Mitchell Bosch is seen in a photo confronting officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. (Photos from court documents)
A one-time New York City Council candidate and anti-vaxxer confronted officers during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, then bragged to a witness it was “men being men,” authorities said.
Mitchell Bosch, 44, is charged with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
He’s also charged with several misdemeanors, including entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds, engaging in any act of physical violence against any person or property in any restricted building or grounds, and engaging in an act of physical violence in the Capitol building or grounds.
Bosch traveled to Washington, D.C., to join thousands of Donald Trump supporters protesting Congress certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral win, authorities said.
Bosch can be seen pushing against officers and assisting and encouraging rioters to oppose police as they chant “U.S.A. U.S.A.” At one point, Bosch allegedly pushed his body into a police shield with other rioters, authorities said. At one point, he gestured and shouted at the crowd behind him, shouting, “hold the line!” as he charged into officers.
Bosch is seen on police body-worn camera footage moving up in the crowd, bracing himself against a rioter before rushing to the front as another mob-police confrontation began. Bosch is seen again later pushing into the police line, officials said.
When police pushed him back, he again pushed into the line before retreating into the crowd but remaining in the restricted perimeter on the east side of the Capitol grounds for some time, authorities said.
Bosch, arrested on Wednesday by FBI agents in Brooklyn, was to the incident through a search warrant served on Google through two devices associated with the names “Mitchell Bosch” and “Men Instant Advice” and two Gmail addresses present at the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, court documents said.
Authorities also reviewed open-source images allegedly posted by Bosch on Instagram. In one post, on Jan. 19, 2021, a photo showed a hamburger and restaurant menu with the caption, “Enjoying my last meal before the FBI comes for me.”
He also allegedly posted photos on Twitter showing him on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, wearing “a red hat and/or a red beanie, a black/dark green jacket, and black gloves.” Photos and videos on Twitter depicted Bosch and others pushing against police officers outside the U.S. Capitol building.
Last March, the FBI received a tip that an individual matching his description was visible in similar photos and video. Last July, an individual identified in court documents as Witness 1 — once a former close friend of Bosch, identified him to the FBI. In that interview, Witness 1 recalled Bosch suggested Jan. 6, 2021, was a “beautiful day” and it was “men being men.”
In an interview with agents the following month, Bosch admitted he attended the rally, saying he drove there by himself. During that Aug. 27, 2021, interview, Bosch became agitated when investigators inquired about his travel to Washington, allegedly saying, “[law enforcement’s] efforts should be on what’s going on in Afghanistan, and not what happened in D.C.”
“Bosch voiced his displeasure with the purpose of the interview and stated there were not enough ‘men like him around’ that will ‘challenge leadership,”” he allegedly said, according to court documents.
The New York Post wrote about the one-time New York City Council candidate’s arrests outside restaurants and other locations in 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as he protested vaccine mandates.
