Don’t you hate when you’re just trying to promote your podcast and cigar brand and then get caught up in a failed insurrection? That’s supposedly what happened to an agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency who was arrested for trespassing on Capitol grounds during the Capitol riot.
I know, there’s a lot going on in that lede, right?
According to NBC News, Mark Sami Ibrahim is now the first federal agent arrested for participation in the Jan. 6 riot. Court documents allege that Ibrahim didn’t damage any property or enter the Capitol, but he did flash his gun and DEA badge in photos taken during the riot. The documents also allege that he entered the restricted area of the grounds and climbed on the Peace Memorial at the foot of the Capitol.
When questioned by the FBI, prosecutors said Ibrahim denied flashing his gun and badge even though there’s a literal photo of him doing just that. Ibrahim additionally told investigators that he was only at the Capitol because a friend asked him to join. For a former federal agent, dude doesn’t seem to know much about the feds and how they be watching.
The FBI also questioned the aforementioned friend, who said Ibrahim’s attendance at the rally was actually an act of self-promotion. He was considering launching a podcast and a cigar brand, and I guess a rally-turned-failed coup is where you promote those things now? Maybe I’m just not hip to modern marketing strategies, but I’m not sure committing federal crimes is the best way to promote your podcast.
Like, they marched to the Capitol, y’all. At any point during that walk, dude could’ve said “You know what, I work for the feds, maybe this whole cigar business ain’t worth all this.” Instead, here he is.
It should be noted that Ibrahim was only a probationary employee and had submitted a notice he intended to resign. “He was not on duty for the DEA and had no role as a law enforcement officer on the Capitol grounds,” a court document read.
DISCUSSION
That DEA agent’s career has been blown apart harder than Danny Trejo’s head on a tortoise.