Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Saturday that the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol “would’ve been armed” if she and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon had planned it.
Speaking at a gala for the New York Young Republicans Club, the far-right lawmaker appeared to hit back at claims that she was somehow involved in plotting the Capitol riot.
“Then Jan. 6 happened. And next thing you know, I organized the whole thing, along with Steve Bannon here. And I will tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. Not to mention, it would’ve been armed,” Taylor Greene told the audience.
“See that’s the whole joke, isn’t it. They say that whole thing was planned and I’m like, are you kidding me? A bunch of conservatives, second amendment supporters, went in the Capitol without guns, and they think that we organized that?” Taylor Greene added, per footage shared online.
Greene, an outspoken ally of former President Trump, has long espoused his false claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election. She was questioned earlier this year by the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 over her role in efforts to stop the certification of President Biden’s win.
Many supporters of Trump who came to Washington on Jan. 6 did bring weapons, and leaders of the Oath Keepers militia group were found guilty last month for seditious conspiracy. Members of the group allegedly stockpiled suitcases full of weapons at a Virginia hotel as part of its planning around that day.
On the morning of Jan. 6, Trump reportedly complained that some of his armed supporters were unable to join the crowd at his speech at the Ellipse, and then called on those same supporters to march to the Capitol, according to former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.
Gavin Wax, president of the New York Young Republicans Club, told the audience at Saturday’s gala that Republicans “want war” against the left.
“We want to cross the Rubicon. We want total war. We must be prepared to do battle in every arena. In the media. In the courtroom. At the ballot box. And in the streets,” Wax said, as reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“This is the only language the left understands. The language of pure and unadulterated power,” Wax added.
Former U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) said text messages to and from then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows revealed a “roadmap to an attempted coup” as former President Trump attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Riggleman — who led a data analyst team for the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot — told CBS’ “60 Minutes” host Bill Whitaker in an interview aired Sunday that messages connected to Meadows revealed an extensive conspiracy within Trump’s White House following the 2020 election.
“The Meadows text messages show you an administration that was completely eaten up with a digital virus called QAnon conspiracy theories,” the former GOP lawmaker said. “You can look at text messages as a roadmap, but it’s also a look into the psyche of the Republican party today.”
Before he stepped down in April, Riggleman and his team combed through phone records, e-mails, social media posts, and text messages on behalf of the House committee.
That included 2,000 messages connected to Meadows, which Riggleman called “a roadmap to an attempted coup … of the United States.”
In those messages, Riggleman said his team traced the phone numbers of previously unidentified contacts to members of Congress and Trump allies including Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who pushed to overturn the 2020 election.
Riggleman said what “shook me was the fact that if Clarence agreed with or was even aware of his wife’s efforts, all three branches of government would be tied to the stop the steal movement.”
“Is it possible that Clarence Thomas had no idea of the activities of Ginni Thomas over decades as a Republican activist? Possible,” Riggleman said. “Is it probable? I just can’t even get my arms [around] that being probable.”
Ginni Thomas has reportedly agreed to meet with the Jan. 6 committee, which is preparing for its final hearing this week.
In his interview, Riggleman also revealed the White House switchboard connected to the phone of a Capitol rioter on Jan. 6.
Riggleman on Sunday pushed for a bigger probe into the evidence he uncovered, including a deeper dive into individuals apparently working in cahoots with the Trump White House.
The Jan. 6 committee said in a statement to “60 Minutes” that it has “run down all the leads” from Riggleman. The committee added he has “limited” knowledge of its comprehensive investigation into the Capitol attacks.
Riggleman was ousted by his party in a 2020 primary after he officiated a same-sex wedding. He has an upcoming book “The Breach” about his time on the Jan. 6 committee.
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol sent letters on Monday to three House Republicans, seeking their testimony: Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and Ronny Jackson (R-Texas).
Why it matters: The letters mark an escalation in the committee members’ efforts to extract information from their Republican colleagues, doubling the total number of members sought out by the panel.
The first three lawmakers they sought to question were House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Freedom Caucus chair Scott Perry and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan.
All three have refused to appear voluntarily before the panel.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chair of the committee, told Axios last week it is still weighing subpoenas.
Driving the news: The letter to Jackson, a close ally of former President Trump who once served as his personal physician and medical advisor, includes texts between members of the far-right Oath Keepers, one of the groups involved in the attack.
