As reported by Politico, Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, currently awaiting a verdict on charges of conspiring to violently impede Joe Biden’s presidency, accused the Justice Department and Democrats of “weaponizing” government institutions and attempting to “manipulate the 2024 election” during a phone call from his jail cell in Alexandria, Virginia on Tuesday.

Tarrio refrained from discussing specific details of his four-month trial, which is set to begin jury deliberations on Wednesday morning. However, he used the opportunity to express his support for far-right critiques of the Justice Department’s handling of the Jan. 6 prosecutions, alleging that prosecutors were “overcharging” defendants and criminalizing pro-Trump speech. Tarrio further accused the seditious conspiracy case against him and four other Proud Boys as being part of an effort to silence right-wing figures.

The phone call was broadcasted through a Twitter Space organized by the Gateway Pundit, a far-right media outlet known for promoting conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 events and the government. Tarrio praised his legal team, who used their closing arguments in court on Tuesday to place the blame for the Jan. 6 Capitol attack on former President Donald Trump, accusing him of inciting supporters and directing them towards Congress. Tarrio declined to elaborate on this claim.

This argument contrasts with the views of many of Tarrio’s far-right supporters, who have baselessly claimed that the Jan. 6 event was a government setup involving undercover agents or the work of left-wing agitators.

During the call, Tarrio also commended congressional Republicans, specifically House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, for their investigations into the “weaponization” of government. He suggested that Jordan should call on some Jan. 6 defendants to testify about their experiences.

Tarrio’s public comments came two weeks after he chose not to take the stand in his trial, a decision he explained during Tuesday’s call. He cited concerns about prosecutors questioning him on past statements unrelated to the events of Jan. 6, fearing they would “muddy up the waters.”

Prosecutors have accused Tarrio and four associates of being the driving force behind the mob that stormed the Capitol, alleging they organized hundreds of Proud Boys to create a “fighting force” on January 6. These individuals reportedly broke through police barricades and fueled the crowd’s fury during critical moments of the chaos. Dominic Pezzola, one of the accused, is said to have initiated the Capitol breach by shattering a Senate window with a riot shield.

Although Tarrio was absent on January 6 due to a separate arrest and a subsequent order to avoid Washington, prosecutors claim he maintained contact with other Proud Boys leaders from a Baltimore hotel and later praised their involvement in the attack.

On Tuesday, Tarrio spoke for over an hour with supporters and journalists via a Twitter broadcast from a friend’s cell phone. He alleged that he is considered a higher security threat in the Alexandria jail than the Lockerbie bomber, who is also detained at the same facility. Tarrio expressed frustration at being confined to his cell for 23 hours a day.

Tarrio did not testify during the trial, unlike his co-defendants Pezzola and Zachary Rehl. However, he supported the defense’s portrayal of the Proud Boys during the Tuesday call, dismissing their often violent or offensive language in group chats as harmless “locker room” talk.

He also denied ever opening or seeing a document called “1776 Returns,” which prosecutors highlighted in the case. The document, sent to Tarrio by a girlfriend a week prior to January 6, details a plan to invade government buildings in protest of the election results. Defense lawyers argued that no evidence proves Tarrio opened the document, though an FBI agent called by the prosecution pointed out that Tarrio’s Google searches at that time included “The Winter Palace,” a reference to the Russian Revolution mentioned in “1776 Returns.” Tarrio also mentioned “The Winter Palace” in text messages with Proud Boy Jeremy Bertino on the night of January 6.

During the call, Tarrio emphasized his belief that the jury in his case would be “fair.” While many of his allies have criticized the presiding judge, Tim Kelly, Tarrio portrayed any disputes with the judge as mere disagreements on legal matters and expressed respect for the court’s decisions.

Tarrio also noted that he and his co-defendants remain optimistic. “We’re very positive,” he said. “We haven’t given up on each other.”

According to sources, Tarrio has been revealed to have a history of collaboration with federal and local law enforcement agencies. After his arrest in 2012, Tarrio repeatedly served as an undercover informant for investigators, as confirmed by a former prosecutor and a 2014 federal court transcript obtained by Reuters.