WASHINGTON – A member of the far-right nationalist Proud Boys was in communication with a person associated with the White House in the days before the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill, according to a law enforcement official informed about the investigation.
Location, cell phone and call log data revealed a call linking a member of the Proud Boys to the Trump White House, the official said. The FBI did not determine what they discussed, and the officer did not reveal the names of any of the parties.
The connection revealed by the communication data comes as the FBI intensifies its investigation of contacts between far-right extremists, Trump associates in the White House and conservative members of Congress in the days before the attack.
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The same data did not reveal evidence of communications between protesters and members of Congress during the deadly attack, the official said. This weakens Democratic claims that some Republican lawmakers were active participants that day.
Separately, Enrique Tarrio, leader of the far-right nationalists Proud Boys, told The New York Times on Friday that he called Roger Stone, a close associate of former President Donald Trump, during a protest outside the senator’s home. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. During the protest, which took place in the days before the attack on the Capitol, he put Stone on speaker to speak at the meeting.
A policeman said that it was not Tarrio’s communication with Stone that was being examined, and that the call made in front of Rubio’s house was a different matter. The fact that two members of the group were in communication with people linked to the White House underscores the access that violent extremist groups such as the Proud Boys had to the White House and people close to the former president.
Stone denied “any involvement or knowledge of the attack on the Capitol” in a statement last month to the Times.
Tarrio was arrested in Washington on January 4 on charges of destruction of property for his role in burning a Black Lives Matter banner that had been pulled from a historic Black church during a protest in Washington in December. He was asked to leave the city and was not present when the Capitol was attacked. Your case is pending.
The Justice Department has accused more than a dozen members of the Proud Boys of crimes related to the attack, including conspiracy to obstruct President Joe Biden’s final election victory certificate and to attack police officers.
In court documents, federal prosecutors said groups of Proud Boys also coordinated trips to Washington and shared accommodation near the city, with the intention of disrupting Congress and advancing Trump’s efforts to illegally maintain his grip on the presidency.
Communication between the White House person and the Proud Boys member was discovered in part through data the FBI obtained from technology and telecommunications companies immediately after the attack.
Court documents show FBI warrants for a list of all phones associated with the cell towers serving the Capitol, and which received information from major cell phone operators on the numbers called by everyone in the Capitol cell towers during the riot, three officers familiar with the investigation said.
The FBI also obtained a “geofence” warrant for all Android devices that Google recorded inside the building during the attack, officials said. A geofence warrant legally provides law enforcement with a list of mobile devices that can be identified in a specific geographic area. Jill Sanborn, the FBI’s head of counterterrorism, testified before a Senate panel on Wednesday that all the data the FBI gathered in its investigation into the riot was obtained legally through subpoenas and search and seizure warrants.
Although investigators found no contact between the protesters and members of Congress during the attack, these records showed evidence in the days leading up to January 6 of communications between extreme right-wing extremists and lawmakers who planned to attend the rally featuring Trump that took place just before the attack, according to one of the officials.
The Justice Department is examining these communications, but has not opened investigations on any members, the official said. A department spokesman declined to comment.
The FBI, however, said on Thursday that it had arrested a former State Department aide on charges related to the attack, including illegal entry, violent and disorderly conduct, obstruction of Congress and the police and assaulting a police officer with a gun. dangerous.
Former mid-level adviser Federico Klein, who was seen in videos assaulting police officers with a stolen riot shield, was the first member of the Trump administration to face criminal charges in connection with the attack on the Capitol. His lawyer declined to comment on Friday.
Right-wing extremists, including members of Oath Keepers, a militia group that mainly comprises ex-police and military, have been working as security guards for Republicans and Trump allies like Stone.
Stone, who was forgiven by Trump after refusing to cooperate with the investigation of Trump’s campaign contacts with Russian intelligence, has known Tarrio for some time and used Oath Keepers as bodyguards before and on the day of the Capitol attack.
The Justice Department is investigating communications between Stone and far-right extremists to determine whether he played a role in the extremists’ plans to discontinue certification on January 6, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not allowed to talk about it. o investigation.
If investigators found messages showing that Stone had any connection to these plans, they would have a factual basis to open a full-fledged criminal investigation into him, people said.
Stone said last month that he “received voluntary security from the Oath Keepers”, but noted that his security work did not constitute evidence that he was involved in or informed of plans to attack Congress. He reiterated an earlier statement that anyone involved in the attack should be prosecuted.
The Justice Department charged more than 300 people with crimes arising from the January 6 attack. She used evidence gathered in her extensive search for attackers – including information from cell phone providers and technology companies – to help gather evidence for more sophisticated crimes, such as conspiracy.
It is also looking at possible charges of seditious conspiracy, according to two people familiar with the investigation.
This article was originally published in The New York Times.
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