Capitol Rioter Dubbed ‘Bullhorn Lady’ Stays Out of Jail After Apologizing for Mesh Mask
APOLOGY ACCEPTED
An accused Capitol rioter nicknamed “Bullhorn Lady” said she is sorry for wearing a mesh mask in mockery of court orders, and the judge in her case has accepted her apology. Rachel Powell, a 40-year-old mom of eight from Pennsylvania, will not be remanded to jail before her trial. “At this time, [the court] has no reason to believe that her apology is not genuine and that she will not continue to comply with her conditions of pre-trial release,” wrote Judge Royce Lamberth. One of the conditions of Powell’s bond was that she wear a mask when outside her home, but when she reported to work at Mr. Bookman, a bookstore in rural Pennsylvania, she was seen on video wearing a useless mesh mask. Powell’s attorney apologized, claiming the hole-filled face covering was an homage to Lana Del Rey, though the singer’s holey face covering had an interior plastic sheet. Powell’s “Bullhorn Lady” moniker arose from videos of her appearing to shout orders at other rioters on Jan. 6 as they broke the windows of the Capitol building with a large pipe. She faces charges of obstruction, depredation of government property, entering a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, and violent entry.