Trump supporters warned NOT to take part in armed inauguration day protests; fear 'sinister' traps
On Monday, January 11, the Gateway Pundit published an article titled, “WARNING: DO NOT ATTEND Armed Protests at State Capitols Before Inauguration! – POSSIBLE SINISTER PLOT HATCHED BY RADICAL LEFT TO TAKE AWAY GUN RIGHTS!” For the uninitiated, the Gateway Pundit is an American far-right news and opinion website, known to have published misinformation and conspiracy theories.
The article reads, “There are several armed protests at state capitols across the country before inaugural ceremonies next week,” adding that “We believe this is likely a sinister attempt to take away your guns!”
An FBI bulletin, obtained by ABC News on Monday, warned of a threat to storm government buildings nationwide if Trump is removed from power. “Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the US Capitol from 17 January through 20 January,” read the bulletin.
As per the New York Magazine, a group is calling for “storming” state, local, and federal government courthouses and administrative buildings in the event President Trump is removed prior to Inauguration Day. The FBI has reportedly received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington, DC on January 16. The FBI said that the group has warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment a huge uprising will occur.
Last Wednesday, a mob of Trump supporters, encouraged by President Donald Trump, broke into the U.S. Capitol and rampaged through the halls of Congress. In what many including Republican party members have called a coup attempt, a Capitol Police officer who was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher died. A rioter who was shot by a police officer as she tried to push her way into the heavily protected Speaker’s Lobby, just outside the House chamber was also killed. Three others died as a result of “medical emergencies” on the Capitol grounds, according to the authorities.
Twenty federal criminal defendants, as per a CNN report, have been rounded up across the country since the insurrection, with the allegations showing the danger of the mob. Some of the defendants have been accused of bringing weapons and bombs to Capitol Hill. The top federal prosecutor in Washington, DC, Michael Sherwin, said he expected hundreds of people could be charged in the aftermath of the attack, and investigations may take months.
"I would not be surprised if we find loose affiliations of groups that were organized and had plans in place," Sherwin told CNN. "We saw in some of these individuals we identified -- they look paramilitary almost, right? You've got the uniform, you've got communication, you have all the paraphernalia. Those show indications of affiliation and a command-and-control. So I believe we are going to find those hallmarks."
The Gateway Pundit article said that “We are very concerned the radical left is using this to start a firefight and take away your gun rights!” adding, “For the record, these ‘armed protests’ in the coming days are not sanctioned by the Trump Campaign.” The article was republished by other far-right portals and was even shared on the far-right messaging board called Poal.
During the 2016 campaign, Gateway Pundit published rumors about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s health and false claims about voter fraud. Its founder, Jim Hoft, has said the blog’s mission is to “expose the wickedness of the left.” As per a Washington Post report, the website misidentified the shooter at the 2017 Las Vegas shootout where 58 people lost their lives. The portal also incorrectly identified a Michigan man as the driver of the car that killed a woman who was protesting a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville in August 2017.