Last week, the earth stood still when these “shocking” photos were “leaked” to the media.
Without context, one might question why this shirtless man is doing yoga in a janitor’s closet. Maybe this was posted on an Only Fans page?
No, dear reader, this man is J6 defendant, Ryan Samsel, and these pics were released in the beloved sensational style of The Gateway Pundit, winner of the Most Trusted Print Media award at the first annual American Liberty Awards. The “Libby’s,” as the awards are affectionately called, are voted on by the general public.
I HAVE QUESTIONS, TOO, JIM.
If you are familiar with my work as an advocate for J6 defendants, you most likely are familiar with Samsel’s story. Let’s review.
My first contact with Samsel resulted from a call from a patriot widow farmer in Kansas who received a letter from the incarcerated man in the summer of 2022 after she wrote to him. I invited her on my Justice In Jeopardy podcast to read the letter.
Take a listen to this 2-min clip from the call.
Not long after I connected with Samsel’s patriot pen-pal, he called in one evening to the vigil outside the DC Gulag, or “#FreedomCorner” as it is affectionately called. He was upset about Revolver News’ Darren Beatty’s portrayal of him.
Here’s a 50-sec clip.
“I was definitely indicted.”– Ryan Samsel
The J6 saga can not be told without the initial breach at the Capitol and Ray Epps.
Here we see the infamous Epps whispering into the ear of Ryan Samsel just prior to the initial breach. And, yes, Epps is a really big guy.
In January 2023, I interviewed another J6 defendant, James Grant, who was also present at the initial breach. I questioned him about what Ray Epps whispered.
“‘Relax, they’re just doing their job’…. You can take that to the bank.” – James Grant
Good thing I didn’t take that to the bank because a few weeks after the interview with Grant, he contacted me via CorrLinks, the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) email system, and said he wanted to retract his story. He said he had been too far away to actually hear what Epps said and was only quoting what he read in an FBI transcript.
CorrLinks deletes messages after 30 days and, unfortunately, I did not save that message from Grant, otherwise I would share a screenshot here. I replied that I could only record a new interview with him, but we never had contact again to do so.
My first attempt at getting Samsel to tell us his version of what Epps whispered in his ear occurred in mid-October, 2022. He refrained from answering particulars on the content of the message but did share some other insight. Here’s a clip from that interview.
“I do hold the truth on that.” – Ryan Samsel
More recently, Samsel willingly shared his truth about the Epps encounter. Take a listen.
“‘Don’t pull it, push it. I got people.'” -Ryan Samsel quoting Epps
Just a couple months ago, on Justice In Jeopardy, Jessica Watkins shared her story of finding Ryan Samsel after he was beaten by the guards in the DC Gulag. Several other DC Gulag inmates have also verified the story.
“His face looked like an alien.” – Jessica Watkins
After he was moved from DC to the Northern Neck Regional Jail, he again suffered serious bodily injuries. Advocates have collected eyewitness testimony corroborating his traumata from the hospital where he received medical care there in Warsaw, VA.
The stories circulating about his injuries have varied from “his eye popped out of the socket and he’s blind now” to “I need some surgery to repair the vision in one of my eyes.”
Samsel has continuously asked for letters to be written to his judge, the Honorable Jia Cobb, requesting he get the medical help he claims he desperately needs.
Samsel is currently held at MDC Brooklyn. He reached out to the public a few months ago saying that he had been given permission to get medical care outside of the BOP system but would have to cover the costs himself. Donations appreciated.
In this interview he spoke about the Founding Fathers and their torturous sacrifices.
On a totally different topic, he also sent me a Revolutionary recent photo.
Last winter, a few of us J6er advocates started receiving text messages from different numbers in which the senders claimed to be incarcerated J6ers, including Ryan Samsel. We couldn’t verify it was them nor understand how they could be texting us and frankly were somewhat concerned.
We’ve learned a lot since then. Stuff about how it works inside. Most of us never had any reason to care about prison or justice reform.
We left that advocacy to Elizabeth Warren.
It turns out cell phones are a big racket in the big house. From what I’m told by J6ers serving their sentences in the BOP system, an inmate can purchase a cell phone for $2k on the black market. When your prison cell gets flipped, though, and you lose that $2000 phone to the guards, you’ll likely turn to the hourly rental instead.
Akin to the prison drug market, cell phones are brought in by dirty guards or even dropped in via drone.
Prison yard drone. Thank you, AI.
