Mother, 57, is arrested days after she and her Nashville bartender son, 30, attended the Captiol riot together and he was seen carrying a stash of zip-ties
The mother of a Nashville bartender who was pictured with her son in Senate gallery during the Capitol riot in Washington D.C. last week has been arrested.
Authorities in Tennessee announced they had taken 57-year-old Lisa Eisenhart into custody. Her son, Eric Munchel, 30, was arrested last Sunday.
Pictures of the mother and son duo went viral earlier this month after it was revealed that the pair had brought a stash of plastic cuffs along with them to the protest.
Eric Munchel, 30, left, is seen along with his mother Lisa Eisenhart, 57, at the Capitol siege
Eric Munchel was quickly named as the man pictured with a bundle of flex-cuffs while his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, stands close by
Eric Munchel, 30, is pictured in his mugshot having been arrested in Nashville last Sunday. His mother, Lisa Eisenhart, 57, was arrested on Saturday
Video footage clearly shows the pair holding the flex cuffs as they attempted to chase two cops inside the Capitol building.
Eisenhart was charged on Saturday with being in a restricted building without lawful authority, violent entry or disorderly conduct in the Capitol, along with a charge of conspiracy.
'The left has everything: the media, organizations, the government. We have to organize if we're going to fight back and be heard,' she said to a newspaper at the time of the protests.
The nurse, who wore a bulletproof vest like her son, added: 'This country was founded on revolution. If they're going to take every legitimate means from us, and we can't even express ourselves on the internet, we won't even be able to speak freely, what is America for?
'I'd rather die as a 57-year-old woman than live under oppression. I'd rather die and would rather fight.'
In a detailed breakdown of his clothing Munchel's 'expensive camouflage and tactical larp-flare' helped identify Munchel
She, together with son Eric Munchel are said to have driven from Nashville, Tennessee specifically for the protest.
Upon being interviewed this week, Eisenhart's tune had mellowed somewhat as she insisted she and her son did not have any violent intentions when they stormed the Capitol, despite the pictures of them carrying the plastic ties.
'We saw the zip cuffs on top of an already opened cabinet in the hallway inside the Capitol building,' Eisenhart told The Tennessean. 'We picked them up to prevent them falling into hands of bad actors.'
The pair were also captured on video among a small group who breached the Senate chamber.
The FBI is said to be investigating whether any of Trump 's supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol were conspiring to hurt lawmakers or take them hostage
Munchel told The Times of London: 'We wanted to show that we're willing to rise up, band together and fight if necessary. Same as our forefathers, who established this country in 1776. It was a kind of flexing of muscles.'
He claims that he thought he was welcome to enter the U.S. Capitol and like his mother said that he 'found' the zip ties and merely picked them up so he could hand them in to a police officer.
'We're not looking at this as a grand conspiracy, but we are interested in learning what people would do with things like zip ties,' a law enforcement official told The Washington Post at the time the pictures were released.
A Facebook account said to belong to Munchel has since been deleted but it listed him as working at Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille in Florida
The bar said in a statement: 'It's been brought to our attention that a former employee of ours from 2+ years ago was involved in the recent events at the Capitol Building. We have no affiliation with this employee and their actions were their own'
Munchel and his mom are said to have driven from Nashville, Tennessee for the protest
Prosecutors say such charges are just the beginning.
US attorneys in several states, including Kentucky, Ohio and Oregon, said people could face charges in their home states if they traveled to Washington and took part in the riot which saw a violent mob stormed the Capitol, breaking through police barricades and smashing windows to enter the building.
Lawmakers were forced to go into hiding for several hours as Capitol police grappled to take back control while the mob defecated in the Senate and House, invaded Nancy Pelosi's office and looted items.
Munchel and Eisenhart aren't just being charged for their actions but also being charged with 'conspiracy' with 'persons known and unknown' to authorities
According to the statement of the facts, Eisenhart also had flex cuffs and was part of a mob that chased police officers inside the Capitol
One female Trump supporter, US Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, was shot dead by Capitol Police as she tried to climb through a window.
Three other Trump supporters died after 'medical emergencies' related to the breach and Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick died from injuries sustained in the attack after he was allegedly hit over the head with a fire extinguisher.
Several former military members took part in the violent riot on the state Capitol last week.
Ashli Babbit, the woman who was shot dead while she tried to climb through a window into the congressional chambers served 14 years in the Air Force.
Meanwhile, Larry Rendall Brock Jr., 53, who was seen dressed in combat gear and carrying zip ties in the Senate is a retired lieutenant colonel who was in the Air Force for more than two decades.
The US Army is said to be investigating 25 people including active-duty members thought to have participated in the mob.
