It's bigger than we thought

Roger Stone and Alex Jones investigated by FBI in Capitol attack

Sources inside the FBI and Department of Justice told the Washington Post on Saturday that Trump confidant Roger Stone and Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones are both under active investigation for possible ties to organizers of the attack on the Capitol on January 6.  It’s by no means assured that either man will eventually be indicted. Law enforcement sources told the Post that they are seeking to understand more about what motivated the leaders of the attack on the Capitol and whether there were any contacts between them and people who played important roles in amplifying Trump’s illegitimate claims that the election had been “stolen” from him by unproven voter fraud in battleground states.

The New York Times last week published numerous photographs of Stone in the company of as many as six members of the Oath Keepers who are known to have been among those who attacked the Capitol and were inside the building. 

Six more leaders of the Oath Keepers were arrested on Saturday and accused of planning the attack on the Capitol and preparing for it by  attending training sessions, recruiting others for the effort, and organizing travel to Washington in advance of January 6.  The six Oath Keepers were also accused of wearing tactical vests and helmets and moving in unison in an infantry style “stacked formation” during the assault on the Capitol.  They also communicated with each other using two-way radio apps on cell phones by wearing ear phones and using neck mics.

Stone and Jones both appeared at rallies on January 5 before the big rally on the Ellipse at which Trump addressed the crowd and urged them to “march” and “walk” to the Capitol.  Alex Jones promoted the rally on January 6 vociferously on his Infowars webcast and claimed that he had been invited to the White House on January 3 and asked by Trump to “lead the march” on the Capitol.  On January 1, Stone told his Infowars listeners that “Roger Stone spent some substantial time with Trump in Florida just a few days ago, and I’m told big things are afoot and Trump’s got major actions up his sleeve.”  Jones claimed he had raised $500,000 and donated it to the organizers of the Ellipse rally, $50,000 of which was his own money.

Trump had promoted the rally on the Ellipse as early as December 19, urging his followers by tweet to attend and promising it would “be wild.”

More than 250 arrests have been made in the attack on the Capitol, and 500 subpoenas have been issued by federal magistrates for evidence of coordination between groups in the planning and preparation of the insurrection.  More arrests are expected, as federal prosecutors from around the country have been reassigned to the Washington office handling the investigation.

Some of those arrested are beginning to claim in court documents that they were asked to provide “security” for the rally at the Ellipse and coordinated with the Secret Service.  Jessica Watkins, one of the leaders of the Oath Keepers arrested in the attack, claimed last week that she had been given a “VIP pass” to the rally on the Ellipse and was involved in providing security for “legislators and other important people.” 

At least one leader of the Proud Boys has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors and provide information about his role and the role of other militia members in the planning and execution of the attack on the Capitol.

Some of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who have been arrested are facing charges of conspiracy to disrupt the ordinary business of Congress that could result in prison sentences of 20 years and more.

It’s almost inevitable that more of the militia members facing long jail terms will crack and turn on the others. 

To sum up, Stone’s connections to the Oath Keepers are already known.  Alex Jones claims that he was invited to the White House by Trump three days before January 6.  Stone allegedly met with Trump at Mar a Lago sometime between Christmas and New Years. 

Republicans like House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham have all spent time visiting Trump at Mar a Lago recently. Not a single Republican leader in congress will come right out and say that Joe Biden won the election legitimately, and that Trump’s claims of voting fraud were lies. 

Republicans are circling the wagons around the embattled ex-president.  Meanwhile, the investigation by the FBI and Justice Department, now under the control of the Biden administration, is tightening around Donald Trump and associates and advisers close to him, several of whom have ties to militia groups charged with planning, organizing and participating in the attack on the Capitol.

Things are getting more and more interesting as this thing just keeps getting bigger and bigger.  Stay tuned.