In the texts, dated the afternoon of Jan. 6, unidentified group members wrote that Jackson “needs [Oath Keeper] help” and “needs protection” because he has “critical data to protect.”
“Help with what?” Stewart Rhodes, the group’s leader, texted back. “Give him my cell.”
“Why would these individuals have an interest in your specific location? Why would they believe you ‘have critical data to protect?’ Why would they direct their members to protect your personal safety?” Thompson writes to Jackson.
Go deeper: The other letters cite recent revelations about the members’ involvement in Jan. 6 — dredged up either in testimony from other witnesses or by the public comments of the members themselves.
What they’re saying: “We urge our colleagues to join the hundreds of individuals who have shared information with the Select Committee,” Thompson and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the panel’s vice chair, said in a statement.
The other side: “I will not participate in the illegitimate Committee’s ruthless crusade against President Trump and his allies,” Jackson said in a statement to Axios.
“I do not know, nor did I have contact with, those who exchanged text messages about me on January 6,” he added.
What’s next: More requests to members could be in the works, if Thompson’s public comments are any indication.
He said at the Capitol last week this tranche of requests would cover more than three lawmakers and include senators.
A committee spokesperson declined to comment on the record.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a statement from Rep. Ronny Jackson.
A massive tranche of texts from former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows obtained by CNN shows how former President Trump’s allies went from pleading for a stop to the violence on Jan. 6 to affirming their support for Trump in the aftermath.
Why it matters: The more than 2,300 texts offer a rare glimpse into the communications between the White House and a network of Trump associates, Fox hosts and lawmakers in the period after the 2020 election.
Meadows turned over the texts to the Jan. 6 select committee before ceasing his cooperation, prompting the House to refer him to the DOJ for contempt of Congress.
A Jan. 6 committee spokesperson declined Axios’ request for comment.
Driving the news: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was in frequent contact with Meadows during this timeframe, the texts show.
On Dec. 31, 2020 she texted him, “We have to get organized for the 6th.”
On Jan. 6, 2021 she texted, “Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn’t the way to solve anything.”
Later that day, however, she backtracked and began espousing an unfounded conspiracy theory about the rioters: “Mark we don’t think these attackers are our people. We think they are Antifa. Dressed like Trump supporters.”
By the next day, Greene had already integrated the “Antifa” narrative into her thinking and was apologizing to Meadows for failing to overturn the election.
“I’m sorry nothing worked. I don’t think that President Trump caused the attack on the Capitol. It’s not his fault … He has been the greatest President. I will continue to defend him,” she texted.
She said she denounced the violence, but “when people try everything and no one listens and nothing works, I guess they think they have no other choice.”
On Jan. 17, Greene texted Meadows that “several” lawmakers said in a members-only chat said “the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall law [sic],” calling for Trump to “declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!”
Other House members andTrump associates also texted Meadows on Jan. 6 to call for a stop to the violence.
Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney: “Mark: he needs to stop this, now. Can I do anything to help?”
Former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus: “TELL THEM TO GO HOME !!!”
Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.): “The president needs to stop this ASAP”
Donald Trump Jr.: “This his one you go to the mattresses on. They will try to fuck his entire legacy on this if it gets worse.”
But some members took Greene’s route of quickly adapting their support for Trump to the new normal.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) texted on Jan. 6: “Cap Police told me last night they’d been warned that today there’d be a lot of Antifa dressed in red Trump shirts & hats & would likely get violent.”
“I would like to pass to POTUS that we are still with him, I believe in him and I want to encourage him,” Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) texted on Jan. 9.
Editor’s note: This post was corrected to reflect that Rep. Andrew Clyde texted Meadows on Jan. 9, not Jan. 6.
A public interest group is calling for an ethics investigation into House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin McCarthyCharlotte Observer calls for GOP to censure Cawthorn over ‘bloodshed’ remark Cheney elevated as vice chair of Jan. 6 committee Hillicon Valley — Industry groups want more time to report cybersecurity incidents MORE (R-Calif.) after he told communications companies that the GOP “will not forget” if they turn phone and email records over to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The complaint from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) argues that both McCarthy and Rep. Marjorie Taylor GreeneMarjorie Taylor GreeneGOP efforts to downplay danger of Capitol riot increase The Memo: What now for anti-Trump Republicans? Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she’s meeting with Trump ‘soon’ in Florida MORE (R-Ga.) violated House rules by threatening to retaliate against companies that comply with legal requests.
