Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli was sentenced to 48 months in prison for one felony and four misdemeanors he committed at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
Hale-Cusanelli is perhaps best known for
his Hitler mustache. A member of the US Army Reserves, he had a "Secret" security clearance and worked as a security contractor at a Naval Weapons Station in New Jersey. As
documented in court filings, Hale-Cusanelli is a Nazi sympathizer, Holocaust denier, and white supremacist.
Hale-Cusanelli obtained an early release from prison in December 2023. He has, of course, been pardoned along with another 1500 or so of his fellow insurrectionists.
In the summer of 2024,
Hale-Cusanelli was invited to give two speeches at Donald Trump's Bedminster golf course. The first was at a fundraiser for the Patriot Freedom Project, which was created to defend the January 6 insurrectionists and to cast them as peace-loving patriots. Donald Trump recorded a video in which he endorsed that event, saying "All of the people there, you're amazing patriots." At the second speech, Ed Martin presented Hale-Cusanelli with an award, calling Hale-Cusanelli an "extraordinary man" and an "extraordinary leader".
Hale-Cusanelli was invited to attend Trump's second inauguration, where he was photographed with Trump.
In December 2024, Trump said he was going to nominate Ed Martin as Chief of Staff for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), but decided instead to appoint Martin as US Attorney for the District of Columbia. When that appointment was opposed by Republican Senator Thom Tillis, in part because of Martin's ties to Hale-Cusanelli, Trump withdrew the nomination. Trump then appointed Ed Martin as DOJ Pardon Attorney, so Martin can advocate pardons for other criminals.
Rachel Cauley was a member of the Patriot Freedom Project board. She is now a director of communications at OMB.
Paul Ingrassia, speaking at a Patriot Freedom Project fundraiser in January 2024, said the real tragedy of January 6 was that "it was an opportunity for the deep state to finally remove its mask and begin prosecuting and jailing innocent American citizens like Tim, like so many of the people here today." The "Tim" to whom Ingrassia referred was Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli. Ingrassia served as Trump's White House liaison to DOJ, and now serves as White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security.