2 Jan. 6 rally organizers say they will implicate GOP members of Congress in plot to overturn Trump's loss


Two people who helped plan the Jan. 6 rally in Washington that preceded the Capitol insurgency have begun sharing their knowledge with the House Jan. 6 committee, and they have "explosive allegations that multiple members of Congress were intimately involved in planning both [former President Donald] Trump's efforts to overturn his election loss and the Jan. 6 events that turned violent," Rolling Stone reported Sunday.
The two organizers described participating in dozens of planning briefings ahead of the Jan. 6 riot. "I remember Marjorie Taylor Greene specifically," one organizer told Rolling Stone. Along with Greene (R-Ga.), both planners said GOP Reps. Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Madison Cawthorn (N.C.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), and Louie Gohmert (Texas) or their top staffers participated in the conversations.
"We would talk to Boebert's team, Cawthorn's team, Gosar's team like back to back to back to back," the organizer said. Rolling Stone said it "has separately obtained documentary evidence that both sources were in contact with Gosar and Boebert on Jan. 6." Greene "had nothing to do with planning of any protest," a spokesman said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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 two Jan. 6 rally organizers told Rolling Stone there were tensions between their main rally near the White House, in which Trump spoke and urged his supporters to walk to the Capitol and "fight like hell," and a Jan. 6 "Wild Protest" on the Capitol lawn organized by "Stop the Steal" head Alexander Ali.
Ali said in a since-deleted livestream that he, Gosar, Brooks, and Biggs "schemed up" the "Wild" protest, and Gosar, Greene, and Boebert were listed as speakers at that Capitol protest. But the two organizers of the main protest said Alexander had agreed to call of his event, then reneged, and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows declined to step in and stop that second, potentially explosive event. "They knew that they weren't there to sing 'Kumbaya' and, like, put up a peace sign," the second planner told Rolling Stone.
The established plan, they said, was for Trump and his allies to present evidence of election fraud while the GOP representatives objected to certifying President Biden's victory. "The Capitol was never in play," the planner told Rolling Stone. "The breaking point for me," the first organizer said, was when "Trump starts talking about walking to the Capitol."
Read more about the organizers' allegations, including Trump "blanket pardons" Gosar promised them, at Rolling Stone.
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
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies
speed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'We should end this betrayal of man's best friend'
Instant Opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?
The Explainer Trump is not the only US president who has tried to gain control of Greenland
By The Week UK Published
-
What dangers does the leaked Signal chat expose the US to?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The White House's ballooning group chat scandal offered a masterclass in what not to say when prying eyes might be watching
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies urge White House to admit chat blunder
Speed Read Even pro-Trump figures are criticizing The White House's handling of the Signal scandal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Even authoritarian regimes need a measure of public support — the consent of at least some of the governed'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published