A man with perhaps a bright future in West Virginia Republican politics resigned over the weekend because of his participation in the assault on the Capitol last Wednesday by Trump supporters.
Up to six state legislators I'm aware of who were in Wednesday's mob:
-MI state Rep. Matt Maddock
-MO state Rep. Justin Hill
-PA state Sen. Doug Mastriano
-TN state Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver
-VA state Sen. Amanda Chase
-WV state Del. Derrick Evans— Nathaniel Rakich (@baseballot) January 8, 2021 [1]
This otherwise seemingly normal man seems to have been caught up in the mob mentality that took probably law-abiding citizens, with some nasty exceptions and made them vandalize and riot on the grounds of the US Capitol. Some even to this hour push loony conspiracy theories and rationalization videos promising to show the real Atomic Mole People conspiracy that was behind the assault on the Capitol. Nah, just an angry crowd egged on by an irresponsible man.
FNC: “A West Virginia Republican state lawmaker who posted a video of himself storming the nation’s Capitol resigned Saturday effectively immediately after being charged by federal authorities.”
“The past few days have certainly been a difficult time for my family, colleagues and myself, so I feel it’s best at this point to resign my seat in the House and focus on my personal situation and those I love,” said Derrick Evans, a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. “I take full responsibility for my actions, and deeply regret any hurt, pain or embarrassment I may have caused my family, friends, constituents and fellow West Virginians. I hope this action I take today can remove any cloud of distraction from the state Legislature, so my colleagues can get to work in earnest building a brighter future for our state. And more importantly, I hope it helps to begin the healing process, so we can all move forward and come together as ‘One Nation, Under God.’” Credit for manning up on this. We wish more elected officials would admit their responsibility in regards to the riot on the Hill.
In a now-deleted video posted prior to the riot Evans says: “They’re making an announcement right now: If [Vice President] Pence betrays us you better get your mind right because we’re storming that building.” He laughs and then says, “I’m just the messenger, so don’t be hating on me.” Low rent grammar aside, Evans shows a complete lack of maturity and logic, especially per the veep.
“We’re in! Keep it moving, baby!” Evans can be heard saying in the video during the assault. Thus, he bears responsibility for his actions. He took it. Good for him. Others should follow his example.