It might not have been a good idea to illegally invade the Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, wearing his work badge.
Not very smart either to be photographed, all smiles, carrying the desk of the President of the House of Representatives.
Or to broadcast live on Twitter a video showing itself forcing the entry of the office of an elected official.
These supporters of Donald Trump have documented their action extensively on social networks, also letting themselves be graciously photographed by the media, seeing it as their hour of glory.
Digital evidence that is now turning against them.
Backfire
This is the case with the man with the badge.
His employer, the marketing company Navistar, did not appreciate seeing one of his employees associated with the attack and fired him.
Libby Andrews, a Chicago real estate agent, suffered the same fate after the company she works for recognized her through photos posted to her Instagram account, showing her singing the American anthem from the steps of the Capitol. in the company of the other attackers.
Ditto for Texas lawyer Paul Davis, who filmed himself to announce his intention to enter the Capitol in order to interrupt the process of ratifying the results of the presidential election.
"He is no longer one of our employees," reacted on Twitter the insurance company which employed him until then.
Saint Vincent Catholic College in Pennsylvania has separated from one of its temporary teachers, Rick Sackone.
Photos of this former member of the House of Representatives, taken in front of the Capitol at the time of the assault, circulated on social networks.
He subsequently assured that he simply wanted to demonstrate “peacefully” his support for the president.
But Internet users were quick to unearth a video of the professor declaring that they “were going to dislodge [from the Capitol, Ed] all the Republicans who betrayed the president“.
And that's probably just the start of the flashback.
The Web is full of budding detectives who are ready, for better or for worse, to search the depths of the Net for the smallest detail on a designated target.
In this case, several Twitter accounts have already started this identification work.
There is even an Instagram profile - Homegrownterrorist (National Terrorist) - which lists all the photos and videos that could help track down the attackers.
More than 100,000 people have already subscribed to this rioter-hunting account.
But it's the Reddit community site that is leading the most notable effort.
The members of this platform have already assembled an archive of 12 GB of photos and videos of the assault on the Capitol.
And this time, forum participants want to avoid hasty identifications.
No way to repeat the 2013 debacle. At the time Reddit had embarked on a digital manhunt to identify the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, but only succeeded in doing wrongly accuse innocent people.
Evidence for investigators
Internet users feel all the more legitimate as the authorities have officially called on them to help them identify those who have entered the Capitol.
Washington Police have posted a more than 20-page flyer filled with photos of people they are actively seeking.
The FBI, for its part, encourages Internet users to send it, via a dedicated web page, any document enabling the attackers to be found.
This collaboration has already started to bear fruit.
A person wanted by the police and who, in the photos, is dressed in several furs, holding a sort of pilgrim's staff in one hand and a riot shield in the other, has been recognized by Internet users like the son of an eminent New York judge.
Anyone who is identified in this way will risk much more than losing their job.
The list of offenses committed by these die-hard Trumpians, listed by the New York Times, is very long, ranging from illegal entry into a federal building to sedition.
Members of the security forces were also injured during the clashes, one of whom died of his injuries.
Prison sentences, ranging from 5 to 20 years, could thus be required against these rioters.
Unless, of course, Donald Trump, in his drive to hand out pardons, decides to also benefit the participants in the attack on the Capitol.
It would be politically very provocative, but, as the specialized site Law & Crime reminds us, nothing legally prevents the chief executive from deciding on a group pardon.
Except to dismiss him as soon as possible.
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