Did Roger Stone plan Capitol riots with Proud Boys? Enrique Tarrio claims he was in contact with Trump aide
Enrique Tarrio, the chairman of the far-right group Proud Boys claims to have spoken to Roger Stone days ahead of the Capitol riots. According to Tario, he put Stone on speakerphone to address a gathering of protesters outside Senator Marco Rubio's home in Florida. The shocking revelations further reveal the strong links between far-right extremist groups and Donald Trump's White House.
The news comes after it was found that a member of the insurrection was in contact with someone inside the Trump White House. FBI officials pieced together cellphone and location data to make that assessment, but have not yet released the names of the parties concerned. So far the Justice Department has charged more than a dozen members of the Proud Boys. Tarrio was not present at the insurrection, after being asked to leave the city following his role in the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner from a Black church in Washington DC.
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Tarrio and Stone's link 'a different matter'
The uncovering of the link between Tarrio and Stone is "a different matter", according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The New York Times about the issue. According to the official, the communication between the two is not being scrutinized currently. Since Tarrio was not in the city and Stone has denied any involvement in the insurrection, the link is not important to the ongoing investigation. Still, it reportedly goes to show just how close Trump is to extremist groups, whom he has publicly defended.
On January 2, protesters marched outside Rubio's home in Miami demanding that he reject the electoral college votes. Protesters were also present outside Senator Rick Scott's home in Naples. Both protests were arranged using the website enough2021.org, which is now no longer active. There were about two dozen protesters involved that day. Addressing the crowd, Tarrio said, "If (Rubio) doesn’t not listen to us, he will pay. He will pay at the ballot box. If it wasn’t for us, none of (the senators) would have their seats right now.” It was then that Tarrio allegedly called Stone and let him address the crowd.
This is not the first time Stone has been tied to far-right extremist groups. A Times investigation found that another extremist group, the Oath Keepers, often served as bodyguards for the longtime Trump associate. The Times also found that six members of the group who provided security for Stone were involved in the insurrection. On January 5, Stone is seen addressing crowds in Washington with Oath Keepers providing security for him in the background. The Justice Department is currently investigating Stone's links with the groups. If it is found that he had a link to the insurrection, the DoJ will open a full criminal investigation into him, a source told the Times.
FBI links protester to White House
The FBI is currently in the process of analyzing cell phone and location data of all the people involved in the insurrection. Court documents show that warrants for all cellphones associated with cell towers near the Capitol. The bureau has also received a 'geofence' warrant for location data from Google, it is not clear if data from Apple is also part of the investigation. Testifying before a Senate panel, Jill Sanborn, the head of counterterrorism at the FBI said that all data was obtained legally.
It was during the analysis of this data that links with someone inside the White House have been uncovered, just days before the insurrection. Since the bureau is yet to publicly comment on the matter, it is not clear who the individual is. According to sources, the individual in the White House was communicating with a member of the Proud Boys. So far, no data linking protesters to members of Congress has been uncovered, despite Democrats' claims to the contrary.
The FBI has already arrested former State Department aide Federico G Klein after video evidence showed him at the insurrection. He is the first member of the Trump administration to face criminal charges from the insurrection. Based on all the evidence, it is becoming increasingly hard for Trump or his associates to deny they had a role in the siege. As the investigation is ongoing, more links between the Trump administration and the protesters could be uncovered.