Who is Nick Quested? Footage from docu filmmaker who trailed Proud Boys 'instrumental' in Jan 6 hearing
As the House Select Committee probing the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots prepares to launch a series of public hearings, one British filmmaker is set to testify before the body and present unseen footage that could be instrumental to the proceedings.
Documentarian Nick Quested claims to have interacted directly with the Proud Boys on and around the time of the attack. The filmmaker was embedded with the far-right group for a significant period of time leading up to January 6 and is being considered a firsthand fact witness owing to the amount of time he spent with the group. Quested has already been deposed by the committee and Justice Department officials about his experience on that fateful day, providing video footage gathered during the filming of his documentary.
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Who is Nick Quested?
Quested is the executive director and owner of Goldcrest Films, one of the premiere documentary brands in the industry. He has won two Emmys and received an Oscar nomination for his work. Quested has also served as a producer for over 35 films, including Sebastian Junger's 'The Last Patrol', 'Korengal' and the twice-Emmy nominated 'Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington', and the Oscar-nominated 'Restrepo', according to his IMDb bio.
Quested has reportedly already testified for seven hours before the committee earlier this year. He said he discussed with investigators the relationship between Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, both of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy for their alleged roles in the insurrection. "There was an animus between Rhodes and Tarrio," Quested previously told CBS News. "They were not on the same team. There was a trepidation to engage with each other, especially from Rhodes's point of view."
The Proud Boys are accused of being involved in some of the early skirmishes that broke through police barriers and allegedly breached the Capitol building. The militia has been under scrutiny for months by the Justice Department. The seditious conspiracy charges against leaders of the group are the most aggressive counts brought by the department. Prosecutors have accused the group of trying to oppose by force the presidential transfer of power. It's worth noting that Tarrio and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty to an earlier slate of charges.
Aside from Quested, the panel will reportedly also summon Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, who sustained injuries after becoming embroiled in an altercation with some Proud Boys members while defending the Capitol building during the riots. According to CNN, two individuals with direct ties to former Vice President Mike Pence have also received invitations to appear before the committee.
Committee members have already interviewed all of the aforementioned invitees, using their testimony as part of court filings and subpoena requests of other potential witnesses in their wide-ranging investigation. That said, members have hinted that the hearings could focus on former President Donald Trump's alleged role in undermining the 2020 presidential election results. The panel has been working on a thesis that Trump's "obsession with his election loss" and "peddling of false claims" about the election paved the way for the Capitol riots, CNN reported.