking applications for new friends, with some very specific criteria ... and he could use spelling lessons after trying to call out what he sees as hypocrisy from folks who are disgusted by what went down in D.C.

We're told folks in the neighborhood are pissed over the yard signs ... these are just the latest examples of what's been displayed in this yard during Trump's presidency. You can see some of his prior greatest hits.

An Indigenous man who's being prosecuted for a Mount Rushmore protest believes he's been grossly over-charged ... but the white insurrectionists at the Capitol won't get the same treatment.

Nick Tilsen tells TMZ ... what we all witnessed in Washington D.C. was the "epitome of white supremacy and white privilege in society." He adds that he doesn't expect many of the culprits will be slapped with the same legal consequences he's faced since last summer.

If you don't know ... Nick's the President of NDN Collective, which protested President Trump's July 3 visit to Mt. Rushmore after calling for the national monument to be closed and the land returned to the Lakota people.

Nick was one of 20 Land Defenders arrested and facing criminal charges ... but his are steep. Nick's accused of taking a shield from a National Guard soldier and threatening to use it against the Guard.

He's been charged with second-degree robbery, grand theft in the alternative and 2 counts of simple assault against law enforcement. He could get 16 years in prison if convicted.

In contrast, one notable Capitol rioter -- who's been identified as Aaron Mostofsky, the son of a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge -- was photographed inside the building Wednesday holding a Capitol Police shield ... seemingly with no qualms about it.

Aaron was later interviewed and claimed he found the shield on the ground. As of now, there's no record of him even getting arrested ... much less charged.

Nick wants to point out ... he's not in favor of people of any race, orientation or religion being met with over-prosecution for expressing their right to protest. In fact, he supports the opposite.

Donald Trump is getting booted all over the place in the wake of his role in the Capitol insurrection ... the latest is that Wagner College has taken back his honorary degree.

The College announced Friday night it's rescinded the degree it bestowed on Trump back in 2004.

The Board of Trustees didn't say why the change of heart, but other than the folks on the International Space Station, everyone else knows exactly why.

Trump gave the graduation speech in 2004, with then-fiancee Melania by his side. The honor coincided with the first season of "The Apprentice," which was a big hit at the time.

It's the second degree that has been yanked from Trump's portfolio. Lehigh University in Pennsylvania revoked Trump's honorary degree a few days ago. He received it in 1988.

The Prez of the University called the riot a "violent assault on the foundations of our democracy," and they clearly felt Trump incited it.

And, as you know, Trump's been banned from his social megaphone -- aka Twitter.

The man who mugged for the camera while gleefully carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern has been arrested.

Adam Johnson was picked up Friday night on a federal warrant in Florida, where he lives. The images of the 36-year-old were plastered online and on TV during and after the insurrection, so it wasn't particularly hard to find him.

Johnson reportedly has a wife and 5 kids and is a stay-at-home dad.

BTW ... the lectern and gavel that were initially reported stolen were found ... neither object was damaged. As you know, there was extensive damage inside the Capitol. Pelosi's laptop was stolen after her offices were stormed by the rioters.

One of the rioters who died during the Capitol insurrection was clearly ready for violence, because just weeks before his death he posted a photo of himself with 2 AR-15's with the caption ... "I wish these motherf****** would come to my hood!"

Kevin Greeson, from Alabama, died during the Capitol takeover. So far authorities are only saying his death was caused by a "medical emergency," but they did not provide details.

The 55-year-old was a big fan of Parler, a right-wing site that has just been yanked off the Google Play Store after receiving information the site was used to plan the attack. Apple is also threatening to pull the site from the App Store.

Kevin's family says he did not travel to Washington to engage in violence or rioting. His family says Kevin had high blood pressure and believes he suffered a heart attack.

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.