Late last spring, I got a call from Samsel via cellphone from MDC Brooklyn. He wanted me to talk to his friend “Samir.” He told me Samir came from his hood in Philly, and he used to cut his hair back in the day. Ryan Samsel’s a barber, you see. His story was basically that Samir saved his life by feeding him when he was being neglected and tortured, and then Samir was severely beaten by the guards in retaliation.
Samir began to tell me his story over the phone but abruptly hung up. Samsel called me back and explained that Samir was shy and panicked. Then Samir called me back privately with a different story.
Samir admitted his name is actually Cush’Mir McBride and that the story didn’t really happen the way Samsel wanted it told. Cush’s beating had nothing to do with helping Samsel. But that story wouldn’t bring in the money.
Apparently, Samsel was finally able to convince Cush to go with the money-spinner story.
“Prison Guards Knock Out Tooth, Brutally Beat Inmate Cush’Mir McBride After Feeding J6 Prisoner” – GP
Now, let’s go back to the shocking pictures.
Samsel conveyed to me and my audience on more than one occasion over the past year that he was kept in a “hard cell” in Pennsylvania for several months. He explained that he was thrown in naked. (No mention of khaki shorts.)
Snopes fact-checked the claims in The Gateway Pundit with an email to the Bureau of Prisons, wherein officials were asked if the photos depicted a cell. Snopes reports that a public affairs official responded and confirmed the photos “do not depict a cell at FDC Philadelphia.” Leave it to Snopes to find an inadequate, official response to an alternative media report. It must be hella difficult to explain or discern what is obvious to anyone who’s ever had a blue-collar job.
The pictures were taken in a janitor’s closet.
Not satisfied with the Snopes treatment, I reached out to a prisoner who spent lots of time with Samsel. He asked that we keep his identity confidential and expressed concerns about how the uncensored truth of the matter might negatively impact the credibility of other J6 stories. Nevertheless, our source didn’t mince words when it came to his assessment of Mr. Samsel.
“Knowing the character that I know of Ryan now, and his sociopathic, manipulative tendencies and his compulsive lying, I even start to question those injuries (REDACTED) inflicted by the DC guard.”
Confidential Source
As for the broom closet photo shoot, take a listen below:
“That’s a photo from a broom closet in Brooklyn.” – Confidential Source
I have questions, Ryan.
How did you shave?
Which guard was cleaning out your potty bucket?
Who took these pics?
How did these pics get “leaked?”
Was the janitor mad that his closet was appropriated??
1776returns.com
Curiously, our confidential source flat-out refused to get into the details surrounding Samsel’s bizarre relationship with Cush’Mir McBride.
“Watch out for everything coming,” he explained, “That’s all I’ve got to say.”
While it’s a travesty that some J6 defendants have been detained without bond, Samsel’s criminal history is impossible to ignore.
“…a pattern of Samsel choking and beating women to the point of loss of consciousness, of many hospital visits for many victims, of chipped and missing teeth, and of Samsel even breaking into one victim’s home multiple times to assault her..”
Through an abundance of critical analysis, scrutiny, and discernment, I’ve come to the earth-shattering conclusion that J6 was a complete and total shit show. Two and a half years later, the fecal matter is still flying.
It’s indisputable that good people made less-than-stellar choices, and nefarious characters provoked and incited much of the behavior on that momentous and historic day, but the charade continues on both sides, and sometimes you just gotta call out the malarkey.
With everything I’ve learned, however, questions still remain. And I haven’t heard from Ryan in a minute.
Mel Hawley in an independent investigative journalist and founder of Sovereign Souls Media. She hosts and produces Justice in Jeopardy, a podcast platform for the voices of J6. She has interviewed nearing 100 defendants as well as their families, attorneys, and others fighting on the front lines.
After using her First Amendment rights at the Rally at the Capitol on Jan 6 as media, she was visited twice by federal agents at home and interrogated by the FBI at their office. The DOJ so far has not pursued charges. Since J6 she has been an advocate for the defendants and their families. Her efforts and content focus on bringing awareness to the plight of and supporting our J6 political hostages and their families, whom she considers her second family.
Mel was born and raised in Texas and now resides as a Texas ex pat in Virginia, just outside the swamp. She is a GOD-loving patriot and proud mom of 5 boys and 3 girls.
@SovSoulMel on twitter
@JoanUp on Truth Social
https://melhawley.substack.com/
