The New York Times
FBI finds contact between proud boys and Trump associate before riot
WASHINGTON – A member of the far-right nationalist Proud Boys was in contact with a person linked to the White House in the days just before the January 6 attack on the Capitol, according to a law enforcement official who informed about the investigation. is. The location, cellular and call record data revealed a call linking a Proud Boys member to the Trump White House, the official said. The FBI did not determine what they were discussing, and the official did not want to reveal the names of either party. The connection revealed by the communications data comes as the FBI intensifies its investigation into contacts among far-right extremists, Trump White House members and conservative congressmen in the days leading up to the attack. Subscribe to The Morning Newsletter of the New York Times The same data shows no evidence of communication between the rioters and members of Congress during the deadly attack, the official said. This undermines the democratic claims that some Republican lawmakers actively participated in that day. Separately, Enrique Tarrio, a leader of the far-right Nationalist Proud Boys, told The New York Times on Friday that he called Roger Stone, a close associate of former President Donald Trump, during a rally in front of Sen.’s house. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. During the protest, which took place in the days before the attack on the Capitol, he placed Stone on the loudspeaker to address the gathering. A law enforcement official said it was not Tarrio’s communication with Stone that was being investigated, and that the call in front of Rubio’s home was another matter. That two members of the group were in communication with people affiliated with the White House underscores the access that violent extremist groups such as the Proud Boys had to the White House and to people close to the former president. Stone denies “any involvement or knowledge of the attack on the Capitol” in a statement to the Times last month. Tarrio was arrested in Washington on January 4 on a charge of property destruction for his role in burning a Black Lives Matter banner torn from a historic Black church during a December rally in Washington. He was asked to leave the city and was not present when the Capitol was attacked. His case is pending. The Justice Department has charged more than a dozen members of the Proud Boys with crimes related to the attack, including conspiracy to obstruct the final certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory and to attack law enforcers. In court documents, federal prosecutors said groups of Proud Boys also coordinated travel to Washington and shared accommodation near the city, with the aim of disrupting Congress and promoting Trump’s efforts to retain his grip on the presidency illegally. The communication between the person attached to the White House and the member of the Proud Boys was discovered in part by data obtained by the FBI immediately after the assault on technology and telecommunications companies. In the court documents, the FBI warrant appears for a list of all the phones associated with the mobile towers that serve the Capitol, and that he received information from the major cell phone providers about the numbers that were all on the Capitol’s self-towers during the riot called. said the investigation. The FBI has also obtained a geofence warrant for all Android devices that Google seized during the assault in the building, officials said. A Geofence warrant legally gives law enforcers a list of mobile devices that can be identified in a specific geographic area. Jill Sanborn, the FBI’s head of counter-terrorism, testified before a Senate panel on Wednesday that all the information the FBI had gathered in its investigation into the riot had been obtained legally through subpoenas and warrants. Although investigators did not find any contact between the rioters and members of Congress during the attack, the reports in the days leading up to January 6 provided evidence of communication between extremists and lawyers who intended to appear at the protest with Trump. according to one of the officials, it took place just before the assault. The Justice Department is investigating the communication, but it has not yet investigated members, the official said. A department spokesman declined to comment. However, the FBI said on Thursday that it had arrested a former State Department assistant on charges related to the attack, including unlawful interference, violent and disorderly conduct, obstruction of Congress and law enforcement, and assault. an officer with a dangerous weapon. Former aid worker Federico Klein, seen in videos assaulting officers with a stolen riot shield, was the first member of the Trump administration to face criminal charges in connection with the storming of the Capitol. His lawyer declined to comment Friday. Right-wing extremists, including members of the Oath Keepers, a militia group made up primarily of former law enforcers and military personnel, worked as security guards for Republicans and for Trump’s allies, such as Stone. Stone, who was pardoned by Trump after refusing to cooperate with the investigation into the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian intelligence, has known Tarrio for some time and uses Oath Keepers as bodyguards before and on the day of the assault on the Capitol. According to the Department of Justice, communication between Stone and extremist right-wing extremists is determining whether he played any role in the extremists’ plans to disrupt certification on January 6, according to two people familiar with the matter and who are not authorized was about the investigation. If investigative messages find messages showing that Stone had any connection to such plans, they would have a factual basis to open a full criminal investigation into him, the people said. Stone said last month that he had “provided voluntary security by the Oath Guards”, but noted that their security work was not proof that he was involved in, or informed about, plans to attack Congress. He reiterated an earlier statement that anyone involved in the attack should be prosecuted. The Justice Department has charged more than 300 people with crimes stemming from the January 6 assault. It used evidence gathered in the broad-based search for attackers – including information from cellular providers and technology companies – to compile evidence of more sophisticated crimes, such as conspiracy. According to two people familiar with the investigation, possible charges of riotous conspiracy are also being looked at. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. © 2021 The New York Times Company