THE HANGOVER

Accused Capitol Rioter Says He ‘Was Drunk’ During Jan. 6 Siege

Philip Grillo also claims he didn’t realize he was trespassing, according to an FBI search warrant application.

Queens, New York GOP district leader Philip Grillo admitted to the FBI that he breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection pro-Trump—but said he “was drunk at the time.” That’s according to an FBI search warrant application obtained by The Daily Beast, which says Grillo, who was once a member of the Marine Corps, according to public records, told agents after he was arrested on Feb. 22 that he “did not think he had done anything illegal and did not realize he was trespassing, and that he protected police officers inside the Capitol.” “Grillo also said that he tried to go ‘live’ on Facebook after being pushed inside the Capitol but that his phone did not let him do so,” the warrant application, which seeks access to Grillo’s Facebook account, states. However, investigators stated that Grillo’s phone pinged off a cell tower servicing the area in and around the Capitol building during the incident, and automated license plate readers picked up Grillo’s Chevy Traverse leaving New York the night of Jan. 5, arriving in D.C. at 2:10 a.m. on Jan. 6, and returning home several hours after the sacking of the Capitol was finished.

Grillo, 46, described himself as “The Republican Messiah” on his now-defunct Facebook profile. Two childhood friends of Grillo’s reported him to the FBI after seeing him in footage of the Capitol siege broadcast on CNN, in which Grillo was wearing a Knights of Columbus jacket emblazoned with the name and address of his local lodge.

This story has been updated.

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Justin RohrlichReporter

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