More than a week ago, gun-rights activist Adam Kokesh was arrested on charges of possessing illegal drugs while also having a firearm. Now, the libertarian is speaking out, saying the drugs found in his home were not his and were planted.
Kokesh’s home in Herndon, Va., was raided by authorities July 9 after he uploaded a YouTube video of himself on Independence Day loading a shotgun in Freedom Plaza, a small park in downtown Washington D.C., where carrying loaded weapons is prohibited by law.
Authorities consequently found hallucinogenic mushrooms and a gun in the former Marine’s house and charged him with possessing Schedule 1 or 2 drugs while also having a firearm.
“If they found a stash of magic mushrooms in my house, they were not mine” Kokesh said in an exclusive interview with D.C.’s Fox 5.
When asked if Kokesh knows who the drugs belonged to or why they were in his house, Kokesh implied they were planted.
“I’m pretty confident that whether or not they found anything, the full paper bags that they brought into my house would ensure that they would have charges to bring against me,” he said.
Kokesh refused to acknowledge that what he did in Freedom Plaza was illegal, instead brushing it off as “civil disobedience.”
The activist also made a big announcement during the interviewing, stating that in 2020 he will run for President on the platform of “an orderly disillusion of the United States’ federal government.”
When asked why disillusion of the federal government is a good idea, Kokesh replies “why is having a federal government a good idea at this point?”
Kokesh faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $2,500 if convicted of the possession charges. He also faces an additional 2 or more years in jail if convicted of having both a firearm and the drugs simultaneously.
According to Fox 5, Kokesh thinks evidence in the drug case is weak, and believes that his Second Amendment rights and the Constitution will help in his defense against the federal weapon charges brought against him for wielding the shotgun in downtown D.C.
He is due back in Fairfax County General District Court on Oct. 2 for a preliminary hearing.
