Two people who helped plan the pro-Trump rallies that took place in Washington, D.C., ahead of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 say members of Congress and the White House helped plan the protest that turned violent.
The two people spoke to Rolling Stone for a report published Sunday evening. Neither of the sources were identified, though Rolling Stone described one as a “rally organizer” and another as a “planner.”
Rolling Stone reported the two are also talking to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack.
The sources said they took part in “dozens” of planning briefings before the Jan. 6 rally where Trump spoke. That rally ended with protesters marching to the Capitol, where they overwhelmed Capitol Police and invaded the building, interrupting the counting of Electoral College votes by a joint session of Congress. Five deaths were connected the the violence.
The two sources for the Rolling Stone piece said the members who either participated in the work or sent top staffers included GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Madison Cawthorn (N.C.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Louie Gohmert (Texas.).
Both organizers also told the magazine that Mark Meadows, who was serving as then-President Trump’s chief of staff, played a significant role in discussions regarding the protests ahead of Jan. 6.
One of the planners said “Meadows was 100 percent made aware of what was going on,” adding that he was “a regular figure in these really tiny groups of national organizers.”
The sources also said concerns were raised to Meadows that the “Stop the Steal” protest could turn violent.
Meadows has been subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 panel. The committee said he is, “so far, engaging with the Select Committee.”
Rolling Stone reported that Gosar floated the possibility of a “blanket pardon” that could be available for those planning the protests, with one of the two sources saying that “our impression was that it was a done deal.”
“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,” the source added.
The source said Gosar offered “several assurances” about the pardons.
Gosar’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill and did not comment for the Rolling Stone piece.
Greene’s office responded to Rolling Stone’s report in a statement to The Hill, contending that the congresswoman and her staff were solely focused on objecting to the certification of the Electoral College vote and “had nothing to do with the planning of any protest.”
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Report: Rally organizers say GOP lawmakers worked on Jan. 6 protests https://t.co/BB5InHpjBI pic.twitter.com/hEkW3i7ex2
— The Hill (@thehill) October 25, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Jan. 6 Protest Organizers Say They Participated in ‘Dozens’ of Planning Meetings With Members of Congress and White House Staff https://t.co/HfpcnB1TwN
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) October 25, 2021
Not Mo Brooks, we need Less Brooks. https://t.co/InpAh2uGDc
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) October 26, 2021
Not much is being made of this in most news media and there should be. Rolling Stone is not considered a legitimate news source, so it’s going to be discounted, particularly by the pro-Trump media. At the very least, “real news” should be following up to verify these allegations. Certainly, the January 6 commission should be looking at all of it. But I have zero confidence the story will go anywhere, just as I have little confidence in the January 6 commission.
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