ORLANDO, Fla. – A group of state nationalists gathered inside the Federal Courthouse in Orlando on Friday to support a Volusia County man re-arrested for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
According to court documents, Howard Adams, 62, rejected two orders from a judge in Washington, D.C., to appear in court, resulting in an arrest warrant and his arrest on Wednesday.
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Exhibits filed in court show Adams responded to emails ordering his appearance in court with a red stamp over the court information, indicating he rejected the court’s “offer.”
In other filings, Adams identified himself as a state nationalist and did not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.
Adams was originally arrested at his home in Edgewater in March, 2021, after the FBI said someone recognized him in video footage from the Capitol that aired on Inside Edition.
He is charged with two counts of civil disorder, witness tampering, entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct and parading inside the U.S. Capitol.
On Friday, approximately 50 supporters of Adams, many of whom also identified as state nationalists, arrived at the federal courthouse in Orlando for Adams’ initial appearance before a federal magistrate.
Many refused to stand when Magistrate Leslie Hoffman Price entered the courtroom, which resulted in their removal.
Hoffman Price and Adams sparred over the use of words, such as “represent” and “understand,” when Adams told her he does not stand under anyone or anything.
“Do you comprehend?” she asked.
He responded, “Yes.”
Hoffman Price ordered Adams to be held in jail and transferred to the nation’s capital where Chief Judge Beryl Howell would decide next steps in his case.
Adams’ wife spoke to News 6 outside the federal courthouse.
“(We will) just wait to see what’s going to happen, I guess,” Lisa Adams said. “They’re going to take him up to Washington, D.C., I don’t know when we’re going to know what’s happening, when he’ll get a trial date, when he’s got to go in front of the judge.”
What is a state nationalist?
Among those gathered in Orlando on Friday was Luke Brandon, who had offered to represent Adams in court but was rejected by Hoffman Price because he is not a licensed attorney.
News 6 asked him to explain being a state nationalist.
“A national is not a citizen, person or resident,” he said. “A national is a living man, or a living, breathing people, a body politic of people that forms a nation. That’s what a nationalist is. That’s what it means to be an American, really.”
He continued.
“The thing is, the court does not have any jurisdiction over a national, and they say it in their own codes. What they’re doing is they’re offering a contract to see if he objects. So, that’s where the game within the game is played. That’s why they bring in fear and isolation. So, you don’t have a sound mind to recognize what’s going on,” he said.
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