Since former President Donald Trump's lies about the validity of the 2020 election prompted a mob of his extremist supporters to storm the United States Capitol on January 6, Trump's allies in Congress have leapt to dismiss the severity of that day.
The vast majority of congressional Republicans recently voted against a bill that would've established a bipartisan commission to investigate the riots. Some have insisted the footage from the Capitol Riots looked like a "normal tourist visit."
But one of the most pervasive lies is that the Trump supporters who shattered windows and ransacked office buildings were actually anti-Trump activists, determined to make the former President look bad.
Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas—just days after suggesting the moon and earth be moved to combat climate change—became the latest to make the false claim.
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Gohmert claimed he was told in a conversation with Capitol Police Officers on January 5 that anti-Trump activists would be dressing up as Trump supporters and threatening the Capitol.
Watch below.
Gohmert said:
"That evening, I was talking to Capitol Police Officers and I said, 'Y'know, let's face it, most of the conservatives that come, they don't have any intention of being violent,' and they said, 'Well we've been briefed today that there's a good bit of online activity that there are people that are gonna be coming that hate Trump but they're gonna dress up in red MAGA Trump paraphernalia to try to blend in and create trouble."
Whether this conversation actually happened or if Gohmert is lying, there are mountains of proof that this was not the case. Trump and his allies in Congress—including Gohmert himself—encouraged Trump supporters to demonstrate on January 6. Some Republicans even likened the day—on which a joint session to confirm now-President Joe Biden's victory was held—to 1776 and a chance to rise up against democracy.
Believing they were doing the right thing, many of these Trump supporters livestreamed their actions at the Capitol and bragged about ransacking offices on social media.
What's more, hundreds of arrests have been made of Capitol Rioters, virtually all of whom had a long record of public support for Donald Trump and the Republican party.
What's more, why would Trump's critics storm the Capitol in order to upend the joint session and potentially delay the confirmation of Biden's victory? Why would they feel the need to make Trump look bad when he'd already lost the election?
Gohmert didn't seem to be basing his assertions in reality.
People wanted to know why Gohmert voted against the bipartisan commission to investigate, if he really believed Trump was framed.
There's still a chance House Democrats will form a select committee to investigate the riots.
