Jan. 6 Committee Details Proud Boys, Oath Keepers Involvement in Capitol Insurrection
The House committee investigating the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection spent its first night focusing on the violence, conspiracy theories about electoral fraud and alleged cooperation between former President Donald Trump and two extremist groups Hatewatch monitors.
The Jan. 6 panel, formally called the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, presented video and testimony regarding the alleged plans of violent cooperation in which the Proud Boys听鈥� one of the most violent hard-right groups in the U.S. at the time of the insurrection 鈥� and the antigovernment extremist Oath Keepers听别苍驳补驳别诲.
Their goal was to use force to stop the peaceful transfer of power, allowing Trump to remain president despite his election loss, according to the Jan. 6 committee.
Committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson said the two extremist groups came to Washington, D.C., with 鈥渢he encouragement of the president of the United States.鈥� Committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney said Trump 鈥渟ummoned the mob 鈥� and lit the flame鈥� that caused the violence.
鈥⑻�Read More:听The Long Path to Insurrection
The committee claimed extremists saw Trump鈥檚 Dec. 19, 2020, tweet that encouraged followers to attend a 鈥�Stop the Steal鈥� rally in D.C. the following Jan. 6 as a 鈥渃all to arms.鈥�
Proud Boy Henry 鈥淓nrique鈥� Tarrio started a 鈥淢inistry of Self Defense鈥� chat for the day, according to the Justice Department鈥檚 . The Oath Keepers also began planning to violently challenge results shortly after the Nov. 3, 2020, election, the committee alleged.
The committee presented a video of Stewart Rhodes, leader of the Oath Keepers, telling prominent conspiracy theorist Alex Jones听on Nov. 10, 2020, 鈥淚t鈥檚 either President Trump is encouraged and bolstered and strengthened to do what he must do or we wind up in a bloody fight.鈥�
The committee also showed footage of Rhodes and Tarrio meeting in a D.C. parking lot the night before the insurrection. Tarrio said in the footage that the two groups are 鈥渇ighting the same fight.鈥�
The Justice Department claims both groups planned to occupy the Capitol. Tarrio possessed a document called 鈥�1776 Return鈥� with plans for occupation, and the Oath Keepers planted arms in nearby Virginia in case Trump called them to act, according to court documents.
The Justice Department has charged Rhodes and 10 other Oath Keepers . The Justice Department also charged Tarrio and four of his Proud Boy lieutenants with sedition.
Political violence
Rhodes was correct. The violence that occurred during the insurrection was bloody.
Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards was the frontline of defense in the face of the mob. Sitting as a witness to the committee, Edwards said she 鈥渨as slipping in people鈥檚 blood鈥� after the mob 鈥渞ipped the first barricade down.鈥�
She suffered a concussion that day after slipping and hitting her head on a flight of stairs. Edwards also said she saw Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick turn 鈥済hostly pale鈥� while rioters sprayed him with chemicals. Sicknick died the next day. A medical examiner ruled his death resulted 听unrelated to injuries sustained during the insurrection.
Four officers present on Jan. 6 have committed suicide since the insurrection. Two Trump supporters 听of heart attacks and another of an overdose.
The Proud Boys regularly engage in political violence. Intelligence Project senior research analyst Cassie Miller provided the committee with testimony regarding the Proud Boys鈥� violent history inside the hard-right movement.
Miller said the Proud Boys 鈥渙penly advocate using violence to eliminate the perceived threat.鈥� The group became a lead organizer of far-right rallies that often led to clashes with left-wing counterprotesters.
These demonstrations regularly caused violence on the streets听of the Pacific Northwest, especially Portland, Oregon, where the group has worked with other extremist organizations such as Patriot Prayer, Miller explained.
Miller said the Proud Boys participation in Jan. 6 showed they are 鈥渨illing to take dramatic, violent action to disrupt the democratic process and impose their political will.鈥�
Confronting the truth
The Jan. 6 panel is presenting a case that puts Trump at the center of the plans that caused the attempted coup. A key question is whether the panel will release further details regarding cooperation or backchannels between the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Trump鈥檚 inner circle.
Before the hearing, Thompson, chair of the Jan. 6 committee, told CNN鈥檚 Jake Tapper that witnesses testified there was communication between the extremists and people in Trump鈥檚 orbit.
But the two extremist groups鈥� propensity for political violence and antigovernment thought is already widely accepted on the right, according to a poll听the Southern Poverty Law Center and Tulchin Research jointly conducted.
Forty-one percent of Republicans agreed with the statement that 鈥渟ome violence might be necessary to protect the country from radical extremists,鈥� according to the poll. Over half of Republicans also said they believed the country is headed towards a civil war.
The poll also found 70% of Republicans believe the government has become 鈥渢yrannical.鈥� Partisanship is also high. Republicans ranked the Democratic Party as the 鈥渕ost pressing鈥� threat to U.S. democracy, while Democrats ranked Trump and the Republicans as second and third after Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Thompson recognized the ongoing danger this mistrust of institutions posed to U.S. democracy in his opening remarks.
Thompson concluded by saying that despite partisanship, the U.S. must 鈥渃onfront the truth with candor, resolve and determination.鈥�
Editor鈥檚 Note: Members of the Intelligence Project have prepared statements about extremist organizations and individuals allegedly involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection for the Select Committee. The author of this piece has not had contact with, nor prepared statements for, the Select Committee.
