Former Staff Members of January 6th Committee 'Very Scared and Skittish'
Radical Reports reached out to several former staff members of the January 6th Committee, and few were willing to speak due to fears of being targeted by the incoming Trump Administration.
The 119th U.S. Congress today certified the results of the 2024 presidential election “without violence or mayhem,” and the proceedings took place in the shadow of the 4th anniversary of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. However, when president-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office on January 20th, he has pledge that in the “first hour” of taking power he will pardon those that participated in the Capitol Riot and use government power to seek retribution against his perceived political opponents.
Those that investigated the violent attack on American democracy believe that if Trump fulfills his promise to pardon all or some of the Capitol Riot defendants it would be a “disaster,” and experts believe the possibility the government being used to target political opponents for retribution is comparable to an “alternative authoritarian universe.”
Radical Reports reached out to several former staff members of the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, and few were willing to speak due to fears of being targeted by the incoming Trump Administration. After reaching out directly or through intermediaries to more than a dozen former staff members, only one would speak on the record and two spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A former staff member of the Committee who was in contact with several of their former colleagues, said that “everyone is feeling very scared and skittish.”
“I just can't think of anything worse or more destabilizing.”
Trump has promised to pardon those who have been arrested, charged, or convicted for participating in the Capitol Riot, and during his victory speech called the Capitol Riot defendants “hostages” and “patriots.” However, Trump at times has sent mixed messages about exactly who he may pardon, and signaled that he may consider only pardoning the nonviolent offenders — which is at odds with the demands of many of his supporters.
During an interview with Time, Trump said that he would consider pardoning Capitol Riot defendants on a “case-by-case” basis. “We're going to look at each individual case, and we're going to do it very quickly, and it's going to start in the first hour that I get into office. And a vast majority of them should not be in jail,” Trump said.
In the four years since the attack on the U.S. Capitol, there have been more than 1,572 individuals charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related Capitol Riot, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting law enforcement officers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Many of the loudest voices on the far right have demanded that Trump grant full and unconditional pardons to all of the Capitol Riot defendants, regardless of whether or not they have been charged with violent offenses.
Philip Anderson, who has plead not guilty to crimes related to the Capitol Riot and become a vocal proponent of unconditional pardons for all Capitol Riot defendants, and has used social media to habitually traffic in misinformation and conspiracy theories, called for members of the Committee to be investigated, and even called for political opponents to be “executed for treason.”
There have been several Capitol Riot defendants that have claimed in court proceedings that they expected to be pardoned by Trump. Philip Grillo, who was convicted for crimes related to the Capitol Riot, reportedly said after he was taken into custody that “Trump’s gonna pardon me.” In a court filing, an attorney representing Thomas Osborne, who is currently on trial for crimes related to the Capitol Riot, reportedly wrote that a pardon from Trump is “almost a certainty.”
Capitol Riot defendants have even requested to attend Trump’s inauguration.
Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the far right militia group the Oath Keepers, was convicted of seditious conspiracy and evidence tampering and sentenced to 18-years in prison, and is among the Capitol Riot defendants seeking a presidential pardon. James Lee Bright, an attorney representing Rhodes, told CNN that Rhodes is “someone truly who should be pardoned.”
If Rhodes and other former leaders of far right extremists groups, such as the Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, and Proud Boys, are pardoned for their crimes related to the Capitol Riot, they would be able leave prison and return to a far right extremist movement that has been invigorated and embolden by Trump’s election and upcoming return to the White House.
The family of Rhodes has said they fear for their safety if Rhodes is granted a pardon. Tasha Adams, the ex-wife of Rhodes, told USA Today that Rhodes is “somebody that had a kill list.” She believe Rhodes needs to stay in jail for her and her family’s protection, “Obviously, now I'm on this list, and so are some of my kids, I'm sure.”
While is seems nearly certain that Trump will pardon some portion of the Capitol Riot defendants, former staffers of the Committee and experts in far right extremism believe that pardons of the Capitol Riot defendants will have serious consequences.
Heidi Beirich, chief strategy officer and co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), told Radical Reports that the pardoning of Capitol Riot defendants would “seriously undermine the rule of law” and minimize the seriousness of the crimes committed, as well as create a permission structure for “further similar actions by extremists” who oppose the results of any future election.
“This would also probably result in a significant remobilization and emboldening of the extremist groups, like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, who would feel justified for their actions and empowered by the president,” Beirich said. “Overall, it would be a disaster for democracy and the rule of law and engender much more extremism in the future.”
Dean Jackson, a consultant who worked for the Committee, told Radical Reports that if president-elect Trump were to pardon all of the Capitol Riot defendants it would be a “disaster,” because many of the leaders of the far right extremists groups would have the “determination to remobilize and the ability to capitalize” on their newfound freedom.
“It would send a signal that really, right wing violence enjoys impunity at the ultimate level. That if you're participating in a riot where people are actively trying to assassinate members of the legislative branch during an insurrection — it's a fundamental question about who is allowed to commit acts of violence in America,” Jackson said. “I just can't think of anything worse or more destabilizing.”
