Members of the Proud Boys militant group plotted on social media for months ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection to take action against what they believed to be an election stolen from Donald Trump.
Prosecutors presented a trove of posts from the far-right platform Parler this week in the trial of five Proud Boys, including longtime national chairman Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, charged with sedition and other crimes in connection with the assault on the U.S. Capitol, reported USA Today.
"The left doesn't realize they are radicalizing people by stealing this election," wrote defendant Joseph "Rambo" Biggs on Nov. 4, 2020, the day after the general election. "They are gonna create their own worst enemy from this."
Biggs posted the following day that group members must "take action. Peacefully," but "storm into these election areas where they are counting ballots. Four hours later, he vowed "War if they steal this."
Weeks later, on Nov. 27, 2020, defendant Zachary Rehl called for the executions of anyone he believed was stealing the election.
"Hopefully the firing squads are for the traitors that are trying to steal the election from the American people," Rehl wrote, and linked to a news article on the Trump administration's push to bring back firing squads and electrocutions for federal executions.
Tarrio referenced a remark made by Trump toward the extremist group during a presidential debate, saying his "Standby order has been rescinded" shortly after the election, and another defendant, Ethan Nordean, wrote on Parler that he wanted to start a new political group, the Rebels of America Party.
"Say what you want, advocate for mutual combat laws (fighting solves everything), zero gun laws and restrictions, yes ZERO, privatize everything and limit the government to protection of its citizens only," wrote Nordean, suggesting he would run for president in 2024.
A week before the riot, Tarrio encouraged group members to "turn out in record numbers," but with an added "twist," telling them to disguise themselves during the demonstration.
"We will not be wearing our traditional black and yellow," Tarrio wrote. "We will be incognito and we will spread across downtown DC in smaller teams."
Others encouraged group members to wear "basic attire," "Trump gear" or black clothing associated with Antifa activists.
"We are going to smell like you, move like you and look like you," Nordean wrote. "The only thing we will do thats (sic) us is think like us."
