Conservative Trio Return to Arias’ Home. He Wasn’t There.

Just days after appearing at the U.S. Capitol during the riot there, and later confronting a U.S. senator at a Washington D.C. airport, a trio of Donald Trump supporters posted a video of themselves in front of the home of Fresno City Councilman Miguel Arias.

Ben Bergquam posted the video on his Frontline America Facebook and YouTube sites. He was joined by frequent collaborators Jason Phillips and Josh Fulfer.

Arias, on Twitter, said he was not at home at the time, returning from a jog with his son shortly after the men left.

“It’s part of their continued attempts to intimidate and threaten the safety of my family. So there’s no reason why you have to livestream on Facebook to thousands of extreme followers my home address,” Arias tells GV Wire℠.

Countered Bergquam: “We wanted to show the hypocrisy of it all. You have all of these so-called representatives who spent all their time attacking President Trump or attacking conservatives when their own backyards are falling apart.”

Phillips and Fulfer posted videos on their Facebook accounts of the violent protest last week in Washington that led to five deaths, although neither said they entered the Capitol building with hundreds of others. They also filmed themselves surrounding Sen. Lindsey Graham and shouting “traitor” at the South Carolina Republican inside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday.

Filming in Front of Arias’ Home

Bergquam blamed Arias for the homeless living by the freeway behind the condominium complex as well as the filthy conditions. His goal was to show “what his district actually looks like.”

“If they wanted to film encampments, there’s plenty of encampments on Herndon and (Highway) 41 that they could film,” Arias said. “They’ve chosen deliberately to target us and my family. For that, they’ll be held accountable.”

Arias answered in the affirmative that he is taking Second Amendment safety precautions.

The councilman mentioned Bergquam’s prior legal entanglements — a 2019 arrest for trespassing at the governor’s mansion in Sacramento during an immigration protest. Bergquam said those charges were eventually dropped. Bergquam was also found guilty of a 2019 assault near El Paso, Texas. According to court records, that case is under appeal.

“There are no boundaries, either that a family or the federal government, that they’re not willing to cross,” Arias said.

Confrontation at Same Location Last Year

Bergquam, Phillips, and Fulfer were also involved in a physical altercation last year at Arias’ downtown condo, protesting the closure of businesses because of COVID-19 mandates. While police cited Arias, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp declined to prosecute.

There were no charges for Bergquam’s group.