Proud Boys leader says the far-right group is 'hemorrhaging money'

Enrique Tarrio.
(Image credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are both struggling to bring in money and hold onto members, as the far-right organizations deal with the repercussions of being connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The Oath Keepers launched in 2009 and the Proud Boys in 2016. The Wall Street Journal interviewed current and former leaders and members of both groups, and they described how the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers first started having financial issues after the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. PayPal booted the Oath Keepers, founder Stewart Rhodes said, even though his group wasn't there, and he had to ask members to send their dues by mail. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio said PayPal, Stripe, and other credit card processors — including several used by porn sites and gun makers — also banned him.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.