Elon Musk, Mike Lee Condemn DOJ Conviction Of ‘Praying Grandma’

On Thursday, a jury in far-left Washington, D.C., found a 71-year-old great-grandmother guilty of peacefully walking around the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, for 10 minutes.

Rebecca Lavrenz is facing up to a year in prison and fines of more than $200,000 for daring to peacefully protest and pray in the Capitol during the Jan. 6 protests. The jury deliberated for nearly 26 hours before finding the elderly woman guilty of her charges — which include entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. The deliberation in Lavrenz’s case was longer than almost all of the deliberations for other Jan. 6 defendants.

Surveillance video of the Jan. 6 protests shows that Lavrenz peacefully walked around the Capitol and spoke to a Capitol Police Officer. The elderly woman told the FBI during the investigation that she had only spent 10 minutes inside the U.S. Capitol, which was later confirmed via cellphone data.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk condemned the jury’s decision in a post on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, declaring the guilty verdict “not right.”

Musk’s decision to comment on the shocking verdict is especially important, as his post has amplified the story to many who would not see it — allowing them to understand the clear miscarriage of justice taking place.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) also responded to the jury’s decision in a post on X, arguing that Lavrenz “needs prayers…and then a presidential pardon.”

Lavrenz, who owns a bed and breakfast in Colorado Springs, has no criminal record. She simply drove across the country to attend then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, and was caught up with a group of protesters entering the Capitol building. She spent the majority of her time that day outside the building praying alongside several other protesters.

The elderly woman previously shared a tearful video on X ahead of her trial, where she said: “My own country is treating me like a criminal just because I believe that they stole my rightful president. I was just standing up for my country, it makes me a criminal. And it’s just not right, it feels so weird to be here. Over three years ago I was here.”