By Josh Kelety | Phoenix New Timest
After the nation and the world expressed shock and horror when an angry mob of supporters of President Donald Trump violently stormed the U.S. Capitol yesterday, some Arizona Republicans are now claiming, with no proof, that leftist agitators caused the mayhem.
There is no significant evidence that anti-fascist activists caused yesterday’s attack on the Capitol despite the litany of baseless online rumors and conspiracy theories. But the statements by Arizona Republicans attributing the violence to leftist agitators is part of a broader effort by pro-Trump conservatives nationwide to deflect blame away from the president and his supporters.
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors plan to file at least 15 cases against members of the pro-Trump mob and are considering levying sedition charges, according to the Associated Press. Dozens of cases have already been filed in District of Columbia Superior Court.
Yesterday, shortly after the breach occurred, Chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party Kelli Ward didn’t condemn the mob’s actions, instead accusing Democrats of not properly auditing the election results. Today, in a video posted by the Arizona GOP’s official twitter account, Ward blamed leftist agitators and not the attending Trump supporters for the violence.
“Barbarians stormed the gate. And my opinion, I think that some of those were agitators that were brought in, whether they were Antifa or BLM [Black Lives Matter] or just outright anarchists, I don’t know,” she said. “But unfortunately, there were some foolish Trump supporters and MAGA supporters who followed along like little sheep. The people that perpetrated that violence and broke our laws have got to be prosecuted full to the full extent of the law.”
