John Sullivan — who captured some of the most well-known images of the January 6 Capitol protests under his “Jayde X” social media handle — has been convicted on a number of charges in connection with the protests.
A federal jury in Washington found the Utah-based activist guilty of all seven counts, rejecting his defense that he participated in the day’s events as a journalist. Three charges were related to a knife found in Sullivan’s possession at the time of his arrest, as well as multiple trespassing-related charges for disrupting Congress.
Prior to his presence at the Capitol protests, “Jayden X” documented a number of Black Lives Matter rallies and riots in 2020. He was booted out of multiple BLM circles after being accused of being an “agent provocateur.” In response, Sullivan founded Insurgence USA, a protest group for “racial justice and police reform,” and began referring to himself as “activist John.” Sullivan’s Twitter feed was filled with anti-Trump rhetoric and BLM ideology prior to the events at the Capitol.
Sullivan later live-streamed his entry into the Capitol building on January 6. He was one of the first to enter the building and filmed the infamous angle of the fatal shooting