Trump has repeatedly promised retribution against his perceived political opponents, and many of his supporters have called for the investigation and prosecution of those that lead or participated in the many investigations of Trump – particularly with regard to the investigations into the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Members of Congress that served on the Committee have previously been the target of threats and harassment, and staff members that worked for the Committee have also been the target of threats and harassment — both during the Committee’s investigation and since publication of the Committee’s final report.
Jacob Glick, an investigative counsel for the Committee, told Roll Call that his work on the Committee exposed him and his colleagues to threats and required additional security measures. After interviewing a prominent conspiracy theorist, Glick said that he wondered if he would become a target, “as a gay Jewish lawyer who works for Jamie Raskin, am I all of the sudden going to become this linchpin of QAnon?”
Several of Trump’s prominent supporters and some potential officials in his upcoming administration have called for retribution against his perceive political opponents, and have created “enemies list” and plans for exacting revenge against people they claim have persecuted Trump.
Kash Patel, Trump’s announced nominee for the director of the FBI and who has published a literal enemies list in the appendix of his book, has suggested conducting criminal investigations of lawmakers and witnesses who gave evidence to the Committee. Patel has also “repeatedly insinuated or argued that the FBI used its confidential human sources or employees to instigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and entrap Trump’s supporters,” according to an analysis of Patel’s public statements.
Ivan Raiklin, a far right activist and self-appointed “secretary of retribution,” has circulated a “deep state target list” with over 300 names of Trump’s political opponents, including the members of the Committee. Raiklin has also targeted staff members of the committee, and posted an image on social media of the names of the staffers and consultants that were listed in the Committee’s final report, and wrote that he would “personally guarantee America will exact maximum Retribution to those on the Deep State Target List and their Staff.”
Right-wing media has also closely followed the staff members of the Committee.
The Gateway Pundit, the far right website that traffics in conspiracy theories, published the names and salaries of the staff members of the Committee, and this was widely shared in online spaces populated by the far right. The Washington Examiner, a right-wing online publication, reported on how a former senior investigative counsel for the Committee was the “latest staffer from the disbanded panel to enter or reenter a lucrative practice.”
Several of the former staff members of the Committee have been mentioned by name in online spaces populated by the far right, including on social media, forums, and encrypted chat rooms. David Buckley, staff director of the Committee, and others in leadership positions on the Committee have most often been the target of the far right online, and there have repeatedly been calls for Buckley and others that held leadership positions to be investigated and charged with treason.
Also, the staff members of the members of Congress who served on the Committee have also been mentioned by name in online spaces populated by the far right, including screenshots of staff members LinkedIn profiles and their contact information has been widely shared on social media.
“What happens when you or your family are the target of online harassment or even death threats, and the source of the threat is coming from extremely powerful people within the government?”
It remains to be seen just how Trump may use the levers of government power to seek retribution, if any potential members the administration will investigate the those that participated in the investigations of Trump, and if supporters will seek their own vigilante revenge against the perceived political opponents of Trump.
However, former staffers of the Committee and experts in far right extremism told Radical Reports that it’s important to take the threats seriously.
“Never in my lifetime has an incoming administration threatened so many people who were doing the good work of protecting our country,” Beirich said. “The environment is chilling with so many good people fearing persecution. Seems like we are living in an alternative, authoritarian universe already. It’s an absolute disgrace.”
A former staffer, an investigator for the Committee who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Radical Reports that they have increasingly become concerned about not only the threat of being targeted by the Trump Administration, but also from the threats from “supporters of president-elect Trump who have become radicalized by conspiracy theorists and far right extremists.”
“When you consider how Elon Musk has recently used his social media platform to target individual civil servants, and the rabid response from his hundreds of millions of followers — it’s a real concern that you could become targeted by the president-elect or one of his political allies,” the former investigator said. “What happens when you or your family are the target of online harassment or even death threats, and the source of the threat is coming from extremely powerful people within the government?”
Another former staffer, an investigative analyst for the Committee, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Radical Reports that the threats of retribution by Trump and possible administration officials are definitely something they are “thinking about and watching.” The former staffer also wondered if the threats amount to a “circus or a deterrent.”
“You will see people have already been emboldened since the election, right? It wouldn't surprise me all to see an increase in threats from non government sources,” the former investigative analyst said.
When it comes to possible retribution from government sources, the former investigative analyst said that there are a “hundred ways they can make your life uncomfortable and unpleasant without having to prosecute you.” However, the former staffer also said they suspect that higher profile individuals will more than likely be targeted as Trump Administration officials may seek “scalps from highly visible people.”
“This is probably the most important thing I will do for my career or my country. I think a lot of the staff feel that way, and are immensely proud of the time they've been on that Committee. The possibility of being prosecuted for it is dystopian, and just the fact that I'm on a signal chat with people discussing whether or not we'll receive a Presidential pardon is surreal, and really dark.”
Screw tRUMP and his minions.
Amazing reporting thanks for this.