Name: Area Trump supporters insist, despite evidence to contrary, that left-wing groups sparked Capitol riot :: WRAL.com
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Area Trump supporters insist, despite evidence to contrary, that left-wing groups sparked Capitol riot :: WRAL.com

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Published: 2021-01-13 16:39:00Updated: 2021-01-13 23:58:55Local PoliticsTags:By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter — Despite the videos, photos and social media posts showing supporters of President Donald Trump storming the U.S. Capitol a week ago, some of the president's backers in the Triangle can't be dissuaded from claiming that left-wing agitators incited the riot., chairwoman of the Wake County Republican Party, and , chairman of the Lee County Republican Party, were both at Trump's rally near the White House last Wednesday that preceded the riot. Both say that they saw men in tactical gear milling about during the rally."They weren't carrying any weapons, but they had vests [and] they had walkie talkies," Womack said. "They were clearly organized and prepared to knock heads with somebody.""Just from their actions, from the vile things coming out of their mouths, it completely took me back to last summer, when we observed antifa [and] Black Lives Matter burning Raleigh," Williams said. "They just started inciting these people and getting them angry."is a left-wing movement that has been known to stage violent protests.Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office, has said investigators have seen “no indication” antifa activists were disguised as Trump supporters in the riot.House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy echoed that on Wednesday during the debate over whether to impeach Trump for inciting an insurrection."Some say the riots were caused by antifa. There is absolutely no evidence of that, and conservatives should be the first to say so," said McCarthy, a California Republican.The Associated Press reviewed social media posts, voter registrations, court files and other public records for more than 120 people either facing criminal charges related to the Jan. 6 unrest or who, going maskless amid the pandemic, were later identified through photographs and videos taken during the melee.The mob was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists and adherents of the QAnon myth that the government is secretly controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophile cannibals, according to an AP investigation.Many of the rioters had taken to social media after the November election to re-tweet and parrot false claims by Trump that the election had been stolen in a vast international conspiracy. Several had openly threatened violence against Democrats and Republicans they considered insufficiently loyal to the president. During the riot, some live-streamed and posted photos of themselves at the Capitol. Afterwards, many bragged about what they had done.Still, Womack and Williams remain unconvinced."I don't know if you could convince me of that. I saw it with my own eyes," Williams said, adding that she doesn't trust the AP report or most mainstream media."Anytime you can create a violent act, you discourage people from supporting the president or other authorities, and you can also cause people to believe the situation is not being handled well," Womack said.Both GOP officials acknowledged that some of those inside the Capitol were Trump supporters, but they were in the minority."That makes me angry and sad, that people couldn't control their emotions," Williams said. "Emotions were high, and yes, I agree, from looking at pictures, there were Trump supporters in there, but I don't think they all were."She argued that one man seen repeatedly in recent days in photos of the riot – bare-chested with face and body paint and wearing a fur-trimmed horned helmet – couldn't be a Trump supporter. Her reasoning is that he reportedly is refusing to eat while in jail because the food isn't organic."To be honest, that doesn't sound like a Trump supporter," she said.The horned hat man himself, Jacob Chansley, took to social media after the riot to refute claims he's part of antifa. He goes by the nickname "Q Shaman" and is a prominent figure in the QAnon movement."I think there were people who I refer to as anarchists and miscreants. There were people there just to cause trouble or make a name for themselves," Womack said. "I don't know if I'd give antifa that much credit to be able to infiltrate a Trump rally and disguise themselves that effectively. I don't know if they're that sharp."Both Williams and said there were thousands of people in Washington to peacefully support Trump and that the president did nothing to provoke the violence."My feeling from what I saw is that this was well planned," Williams said.show allTags:ReporterWeb EditorMatthew BurnsCopyright 2021 by WRAL.com and the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Our has changed. If you would like to comment, please share on social media using the icons below and comment there.SPONSOR

Published: 2021-01-13 16:39:00Updated: 2021-01-13 23:58:55Local PoliticsTags:By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter — Despite the videos, photos and social media posts showing supporters of President Donald Trump storming the U.S. Capitol a week ago, some of the president's backers in the Triangle can't be dissuaded from claiming that left-wing agitators incited the riot., chairwoman of the Wake County Republican Party, and , chairman of the Lee County Republican Party, were both at Trump's rally near the White House last Wednesday that preceded the riot. Both say that they saw men in tactical gear...

Area Trump supporters insist, despite evidence to contrary, that left-wing groups sparked Capitol riot :: WRAL.com

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