National overview
IDP representatives deny that ‘reconnaissance tours’ are given to Capitol Rioters
Representatives Andy Biggs (R., Ariz.), Mo Brooks (R., Ala.) And Paul Gosar (R., Ariz.) Deny any involvement in organizing the riots last week at the U.S. Capitol after a protest organizer claimed has that he ‘Compiled’ to “exert maximum pressure on Congress while they vote.” Right-wing activist Ali Alexander’s allegation that he collaborated with members of Congress comes in a video that has since been removed on Periscope, which was dug up by the Government Oversight Project. He said weeks before the Capitol storms he was planning something big for January 6, the date Congress met to vote the ballot and confirm the election of President Joe Biden. Alexander intended to “change the hearts and minds of the Republicans who were in the body and hear our loud roar from outside,” he said. Meanwhile, Representative Mikie Sherrill (D., NJ) claimed Tuesday that she saw members of Congress leading people through the U.S. Capitol on a “reconnaissance tour” one day before supporters of President Trump stormed the building, though she did not name the members or did not explain. how she knew she was watching a so-called reconnaissance tour. “We cannot have a democracy if members of Congress are actively helping the president to reverse the outcome of the election,” she said. ‘I am not only going to see the president removed and never re-elected and not have access to classified material, but also to see that the members of Congress who have held him; the members of Congress who had groups through the Capitol that I saw on January 5 – an exploration for the next day; the members of Congress who incited this violent crowd; the members of Congress who tried to help our president undermine our democracy; I’m going to see to it that they are held accountable, and if necessary, make sure they do not serve in Congress. “Sherill did not say whether the ‘groups’ were Trump supporters or whether he provided any additional information on the ‘reconnaissance’. National Review reached out to Sherrill for comment. A Biggs spokesman told the Washington Post that the congressman had never been in contact with Alexander or other protesters and that he had denied involvement in arranging a protest on Jan. 6. Congressman Biggs is at no stage aware of the hearing or meeting with Mr. “Alexander – not to mention working with him to arrange some part of a planned protest,” the statement read. Brooks also denied on Wednesday that he had any responsibility for the unrest, saying he would not have encouraged any action that would undermine Republican efforts to certify Biden’s victory. “I take great offense at anyone who suggests that I am so politically inexperienced that I want to torpedo my honest and accurate electoral system effort that I have been fighting for months,” Brooks wrote. However, the Washington Post notes that videos and postings on social media suggest ties between Alexander, who is a criminal, and all three members of Congress. Gosar called Alexander a “true patriot” on Twitter and the couple spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Phoenix last month. Patriots remain stuck in their support of @realDonaldTrump and will not lie about the theft of this election. #StopTheSteaI @ali @MichaelCoudrey @michellemalkin @RudyGiuliani @JennPellegrino @RepAndyBiggsAZ pic.twitter.com/hhPltxHoXn – Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) November 30, 2020 On the same occasion, Alexander posted a video message from Biggs. friend ‘and’ hero ‘. “When it comes to January 6, I’ll be down there in the pit of the house with my friend from Alabama’s representative, Mo Brooks,” Biggs said in the recording. A Biggs spokesman told CNN that the congressman recorded the video at the request of Gosar’s staff. While Alexander lamented the riots and said in a video about Periscope that he wished people did not enter the Capitol or even go up the stairs, he appeared before the unrest to vote in favor of to stop the voices. If the Democrats stopped an objection from Republicans, “everyone can guess what I and 500,000 others will do to the building,” he wrote on Twitter in December, according to Daily Beast. “1776 is * always * an option.” At a rally on the eve of the vote, Alexander won a “victory or death!” sing. However, he told the Washington Post that he remained “peaceful” during the siege, claiming that his earlier speeches “called for peace” and that he was being misrepresented. In a video posted shortly after the January 6 riots, while Alexander claims that the majority of protesters were peaceful and praised those who did not enter the building, he adds: ‘I do not reject it. I do not deny it. ”