Morning Briefing: The January 6th Committee Focuses on Fake Electors Scheme
Morning Briefing: The January 6th Committee Focuses on Fake Electors Scheme
U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack held a fourth day of hearings, and heard testimony on the fake electors scheme intended to overturn the 2020 election results.
Morning Briefing: The Republican Speaker of the Arizona State House of Representatives, Rusty Bowers, provided emotional testimony during the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack hearing, and “described the consequences of refusing to violate his oath of office by declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election.”
During the Select Committee hearing, it was revealed that Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) “attempted to help subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election,” according to text messages released by the committee.
Charlie Kirk, founder of the right-wing Turning Point USA, is “launching Turning Point Academy – the first of what will be a network of private schools focused on a ‘classic, pro-American’ curriculum and a rejection of critical race theory, ‘wokeism’ and "anti-American ideas.’”
There is an increasing amount of extremist violent rhetoric online, and “within the far-right and alt-right spheres, there are myriad ideological issues that are being used by violent extremists to foment division and conflict, with a particular focus on gender, sexuality, and reproductive rights.”
Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf has called for a sheriff’s task force to investigate allegations of voter fraud in Michigan, “explaining that he would like the far-right Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) to handle money for the project” and that a “militia may be necessary if his project does not achieve a ‘redress of grievance.’”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin which warned that “a looming Supreme Court decision on abortion, an increase of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and the midterm elections are potential triggers for extremist violence over the next six months.”
Must Reads
Michael Jensen writes that “the ‘ordinary people’ argument misses, or at least obscures, the extent to which the Capitol rioters were linked to dangerous groups and ideas. According to my team’s research, at least 280 of the individuals charged with committing crimes on Jan. 6 were associated with extremist groups or conspiratorial movements. This includes 78 defendants who had links to the Proud Boys, a group with a history of violence; 37 members of the anti-government Oath Keepers militia; 31 individuals who embraced the similarly anti-government and militant views of the Three Percenters movement; and 92 defendants who promoted aspects of QAnon, a bizarre set of conspiratorial claims that tie liberal politicians, Hollywood celebrities and global elites to a fictitious criminal network engaged in child sex trafficking.” [The Washington Post]
Kathryn Joyce and Ben Lorber write that “while many conservatives have distanced themselves from the groyper movement's official presence at events like its America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) this February — which featured praise of Hitler and calls to hang political opponents — when groypers or their allies show up to hurl abuse at LGBTQ people, they find a warmer reception. Indeed, Saturday's event and the response to it illustrate the deep synergy between the young, white Christian nationalist foot soldiers of the right and the broader conservative mainstream, when the two factions are united around common enemies.” [Salon]
Leah Sottile writes “To do this work, you absolutely must believe that it can make a difference – that it will inform people, expose those with bad intentions. You have to know that revealing the uncomfortable truths about our culture and the hate that persists in this world is the only way to start making changes. That turning your back on it will not make it go away. Bill watched extremists’ every move, and when they died, he watched their gravestones – finding stories and new connections in the racist totems and notes left by followers and mourners. If you don’t believe in the work, why else would you spend your days embedded in chats filled with racist memes, sit through interviews with people spouting hate, listen to audio files of racist preachers? Because make no mistake – this work will make you sick, it will haunt you. A full immersion into hatred will start to rot you from the inside if you’re not careful.” [The Guardian]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right; Field Notes delivers research on key organizations and analysis of the strategies and tactics of the Radical Right.
