Thread by @TPM

Texts Show How Members Of Congress Advanced ‘Antifa’ Conspiracy Theories In The Wake Of Jan. 6
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Within 2 hours of protesters breaking the first barricades at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, right-wing politicians and media figures were already texting Mark Meadows to lay blame on “antifa” agitators. The first message to mention the group came from Fox New host Laura Ingraham 🧵

“He is destroying his legacy and playing into every stereotype … we lose all credibility against the BLM/Antifa crowd if things go South,” Ingraham wrote.
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#TheMeadowsTexts reveal that the effort to pin the violence on “antifa” extended well beyond the day the Capitol was stormed. They also shows that members of Congress were key proponents of this conspiracy theory.

As the crowds raged through the Capitol, Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, wrote Meadows to say his father was not doing “enough” to “condemn this shit.” He followed that denouncement up with a suggestion the violence wasn’t coming from the Trump faithful.

Less than an hour later, Jason Miller, a Trump campaign adviser, suggested “antifa” could be held responsible via a tweet from the president.

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who were both active supporters of Trump’s efforts to challenge the election results, also piped in as the attack unfolded with suggestions that “antifa” were the real perpetrators.

On Jan. 8 and 9, 2021, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), who was described in texts as a “ringleader” of the election objections, pointed to right-wing media coverage of the antifa conspiracy theory.
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He also referred to "antifa" as "ANTIFI." I mean, who among us???

Read the rest of the piece here: talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/meadow…