Michigan man in viral Lansing protest photo made way into US Capitol during riot

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A New Hudson man who's been a staple at so-called Stop the Steal protests and other pro-President Donald Trump demonstrations in Michigan is now making headlines after he entered the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday.

Brian Cash, 52, said he drove to Washington, D.C., with friends to attend the "March to Save America" rally, which began hours before Congress was slated to certify the Nov. 3 election results.

Cash said he had been dissatisfied with the November presidential election even before it started. Cash said he believes Trump was cheated out of a win. 

There is no evidence of widespread election fraud. Claims of wrongdoing have been thrown out of courts across the country because of lack of evidence. 

After attending the rally for a short time, Cash said he walked back to his hotel room, which was about 10 minutes from the site of the rally. When he got back to his hotel room, he turned on the TV and saw the news displaying a sea of Trump supporters breaching the Capitol. 

"I threw my boots on, and I hurried up over to the Capitol. When I got there, I just saw a sea of people in the lawn and on the scaffolding and up above," Cash said. "I pushed my way through the crowd, and I got to the scaffolding. I climbed up the scaffolding all the way to the top, and the thing was shaking, and I thought for sure it was going to collapse."

After maneuvering his way through cops and clusters of people, Cash said he "walked right up to the building, and the door was open."

Cash said he climbed the scaffolding because he wanted to get into the building and see everything up-close. While climbing the scaffolding, Cash said he was maced. Upon entering the Capitol, he said many officers were crammed in the vestibule. Cash said he walked into the building, turned around and "walked right out." 

The riot that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol has resulted in five deaths and scores of arrests as law enforcement pieces together who trespassed and rioted in the building.

Cash is a familiar face at protests and demonstrations across Michigan. He said he has protested the election "every step of the way."

On April 30, Cash was infamously photographed during an anti-lockdown protest in Lansing.

Jeff Kowalsky, a photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP), captured the photo of unmasked Cash, who was pictured screaming at State Police. The photo was circulated among major news networks across the world.

The photo went so viral that Cash was mistaken for a Los Angeles-based white supremacist and member of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist group. In response to a load of misinformation about Cash's identity, USA TODAY had to fact-check the photo.

In May, Cash told the Free Press that he wasn't directly yelling at anyone in the picture. 

"I was there chanting, 'Let us in,' and I saw that guy and I just, I just kind of lost it a little bit," Cash said at the time. 

Cash doesn't believe  "attempted coup" — as some are calling it — is an accurate way to describe Wednesday's insurrection at the Capitol. He said he believes the true "coup" was election fraud. 

Many Michiganders who attended the Trump rally Wednesday — and subsequent riot —  arrived by plane, car caravan and bus, many organized by GOP organizations and activists. 

At least six Michigan residents have been arrested in connection with the breach of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., since Wednesday. 

Free Press staffers Gina Kaufman and Clara Hendrickson contributed to this report

Contact Slone Terranella at STerranella@freepress.com and follow her on Twitter @SloneTerranella.