Capitol rioter asks to call codefendant mom on Mother’s Day

A man who was photographed wielding plastic handcuffs inside the Senate Chamber during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has asked a judge’s permission to call his codefendant mom on Mother’s Day.

Eric Munchel, dubbed on social media the “zip tie guy,” has not talked to his mom since the two were arrested in mid-January. They were subsequently barred from speaking with each other as a condition of their release from custody, according to his lawyer.

In a Thursday court filing — which carried the heading “Defendant’s Unopposed Motion for Authorization to Call Mother on Mother’s Day” — Munchel’s lawyer promised that her client would not discuss the criminal case with his codefendant mother, Lisa Eisenhart, if the two were allowed a phone call over the upcoming holiday.

“Pursuant to the spirit of the Court’s release order,” the filing reads, “Mr. Munchel agrees to refrain from discussing any aspect of the case during a Mother’s Day call with his mother.”

The mother-son duo face multiple charges including trespassing at the U.S. Capitol and obstructing the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over former President Trump.

The defendants were granted permission to leave federal custody for home confinement in Tennessee as they await trial.