Politics & Government
Pardoned Jan. 6er Jake Lang threatens Frisco City Council ahead of mosque, temple vote

Lang’s appearance came just days after he claimed credit for a white nationalist banner that was unfurled at a Washington Nationals game.

By Emma Ruby
May 20, 2026


Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter appeared at the Frisco City Council meeting on May 19 to decry the horseshoe's "complacency" in allowing Hindu and Muslim residents to move into Collin County.
City of Frisco

A notorious Jan. 6 rioter and conservative influencer appeared at the Frisco City Council Tuesday evening, dialing up the heat on what has become a contentious fight over the city’s growing Indian and Muslim communities.

Edward “Jake” Lang spent four years in prison awaiting trial for charges related to his role in the 2021 Capitol insurrection; among the charges, Lang was accused of assaulting a law enforcement officer with a baseball bat. Pardoned on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term, Lang has spent the last few years circling the country and promoting far-right ideologies and conspiracy theories.

Tuesday marked Lang’s latest appearance in North Texas when he spoke against multiple rezoning applications that would allow for two Hindu temples and one mosque to be built in Frisco during the city council’s open microphone period. For months, a contingent of Frisco residents and some outsiders have swarmed the council meetings to decry what they see as an “Indian takeover” affecting the community. Much of the rhetoric has also incorporated an anti-Muslim message.

Lang was warned several times by Mayor Jeff Cheney before his comments that he would be removed from the meeting if he did not stop making outbursts. He delivered remarks citing the far-right “great replacement” conspiracy theory that warns a cabal is organizing mass immigration as a means to replace white populations. While debunked, a 2022 AP-NORC poll found that one in three American adults believes “that a group of people is trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants for electoral gains.”

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Emma Ruby is a staff writer at the Dallas Observer where she covers local news. Before joining the Observer in April 2024, Emma was the editor of the Oak Cliff Advocate. She was the news editor of Loyola University’s student newspaper, The Maroon, and interned with the Dallas Morning News and WVUE-TV in New Orleans while in college. Emma also worked as a media coordinator for Tulane University Athletics, and interviewed Coach K after Duke’s 2022 Final Four loss.