Bobby Powell, a radio journalist from Michigan, dedicated himself to uncovering the truth about suspicious activities at the US Capitol on January 6th.
Sadly, he suffered from nine heart attacks post-January 6th. It’s not a stretch to say that the events of that day were detrimental to him. He had anticipated this outcome. Bobby was 61 when he passed away.
“The events of January 6th will not fade away.”
His final heart attack took him just weeks after sending an email titled “Final Thoughts” in the early hours of September 4th. After reviewing his last messages, I missed the chance to conduct the interview I had hoped for.
“Well, I’m just close to my last breath,” Powell expressed in an email dated August 11th.
Due to his financial struggles, his son Adam turned to the community on January 6th for help with funeral costs. Within two days, Adam’s crowdfunding campaign collected $23,000.
Bobby Powell was featured on the cover of the 2022 issue of Insights by The Epoch Times.
Bobby was passionate and candid about what he observed on that day at the Capitol’s East Patio. His frustration mounted as it seemed that no one was interested in the two suspicious individuals he documented.
He sometimes came across as abrasive. I once referred to him as “grizzle,” a term he appeared to embrace. He invested over $20,000 and compromised his health to expose what he described as provocateurs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25fw_yx1ll0 Bobby Powell shares his narrative about January 6th with Joseph Hanneman.
Once Bobby sought media attention for his efforts on January 6th, he faced backlash on social media and launched a blog titled “The Truth Is Viral.” This blow to his income forced him to sell his home in Michigan and transition to living in an RV in Florida.
He indicated that a leading Michigan Republican offered him a substantial sum to drop his story. Bobby declined, firmly believing that he couldn’t suppress the truth about the events of January 6th without serious consequences—possibly even death. This belief led him to frequently change locations to avoid potential threats.
I hope that the politicians and media figures who dismissed or ignored him in the aftermath of January 6th will come to recognize the evidence he left behind. The silence from them, along with the FBI and the Department of Justice, speaks volumes—now, Bobby’s voice is no longer heard.
“I committed to sharing the truth until my last breath, no matter the cost.”
Interestingly, a new subcommittee led by Rep. Barry Rudermilk may look into individuals suspected to be connected to Bobby’s claims about federal agents on January 6th.
Bobby’s final email on August 11th carried a warning.
“You’re a good guy, Joe. You stood by me when many others lacked the courage to speak the truth,” Bobby wrote. “Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about numerous other so-called journalists or politicians.”
In our first interview in 2022, Bobby moved me to tears. This steadfast Marine veteran expressed vulnerability—something rare for him. His relief upon finding a supportive ally was palpable. Over the next three years, I chronicled his journey.
January 6th was intended to be the capstone of Bobby’s radio journalism career, which spanned over three decades. He hosted a podcast titled “The Truth Is Viral.” He also ran a program called “Your Defensive Father” at WCHY-FM 97.7 in Cheboygan, Michigan.
Little did he know that filming the crowd around the historic Columbus doors of the Capitol would lead to profound revelations. In an email from 2022, he remarked:
Two men assaulted the building in separate incidents, broke windows, and pushed people inside the east entrance door. They have not been apprehended, nor does the FBI consider them suspects.
That remains the case today. Neither individual, who donned clothing resembling federal agents, has been publicly identified, arrested, or charged.
It wasn’t for lack of effort on Bobby’s part. In January 2021, he reached out to the FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force, providing them with a 29-minute high-resolution video he recorded on January 6th. They never responded.
Bobby captured footage as one individual climbed onto a window frame and began shattering glass. This individual was later arrested and sentenced to four months in prison.
“Be cautious about whom you trust, Joe. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing all around us.”
As Bobby filmed, he caught another individual in tactical gear violently pushing others. This man was using a heavy stick to force his way inside the Capitol building.
Bobby managed to deliver thumb drives containing footage of these incidents to influential Republicans and media figures. However, only a handful acknowledged his findings—most completely ignored them.
Bobby, who had engaged with a self-proclaimed “Sedison Hunter” group in late 2021, criticized why these two suspects weren’t featured on the group’s website. He even coined hashtags for the provocateurs: #CapitolGlassman and #CapitoldOorman.
Ultimately, “Cedition Hunter” published an image of Glassman but never revealed his identity or made an arrest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upjdcksm9y Joseph M. Hanneman
No CCTV Footage
One of the critical topics we aimed to explore in our final interview was the absence of CCTV footage from Capitol Police.
This missing footage should have shown #CapitOldOorman forcing a colossal door open using wooden poles, yet it remains elusive, despite being cited in reports by the Republican House Subcommittee on Surveillance.
Addressing this missing evidence becomes a project I intend to pursue in Bobby’s honor.
During his last two years, Bobby weathered through two hurricanes. He once wrote to me that his RV was parked in a sheltered alley in Tampa. After one storm, he and his neighbors used a boat to rescue a 90-year-old man and his caregiver from rising waters.
Peter Tintin, attorney for President Donald J. Trump, was among the few officials who accepted Bobby Powell’s January 6th video evidence.
“On the positive side, I have shelter, air conditioning, internet, and I’m still breathing,” he wrote to me in an email on October 2nd. “In comparison to many, I have much to be thankful for.”
Bobby’s heart was so severely damaged that it could barely function. He understood he had limited time left.
Little Heart Muscle Left
“My cardiologist told me my heart consists of about 30% muscle and 70% scar tissue that doesn’t beat,” he stated in late 2024.
Despite these odds, Bobby pressed on. He attended the premiere of a documentary about January 6th and recorded testimony for the producers afterwards.
Bobby faced significant health challenges while testifying in a trial related to January 6th. He was largely sidelined by DOJ prosecutors uninterested in reviewing his footage. This unfortunate circumstance, however, afforded him an opportunity to share his narrative. Unfortunately, it deeply affected his health.
“My cardiologist tells me waking up each day is a gift from God,” he disclosed on August 11, 2025.
In December 2022, he messaged me from his hospital bed after suffering heart attack number four since January 6th.
“This is the fourth heart attack since January 6th, making it five in total over three years,” he mentioned. “I’m not sure how much longer I can last.”
Bobby expressed that both sides of his heart sustained serious damage from the attacks, and he was required to use a defibrillator jacket while waiting for a permanent device.
Bobby Powell gave a thumbs up from his hospital bed in December 2022.
After a documentary interview in November 2022 at his RV in Florida, we discussed his Christian values. I gifted him a blessed challenge coin crafted by a friend’s father. Bobby treasured it, claiming he would always keep it close.
This coin features an image of Saint Michael on one side, with Latin inscribed that translates to “Protect us in battle.” The other side depicts St. Joseph embracing the child Jesus, with a phrase signifying Joseph’s role as a protector against evil.
I presented this blessed coin to Bobby Powell in November 2022, who promised to cherish it.
Bobby grasped the spiritual battles we face. As St. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:
Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, and the powers of this dark world.
Bobby sought to align his life with Christ daily. In his last email to me, he expressed sorrow for not sharing more about Jesus with his daughter.
“I wish I could have told her about Christ’s love for us,” he lamented. “She looked at me with her beautiful eyes and said, ‘Oh Daddy, I know I don’t believe in Him.’”
“I thought I had plenty of time to guide her about Christ, but she passed away from an unexplained heart attack at just 24.”
Bobby felt that his personal losses propelled him to pursue the truth surrounding January 6th.
“I lifted her ashes to the sky and made a promise to God. I would not shy away from speaking the truth, even if labeled a ‘conspiracy theorist’ again,” he declared.
“I promised to tell the truth until my last breath, no matter the cost.”
