Thread by @capitolhunters

#SeditionHunters - On Jan 6 nearly 300 Proud Boys were the engine of the Capitol attack. Florida provided their leadership (Tarrio, Biggs) & the largest numbers. NYT describes how those FL Proud Boys have seized power in the Miami-Dade GOP. 1/
nytimes.com/2022/06/02/us/…

At least 7 Proud Boys now sit on the Miami Republican executive committee. Here's one of them, Gilbert Fonticoba, leaving the Capitol to high-five his buddies and tell them: "They hit me with tear gas - with rubber bullets.." Sound up to end. 2/

For pictures of the Florida Proud Boys who now have GOP roles, see thread by @MIAagainstFash. 3/

https://twitter.com/MIAagainstFash/status/1532048437843218432

The New York Times describes the chaos in the Miami GOP after militia members moved into power: "The meetings are.. fights, people screaming...The decent people.. are leaving." 4/

On Jan 6, at least 27 Florida Proud Boys were on Capitol grounds, including 3 Miami GOP exec. committee members (Fonticoba, Garcia, Barcenas). They generally moved together, often escorting PB leaders. Search on their hashtags for info. 5/
bit.ly/CapitolPBTable

Here is Florida leader Joe Biggs discussing the attack plans as the Proud Boys march in. 6/

https://twitter.com/ne0ndistraction/status/1373071516557000706

Here is Biggs at the end of the day on the W. lawn, surrounded by some of his crew. 6 of the 8 Proud Boys here are from Florida. 7/

https://twitter.com/capitolhunters/status/1416068807064309761

Much of the group in Biggs' photo were just in the Rotunda with Miami GOP operative Barby Balmaseda, former intern for FL Congressman Marco Rubio. She hangs with the Proud Boys and is #PinkGaiterPBG. 8/

https://twitter.com/ne0ndistraction/status/1502808660598210562

Balmaseda isn't in the group photo because she left the Capitol instead with her pal Miami GOP executive committee member & Proud Boy Gabriel Garcia (#PBGarcia). 9/

https://twitter.com/MIAagainstFash/status/1532048573117898754

Florida isn't the only state where Proud Boys are aiming for GOP leadership: they tried in Nevada just months after the Capitol attack. And Joey Gilbert (#PurpleMeathead), running for NV governor, was at the Capitol. Are militias the future of the GOP?

https://twitter.com/capitolhunters/status/1402074625945702403

Florida will be a test of whether the US can hold off a slide to extremism. It's the home base of not just Tarrio & Biggs but of some of the dirtiest tricksters of the MAGA set: Michael Flynn, Milo Yiannopoulos, Roger Stone (here on Jan 3, 2021).. 11/
web.archive.org/web/2022021313…

The photo of Roger Stone is from Jan 3 in Naples, FL. Three days later many of these Proud Boys stormed the Capitol. The problem is real.

For those who don't subscribe, here's an archived version of the important NYT article. Ask: is your state next? 12/
web.archive.org/web/2022060209…

Typo correction on Tweet 8: Proud Boy associate Barby Balmaseda #PinkGaiterPBG, director-at-large for the Miami Young Republicans, interned for SENATOR Marco Rubio, not Congressman Rubio. Here's the Miami New Times article about her. 13/
miaminewtimes.com/news/did-marco…

Update: arrests of Florida Proud Boys continue with two more today (June 3). DOJ implies coordination: they're jointly indicted in a group of 5. The new additions don't move with the others but may be prior associates. 14/
justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/two…

With these two and one belated update, the count of known Florida Proud Boys at the Capitol is at least 31, of which 17 are arrested. So more Florida arrests are coming. Names added to table now for easy matching with hashtags. 15/
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…