TRI In The News

Marine Brandon Raub Speaks Out Following Detention

From NBC12

Original article available here

CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) -
A Chesterfield Marine is speaking out for the first time following being taken into custody after concern over his Facebook posts.

A lengthy video clip of Brandon Raub was released by the Rutherford Institute Tuesday. The clip shows Raub speaking with John Whitehead, Constitutional Attorney and President of The Rutherford Institute. The conservative civil liberties group served as Raub's defense in court and won his release.

In the video, he explains how he feels the government has overstepped its rights and how he shared those thoughts on Facebook. He also says a August 13 post on his page saying "Sharpen up my axe; I'm here to sever heads" was quoting song lyrics and meant as a metaphor.

"The truth is very powerful and has the ability to cut," he explained. "The truth is not always nice. Sometimes it can be very specific."

Raub was taken into custody on August 16. He says two FBI agents came to his door and they spoke to for several minutes.

"They said they were there just to talk," he said. "In the beginning it was very vague. It was almost as if they wanted me to volunteer information, which I was very happy to do."

Raub says his Facebook page came up and a secret service agent asked him to step outside. In total, they spoke for 10-15 minutes before he was eventually taken into custody.

"It was almost as though they had come with that purpose from the beginning," he said.

Raub claims he was never read his Miranda rights. He was held on a temporary detention order for a mental evaluation at John Randolph Hospital in Hopewell and later transferred to Salem, before finally being released by a Hopewell judge.

"I'm pretty tough, so I roll with the punches," Raub said. "But it made me scared for my country. The idea that a man can be snatched off his property without being read his rights I think should be very alarming to all Americans."