Local Man Pardoned for Attacking Police During Jan. 6 Riot Plans Return to Sullivan County, Run for Congress

Sullivan County native Edward Jacob Lang was one of the roughly 1,600 people, granted a full, complete and unconditional pardon by President Donald Trump to those convicted of offenses related to the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol and directed all pending indictments to be dismissed.Lang was accused of fighting for nearly two and a half hours with law enforcement defending the Capitol’s entrance and had been awaiting trial after seeking multiple delays in his case.Lang justifies his actions on January 6. “We stood up against a stolen election. We will be vindicated in the pages of history as patriots and freedom fighters,” Lang said in a video taken moments after his release. There has been no evidence that election fraud determined the outcome of the 2020 election.Lang told The River Reporter he plans to return to Sullivan County and he may run in New York's 19th Congressional District, which Democratic Rep. Josh Riley won in November.