The Department of Justice charged a Massachusetts man, Ryan English, who identifies as transgender, with the attempted assassination of Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary nominee at the time, and carrying a dangerous weapon on the Capitol grounds.
The charges stem from the 24-year-old's alleged attempt to bring a knife and two Molotov cocktails into the building to kill Bessent on Jan. 27, 2025, ahead of his confirmation hearing.
English, aka “Reily,” is charged with carrying a dangerous weapon or incendiary device on the grounds of the Capitol and unlawful possession of an incendiary device.
According to the charging documents, on January 27, 2025, about 3:12 p.m., English approached a U.S. Capitol Police Officer near the South Door of the Capitol Building and stated “I’d like to turn myself in.” English further admitted to possessing a knife and two “Molotov cocktails.”
Officers searched English and recovered a folding knife, as well as two improvised incendiary devices from the inside pockets of English’s jacket. The devices were constructed of 50 milliliter bottles of vodka with a grey cloth affixed to its top. Police recovered a green lighter from another pocket.
During the search, English allegedly confessed to being at the Capitol to kill a presidential nominee who was testifying before the U.S. Senate. Police recovered a note to a family member in a pocket that said, in part, “This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters…Im so sorry for lying and plotting and lying.” (DOJ)
English reportedly planned to target House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and possibly burn down the Heritage Foundation, but then changed his mind when he realized Bessent's confirmation hearing coincided with his trip to D.C.
After arriving at the Capitol, English allegedly told officers he realized how unlikely it would be to get close enough to Bessent and “expressed acceptance and content with the possibility of suicide by cop,” according to court documents.
A Trantifa militant radicalized by @Reddit named Ryan Michael "Riley Jane" English has been federally charged for allegedly trying to kill members of Trump cabinet and/or burn down a conservative think tank.
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) January 30, 2025
From Massachusetts, English traveled to the capital on Jan. 27 and… pic.twitter.com/X2cLXqbaxN
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