Trump's inner circle draws scrutiny as observers wonder 'who was the inside man?'

Legal filings that suggest armed political extremists had an intermediary to Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021 are drawing increased attention to the inner circle still surrounding Trump on day of the Capitol attack.

"We now have the closest evidence yet that the president was possibly just one degree of separation from the violent armed insurrection," MSNBC's Chris Hayes reported. "But before we get to that, to understand what this means, it's important to keep in mind just how many people had access, of course, to the inner workings of the Trump White House, particularly in the last two months."

"We know from Mark Meadows' text messages that fringe conspiracy theorists had a direct line of communication to the Oval Office. The wife of sitting Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Ginny, was texting Meadows about overturning the 2020 election, as well as all sorts of crazy Qanon conspiracy theories about Trump's enemies being rounded up and held prisoner at Guantanamo Bay," Hayes reported. "Mike Lindell, the pillow man, of course, was also texting Meadows about the election, including a rambling rant about God and rigged voting machines. He got Fox News hosts Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Brian Kilmeade all texting Meadows, either before or during the insurrection."

He noted Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio visited the White House in the days leading up to Jan. 6.

"We also know the Proud Boys, including Tarrio, appeared in a 'stop the steal' event with the longtime adviser to Donald Trump, Roger Stone, in the days leading up to the insurrection. So we know lots of fringe figures had access to Trump's inner circle and we may be learning about one more," Hayes explained. "And his name, we've said before on the show, his name is Elmer Stewart Rhodes, II. He's the head of another far-right gang, known as the Oath Keepers."

Hayes noted a DOJ filing on Oath Keeper William Todd Wilson.

"At the Phoenix Hotel, [Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes] gathered Wilson and other co-conspirators inside of a private suite. Rhodes then called an individual over speaker phone," the DOJ alleged. "Wilson heard Rhodes repeatedly implore the individual to tell President Trump to call upon groups like the Oath Keepers to forcibly oppose the transfer of power. This individual denied Rhodes's request to speak directly with President Trump. After the call ended, Rhodes stated to the group, 'I just want to fight.'"

Hayes offered his analysis.

"So there's a lot we don't know here," he noted. "This could've just been bluster from Rhodes. It's not implausible, though, that he had connections in the White House. The morning of the insurrection, for example, the Oath Keepers were providing security to none other than Roger Stone, Trump's longtime advisor, that's established."

"So if Rhodes truly was on the phone with someone close to Trump, imploring the president to tell armed far-right extremist groups to oppose the transfer for power by force, that's a pretty big deal," he noted. "Among other things to consider, just imagine for example would've happened if Rhodes had gotten through to the president, the man who had already incited insurrection was reportedly watching the violence unfold on TV with glee and was desperate to stop the certification of Biden's election by any means."

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Oath Keeperswww.youtube.com