“Dr. Gold is the definition of what a political prisoner looks like — something I never thought I’d see here in the United States of America,” Gohmert said.
The day before January 6, Gold spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, DC, where she further promoted vaccine misinformation. The next day, she joined a group of rioters who forced their way past officers and breached the US Capitol. She later spoke through a megaphone to fellow rioters gathered in Statuary Hall.
At her sentencing hearing in June, US District Judge Christopher Cooper chastised Gold for “leaving people with the misimpression that this is a political prosecution.” Cooper gave her the 60-day jail sentence after she pleaded guilty to entering restricted Capitol grounds, a low-level misdemeanor with a maximum potential sentence of one year behind bars.
The statement released by Gohmert’s office Friday said he presented Gold with the flag “to celebrate her invaluable work and contributions to public health, medical freedom and our God-given constitutional rights.”
The certificate presented with the flag said it was given “in honor of the beginning of the rest of (Gold’s) invaluable life … with great appreciation, admiration and awe,” according to photos of the flag presentation released on Gold’s Twitter account.
Gold is one of more than 125 Capitol rioters who have been sentenced to jail or prison after being convicted of crimes related to January 6. Nearly 875 people from across the country have been charged by the Justice Department.
