Yost ‘shocked’ over GOP group’s role in Capitol riot
COLUMBUS – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says he's “shocked” that a dark money group linked to the Republican Attorneys General Association encouraged people to march to the U.S. Capitol to “stop the steal.”
Rule of Law Defense Fund used robocalls to encourage participation in last week's march that later turned into a mob.
The fund is a nonprofit that does not need to disclose its donors but backs Republicans running for attorney general.
“We will march to the Capitol building to call on Congress to stop the steal,” according to the robocall published by Documented, a watchdog group investigating corporate influence on policy. “We are hoping patriots like you will join us to continue to fight
Rule of Law Defense Fund used robocalls to encourage participation in last week’s march that later turned into a mob. The fund is a nonprofit that does not need to disclose its donors but backs Republicans running for attorneys general.
to protect the integrity of our elections.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who runs the fund, told local reporters that he wasn’t informed about the robocalls before they were sent. He is investigating what happened.
On Saturday, Yost tweeted that he was “shocked and angered by this unauthorized act by a rogue staffer.”
Yost, who said he found out about the robocalls from media reports, said “it is the opposite of the rule of law and contrary to what I stand for.”
Yost’s office had not replied to questions Friday and Monday about Yost’s role, if any, with the Rule of Law Defense Fund and whether he would accept assistance from the dark money group in the future.
Last month, the Center for Media and Democracy, a progressive watchdog group, filed a lawsuit after Yost wouldn’t turn over records documenting communication with the Republican Attorneys General Association and the Rule of Law Defense Fund.
Following the mob attack on the Capitol, Yost said in a statement that those who broke the law should be prosecuted, comparing the pro-trump mob to those who set fires and rioted at a federal courthouse in Portland over the summer.
“The rule of law means the same rules for everybody,” Yost said. “Those of us who called for prosecution of the people who stormed the federal courthouse in Portland must apply the same demand to those who stormed the Capitol today.
“The color of your skin or the slogan upon your banner must not change what is and is not acceptable.”
Since the election, Yost has threaded the needle between those saying the election was rigged, including President Donald Trump, and those making clear that any election fraud was minimal and didn’t change the ultimate result.
“We have a process, and we all need to let it work. It’s entirely proper to look into allegations of impropriety and to bring complaints to court,” Yost tweeted on Nov. 6.
Yost didn’t join fellow Republican attorneys general in a lawsuit seeking a court ruling that legislatures in the four key states appoint new electors for the Electoral College.