People only try to hide their faces when they know they are doing something wrong. Usually they use masks but on January 6th, the wrong doers sometimes took extreme measures because they likely know if they were caught, they would suffer extreme penalties for rioting at the Nation’s Capitol, storming into the Capitol building, causing injury and death to police officers  trying to protect the building and threatening the lives of those elected to lead our nation. It seems to have failed as of yesterday when federal officers arrested a man who they say wore, not a mask, but a full panda head trying to hide every part of his identity.

He has been identified as Florida resident Jesse James Rumson who now faces several charges including assault, impeding an officer and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building.

Video taken during the insurrection at the nation’s capitol on January 6th two years ago show Rumson wearing the head of a panda costume entering the building through a fire escape exit, and charge into a group of police officers. Other videos show him outside the building encouraging other rioters to find a ram and break through a door.

Rumson has since been dubbed “The Sedition Panda” by the media.

Some of the rioters who have been arrested say they thought they were acting in response to orders from then president Donald Trump, but others ask if they thought their actions were lawful, why did some of them go to such extremes to hide their identity?

-Tony Lee