A member of the Proud Boys was in contact with someone in former President Donald Trump’s White House in the days before the Capitol Attack on January 6, reports The New York Times.
An anonymous source familiar with a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigations for cell phones told the Times that it was not clear what they were discussing and that the names of no individual had been released.
The information was found in part because of data obtained by the FBI from technology and telecommunications companies immediately after the riot, when Trump supporters violated the U.S. Capitol and clashed with law enforcement.
The riot resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer.
This comes after Federico Klein, a former assistant to the State Department, was arrested on Thursday in connection with the riots.
The FBI has charged Klein with assaulting police officers, interfering with police during civil disorder and obstructing an official process, both crimes, Politico reports.
Klein was appointed by Trump and worked on his 2016 presidential campaign before becoming a special assistant in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs in the State Department in 2017.
The news comes after Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio told the Times he spoke by telephone with Roger Stone, a close associate of Trump, during a rally in front of Senator Marco Rubio’s house a few days before the attack. on Capitol.
Pre-riot videos show Stone being guarded by six people who were members of The Oath Keepers, a militant extremist group against the government.
Stone told ABC News he had “no prior knowledge” of the riot.
“I could not even tell you the names of those who volunteered to provide my safety because it had to threaten many and my family,” Stone said.
So far, more than 310 people have been charged in the Capitol uprising. More than a dozen have been linked to extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Eath Keepers.
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Do you have a news tip? Contact this reporter at [email protected]