'I'm so ready to kick the lungs loose' | Self-proclaimed Proud Boy, friend charged with conspiracy against Congress on Jan. 6

WASHINGTON — Two men, including a self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys, were indicted Monday for allegedly conspiring to injure or impede police on Jan. 6, 2021.

Kevin Moore, 51, of Logan, West Virginia, and Bart Gore, 51, of Dandridge, Tennessee, were indicted on one felony count of conspiracy and four misdemeanors. Gore was previously charged and arrested in December 2023 on a felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding, which the U.S. Supreme Court has since said may not apply to the facts of many Jan. 6 cases. The new indictment drops that charge.

According to charging documents, within a day after the 2020 election Gore began discussing on social media the need for “controlled violence.” On Dec. 12 of that year, on the same day members of the Proud Boys were involved in a violent altercation during a pro-Trump demonstration in D.C., Goore sent a Facebook message to Moore saying he’d recently joined the group and that it was “time to put boots on the ground.”

“How can I join?” Moore allegedly responded.

Investigators said Moore and Gore then continued to discuss the need for violence, with Gore saying they should go for “the head of the snake,” which he identified as the FBI, the CIA, former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then-Attorney General Bill Barr, among others.

“I’m so ready to kick the lungs loose in these mfers,” Gore reportedly told Moore.

According to charging documents, Gore replied, “They all need to go down.”

By late January, investigators said, Gore was trying to convince Moore to join him in D.C. on Jan. 6 and fantasizing about the “capture” of Obama and Clinton.

“I’d strip them naked and beat them with a belt and switch,” Gore allegedly told Moore. “Then I’d rest and beat them some more.”

As part of their preparations for coming to D.C., Moore and Gore allegedly discussed bringing firearms and getting mouthguards and a small bat for the violence they expected to encounter. Three days before the riot, Gore allegedly texted Moore, “There’s honor in dying on your feet.”

Once in D.C. on Jan. 6, the pair attended a portion of the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse before heading to the U.S. Capitol. There, they made their way to the top of the Northwest Stairs around the time of the first breach of the building and eventually entered through the Parliamentarian Door. While at the Capitol, Gore texted a friend that he’d been tear gassed and pepper sprayed.

According to investigators, roughly a week after the riot Gore message Moore that he wanted to go back to the Capitol.

“I wasn’t satisfied,” he said. “I would have been satisfied if they brought Nancy’s head out on a stick.”

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Moore turned himself in to authorities on Monday in Huntington, West Virginia, and was expected to make his initial appearance in the Southern District of West Virginia.  

In the 44 months since the Capitol riot, more than 1,500 people have now been charged with crimes ranging from entering a restricted area to seditious conspiracy.