Pa. man with ties to GOP lawmaker — and Trump ally — Sen. Doug Mastriano arrested for Jan. 6 involvement

A Pennsylvania man with ties to state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, is facing federal charges for allegedly assaulting police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Federal agents arrested Samuel Lazar, a 35-year-old Lancaster County resident, on Monday for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Open-source video and policy body camera footage confirm Lazar, who was dressed in tactical gear, wearing protective goggles, and donning face paint, was at the U.S. Capitol the day rioters attempted to stop the certification of the 2020 election. 

According to court documents, Lazar maced a line of police officers, while allegedly attempting to remove a bike rack.

A video depicts Lazar as saying: “They maced us, those tyrannical pieces of s—, and we maced them right the f—- back, and now, they’re taking the building.”

Agents identified Lazar as Suspect 275, also known as “Face Paint Blowhard” by the online sleuth community, from photos issued as part of a list of most-wanted insurrectionists, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Mastriano, who bused supporters to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, has been photographed at least four times with Lazar. However, Mastriano has denied knowing Lazar.

“Why would you assume that every politician who takes a picture with someone at an event automatically knows who they are or agrees with what they believe?” Mastriano said in a statement, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Mastriano did not return a request for comment, and despite footage showing that he was closer to the U.S. Capitol than he originally claimed, he has faced no consequences.