Committee to Show Trump 'Activated' Militia Groups

'You'll see the evidence,' Rep. Stephanie Murphy tells CBS
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 12, 2022 10:15 AM CDT
Committee to Show Trump 'Activated' Militia Groups
Members of the Oath Keepers at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

A former spokesperson for the Oath Keepers—the far-right, anti-government militia group that claims to defend its interpretation of the US Constitution—will testify in front of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot Tuesday in its seventh hearing and the first since the stunning testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on June 28. Sources tell CBS News that Jason Van Tatenhove—who moved from Colorado to Montana intending to write a book about the Oath Keepers but served as its media director for a year and a half before his exit from the group in 2016—will speak publicly after previously appearing before the committee in person and over Zoom.

He's been critical of the Oath Keepers since his departure, telling ABC News that he spouted "absolutely dangerous" rhetoric as a "propagandist." He said his exit came after the group "took a very hard right turn" that included "a denial of the Holocaust." In a June 7 blog post, Van Tatenhove wrote that he was asked to give "a historical overview of the Oath Keepers and violent militias" at the hearing, per the Hill. Ohio man Stephen Ayres, who pleaded guilty to illegally entering the Capitol Building, will also appear, per CBS. Ayres, who allegedly claimed "civil war would ensue" if Donald Trump was denied the presidency, wrote on Facebook about his plans to travel to Washington, DC, quoting a tweet from Trump that predicted a "wild" scene in the capital.

The committee will try to show that this was a call to action to far-right groups. "You'll see the evidence that we have of how the president's tweet in the wee hours of December 19 activated the groups, and how the members of Congress amplified that tweet, and the tragic end result was January 6," Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, co-leader of Tuesday's hearing, tells CBS. The committee will share evidence that pro-Trump groups moved up the date of protests, initially planned for after President Biden's inauguration, in response to the tweet, per Axios. It also plans to highlight links between Trump associates, including Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, and groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys in the hearing scheduled for 1pm ET. (More Jan. 6 hearings stories.)

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