An arm of the Republican Attorneys General, a national group representing the leading law enforcement officials in their states, sent out robo calls urging people to march to the U.S. Capitol a day before the building by a pro- Trump crowd stormed.
“At 1 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the stealing,” the voice said on the recording obtained by NBC News.
The calls, which do not advocate violence or suggest the building should be trespassed, were sent by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General. The groups share funding, staff and office space in Washington, DC
In a statement to NBC News, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who manages the fund, said the calls were sent out without his knowledge.
“I was unaware of unauthorized decisions taken by RLDF staff regarding this week’s protest,” said Marshall, who took up his role on November 10.
“Despite the fact that I am currently moving into my role as the newly elected chairman of RLDF, it is unacceptable that I have not been consulted or informed about these decisions. I led an internal review of this matter. ”
The Rule of Law Defense Fund is one of the participating organizations on a website set up to promote the rally before the Capitol attack. The site has since been removed.
Adam Piper, executive director of the Republican Association of Attorneys General, and Peter Bisbee, executive director of the fundraising arm, did not return requests for comment on the robo calls, which were first reported by the watchdog group, Documented. is.
A spokesman for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, the president of the Republican Attorneys General, said he “had no knowledge or involvement in this decision.”
“Attorney General Carr has worked diligently to determine how this situation occurred and to ensure that it does not happen again,” spokeswoman Katie Byrd said.
“The position of the protesters is not in line with Advocate General Carr’s position on election fraud. And as he said since moments after seeing news break, the violence and destruction we saw at the American Capitol is unacceptable and un-American. ”
The Republican Attorney General’s Association raised more than $ 18 million in 2020 from several top corporations, including Pepsi, Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, and Comcast, the parent company of NBC News. Its supporters also include interest groups such as the NRA and the US Chamber of Commerce, which was the largest donor in 2020 with a contribution of $ 750,000.
Many companies that donated to the Republican Attorneys General also donated to the Democratic Party. Several told NBC News that spending money on this type of recruitment for protest is contrary to the purpose of their donation.
Reached for comment, the Chamber of Commerce issued a statement from Harold Kim, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for Legal Reform.
“We are upset about Wednesday’s invasion of the Capital and did not support any efforts of the Fund for the Defense of Rights,” he said. “We do not support similar activities, nor will we do so in the future.”
A Microsoft spokesman said: “We condemn the actions taken by the RLDF and express our concerns directly with RAGA. Earlier this week we spoke with others in the business community about the violence at the US Capitol. unfolded. ”
A spokesman for JP Morgan said his political action committee had donated $ 25,000 to the attorneys general group, none of which went to the Rule of Law Defense Fund.
“Our PAC contributions to the Republican and Democratic Attorneys General associations have been strictly used for campaign purposes by attorneys general,” the spokesman said.
The Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC, which donated $ 150,000 in 2020, said it would immediately repay its sponsorship to the Republican Attorneys General, and oblige the organization.
“We had no knowledge of RAGA’s commitment to the Law Fund or any connection in the January 6 storm of the US Capitol on January 6,” Brandon Scott said.
“Cherokee Nation Businesses does not condense these actions and condemns the insurgents and all those who incited the disruption of the federal government through their words and actions.”
Melaleuca, an online health retailer club, donated $ 290,000 to the Republican Attorneys General in 2020.
“We are upset about the events that followed the storms of the American Capitol,” the company said in a statement. ‘We have never contributed to the Defense Legislative Defense Fund. We have been assured by RAGA that none of our contributions to RAGA have been given to the Rule of Law Defense Fund. ”
Pepsi, the NRA and Comcast did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for the Republican Attorneys General did not ask questions about the robocall, but tried to distance the organization from the event.
“The Republican Attorneys General and the Defense Defense Fund had no involvement in the planning, sponsorship or organization of the meeting Wednesday,” the spokesman said.
‘No Republican AG has the staff’s decision to enlarge a colleague speaking during the event. Organizationally and individually, we strongly condemn and reject the events that took place. ”
One of the members, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, attended the rally and spoke to the crowd, saying, “We will not stop fighting.”
After the Capitol invasion, he tweeted: “I am very disappointed today with the certification of the election, but I do not believe that violence is the answer.”
Paxton’s office did not respond to a request for comment.