Lawyer Says ‘Everything’ ‘Evaporated Overnight’ After Attending Capitol Riot

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Paul Davis (Image via Twitter)

They say life comes at you fast, and that’s something Paul Davis learned over the past year. Now there’s an article in Business Insider designed to garner sympathy for Paul Davis for experiencing the consequences of his own actions.

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You may remember Paul Davis. He’s the *ahem* former associate general counsel who attended the January 6th attempted coup and broadcast his participation on social media. He quickly found himself out of a job. He then filed a lawsuit against… pretty much everyone and their mother to overturn the 2020 election while citing Hobbit Law. Because Gondor has no king, or something? Then he got fired for a second time. But because lack of evidence and funds is a real bitch, the case got dismissed. Good times!

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Anyway, back to the effort to rehabilitate Davis.

Davis talks about losing his job and having to sell his house as a result of the fallout from the insurrection. He told Insider that he lost everything because of his participation in the attempt to overturn the results of a free and fair election:

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Two weeks after the Capitol riot, Davis said his fiancée left him and his friends cut ties with him, too.

“Everything that I’d worked hard for 10 years evaporated overnight,” he said.

“I just didn’t want to go on,” he added, saying he felt isolated and alone. “I mean, I wanted to die. I really did. I was in so much emotional pain. I was so lonely. I didn’t know how to even move forward with my life.

Of course, no one wants to make light of suicidal ideations. And my sympathies go out to the families of Capitol Police Officers Jeffrey Smith and Howard S. Liebengood who died by suicide after the violence of January 6th. But that doesn’t mean there cannot or should not be real consequences for the insurrection.

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In his interview with Insider, Davis insists that he didn’t do anything wrong:

Davis, who posted a video about his participation on Instagram, said he was “terrified” when he heard about the FBI crackdowns against those who had participated in the riot.

“In my mind, I didn’t do anything wrong,” he told Insider. “I didn’t cross any boundaries. I didn’t assault anybody, but I know that doesn’t matter a lot of times.”

Does he think assault is the only law involved here? Also, it should be noted that, despite his very public participation in the riot and the highly public profile he’s courted with the off-the-wall lawsuits, he has not yet been charged with any crimes in connection with January 6th.

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Indeed, he’s used that notoriety to build himself a new career:

Davis previously told The New York Times he earned a “badge of honor” among conservatives for his presence during the riot. About a month after the riot, he started a law firm, which focuses on employment law and represents clients who do not want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, among others. The firm got Davis “back on track” and helped him to move forward, he said.

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And, yup,  he’s learned nothing:

“I mean, I would like to not live with that fear in the back of my mind, ‘Is the FBI coming for me?'” Davis said. “I don’t regret going because I just feel like it was really part of God’s plan for my life.”

Miss me with this attempt at seeing the real person behind the headlines — he’s exactly who I thought he was.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

Topics

Coup Attempt, Government, In-house, January 6th, Paul Davis