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Within hours of testifying before the Democrat-led Select Committee on January 6, the organizer of then-President Donald Trump’s rally ahead of the Capitol riot threw the former president under the bus during an appearance on little-watched CNN offering “Anderson Cooper 360.”
“I always like to point out that the people who committed violence, the people who attacked police officers or defaced the Capitol are responsible for their own actions, first and foremost,” Dustin Stockton told host Anderson Cooper.
“But the buck’s gotta stop at President Trump,” Stockton claimed.
“He knew better and there’s no excuse for him sending people down into that situation without having the logistics, the security, the stage, and sound system to control the crowd,” the guy who set the rally up went on to say.
“That stuff could have been in place and should have been in place before he ever sent people down there. And the fact that he delayed for so long responding, I think really speaks ill of what his intentions were and what he was doing,” Stockton said.
Stockton and another key rally organizer, Jennifer Lynn Lawrence, said last week they planned to turn over all text messages and other materials to the partisan Jan. 6 committee, whose members, for all their public remarks, appear to have already decided that Trump is responsible for the riot.
Conservative activist Dustin Stockton just arrived for his deposition with the 1/6 committee. Attorney Josh Nass says he’s got a “treasure trove” of documents with him that he’ll turn over to the committee. pic.twitter.com/3yAzXV3fxn
— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) December 14, 2021
“The pair will deliver testimony and turn over documents, including text messages, that indicate the extensive involvement members of Congress and the Trump administration had in planning the House challenge to certifying Biden’s election and rally near the White House where Donald Trump spoke — efforts that ultimately contributed to a massive and violent attack on the Capitol,” Rolling Stone reported, sans evidence or context, on Monday.
“We’re turning it all over and we’ll let the cards fall where they may,” Stockton told the outlet.
Josh Nass, who is Stockton’s lawyer, also appeared with him on CNN.
The attorney said his client “didn’t show up today to comply with the subpoena, and to provide testimony out of fear of being held in contempt.”
“He showed up today because he views this as his civic duty, and his patriotic duty to his country to be fulfilled,” Nass claimed.
“The events of January 6th were a stain on our democracy, a blemish on our republic. He recognizes that to be clear. He’s a witness. That’s why he got a subpoena. He was not involved in the events of January 6th and certainly not involved in the events at the Capitol. And, you know, that’s an important and material distinction to make,” Nass went on.
During the Jan. 6 event, Trump specifically urged “Stop the Steal” rally crowds to “peacefully” march to the Capitol to make their voices heard. The rally and the right to redress grievances to the government are still protected by the First Amendment.
In addition, Democrats have objected to certain state electoral vote tallies in each of the past three Republican presidential victories including Trump’s 2016 win.
Some believe that there were nefarious actors involved in the riot, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, whose three-part series for the network’s streaming service, Fox Nation, examined last month.
Also, a witness to the riot who is trained to recognize agents provocateur — J. Michael Waller, a senior analyst for strategy at the Center for Security Policy and a former instructor with the Naval Postgraduate School — wrote about what he saw that day.
“The deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol bore the markings of an organized operation planned well in advance of the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress,” Waller explained.
“A small number of cadre appeared to use the cover of a huge rally to stage its attack. Before it began, I saw from my vantage point on the West Front of the Capitol what appeared to be four separate cells or units,” he added.
He went on to describe the participants as “plainclothes militants,” “agents-provocateur,” “fake Trump protesters,” and a “disciplined, uniformed column of attackers.”
Jon has over 30 years' worth of reporting experience, as well as an author and U.S. Army veteran. He has a BA in political science from Ashford University and an MA in national security studies/intelligence analysis from American Military University.
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