Rolling Stone has obtained troves of text messages involving individuals tied to the planning of pro-Trump events in the lead-up to the violence of January 6, and troublingly, the messages confirm that there was coordination between these organizers and the Trump team itself as January 6 approached. To be clear, the Women for America First rally in D.C. where Trump himself spoke on January 6 did not, itself, involve explicit plans for violence — but the event provided the springboard for the attack on the Capitol, and either way, it’s clear that knowledge of impending violence may have been held by certain Trump allies. Steve Bannon said on January 5 that “all hell” would unfold the following day.
When the sordid history of the Trump Republican Party is written, let it be noted that Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger were the only House Republicans brave enough to vote to censure Paul Gosar for inciting political assassination.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) November 17, 2021
The rally where Trump spoke on January 6 took place at The Ellipse, an area in D.C. that is just south of the White House. Individuals involved in putting that rally together also worked on a pro-Trump bus tour that unfolded after the election. Rolling Stone reports as follows:
‘Two sources who were involved in planning the Ellipse rally previously told Rolling Stone they had extensive interactions with members of Trump’s team, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. The text messages provide a deeper understanding of what that cooperation entailed, including an in-person meeting at the White House. Rally organizers also described working with Trump’s team to announce the event, promote it, and grant access to VIP guests.’
One day after Paul Gosar was censured for posting a violent video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Donald Trump endorsed Gosar.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 19, 2021
Among other examples, organizer Amy Kremer texted in late November of last year to say that she “was temporarily getting off the bus to travel to Washington for a White House meeting,” as summarized by Rolling Stone, and those goings-on at the White House seemed set to include an opportunity to connect with the then-president himself. As Kremer put it in a text, she’d “make sure the President knows about the tour tomorrow.” As planning went on, Kylie Kremer (Amy’s daughter) texted in early January that it was “a combination of us and WH” handling VIP passes for the January 6 rally, again showing apparent close coordination between the two. At a different point, Kylie said more broadly that if “anyone doesn’t like what… team trump and I are doing then you don’t have to come to January 6th.”
NH GOP Gov. Sununu says on CNN that it was right for Gosar to be censured and removed from committees — and that “of course” it was ok for the 13 House Republicans to vote for a BIF.
“We have our priorities wrong.”
— Ursula Perano (@UrsulaPerano) November 21, 2021
It’s unclear as of this point whether the Kremers, who were subpoenaed by the House riot investigation committee, have actually provided testimony to the panel, as demanded. An attorney close to what’s unfolding told Rolling Stone, though, that Congressional investigators have been able to obtain “tons of” records from group chats. Investigators have also already heard from a lot of people — committee member Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said on CNN recently that the committee had heard from over 200 witnesses. Read more at this link.
“From all the information we’ve learned, I believe my brother to be a co-conspirator in a coup attempt against the United States government. So I think expulsion is actually the most appropriate next step,” says Jennifer Gosar, younger sister of Rep. Gosar https://t.co/oZosn0QC5V
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 21, 2021
