Houston cop arrested for storming the US Capitol: Just wanted to view 'art on the walls'

[left-of-center2012]

Federal agents have charged the former Houston police officer with knowingly entering a restricted government building and engaging in disruptive and disorderly conduct, according to media reports Tuesday. An affidavit written by FBI Special Agent Amie C. Stemen named the previously unidentified officer as Tam Dinh Pham.

In a press conference last week, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said he had notified federal authorities about Pham's presence at the Capitol riot after seeing Facebook photos linking Pham to the pro-Trump supporters. Pham then agreed to meet with FBI agents at his home in Richmond on Jan. 12.

Pham initially denied entering the Capitol ... However, federal officials found photos of Pham standing in the Capitol rotunda in the deleted photos section of his phone. After the president's speech to the crowd that morning, he followed others to the Capitol, eventually climbing over toppled fences and barricades along the way.

Pham told FBI agents that "he looked at the historical art on the walls and took photographs and videos inside." He just went to see the art.

https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-riot-2650054451/

[C_U_L8R]

1. The official tour is much less expensive.

Dude is a liar as well as a terrorist.

[MiniMe]

2. *cough *cough Bullshit *cough *cough

[Arne]

3. Wrong time wrong riot.

[bullimiami]

4. So he's a traitor and a liar.

[True Dough]

5. I've always wanted to take a look around Fort Knox

I guess I'll wait until there's a heist and then just wander on inside. Not to take any gold bars or anything, just to peruse, you see.

[gldstwmn]

11. I hope someone has checked

to make sure the Trump's didn't steal it all.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Which Is Perfectly Fine

When the building is open to the public! But, it wasn't. Hence, the breaking & forcing their way in.
Horribly weak defense!
"Yeah, I was trespassing during an insurrection. Is that not ok?"
No, Castanza. It's not.

[gratuitous]

7. Another tourist with bad timing!

Isn't that just the pits? You visit the nation's capital to look at art work or walk by the Capitol Building and dammit if there isn't some kind of ruckus going on. Well, you didn't come all this way to be turned away, so you head on in, there's no security stopping you, and take care of business. In Pham's case, that was a chance to do a little self-guided tour of the Capitol artwork. And now everyone's losing their shit! It's just so gosh darned sad.

[sakabatou]

8. A bullshit excuse

[TwilightZone]

9. Their excuses are getting more and more ridiculous.

If you're going to lie, come up with something better than that.

[gldstwmn]

10. Go to a museum fool.

[tanyev]

12. Who among us hasn't stormed our way into the Smithsonian or MOMA?

They’d be fine with it, right?

[Blue_true]

15. Yelling "stop the steal" and "Q sent me". nt

[GulfCoast66]

27. And hang Mike Pence which they were chanting.

[Blue_true]

28. Wow, didn't read about that one.

But rightwing media said they were there to admire the artwork and history of the building. Maybe most were idiots that got in over their heads, but some were people that were intent on harming leaders that were there, or taking them hostage (which would have left it up to Trump to free them, since in one swoop, three of the four lines of succession would be captured. That would have been a disaster, IMO, because I doubt he would have freed the leaders without taking the nation hostage).

[Blue_true]

13. In other news.

Local cop tries to outsmart the FBI, it didn’t go well for him.

[jpak]

14. Do these idiots think they're clever?

Do they think everyone besides him are stupid?

[Wednesdays]

16. Even IF that excuse were true,

and that's a huge IF, he's still guilty of a whole slew of charges that will earn him a bit of time in the slammer.

[magicarpet]

17. Oh,... I always take a machine gun, battering ram, and bullet proof vest to the museum.

Don't you too ?

[Retrograde]

26. Don't forget the hockey stick and zip ties!

[JDC]

18. surprised he didn't just claim he was joking

That's the usual go to of lying scum

[MerryBlooms]

19. Meh. Coward's excuse like so many other of these traitors when caught.

[StarfishSaver]

20. Like the guy who steals Playboy Magazines just to read the articles

[left-of-center2012]

21. Since he is a liar, I'd question all his arrests

How many people are locked up because he lied?

[Vivienne235729]

22. Damn. I am going to lose my eyeballs to the back of my head for that one

Seriously lame beyond words.

[Mariana]

23. I wonder if he buys lame-assed excuses like that from suspects.

I suspect he does not.

[Deuxcents]

24. I'm wondering

How much he’s gotta pay his lawyer n if that lawyer is gonna use that excuse? Someone should chronicle these excuses n publish em.. and as a footnote, include what the judge said.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

25. Typical cop. Lying comes s natural as breathing.

[kskiska]

29. I lived in L.A. after the Rodney King police verdict.

It was like a war zone. A woman looter on TV came out of a shoe store carrying numerous pairs of shoes, saying "They're free! The door was open!"