Thread by @SethAbramson

(NEW) Gavin McInnes—founder of the Proud Boys—has taken to Parler to say I and CNN are wrong about Proud Boys wearing orange hats at Trump's insurrection. He's threatening a lawsuit.

To be clear, I was working from CNN's report only. I'll now wait to see what new info comes out.

https://twitter.com/parlertakes/status/1348071465141170177

(PS) *Some* paramilitary group wore orange knit caps on Wednesday. And *some* paramilitary group wearing such caps was the first to attack the barricades. Buzzfeed News says the Proud Boys had promised to "breach the Capitol." I guess we'll see if CNN has its information correct.

(WSJ1) "The milling crowd of Trump supporters had taken his invitation to march on the Capitol, but upon arriving at the steel fencing at the edge of the building’s western lawn, they seemed unsure of what to do next. Then, at 12:48PM, a clutch of men..." google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.…

(WSJ2) "...in blaze orange hats and military-style vests turned a nearby street corner, marching straight toward them. In a matter of moments, the two groups merged and the crowd swelled to hundreds and surged forward, toppling a metal barricade..."

(WSJ3) "...at the curbside and charging up two small flights of stone steps toward five startled officers of the Capitol."

The Wall Street Journal makes clear the "orange hats" were a spark that ignited the assault on the Capitol. CNN says they were Proud Boys; McInnes says no.

(NOTE) I always strive to be accurate. While I have no reason or inclination to trust anything Gavin McInnes says, and while I have comparatively *substantial* reason to trust what CNN reports, I'm happy to wait until there's corroboration of CNN's claims about the "orange hats."

(UPDATE) CNN amended its article:

"Correction: An earlier version of this story associated men pictured wearing orange hats and flashing the OK sign with a particular group, but the ADL is no longer certain of their affiliations to that group so the reference has been removed."

(CORRECTION) With CNN retracting its claim that Proud Boys were wearing orange hats at Trump's insurrection—it's now saying that the affiliation of the orange-capped paramilitary group is unknown—I of course would adopt the same position, as I was working from CNN reporting only.

(UPDATE2) The presence of Proud Boys in blaze orange hats and tactical gear at the January 6 assault on the Capitol has been (re-)confirmed. See this thread (@sarasidnerCNN @MallorySimonCNN):

https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1348116503175045121?s=20