The House committee investigating the attack on the Capitol sent letters to 35 tech and communications firms Monday asking for a trove of documents, including for personal communications of those involved with the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6 — a group likely to include lawmakers.
“If these companies comply with the Democrat order to turn over private information, they are in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States,” McCarthy wrote.
“If companies still choose to violate federal law, a Republican majority will not forget and will stand with Americans to hold them fully accountable under the law,” he said.
McCarthy did not cite which law prohibits telecommunications companies from complying with the committee’s request.
While communications companies often seek to alert those whose records will be turned over, it’s not clear if complying with the request would violate the law given Congress’s investigative authority.
“House rules require members to uphold the laws of the United States and to conduct themselves at all times in a manner that reflects creditably on the House. The threats of Reps. McCarthy and Greene do neither. Threatening retaliation for complying with legally valid document demands and preservation requests appears to violate 18 U.S.C. § 1505, which prohibits obstructing congressional investigations, and does not reflect creditably on the House,” CREW President Noah Bookbinder wrote in a complaint filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics.
Like McCarthy, Greene told Fox News this week that companies would face ramifications for compliance with the requests.
“If these telecommunications companies, if they go along with this, they will be shut down. And that’s a promise,” she told Fox’s Tucker CarlsonTucker CarlsonAustralian reporter clashes with Sidney Powell over 2020 election claims Ominous warnings from Afghanistan’s last men standing Fox News requires employees to provide vaccination status MORE on Tuesday.
Greene’s records have reportedly been requested by the committee, according to CNN. The news outlet also found the committee would seek the phone records of GOP Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Paul GosarPaul Anthony GosarJan. 6 panel seeks records of those involved in ‘Stop the Steal’ rally Cawthorn calls jailed Jan. 6 rioters ‘political hostages’ Jan. 6 panel to ask for preservation of phone records of GOP lawmakers who participated in Trump rally: report MORE (Ariz.), Matt GaetzMatthew (Matt) GaetzCawthorn to introduce resolution condemning political violence after warning of ‘bloodshed’ if elections are ‘rigged’ The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by AT&T – Defiant Biden defends US exit from Afghanistan Florida developer charged in alleged M scheme to extort Gaetz’s family MORE (Fla.), Lauren BoebertLauren BoebertJan. 6 panel seeks records of those involved in ‘Stop the Steal’ rally Jan. 6 panel to ask for preservation of phone records of GOP lawmakers who participated in Trump rally: report Biden emphasizes that Afghan refugees will be vetted before entering US MORE (Colo.), Mo BrooksMorris (Mo) Jackson BrooksJan. 6 panel seeks records of those involved in ‘Stop the Steal’ rally Jan. 6 panel to ask for preservation of phone records of GOP lawmakers who participated in Trump rally: report Press: Why is Mo Brooks still in the House? MORE (Ala.), Madison Cawthorn (N.C.), Louie GohmertLouis (Louie) Buller GohmertCawthorn to introduce resolution condemning political violence after warning of ‘bloodshed’ if elections are ‘rigged’ Jan. 6 panel seeks records of those involved in ‘Stop the Steal’ rally Cawthorn calls jailed Jan. 6 rioters ‘political hostages’ MORE (Texas), Jody HiceJody Brownlow HiceJan. 6 panel seeks records of those involved in ‘Stop the Steal’ rally Jan. 6 panel to ask for preservation of phone records of GOP lawmakers who participated in Trump rally: report 57 House Republicans back Georgia against DOJ voting rights lawsuit MORE (Ga.), Scott PerryScott Gordon PerryJan. 6 panel seeks records of those involved in ‘Stop the Steal’ rally Jan. 6 panel to ask for preservation of phone records of GOP lawmakers who participated in Trump rally: report Photos of the Week: Olympic sabre semi-finals, COVID-19 vigil and a loris MORE (Pa.) and Jim JordanJames (Jim) Daniel JordanDemocrats’ Jan. 6 subpoena-palooza sets dangerous precedent Jan. 6 panel seeks records of those involved in ‘Stop the Steal’ rally Jan. 6 panel to ask for preservation of phone records of GOP lawmakers who participated in Trump rally: report MORE (Ohio), whom Republicans once tapped to serve on the committee.
Following McCarthy’s comment, the committee said it would not be deterred in its work.
