The man who flew a gyrocopter onto the U.S. Capitol lawn says he gave law enforcement officials plenty of notice: He emailed info@barackobama.com an hour ahead of time to say he was coming.
Doug Hughes, in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, said his move — which led to his arrest and could land him in prison for up to four years — was “designed to get attention on the problem of corruption in Congress.”
He said he doesn’t know yet if it was worth the risk.
“I won’t know if this was worth it until I get through with it,” he said. “And we’re through with it when we see whether or not in the next election there’s a serious dialogue about corruption and a serious commitment to solving the problem of corruption. And that’s what makes it worth it.”
Hughes said he didn’t call 911 to warn law enforcement of his escapade because operators there “would not have had credibility.”
He said he needed to contact the officials who could decide whether he lived.
“The administration was who I needed to notify because I needed to notify the people who could make the decision to stand down on shooting me down, and would let me land and take me into custody alive on the other end,” Hughes said. “Nobody at 911 can decide not to shoot me down.”