Morning Briefing: Proud Boys Promise Retribution for Investigation and Prosecution of Capitol Rioters
Members of the Proud Boys and their supporters online are engaged in violent rhetoric and revenge fantasies against their perceived enemies: 'They need to pay for what they did.'

Morning Briefing: Members of the Proud Boys, the far right violent extremists group, and their supporters online are engaged in violent rhetoric and revenge fantasies against former members that accepted plea deals and provided testimony against other Proud Boys — and there's a significant possibility of real world violence.
Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys who was among the Capitol rioters that received a pardon from President Donald Trump, told Alex Jones that the people who were involved in investigating and prosecuting the Capitol rioters “need to be imprisoned,” and added that “we need to find and put them behind bars for what they did. They need to pay for what they did.”
The spreading of misinformation is ideologically asymmetrical, and “radical-right populists are far more likely to spread falsehoods than their counterparts,” according to a new study which also “points to the creation of an ‘alternative media ecosystem’ by far-right groups.”
In Vermont, a state judge has “rejected the latest bid by a self-professed white nationalist to toss out charges that he illegally possessed high-capacity firearm magazines in a case that stretches back nearly six years.”
In Kentucky, local law enforcement is reportedly “investigating after racist fliers purportedly issued by the Ku Klux Klan that directed immigrants to ‘leave now’ and ‘avoid deportation’ were found” in several cities in the state on Inauguration Day.
In Flushing, Michigan, there have reportedly been “antisemitic and white supremacist flyers are appearing on doorsteps” in various communities in the state, and the flyers apparently “contained QR codes and links” to websites operated by the Goyim Defense League (GDL), a White Supremacists neo-Nazi group.
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Tyler Hicks writes that “hundreds of heavily armed, civilian-led militias exist across the country, and many of the groups at the southern border are friendly with law enforcement. Some even provide auxiliary support for local sheriffs and Border Patrol, calling local law enforcement when they encounter migrants near the border. As President Donald Trump boasts of a forthcoming ‘mass deportation,’ researchers and aid workers worry armed militias could play an informal role in that work… Many militias have boasted of strong ties with Border Patrol, occasionally using them to further their legitimacy. Others have worn gear strikingly similar to the Border Patrol uniform, or even impersonated agents altogether. In late 2020, a court sentenced Jim Benvie, a member of the group United Constitutional Patriots, to nearly two years in prison for impersonating a Border Patrol agent. Prior to his arrest, he and his fellow militia members frequently stopped people near the border and called the agency, who came to pick up the immigrants. The year prior, that militia had made international headlines when its armed members detained a group of migrants near Flora Vista, New Mexico. There are many examples of this type of supplemental support.” [Inkstick]
Liz Crampton writes that “Donald Trump has powerful allies on the ground preparing to help him execute his plan to deport millions of illegal immigrants: the nation’s sheriffs. Long viewed as crucial to federal immigration authorities’ efforts to track down and remove people who cross the border illegally, many Republican sheriffs are preparing in a second Trump term to arrest even more. Many of these sheriffs, aligned with Trump, are expecting to see an expansion of a federal program empowering them to interview and detain suspected undocumented immigrants. They’re also hopeful Congress will supply funding that would allow them to conduct more patrols specifically intent on capturing migrants… many Republican sheriffs believe they have never had more political capital than at this moment. Frustration over immigration helped propel Trump to the White House — and sheriffs’ cooperation will be instrumental in his plans to carry out an expensive and complicated mass deportation operation. Sheriffs are unique in law enforcement in that they are elected to their positions — and many have latched onto Trump’s tough-on-crime brand to boost their own political prospects.” [Politico]
Jeffrey Salkin writes that “it is about the ghosts of Jan. 6, 2021 — the day rioters assaulted the Capitol in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. They invaded the Capitol building itself; they sought to harm Nancy Pelosi; they erected gallows and called for the hanging of Mike Pence; they assaulted 140 law enforcement officers. Please read that again: 140 law enforcement officers. Every member of the police force in America should be enraged. Trump has called that dark day in American history a ‘day of love’ and the people arrested afterward ‘political prisoners’ and ‘hostages.’ In one of his first official acts since being sworn in on Monday (Jan. 20), President Trump issued sweeping pardons to nearly all of the 1,600 rioters charged with storming the Capitol, and commuted the sentences of several others. More than 170 people have been accused of using a deadly or dangerous weapon, such as a fire extinguisher or bear spray, against police officers, prosecutors have said. That is all you need to know about the new America. It will become an America in which white right-wing rioters can create mayhem without fear of penalty; an America that actually honors right-wing mayhem; an America that actually has no respect for law enforcement officers, as long as they are assaulted for the ‘right’ political reasons; an America that will permit and applaud citizen militias; an America that will tolerate political violence (of which Trump was, himself, a victim, with two assassination attempts); an America without the rule of law.” [Religion News Service]
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; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.
Do you know when and where we first realized this was a problem? 9:02 am, April 19, 1995 in downtown OKC. The bombing was never just two random guys and the choice to ignore radical militias from that day on is what led us here. It’s like pretending the funky mole on your leg that keeps getting bigger is no big deal so you ignore it until one day your doctor tells you, “Oh, that spot on your leg? It’s melanoma and you’ve got stage 4 cancer. Better get your affairs in order.”
I say bring it on. Just waiting for them to stir some shit up so there will be a reason to light a fire under people’s asses.