Magaziner calls a press conference to vilify his ‘J6er’ opponent. His opponent showed up.

That didn’t take long.

The morning after Rhode Island’s Republican voters chose their nominee to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner in the November general election, Magaziner launched the opening salvo against his 2nd Congressional District opponent, Vic Mellor.

Joining Magaziner at a podium on the marble plaza outside the State House for a news conference were two officers who had been on duty at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the same day Mellor participated in a march on the U.S. Capitol. A mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters attacked U.S. Capitol Police officers and pushed through barricades that day, sending lawmakers fleeing from a joint session of Congress where the results of the 2020 presidential election were being certified.

“The officers who defended the Capitol that day are heroes, and the rioters who attacked police and attacked our democracy are villains,” Magaziner, who is seeking a third term, said. “Vic Mellor is one of those villains.”

Less than 30 feet away stood that “villain” himself with a handful of his own confidants in tow watching Magaziner’s press conference, or Mellor’s assessment, “political hackness.”

But for Harry Dunn, who served 15 years with the U.S. Capitol Police, standing alongside Magaziner Thursday was part of his personal mission to vanquish narratives which “downplay” or “whitewash” Jan. 6.

“January 6 was every single police officer at the Capitol that day — I can guarantee you — it was the worst day of their life,” said Dunn, who has unsuccessfully run twice for congressional seats in Maryland. “So imagine law enforcement experiencing the worst day of their lives, and somebody who’s running to serve the people of Rhode Island calling that one of the best days of his life.”

Magaziner’s event was over in 15 minutes, and a press gaggle quickly formed around Mellor after Magaziner’s press conference ended. Did he regret his outing to the Capitol five years ago?

“Absolutely not,” Mellor said, and offered a similar reply when asked if he had anything to apologize for.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, so no, I don’t apologize for anything either,” Mellor said.

Mellor, who defeated his state GOP-endorsed opponent Dr. Stephen Skoly in Wednesday’s primary, has previously described himself as a “J6er” with no interest in repentance for his participation that day. On Thursday, he continued to describe the now-infamous day as one in which he did not personally witness excessive violence but instead ecstatic freedom.

“I wasn’t around the violence,” Mellor said. “Again, to me, it was an amazing day. It’s a big building. There was a lot going on in that building.”

It was also a father-son excursion for Mellor, one he dubbed a “euphoric” experience that he shared with his son, then 18.

“We were in D.C. We’re just part of this huge movement,” Mellor said. “I was just around tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of patriots celebrating their First Amendment rights.”

Mellor suggested that the entirety of security footage from that day needs to be released — although more than 44,000 hours of U.S. Capitol Police security footage from Jan. 5 and 6 have already been made publicly available online by the House Administration Committee.

Mellor suggested that “undercover FBI,” “Antifa” and “BLM” were involved in the events of Jan. 6 and that “The violence should be looked into, and we should know who did that violence.”

“Release the video,” he added. “You’ll know exactly what I did.”

Worst day ever. Best day ever.

Dunn and D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges had a different side of the story to tell.

“Mellor was part of the crowd that punched me, kicked me, tried to gouge out my eye, crushed me against a doorframe, ripped off my gas mask and beat me in the head with a riot baton,” Hodges said. “Mellor is proud of his association with the mob who viciously attacked my colleagues.”

Jan. 6 was Hodges’ first time in the building, and he was defending a tunnel at the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace when he was assaulted by members of the mob. Federal prosecutors later accused one rioter of taking Hodges’ gas mask as well as his baton, which one rioter used to beat him. Hodges was later pushed against and crushed between doors and bled from his mouth.

Hodges later told media outlets in January 2021 that “it was absolutely my pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection.”

“While I was defending the Capitol, Congress, the vice president, congressional staff, the lawful transfer of power of the presidency, Victor Mellor was at best supporting the terrorists that wanted to install an unelected dictator against the will of the people of the United States,” Hodges said.

Not only was he not part of the violence, Mellor emphasized to reporters that he’s never been charged for any crimes relating to Jan. 6.

“Obviously, I condemn any kind of violence,” Mellor said. “I wasn’t part of any kind of violence at the Capitol, and if I was, the FBI would have at least knocked on my door.”

Mellor’s campaign issued a statement after Magaziner’s event in which he added, “Anyone who laid hands on a cop was wrong. I condemn it.”

When asked about the personal accounts he heard from Dunn and Hodges Thursday, Mellor offered only a few words.

“Those are their stories,” Mellor said. “I’m just going to say I thank them for their service.”

He did not speak with Magaziner Thursday, he said, and had shown up to the event “to represent myself and to stand up for myself.”

But, Mellor added, “I have no problem speaking to him. I’m sure at some point him and I will have face-to-face conversations.”

Socialism or MAGAism?

The State House sits in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District, but the city’s downtown and West End — where the majority of voters supported Rep. David Morales, the democratic socialist winner of the Democratic primary for mayor on Wednesday — are in the 2nd.

The 2nd Congressional District’s large share of unaffiliated voters, 54%, plus its Democrats’ range of beliefs and priorities became a talking point in the one and only debate between Skoly and Mellor, broadcast over Labor Day weekend.

The Sept. 4 WJAR NBC10 debate showcased the two Republicans’ shared rancor for socialism. Skoly specifically referenced the Democratic primary for Providence mayor as an example of what more moderate Democrats fear about their party’s direction. Morales, now the Democratic nominee, defeated Providence Mayor Brett Smiley by 5 percentage points in still unofficial results.

A decisive victory and a potential new chapter for Rhode Island’s capital city

“They don’t like what they see happening in Providence,” Skoly said during the debate recorded at WJAR NBC 10 on Sept. 4. “How Providence runs is how our state runs.”

Skoly predicted Mellor’s zealotry would ultimately lead to Magaziner’s victory in November. Mellor, meanwhile, argued that his job is to represent Republicans, not Democrats.

Skoly’s first public statement following his defeat came Thursday morning.

“I leave this race with my head held high, my principles intact and my gratitude for Rhode Island deeper than ever,” Skoly stated.

Mellor acknowledged that to defeat Magaziner in the general election, he would need more votes than he got Wednesday night.

“Of course,” he said, “but CD2 is really close…My message is to all those conservatives that have kind of dropped out of the system. I’m appealing to the Democrats also because they don’t want socialism.”

Did Mellor see the Providence mayoral race connected to his efforts in CD2?

Yes, the candidate replied, and in “a totally direct way.”

“What happened here in the mayoral race is a travesty,” Mellor said. “But it’s a byproduct of a broken state for decades. Our youth have no opportunity here in Rhode Island. So they’re looking for socialism as an answer…That’s because the state is broken. There’s no future for them here.”

Skoly made no endorsement of Mellor in his statement. Mellor said Thursday that he had not received a concession call from his primary opponent.

Mellor called his 58% of the vote — a victory of 16 percentage points over Skoly — a “mandate.” He said the state’s Republicans would now unite behind him.

“They’re going to have to reevaluate everything they do,” Mellor said of the state GOP, which endorsed Skoly in the primary. “I’m not stopping. I’m not asking their permission for anything…I absolutely will talk to them. We need to come together to do this.”