More than 440 people have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 siege and the numbers keep climbing. That of course, will result in dozens of legal cases and arguments as officials try to sort out who did what and how those involved in the deadly riot, incited by former President Donald Trump in a failed attempt to prevent Joe Biden from being elected president, Uproxx reports.

Quite obviously, this will result in numerous defense strategies, including a rather novel one that asserts that watching too much Fox News can cause mental illness. As noted Thursday by The Daily Beast, the attorney for one of the rioters tried to claim his client developed “Foxitis” from watching too much conservative TV.

I’ve been writing about Fox News and its’ contributors, but I have to say this claim is a new one. The attorney for Capitol defendant Anthony Antonio is saying his client had “Foxmania” and “Foxitis” for six months and that resulted in him “believing what was fed to him” by Fox News and Trump.

Attorney for Capitol defendant Anthony Antonio said his client had “Foxitus” and “Foxmania” from watching six months of Fox News and started “believing what was being fed to him” by Fox News and the president. pic.twitter.com/aHMppeb1yc

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) May 6, 2021

My, what a sad condition indeed. Believing every bit of nonsense that’s spoonfed to you. Sadly, this is too common among Trump supporters. Daily Beast reports Antonio had his lawyer claim this defense in the midst of a chaotic Zoom call in which another alleged rioter, Landon Kenneth Copeland, was having a meltdown. Confusion reigned as Copeland screamed and allegedly called for his friends to join the call and troll the proceedings.

Notes the Daily Beast:

“The chaos began even before Copeland’s hearing, as he shouted while other accused rioters made their appearances before the judge, forcing court officials to put him on mute. At one point he tried to object to another defense lawyer claiming his client had ‘Foxitis’ after watching six months of Fox News during the pandemic.”

“The second he was taken off mute, Copeland began to scream, ‘I’m going to tell the truth.'”

“‘I don’t like you people… you’re a robot to me… you can’t come get me if I don’t want you to… F*ck all of you… F*ck all of you…,’ he shouted during his tirade, at which point a judge put him in a separate Zoom room so that he could no longer interrupt the proceeding. ‘I wanna talk in open court, you motherf*ckers!'”

Obviously, Copeland’s rant made the news, but the idea that someone could contend Fox News made them mentally ill sparked controversy on Twitter, and “Foxitis” began to trend in some regions. Of course, the idea of Fox News causing mental illness spurred lots of jokes. What’s even more hilarious is that even some of Fox News’s own hacks have said no one should believe what they say.

But those tweets are glorious!

Hopefully one day Affluenza and foxitis can be fully eradicated.

Luckily in the meantime they can be controlled.
Affluenza #Foxitus #FoxMania pic.twitter.com/czmSMWmELB

— Eros and Jupiter (@erosandjupiter) May 6, 2021

So if I attack him can I claim msnbcitis?

— Maryj2450 (@maryj2450) May 7, 2021

Stupid is no defense

— Catherine Radecki (@radeckicat) May 7, 2021

I actually like that defense. If he successfully avoids liability based on the "what he was being fed" defense, it opens the door to shut down the bullshit factory.

— Mike O'Rourke (@largedadjuggalo) May 7, 2021

The prosecution: pic.twitter.com/lc4qyBrfPV

— Kirt (@BarbieQuinn5) May 7, 2021

So his defense is that he’s a moron? #Foxitus https://t.co/NSH8khCctC

— bleepo Sr. (@bleepo) May 6, 2021

no one's going to top this pic.twitter.com/c7qdYAYcz5

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) May 6, 2021