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Rolling Stone Reports Members of Congress Helped Plan Jan. 6 Events

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

On Sunday, Oct. 24, Rolling Stone revealed that they had spoken with sources in connection with the violent Jan. 6 events in Washington D.C.

One source was referred to as a rally organizer and the other referred to as a planner. Both helped organize the main event—objecting to the election results and electoral certification. 

Rolling Stone reports that two sources have alleged that members of Congress helped to plan the Jan. 6 events. 

The sources named Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) as members who either “participated in these conversations or had top staffers join in.”

Rolling Stone says they have “separately obtained documentary evidence that both sources were in contact with Gosar and Boebert on Jan. 6.” Rolling Stone did not elaborate further to protect the anonymity of the sources.

Rep. Gosar reportedly discussed the possibility of a “blanket pardon” in regards to an unrelated event with the sources to encourage them to continue planning the events. 

The organizer claims that Gosar had told them, “I was just going over the list of pardons and we just wanted to tell you guys how much we appreciate all the hard work you’ve been doing.”

Nick Dyer, the communications director for Rep. Greene told Rolling Stone in an email, “Congresswoman Greene and her staff were focused on the Congressional election objection on the house floor and had nothing to do with the planning of any protest.”  

The sources also alleged that members of Trump’s team were involved in the planning. They named former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Katrina Pierson, who worked for Trump’s campaign in both 2016 and 2020. 

“Katrina was like our go-to girl. She was like our primary advocate,” the organizer told Rolling Stone.

The organizer also told Rolling Stone that Meadows had a chance to stop the violence. “Meadows was 100 percent made aware of what was going on. He’s also like a regular figure in these really tiny groups of national organizers.” said the organizer. 

The planner and organizer both expect to testify publicly. 

“A whole host of people let this go a totally different way,” a senior Republican staffer, who was granted anonymity by Rolling Stone says. “They f*cked it up for a lot of people who were planning to present evidence on the House floor. We were pissed off at everything that happened.”

Following the release of the article, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) tweeted, “Any member of Congress who helped plot a terrorist attack on our nation’s capital must be expelled.”

While Rep. Mo Brooks denied participating in the planning of the Jan. 6 events, he told AL.com that he would be “proud” of his staffers if they had. 

“Quite frankly, I’d be proud of them if they did help organize a First Amendment rally to protest voter fraud and election theft,” Brooks said. 

On Monday, Oct. 25, Rep. Boebert released a statement in which she denied involvement with the events. 

“Let me be clear. I had no role in the planning or execution of any event which took place at the Capitol or anywhere in Washington, DC on Jan. 6,” Boebert said. “Now, grasping at straws, Rolling Stone is using anonymous sources and shoddy reporting to attack me. Thank you, next.”

Read the Rolling Stone article here

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I'm a freshman at Florida State University majoring in Political Science and Editing, Writing and Media. I am passionate about politics, poetry, and people.