Influenced by a Twitter post from Donald Trump, the Proud Boys far-right organization planned and "ultimately led the invasion of the Capitol and the violence" of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney said Thursday.
Cheney, R-Wyoming, said that Trump's tweet on Dec. 19, 2020, calling for supporters to head to Washington, D.C., for a protest on Jan. 6, 2021, was a "pivotal moment" that "initiated a chain of events" leading to the insurrection.
"The indictment of a group of Proud Boys alleges that they planned 'to oppose by force the authority of the government of the United States.' And according to the department of justice ... the defendants directed, mobilized and led members of the crowd onto the Capitol grounds and into the Capitol," Cheney said.
The Proud Boys and followers would dismantle metal barracades, destroy property, breach the Capitol building and assault law enforcement members, Cheney said, citing the U.S. Department of Justice.
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