By Richard Luthmann
Evan Neumann, a 50-year-old software developer turned fugitive by the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ), is finally home. The J6 hostage walked free after President Donald Trump issued sweeping pardons for over 1,500 defendants linked to the Capitol protests.
Neumann recounted his tale in an emotional interview with Cara Castronuova for The Gateway Pundit, which occurred days before the Presidential Inauguration.
“I’ve waited years to hug my kids again,” he said, reflecting on his journey from the Capitol steps, through Ukrainian and Belarusian swamps, to asylum and exile, and now to Liberation.
FROM MILL VALLEY TO MINSK
A California native, Neumann had lived a quiet life in Mill Valley before 2021.
A staunch Trump supporter, he joined the protest outside the Capitol, where federal prosecutors allege he clashed with police, using a barricade as a “weapon.”
Neumann denies the allegations, calling them “absurd” and politically motivated. He maintains that he remained peaceful at all times.
Neumann was initially cooperative. FBI agents showed up at San Francisco Airport, where he was preparing to travel abroad for business.
“I answered all their questions,” Neumann told Castronuova, but a few months later, he learned of an indictment charging him with 14 offenses, including assault on law enforcement.
What followed was a desperate bid for freedom. Neumann fled to the Ukraine, a country he had visited before. But the FBI alerted the Ukrainian authorities, who allegedly planned to extradite him as a bargaining chip in U.S.-Ukraine relations.
“I realized I was being hunted,” Neumann recounted.
A SWAMPY ESCAPE
In August 2021, Neumann hatched a daring escape. Armed with only his passport, cash, and a plan, he crossed the Belarusian border through the Pripyat Swamp—a treacherous marshland rife with quicksand, spiders, and wild boars.
“I navigated by moonlight and almost drowned in quicksand,” Neumann said.
After 18 grueling hours, he stumbled into a Belarusian village where locals called the border police.
“They treated me with respect,” he noted, despite initially arresting him.
Belarus granted Neumann asylum in 2022, citing political persecution in the U.S. President Alexander Lukashenko himself allegedly promised Neumann protection from extradition.
While safe in Belarus, Neumann lived in constant limbo, longing for his family back in the U.S.
A MODERN-DAY SNOWDEN?
Neumann’s flight to Belarus echoes whistleblower Edward Snowden, who sought refuge in Russia after exposing the Obama administration’s surveillance programs, which violated the U.S. Constitution.
Both men fled what they viewed as political persecution, finding asylum in nations often critical of U.S. policy.
Neumann insists he’s no criminal.
“I stood up for election integrity,” he said. “I didn’t attack anyone. The FBI twisted the narrative to silence dissent.”
His ordeal underscores what many conservatives call the dangers of “lawfare,” a strategy commonly used in coolie countries to crush political opponents through prosecution by the ruling party in power.
The practice was never a problem in America until it began to run rampant in the DOJ under the 44th President, Barack H. Obama, and was continued by the agency’s unelected permanent “deep state” bureaucracy.
In stark contrast to The Gateway Pundit, which hosted the Castronuova interview and covered the matter fairly, Neumann also commented on certain corrupt media outlets, citing several “hit pieces” by VICE Magazine.
Neumann charges the negative pieces were “planted” by the Biden Department of Justice to “convict him in the media in absentia.”
On Monday, Donald J. Trump, the 45th and now 47th President, took the oath of office and vowed to end lawfare in the American government, signing several executive orders to that effect.
Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate in the coming days, closing the book on American Justice’s darkest era.
TRUMP’S SWEEPING PARDONS
On January 20, 2025, everything changed for Neumann and 1,500 other J6 hostages, their families, and a grateful nation. Hours after his second inauguration, President Trump signed an executive order granting pardons to all nonviolent January 6 participants and clemency to others.
“These individuals have suffered enough,” Trump said, calling them “patriots unfairly targeted for their beliefs.”
Neumann’s case exemplifies the ordeal faced by the so-called J6 hostages. Branded traitors by one administration, they’ve now been vindicated by another. Trump’s actions highlight stark contrasts between his approach and that of Joe Biden’s Justice Department, which critics accuse of weaponizing federal agencies for political gain.
A FAMILY REUNITED
Headed back to American soil, Neumann’s priority is reconnecting with his children. He’s also advocating for justice reform, urging accountability for those who weaponized federal agencies.
“They broke their constitutional oaths,” he said. “They should be prosecuted and banned from public service.”
Neumann’s story is both a cautionary tale and a rallying cry. It reminds us of the perils of unchecked government power and the resilience of those who dare to resist.
As the nation grapples with the legacy of January 6, Neumann’s return symbolizes redemption and hope. For now, he’s focused on rebuilding his life, and he is grateful to President Trump and the movement that stood by him.
“Lawfare must end,” he declared. “We can’t let it happen again.”
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