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Trump’s Ties to Far Right Extremists Fuel January 6 Plot to Stop Transfer of Power

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol today held its seventh public hearing, focusing on the plotting between then-President Donald Trump, other high-ranking members of the GOP and far-right extremist groups. In response, Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-chair of the Not Above the Law Coalition, issued the following statement: 

“Trump’s intimate ties to far-right extremist groups was a cornerstone of his presidency. From Charlottesville, to January 6th, Trump knowingly cultivated groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers to use violence to thwart his opponents and bring racial tensions to a boil across the country. After years of stoking the fears and divisions these hate groups were founded on, he harnessed the organized anger and venom of these groups to form a mob. 

“The Committee brought into sharp focus the steps that led to the terrifying mob we witnessed attack the Capitol on January 6th. The evidence of coordination between Trump, other MAGA Republicans, and white nationalist groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers who led the assault on the Capitol was masterfully explained.”

“Trump and his allies understood, planned and marshaled the building blocks for the physical violence. Today’s hearing showed that nearly everyone close to the president told him that he lost the election, from his own campaign team, to the DOJ, to the White House counsels, but no amount of evidence could sway him from trying to overturn the will of the people.”

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