Scott Fairlamb: Man who punched cop in Capitol riot has brother in Secret Service who is close to Michelle Obama, claims report
The son of a deceased police officer who punched a cop during the US Capitol breach on January 6 reportedly has a brother in the Secret Service who is close to former First Lady Michelle Obama. According to Department of Justice records, 43-year-old Scott Fairlamb of New Jersey was arrested on January 22 on five charges including assaulting a federal officer and carrying a dangerous weapon. Preston Fairlamb III, his brother, had led Michelle Obama's service detail between 2009 and 2017, the Huffington Post reported.
Preston has been the resident agent-in-charge of the Trenton Resident Office in Trenton, New Jersey, since 2013. Michelle Obama noted in her memoir how she and the Secret Service agent "became real friends" after a point, sharing stories and jokes. The former first lady noted how she attended the 2012 funeral of his retired police trooper father, Preston 'Jay' Fairlamb Junior, after he died in a motorcycle crash, according to the report.
On the other hand, his brother Scott Fairlamb was caught on camera punching a federal officer. He allegedly also posted a video of himself on Facebook carrying a baton and saying: "What Patriots do? We f*****g disarm them, and then we storm f*****g the Capitol," according to a criminal complaint. The video has since been taken down. Fairlamb, however, has been released on a $50,000 unsecured bond and is subject to house arrest with electronic monitoring, according to NJ.com. There was no indication that Preston Fairlamb III was aware of his brother's role during the Capitol riots, which resulted in five deaths, the Huffington Post noted.
According to the outlet, Scott Fairlamb owns the Fairlamb Fit gym in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, and had a short stint as a professional MMA fighter in 2000 under the sobriquet "Wildman." He was a "top ultimate fighter" until he was diagnosed with a form of leukemia, the gym's website states. The accused had previously grabbed headlines in May last year when he refused to comply with stay-at-home orders and closure of non-essential businesses imposed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. According to Newsweek, Fairlamb called it an overreach of the governor's authority.
Speaking to HuffPost, one anonymous associate said Scott Fairlamb had "sucked into conspiracy theories" for a while before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. “Over the last 8-10 years, Scott got pulled more and more into the conspiracy theory vortex and pushed everything in his life aside for it. Trump’s first campaign set his targets on [Hillary Clinton] and ‘lock her up,’ then it moved to QAnon type stuff over the last few years and ultimately resulted in his participation in the January 6 Capitol riot,” the acquaintance reportedly said.
“I feel for his wife, family, employees, and community, but I have zero empathy for him. He’s had too many chances over the years to correct his pattern of bullying behavior ― all while portraying himself as a ‘good guy with a Batman cape’ in his hometown,” they added. According to The Appeal, at least 39 law enforcement officers from 17 different states attended former President Donald Trump's address that preceded the attack on the Capitol on January 6.