Before Jan. 6, former aide to Roger Stone encouraged Trump supporters to 'descend on the Capitol'
![The Capitol building.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9PMHtGresqeBxFbdi5jcQQ-415-80.jpg)
Jason Sullivan, a onetime aide to Republican operative Roger Stone, was part of a conference call of supporters of then–President Donald Trump a week before the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, and he encouraged them to "descend on the Capitol" while Congress met to finalize the electoral count, The New York Times reports.
The Times obtained a recording of the Dec. 30, 2020, phone call, and says Sullivan — a social media consultant who worked for a political action committee run by Stone, one of Trump's longtime friends and advisers — told those on the line that the election had been stolen from Trump. After declaring that they should "descend on the Capitol," Sullivan claimed he was "not inciting violence or or any kind of riots," but they needed to make lawmakers "understand that people are breathing down their necks."
Sullivan went on to say Trump was going to impose martial law and had no plans to give up the presidency and concede to Joe Biden, the Times reports. "Biden will never be in that White House," Sullivan said. "That's my promise to each and every one of you."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Justice Department has expanded its criminal investigation of the Capitol riot and is looking at those involved in the planning of rallies before the attack. It is not clear if anyone on the phone call with Sullivan went on to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, and Sullivan told the Times he was only sharing "some encouragement" to people "who all felt their votes had been disenfranchised in the 2020 elections."
Sullivan also said he was asked to join the call by a group of anti-vaccine activists who were hosting a "small, permitted event" at the Capitol on Jan. 6. "I only promoted peaceful solutions where Americans could raise their voices and be heard as expressed in our First Amendment," he said in the statement. "I in no way condone the violence of any protesters." Read more at The New York Times.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Paraguay's dangerous dalliance with cryptocurrency
Under The Radar Overheating Paraguayans are pushing back over power outages caused by illegal miners
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week contest: Tattoo prediction
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The GOP is Donald Trump Jr.'s party now
In The Spotlight The former president's gun-loving, live-streaming adult son has emerged as more than just his father's namesake — he's become a Republican powerhouse of his own
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
For God and country: is religion in politics making a comeback?
Talking Point There are many MPs of faith in the new Labour government despite it being the most openly secular House of Commons in history
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The attack on Donald Trump
Opinion We've seen this kind of shooter before
By Susan Caskie Published
-
74 things Donald Trump has said about women
Feature The former president has a long history of controversial remarks about the opposite sex
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DHS opens review of Trump assassination attempt
Speed Read An independent panel will investigate the Secret Service's handling of the shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Can Kamala Harris beat Trump?
Today's Big Question Some senior Democrats are unsure the vice-president can win in November even as party closes ranks behind her
By The Week UK Published
-
Iran: does Masoud Pezeshkian's election mark a turning point?
Talking Point New president is seen as a progressive but much will depend on how the US reacts
By The Week UK Published