Two pro-Trump rally organizers who say they helped extensively plan election protests around the country — most notably, the storming of the Capitol on January 6 — are now coming forward to share that they regularly met with GOP representatives or their top staff in the weeks leading up to the riots in Washington D.C., Rolling Stone exclusively reports.
While there have been prior indications that members of Congress were involved, this is also the first account detailing their purported role and its scope.
The two individuals say they wanted to come forward now to tell the truth, to share information, to express how upset they were that their demonstrations turned violent, and to expose “blanket pardon” deals from the Oval Office, Rolling Stone details.
Rolling Stone confirmed the two sources, both of whom have been granted immunity from the government due to the ongoing investigation, had roles either planning or organizing events. They shared that they spoke with many high-profile lawmakers and their staff in the days ahead of the January 6 attacks — culminating into “dozens of planning briefings.”
“I remember Marjorie Taylor Greene specifically,” the organizer says. “I remember talking to probably close to a dozen other members at one point or another or their staffs.”
Along with Greene, the “conspiratorial” pro-Trump Republican from Georgia who took office earlier this year, the pair both told Rolling Stone the members who participated in these conversations or had top staffers join in included Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).
“We would talk to Boebert’s team, Cawthorn’s team, Gosar’s team like back to back to back to back,” the organizer explained to reporters.
And Gosar, who has been one of the most prominent defenders of the Jan. 6 rioters, allegedly took things a step further. Both sources told Rolling Stone he “dangled the possibility” of a “blanket pardon” in an unrelated ongoing investigation to encourage them to plan the protests.
“Our impression was that it was a done deal,” the organizer says, “that he’d spoken to the president about it in the Oval … in a meeting about pardons and that our names came up. They were working on submitting the paperwork and getting members of the House Freedom Caucus to sign on as a show of support.”
See Also: Judge Makes Example of Jan. 6 Rioter Sentenced to 45 Days for Misdemeanor
Greene’s Staff Responds
Because of the serious nature of the events and crimes detailed, Rolling Stone details how they reached out to each member of congress and gave them ample opportunity to comment.
Gosar’s office did not respond to requests for comment, a representative for Medows did not respond, Rolling Stone explains, and a representative for Trump also did not respond to a request for comment.
However, Nick Dyer, Greene’s communications director, did.
Dyer began by saying that Greene was solely involved in planning to object to the electoral certification of President Biden’s win on the house floor — “and had nothing to do with planning of any protest.”
The communications director then went on to compare Greene’s efforts to dispute verification of Biden’s victory are similar objections that other Democrats lodged against former President Trump in the previous election.
“She objected just like Democrats who have objected to Republican presidential victories over the years,” wrote Dyer. “Just like in 2017, when Jim McGovern, Jamie Raskin, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Sheila Jackson Lee, Raul Grijalva, and Maxine Waters tried to prevent President Trump’s election win from being certified.”
Dyer also suggested the public is far more concerned with current issues occurring under President Joe Biden than they are with what happened in January — naming skyrocketing unemployment, gas prices, “children forced to wear masks,” vaccine mandates, and “our border being invaded.”
Overall, the two individuals who have come forward say they felt they needed to speak up because they’re looking to set the record straight.
“The reason I’m talking to the committee and the reason it’s so important is that — despite Republicans refusing to participate … this commission’s all we got as far as being able to uncover the truth about what happened at the Capitol that day,” the organizer says. “It’s clear that a lot of bad actors set out to cause chaos. … They made us all look like shit.”
“[The protestors] knew that they weren’t there to sing “Kumbaya” and, like, put up a peace sign,” the planner says. “These frickin’ people were angry.”
Additional Reading: ‘I Was Tortured’: Emotional Jan 6 Testimony from Officers.
Andrea Cipriano is a TCR staff writer.
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