Woman charged in Capitol riot asks judge for permission to vacation in Mexico

Tear gas explodes during a protest against the certification of the 2020 US presidential elections results. Donald Trump supporters clashed with Capitol police at a rally in Washington. Picture: Reuters

Tear gas explodes during a protest against the certification of the 2020 US presidential elections results. Donald Trump supporters clashed with Capitol police at a rally in Washington. Picture: Reuters

Published Feb 3, 2021

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Now the Midland, Texas, florist is facing federal charges

Washington - Before storming the US Capitol alongside other Trump supporters in what she later described as "the new revolution," Jenny Cudd had been planning a four-day trip to Mexico.

Now the Midland, Texas, florist is facing federal charges, one of more than 100 people arrested by the FBI in a sweeping investigation of the violent January 6 insurrection. But she still wants her vacation.

In a motion filed Monday in federal court, Cudd's attorney asked a judge to let her travel this month to Riviera Maya with employees of her flower shop. The motion noted that the trip was prepaid.

"This is a work-related bonding retreat for employees and their spouses," wrote attorney Farheena Siddiqui, who did not immediately respond to The Washington Post's request for comment.

"Ms Cudd has appeared at her scheduled court appearance, remains in constant contact with her attorney, and has remained in contact with pretrial probation, as ordered."

A one-time mayoral candidate and vociferous anti-masker, Cudd gained notoriety for a Facebook live stream in which she boasted about her involvement in the attack on the Capitol.

Draped in the Trump flag she'd worn inside the Rotunda and Statuary Hall, she announced, "We did break down... Nancy Pelosi's office door." Cudd said she "charged the Capitol today with patriots," adding, "Hell yes, I am proud of my actions."

Two days later, she gave an interview to local TV station NewsWest9. In the 14-minute video, she said people who had turned her in to the FBI and left negative reviews of her business were trying to "cancel me because I stood up for what it is that I believe in." The backlash, she added, "is 100% cancel culture."

Cudd insisted that she did not destroy anything or go into any offices. Instead, she said, she used the term "we" to refer to "we the patriots." She said she had walked through an open door after the barricades were broken down. And although the storming of the Capitol left a police officer and four others dead, she continued to defend it.

"I've told everybody this: I would do it again in a heartbeat because I did not break any laws," Cudd said.

Her arrest came the next week. In a January 12 federal complaint, the FBI cited Cudd's statements on social media and in the TV interview. She was charged with misdemeanor counts of entering and remaining on restricted grounds and disorderly conduct or violent entry and released on her own recognizance.

Cudd's next court appearance is on Thursday. She has been ordered to stay away from the District of Columbia except for matters related to her case.