10/23/2023 0 Comments Martial law trump riotsPerhaps the most important inflection point in the immediate lead up to the certification of Electoral College votes came on Dec. 29, 2020, he told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” and that “somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left.” Over the course of the year he had celebrated and encouraged shows of political violence. During the first presidential debate on Sept. 23, 2020 White House press conference, Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost the election. 6 – in particular, the groundwork Trump laid for how his supporters and militia group members would subsequently interpret the former President’s signals (See also, “Incitement Timeline: Year of Trump’s Actions Leading to the Attack on the Capitol”).īeginning in the general election campaign for the presidency, several key moments presaged Trump’s unwillingness to concede his loss to Biden, and the ultimately violent interference in the transfer of power. Background Contextīefore delving into the three types of information in detail, it is important to recall the conditions preceding Jan. The mounting evidence that members of extremist organizations and their sympathizers were treating then-President Trump’s words as instructions is indicative of his responsibility for the events that took place on Jan. These ties vary from attenuated and decentralized connections to leadership positions within the organizations. This connection is evident among those with ties to extremist organizations, including the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters. The House Select Committee has been particularly interested in exploring possible connections between The Donald and Trump’s advisors, as a massive amount of planning and coordination for the insurrection was hosted on the forum.Īn analysis of these threads of information suggests a causal connection between former President Trump’s words and the subsequent actions of his supporters who joined the insurrection. Third, research on TheDonald.win (“The Donald”)- a hard-right, pro-Trump online forum-conducted by the non-partisan investigative organization Advance Democracy, Inc., provides corroborating accounts of individuals affiliated with extremist organizations taking the former president’s words as instructions. 6, and prosecutors’ allegations about defendants’ activities. This material includes, for example, evidence of what defendants said in social media and other communications prior to Jan. Second, evidence presented by government prosecutors has illuminated connections to Trump, and government prosecutors have drawn a causal link between Trump’s encouragement and the actions of his supporters. 6 riot, but additional defendants have introduced similar arguments that will be tested in court.īut it is not just the representations of defendants on their own behalf that point to Trump. One jury recently rejected this defense for the first time in the case of Dustin Thompson, an Ohio man convicted of six charges stemming from the Jan. 6 because they were encouraged to act by Trump, both in the weeks leading up to the certification of Electoral College votes and during his speech at the Ellipse. Defense counsel have argued, for instance, that the defendant bears diminished culpability for participation in the events of Jan. This article examines the publicly available evidence to date relying on three types of information.įirst, several defendants have invoked Trump in their own statements to judges. 6 criminal cases, is the extent to which then-President Donald Trump is responsible for the actions of many who stormed the Capitol that day, especially including those with ties to extremist organizations. Capitol, as well as federal courts handling Jan. By Heather Szilagyi, Ryan Goodman and Justin HendrixĪ significant question facing the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the U.S.
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