I don’t totally buy the story that Trump’s minions were sold a bill of goods. Looks to me a lot like the insurrectionists commissioned the lie they used as an excuse to storm the Capitol.
The Independent
Extremist supporters of former President Donald Trump charged with storming the US Capitol building during the January 6 insurrection sent a surge of donations to his campaign in the weeks following his electoral defeat, according to a new report.
Mr Trump and the political groups funding his re-election bid saw a massive spike in fundraising after the November election, as the former president continued to promote lies and conspiracy theories surrounding the national vote.
(snip)
“Trump successfully convinced many of his followers that unless they acted, and acted fast, their very way of life was about to come to an end,” James Horgan, head of the Georgia State University’s Violent Extremism Research Group, told the news outlet. “He presented a catastrophic scenario whereby if the election was — for him — lost, his followers would suffer as a result. He made action not just imperative, but urgent, convincing his followers that they needed to do everything they could now, rather than later, to prevent the ‘enemy’ from claiming victory.”
In total, the former president saw over $200 million in political contributions following his electoral defeat last year.
Make no mistake, their relationship with Trump was quid pro quo… Every one of them spent political capital they didn’t have hoping to get the result they all wanted. It’s gonna cost them everything, including their freedom…
NBC News
An NBC News analysis of campaign finance filings found that in the five weeks after the election, those charged in the Capitol riot increased their political donations by about 75 percent compared to the five weeks leading up to the election. Many had made very few or no donations at all in previous years, but they began escalating their numbers of contributions as Trump was trying to overturn Joe Biden's victory.
(snip)
"I think, quite simply, it shows the effectiveness of Trump's messaging in the weeks leading up to the election and then how much his stolen election lie resonated with his base after the election," said Kurt Braddock, an assistant professor of public communication at American University and a fellow at its Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab. "Trump sold the idea to his followers that not only was the election stolen, but also that it was up to his constituents to help make things 'right.'"
(snip)
Some of those charged in connection with the riot made their first political contributions after the election, donating to Trump, the RNC or groups like the Trump Make America Great Again Committee. Several more made their first donations to political causes and candidates during the 2020 campaign cycle.
(snip)
More than 50 politicians, political action committees and other groups and causes received donations from those charged in the riot. They include Republicans like former Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California; Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine; Reps. Burgess Owens of Utah and Elise Stefanik of New York; failed candidates like Kim Klacik, a House candidate in Maryland, Joe Collins, a House candidate in California, and Kris Kobach, a Senate candidate in Kansas; the National Republican Senatorial Committee; and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
The Feds are working hard to track these seditious criminals down and bring them to justice...
Axios
By the numbers: A total of more than 900 search warrants have been executed in nearly every state and Washington, D.C. Documents and evidence compiled by investigators across dozens of federal and local law enforcement agencies include:
- More than 15,000 hours of surveillance and body-worn camera footage from the day of the attack.
- Approximately 1,600 electronic devices and the results of hundreds of searches of electronic communications providers.
- Over 210,000 tips, "of which a substantial portion include video, photo and social media."
- Over 80,000 reports and 93,000 attachments related to interviews of suspects and witnesses.
Investigators are identifying suspects at an amazing rate...
ABC 11
A Justice Department official said [...] approximately 316 individuals have been charged but the department has still only unsealed roughly 290 cases [...] meaning multiple cases remain unsealed as agents try and track down individuals to arrest them.
(snip)
"As the Capitol Attack investigation is still on-going, the number of defendants charged and the volume of potentially discoverable materials will only continue to grow," the filing states.
As many cases move into the discovery phase, the Justice Department says it is working in consultation with the Federal Public Defender's office to develop a comprehensive plan for managing all of the evidence that defendants will expect them to produce relevant to government's prosecutions.
The FBI continues to seek the public’s assistance in identifying individuals who participated in unlawful conduct during the Capitol Insurrection.
If you have information about morally bankrupt fools who pissed it all away at the Capitol Riot on January 6th, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or leave a tip online. You may also submit relevant photos and videos to the FBI here.