“He said that they had a call in to the terrorist threat center that I was a terrorist because I had made the movie Capitol Punishment and they had orders from DC I needed to be investigated.”
In November 2021, acclaimed filmmaker and former PJTV contributor Chris Burgard released a documentary showing what he witnessed when he went to the rally at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He used footage he shot himself outside the building, along with cell video taken by those who went into the Capitol, to show a new perspective. This perspective seems to have been ignored by a weaponized Department of Justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland. The film included several deeply impactful interviews with folks who participated and subsequently found themselves targeted for pre-dawn raids by the FBI.
Despite never having entered the Capitol building himself, the FBI has now come to Burgard’s ranch in Texas to interrogate him. As one might imagine, after filming extensive interviews with victims of the FBI witch hunt, this left Burgard and his family shaken. Chris and his wife Lisa described the process in an interview with PJ Media.
On August 4, an FBI agent drove up the quarter-mile driveway at Burgard’s Texas ranch and left his card on the door. Lisa said she found the process deeply unsettling. “There was no note attached, so I wasn’t sure, like, was it for Chris, was it for me, was it for the whole family? Were we supposed to call them back? I really didn’t know what to make of it, but it was a warning. I mean, I’ve never had anything like that happen before.”
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Chris says the whole family was shaken. “We had to have a family meeting afterwards because, you know, from doing the movie, my daughter knows those other girls that had their house raided, and pulled out into the street. One of them was handcuffed. They were flash-banged. And my daughter’s like, ‘Dad, you think they’ll raid us tomorrow? Should I keep the dogs in my room? Cause I don’t want them to shoot my dogs.’ I can’t tell you the stress this caused my family.”
In Capitol Punishment, Chris documented several families subjected to pre-dawn raids by the FBI over involvement in or near the capitol on January 6. The film includes footage shot by neighbors from cell phones in which the FBI shuts down the street, makes forcible entry into the home of the subject, and uses flash-bang grenades to distract and disorient the residents of the home while they make entry.
So one can understand the trepidation when the FBI comes knocking on their door, over a documentary film.
In their family meeting, Chris said his daughter moved him to tears. “My 18-year-old daughter says, ‘Dad, you can’t stop. Because people have to know that, even if you do stop, they’re still going to come after you.’ That was our decision to move forward.”
Chris immediately got an attorney to help him respond to the inquiry. The FBI field agent assigned to his case said he needed answers to three questions. On the advice of his attorney, Chris says he requested the ability to submit written answers instead of a sit-down interview, to which the field agent agreed. The three questions turned into nine sub-questions, but as of now, the FBI has accepted Chris’ written statement.
He has no indication this inquiry has closed, however.
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Both Chris and his attorney, Brian Chavez Ochoa, praised the FBI agent for handling things professionally and courteously. They both reiterated the point that many rank-and-file FBI agents may not be aware of the full scope of the J6 investigation, and most are still dedicated to the cause of impartial justice and constitutional rights. “I think your on-the-street agents are dedicated and are loyal to the oath they took when they were sworn in,” said Chavez Ochoa.
He also wanted to debunk a popular myth surrounding J6, that rioters heard a calling from President Trump to breach the Capitol and enter to stop the certification of the electoral college vote.
“He was not there because President Trump sent out a clarion call for his supporters to go to the capital,” Chavez Ochoa said. “Chris’ primary reason he was there was because God called them to go, as he had called him at other times in the past and he was faithful and obedient to that calling.”
Burgard and his lawyer weren’t the only ones who saw the movie and got the impression that many FBI agents may not be fully aware of the entire scope of the J6 inquisition. Pete Santilli, a blogger and podcaster from Ohio, met Chris at a revival meeting a few weeks back. After screening Capitol Punishment, he became so outraged he called the FBI field office in Cincinnati and demanded as many field agents as possible see the movie.
After he calmed down a bit, he decided to hold a prayer vigil outside the field office — but he also plans to rent a portable projection screen to air the entire movie so any FBI agent will have the opportunity to view it. The event is planned for Thursday evening, October 20.
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As of now, the Burgards still live with the stress of not knowing what could happen next. “It was very intimidating,” Lisa said. “We are law-abiding citizens and of course, we would cooperate. But it was with so many in our film, they just took it to an extreme. You never know who’s going to be next. It’s still unsettling and I don’t know how I feel about it. I hope that it’s going to be resolved soon and it doesn’t escalate into anything more.”
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