Joe Hackett

My name is Joseph Hackett and I am one of the men whose sentence was commuted, just a few months short of my completion. I am grateful for President Trump’s action on my behalf and wish to request a full pardon from him, as I am innocent of all of which I have been accused and convicted of by the FBI and Department of Justice.

I have been practicing as a chiropractor here in Florida since 1997 and had a successful practice caring for others. I have a wife of almost 16 years and a daughter that is 15 years old. She’s an amazing young woman. I had a great life before all of this.

In the summer of 2020, I wanted to help protect people that were being targeted by Trump’s enemies, for simply believing in and supporting him. I have no special skills in fighting or security. I only wanted to stand with others who knew this was wrong. We began doing security details at Roger Stone’s speaking engagements for ‘Stop the Steal’. I was scared most of the time and only continued, as I believed that it was a worthy cause.

I was there on January 6th, 2021, for another security detail, which brought speakers and other ‘Stop the Steal’ VIPs from the Ellipse to the Capital. We were standing near the steps to the Capital, gathering up our group, before we planned to return to our hotels. The leader of our group suggested we see if we can be of service for first aid, and to assist Capital Police in any way.

While standing near the bottom of the steps to the entrance to the Rotunda, a man at the top of the steps somehow knew who we were, and called out to the crowd, “Hey everyone, the Oath Keepers are here.” He then started chanting “Oath Keepers! Oath Keepers!”

He came down the stairs and ushered us to come up the stairs, as if he were planning to recognize us to the crowd. He told us to link up, so we didn’t get separated. We grabbed the shoulders of the person in front of us and followed him up the stairs. At that point he was near the top of the steps. As we approached, he went further up the stairs, and straight to the doors of the Rotunda. I stopped at the top of the stairs, afraid to go any further. He stopped at the doors, turned to me and said, “Ok, get in there.”

At that point the doors were still closed. I looked at him and said, “no way.” He looked surprised and frustrated, and immediately walked right past me on my left, grabbed another person standing near me, and led him right up to the doors. He looked inside, signaling someone to open the doors. Then the doors flew open and my heart dropped into my stomach. I rushed to my right, as the crowd closed in like a vice around me. I managed to hold on to the corner of the building as the crowd pushed forward. I was able to hold on, until someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me back into flow of the crowd. I put my hands in the air, and was slowly forced inside.

My greatest concern at that point was that I was trespassing, and that my family and my career were in danger from those who so strongly oppose liberty. Once inside, there was no going back against the flow of those coming in. I then tried to find others In my group and exit the building with them, as I did not want to get separated. I found one man who I only met that day, who would later become my co defendant. Together we found our group and waited for them while they fended off a crowd that was trying to get past officer Harry Dunn. When the crowd had dispersed I turned and walked to the exit with David Moerschel. We waited for the rest of our group to exit the building, and then walked back to our hotel.

In May of 2021 I was arrested, and later convicted of a story, wholly and completely fabricated by the FBI and Federal prosecutors.
After two years of feeding the public a false narrative, we were convicted by a jury of people who hated Trump, and hated us for supporting him. Much of the video footage, that shows the events as they actually happened, were either unavailable, or not allowed to be used on our behalf.

I am now working as a chiropractor’s assistant, making a fraction of what I used to make. I am a brave person and would happily stand for what is right. That said, I would never do anything to endanger my family or career. My way of helping was to be a warm body standing between good people, and those who would harm them for their beliefs, and who they support. I stood with people that I believe were like-minded with their intent.

The Government’s story was just that, a story that had nothing to do with the truth. Please consider helping myself and the others get some of our lives back, by urging President Trump to grant us a full pardon, or seeing our cases dismissed completely. We are innocent and good people, whose lives have been destroyed by those who would send the most powerful message to discourage Trump’s supporters, and those who believe in freedom.

Humbly and Sincerely,
Joseph Bernard Hackett, D.C.