“The Select Committee is investigating the violent attack on the Capitol and attempt to overturn the results of last year’s election,” a committee spokesperson said Tuesday.
“We’ve asked companies not to destroy records that may help answer questions for the American people. The committee’s efforts won’t be deterred by those who want to whitewash or cover up the events of January 6th, or obstruct our investigation.”
The Office of Congressional Ethics declined to comment while representatives for McCarthy and Greene did not immediately respond to The Hill.
A fourth law enforcement officer who responded to the Capitol on Jan. 6 has died by suicide, the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to The Hill on Monday.
A department spokesman said Officer Kyle DeFreytag, who had been with the department since November 2016, was found dead on July 10. He was 26 years old. Police confirmed DeFreytag was among a host of MPD officers who were sent to the Capitol in response to the riot.
WUSA9, a CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C. was the first to report that DeFreytag died by suicide last month.
“I am writing to share tragic news that Officer Kyle DeFreytag of the 5th District was found deceased last evening,” Chief Robert J. Contee III wrote in a message to the department in mid-July, according to WUSA9. “This is incredibly hard news for us all, and for those that knew him best.”
The news comes on the same day that MPD officials confirmed a third police officer death by suicide in the wake of the riot. Earlier on Monday, it was reported that Gunther Hashida was found dead in his home Thursday.
Hashida died two days after the House select committee probing the Jan. 6 attack held its first hearing, during which four police officers from MPD and Capitol Police delivered dramatic testimony about the riot and their experiences defending the Capitol.
Officers testified that the attack had left a profound toll on the law enforcement officials who responded.
Capitol Police officer Howard Liebengood and MPD officer Jeffrey Smith both died of suicide in the days following the January incident.
Former Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PencePence refused to leave Capitol during riot: book How Trump can win again: Become the calm, moderate candidate Trump to Pence on Jan. 6: ‘You don’t have the courage’ MORE reportedly pushed back on orders from his security detail to leave the Capitol on Jan. 6 as supporters of former President TrumpDonald TrumpPence refused to leave Capitol during riot: book Officials arrest ‘Roman gladiator’ who stormed Capitol while filming it for his mom Overnight Defense: Milley reportedly warned Trump against Iran strikes | Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer killed in Afghanistan | 70 percent of active-duty military at least partially vaccinated MORE stormed the building in protest of Congress’ certification of President BidenJoe BidenPence refused to leave Capitol during riot: book Father and son police officers charged with joining Proud Boys at Capitol riot On The Money: Five questions for Democrats on their .5T budget | Retail sales rebound in June despite rising prices MORE’s election win.
According a Washington Post-published excerpt of the forthcoming book, “I Alone Can Fix It,” by reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, Pence expressed hesitancy to leave the Capitol, fearing it would only fulfill the wishes of Trump supporters angered by the vice president’s refusal to overturn the results of the election.
Trump had repeatedly urged Pence to contest Biden’s electoral win, though the reporters noted that Pence continuously pushed back, noting that he had no Constitutional authority to make such a move.
As rioters began storming the Capitol, Trump tweeted, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”
With some of those marching through the Capitol chanting, “Hang Mike Pence,” Tim Giebels, the lead special agent in charge of the vice president’s protective detail, asked Pence twice to evacuate the building, according to the Post reporters
Pence reportedly declined, telling Giebels, “I’m not leaving the Capitol.”
According to the book, Giebels then said, “They’re in the building… The room you’re in is not secure. There are glass windows. I need to move you. We’re going.”
Once Pence was brought down to an area where his armored limousine was waiting, Giebels reportedly told Pence, “We can hold here.”
However, Pence responded, “I’m not getting in the car, Tim,” according to the book.
“I trust you, Tim, but you’re not driving the car,” he added. “If I get in that vehicle, you guys are taking off. I’m not getting in the car.”
The reporters said that Pence, along with his wife, Karen, and their daughter, Charlotte, “made their way to a secure underground area to wait out the riot.”
The excerpt provides a window into some of the vice president’s immediate responses to the mob attack, especially following Trump’s public condemnation of his No. 2 official for not fulfilling his desire to overturn the election, which he falsely claimed was stolen from him through widespread fraud.
The excerpt of the book, scheduled to be released on Tuesday, also revealed that Trump on the morning of Jan. 6 reportedly told Pence over the phone, “You don’t have the courage to make a hard decision.”
