- The organizer behind the rally that preceded the Capitol siege said that three Republican congressmen, representatives Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks and Paul Gosar helped him plan last week’s event.
- Biggs and Brooks denied helping Ali Alexander, and a spokesman for Gosar declined a request for comment.
- “The four of us plan to put maximum pressure on Congress while they vote,” said Alexander.
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Ali Alexander, the organizer behind the “Stop the Steal” movement, said three Republican congressmen helped him plan the January 6 demonstration that preceded the armed Capitol insurrection, which left five dead.
Alexander said Representatives Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks and Paul Gosar helped him plan the event that took place as Congress prepared to certify the electoral vote for President-elect Joe Biden, the Washington Post reported.
“The four of us plan to put maximum pressure on Congress while they vote,” Alexander said in a deleted Periscope video.
He added to The Post that the plan was “to change the hearts and minds of the Republicans who were in that body, listening to our loud roar from outside.”
A spokeswoman for Gosar told Insider: “The congressman has no comments at this time.”
Daniel Stefanski, spokesman for deputy Andy Biggs, told Insider that Alexander’s claims were “absolutely false”.
“Congressman Biggs is not aware of having heard of or met with Mr. Alexander at any time – much less working with him to organize any part of a planned protest on January 6. He had no contact with protesters or protesters. , nor to ever encourage or encourage the demonstration or protests on January 6, “said Stefanski.
Insider was unable to contact Brooks for comment at the time of publication, but in an official statement from his office he said he did not know the siege of the Capitol would occur after he spoke at a rally that preceded him.
“Also, I spoke very early in the political rally. There was music, there was my speech, there was more music, then there were a number of speakers, and a few hours later, President Trump started to speak,” said Brooks.
“I ask this question, if my comments were as inspiring as the socialists and their Fake News Media allies want the public to believe, why didn’t the Trump rally participants get up immediately and stormed the Capitol?” said the statement.
On January 6, Trump supporters violated the U.S. Capitol and clashed with the police, interrupting the joint session of Congress while lawmakers debated challenges to electoral votes before certifying Biden’s election. Five people died, including a Capitol police officer and a woman who was shot by police.
A week later, the House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump for “inciting insurrection” for his role in the armed insurrection.
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Trump had previously made false and unfounded allegations of electoral fraud and made false claims that Vice President Mike Pence, who oversaw the certification process at the joint session of Congress, could “decertify” the votes and give him a second term.
Other Republicans, including Biggs, Brooks and Gosar, were also examined for their language in perpetuating Trump’s false narrative.
The Daily Beast reported that Alexander, a criminal who grew in popularity for supporting and supporting Trump’s allegations of electoral fraud, has already been banned from Twitter, on several occasions last month suggested that they could resort to violence on January 6, if the votes were certified.
“We are going to convince them not to certify their vote on January 6 by marching hundreds of thousands, if not millions of patriots, to sit in DC and close that city, right?” Alexander said during a rally in Arizona. “And if we have to explore options after that … ‘yet.’ Still!”
Alexander attended a rally the night before the certification vote and led a corner of, “Victory or death!”
Gosar tagged Alexander on several Twitter Posts the next morning, which asked Biden to grant the election (which he won by 7 million votes).
Gosar and Alexander also spoke at a December 19 event, the Post reported. After this event, Gosar called Alexandre a “true patriot.” In addition, a video message from Biggs was shown at the same event where he said he and Brooks would challenge certification on January 6.
Alexander called Biggs “friend” and “hero”. Biggs told CNN that he only appeared on the video after a request from Gosar’s team.
Alexander told the Post that he remained at peace during the event and that his speeches mentioned peace, but were misinterpreted.
However, in one video he posted after the siege, he said, “I don’t reject it. I don’t report it.”
Azmi Haroun contributed to this report.