Texas Congressman Presents Released Jan. 6 Prisoner With Flag That Flew Over US Capitol

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) speaks at a news conference on the infrastructure bill with fellow members of the House Freedom Caucus, outside the Capitol Building in Washington on Aug. 23, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) presented Dr. Simone Gold a flag that was once flown over the U.S. Capitol on Friday, following her 45 days in jail for being involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach and stepping inside restricted premises.

“Dr. Simone Gold is a patriot and an American hero,” Gohmert said in a Sept. 9 statement.

The in-person grant upon Gold’s release from the Miami Federal Detention Center was to honor the Los Angeles-based emergency medicine specialist’s “invaluable work and contributions to public health, medical freedom, and our God-given constitutional rights,” according to the Republican lawmaker.

Gold, the founder of non-profit America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS), was sentenced on June 16 under a plea deal on one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, a federal misdemeanor. The sentence, meted out by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper on June 16, included 60 days in jail, one year of supervised release, a $9,500 fine, and $500 of restitution.

During the afternoon on Jan. 6, 2021, Gold delivered a speech through a megaphone to a crowd gathered in Statuary Hall, where she voiced her opposition to the vaccine mandates and government-imposed lockdowns, before getting arrested on Jan. 18, 2021. Her non-profit AFLDS had been promoting medicines such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as an alternative to the COVID-19 vaccine, which came under attack from media outlets and Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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“In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, she exposed the world to life-saving early treatment options that undoubtedly saved many lives. Tragically, her sound medical advice was viciously attacked and suppressed by a corrupt media captured by pharmaceutical companies with a clear financial agenda,” Gohmert said in the Friday release.

“After having her name and reputation shamefully dragged through the mud, the Biden administration’s DOJ [Department of Justice] threw her in prison for peacefully walking into the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and delivering a speech,” Gohmert continued. “Dr. Gold is the definition of what a political prisoner looks like—something I never thought I’d see here in the United States of America.”

Gold responded by saying that she was “honored” to receive the gift and recognition, while calling Gohmert “a true believer in freedom and a fierce defender of our constitutional rights.”

Gold’s release date came about two weeks before the 60 days would expire, given credit for teaching and taking classes while incarcerated, along with time served when she was arrested in January 2021, according to the AFLDS.

Over 800 people have been charged with federal crimes over the breach on Jan. 6, with 300 pleading guilty to one or more charges so far and nearly 200 sentenced.