Leader of MAGA militia is in solitary confinement on hunger strike: lawyers

One of the high-profile defendants in the Jan. 6 case is on hunger strike to protest his prison conditions, and correctional officials have threatened to force-feed him, according to a detailed filing by defense attorneys in federal court in Washington, D.C.

The motion from Edward “Jake” Lang’s attorneys, highlighted by CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane, describes his experience at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. Lang is accused of attacking police officers with a baseball bat during the storming of the U.S. Capitol and has spent more than 1,200 days in custody awaiting trial.

“As will be explained, the prison sentencing system, particularly at the Brooklyn MDC prison, is broken, and if the prison wanted to convict an inmate of possession of a ham sandwich, it could easily be done in a matter of minutes, not even hours,” the filing states. “In addition, all of the communications with attorneys that must be conducted for Lang’s defense are not confidential because they are so closely monitored – there is no equal opportunity.”

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“Lang has been living in these conditions for at least a week now, and I can only report that Lang has claimed his most recent, false transgression, namely that he is on a hunger strike and has not eaten anything for seven days,” the filing states. “Brooklyn MDC is threatening to shut off Lang’s water so that he cannot shower or properly maintain hygiene. Brooklyn MDC is next threatening to shove a tube down his throat so that Lang can at least be forced to drink water.”

This comes amid reports that Lang is trying to form an armed militia outside of prison to combat “civil unrest” surrounding the 2024 election. He claims to have already recruited around 20,000 people for this effort – but experts believe the actual number is only about a tenth of that number.

The cases of Lang and several other defendants could be affected by an upcoming Supreme Court decision in Fischer v. United Stateswhere another defendant from January 6 argues that the charge of obstruction of Congress cannot be applied to those who rioted at the Capitol.