Protesters who stormed Capitol say they were following Trump's instructions
Remarks could be used to build criminal case against outgoing president, some experts believe
WASHINGTON — A man from Kentucky told the FBI that he and his cousin began marching toward the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 because “President Trump said to do so.” Chanting “Stop the steal,” the two men tramped through the building and snapped a photo of themselves with their middle fingers raised, according to court documents.
A video clip of another group of rioters mobbing the steps of the Capitol caught one man screaming at a police officer: “We were invited here! We were invited by the president of the United States!”
A retired firefighter from Pennsylvania who has been charged with throwing a fire extinguisher at police officers felt he was “instructed” to go to the Capitol by the president.
The accounts of people who said they were inspired by the president to take part in the melee inside the Capitol vividly show the impact of President Donald Trump's months-long attack on the integrity of the 2020 election and his exhortations to supporters to “fight” the results.
Some have said that they felt called to Washington by Trump and his false message that the election had been stolen, as well as by his efforts to pressure Congress and Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the result.
But others drew an even more direct link — telling the FBI or news organizations they headed to the Capitol on what they believed were direct orders from the president issued at a rally that day.
While legal experts are split on whether Trump could face criminal liability for his role in the events of Jan. 6, testimony from rioters who felt directed to take part in illegal acts by his speech could inform a decision by prosecutors about whether to attempt to build a case.
Short of that, the testimony from rioters is likely to be cited in Trump's upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate and could become evidence should people injured in the Capitol attack seek to file civil suits against Trump.
Disturbing details of what happened inside the building have already emerged in court documents — including one witness who told the FBI the rioters intended to kill any member of Congress they encountered.
Officials have said they are still investigating whether the siege was planned and whether those involved intended to take hostages or otherwise harm elected leaders.
Some accused of taking part in the mayhem may be invoking the president as a way to duck blame for their own actions. Already, several rioters charged with crimes have said they hope Trump will pardon them before he leaves office.
Trump's call to action to his supporters came after he had already tried and failed to overturn the election results in the courts and by pressuring Republican state legislators and Republican election officials in swing states that backed president-elect Joe Biden.
By December, Trump had turned his focus to the upcoming joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, when lawmakers were set to count the Electoral College votes and formalize Biden's win.
On several occasions, he urged his supporters to come to Washington and to apply public pressure on Congress to change the election results.
Larry Rendell Brock, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel from Dallas who was photographed holding zip-tie handcuffs and wearing a helmet in the well of the Senate, cited the president's rhetoric in a series of Facebook posts that have been excerpted in court documents related to his charges.
“I truly believe that if we let them complete the steal we will never have a free election again. I really believe we are going to take back what they did on November 3.,” he wrote on Jan. 5.