Bradley Rukstales Biography
Bradley Rukstales (Bradley F. Rukstales) is the former president and CEO of Cogensia, a data analytics company. He had been the CEO of Cogensia for 19 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. On January 8, the company’s board of directors fired him as president and CEO of Cogensia marketing firm. Joel Schiltz, Cogensia’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, was named acting CEO. Schiltz said in a statement: “This decision was made because Rukstales’ actions were inconsistent with the core values of Cogensia. Cogensia condemns what occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, and we intend to continue to embrace the values of integrity, diversity and transparency in our business operations, and expect all employees to embrace those values as well.”
On January 7, Rukstales had been placed on a leave of absence by Cogensia. The company had issued the followinf statement: “Our CEO, Brad Rukstales’ participated in the recent Washington DC protests. Those actions were his own and not acting on behalf Cogensia nor do his actions in any way reflect the policies or values of our firm. He has been placed on leave of absence while we assess further.”
Cogensia CEO Brad Rukstales Arrested Capitol
Brad Rukstales was among those arrested and charged with unlawful entry for storming the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on January 6. After his arrest, Rukstales admitted entering the Capitol building, apologized for his role at the Capitol riot and condemned the violence in a statement. The statement states:
“In a moment of extremely poor judgment following the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, I followed hundreds of others through an open set of doors to the Capitol building to see what was taking place inside. I was arrested for the first time in my life and charged with unlawful entry.
“My decision to enter the Capitol was wrong, and I am deeply regretful to have done so. Without qualification and as a peaceful and law-abiding citizen, I condemn the violence and destruction that took place in Washington.
“I offer my sincere apologies for my indiscretion, and I deeply regret that my actions have brought embarrassment to my family, colleagues, friends and fellow countrymen.
“It was the single worst personal decision of my life; I have no excuse for my actions and wish that I could take them back.”
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bradley Rukstales faces two federal charges: knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, or knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions, engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. The charges were announced by the U.S. Department of Justice a day after U.S. Capitol Police reported his arrest for unlawful entry.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges a day after U.S. Capitol Police reported his arrest for unlawful entry. According to the federal complaint, Rukstales was at the front of a crowd near the door to the House atrium and refused orders by Capitol police officers to leave.
Bradley Rukstales Salary
Bradley Rukstales’ salary as Cogensia CEO is unclear. According to public records on the Federal Election Commission website, Rukstales has personally donated nearly $30,000 to support Republican causes since October 2019. His donations included at least $12,000 to support Trump’s reelection efforts.
Federal Election Commission records show Rukstales made regular contributions to WinRed, a political action committee established to support conservative candidates. Rukstales specifically donated to the Republican National Committee, the Trump Make America Great Again Committee and Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. He donated $2,250 to Jeanne Ives, who formerly served in the Illinois House of Representatives and lost a bid for a U.S. House seat in the 2020 election. Rukstales also gave $500 to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s reelection campaign.
Bradley Rukstales Age
Bradley Rukstales is 52 years old.
