Federal prosecutors are zeroing in on a single Trump tweet that may have been the catalyst for right-wing extremists to join the Capitol riot

ssheth@businessinsider.com (Sonam Sheth) 



Prosecutors are looking at a December Trump tweet as a call to action for far-right extremists.

Trump urged supporters to attend the Jan. 6 rally, tweeting: "Be there, it will be wild!"

The January 6 panel is gathering evidence to prove the tweet was in part a catalyst for the riot.

Federal prosecutors are zeroing in on a December 2020 tweet from then President Donald Trump that may have been a call for far-right actors to converge on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, The New York Times reported.

"Big protest in D.C. on January 6th," Trump tweeted on December 19. It was the first time he announced the "Save America" rally, which took place at the Ellipse in Washington, DC, less than two miles from the US Capitol. "Be there, will be wild!" the tweet said.

Prosecutors believe far-right and extremist groups immediately interpreted Trump's message as a call to action for them to head to the Capitol and stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election that day, The Times said.

According to court filings and interview records compiled by the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot, multiple people associated with far-right groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys started communicating with each other on messaging apps and gathering arms and protective gear.

By The Times' accounting, prosecutors have included examples of these actions in at least five criminal cases charging extremists with an array of crimes in connection to the Capitol riot, including seditious conspiracy. And according to the report, both the Justice Department and the House select panel are gathering more evidence that shows Trump's initial December 2020 tweet announcing the rally was a "powerful catalyst" for his supporters to head to the Capitol on January 6.

A number of defendants in the Justice Department's sprawling Capitol riot probe have blamed Trump for "inspiring" and inciting the deadly siege at the Capitol.

"The boss of the country said, 'People of the country, come on down, let people know what you think,'" a defense lawyer for Proud Boys member Dominic Pezzola, who has been charged with conspiracy in connection to the riot, previously told Reuters. "The logical thinking was, 'He invited us down.'"

Earlier this month, the select committee said in a court filing that it believes Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election violated several US laws.

Specifically, the panel said that the evidence it's gathered so far suggests Trump tried to obstruct an official proceeding, conspired to defraud the United States, and engaged in common law fraud.

The legality of Trump's actions and statements leading up to and on the day of the Capitol riot has also been called into question by more than one federal judge.

On Monday, US District Judge David Carter said in a bombshell ruling that it's "likely" Trump committed felony obstruction of Congress on January 6.

"Disagreeing with the law entitled President Trump to seek a remedy in court, not to disrupt a constitutionally-mandated process," Carter wrote.

After "filing and losing more than sixty suits, this plan was a last-ditch attempt to secure the Presidency by any means," the ruling said, adding that the "illegality of the plan was obvious."

He was referring to a legally dubious plan by the conservative lawyer John Eastman, which Trump supported, that called for then Vice President Mike Pence to unilaterally reject electoral slates from battleground states that Biden won.

Trump and Eastman "launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history," Carter wrote. "Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower — it was a coup in search of a legal theory."

US District Judge Amit Mehta also ruled in a separate case last month that Trump can be sued over the Capitol riot and engaged in a "civil conspiracy" with key supporters and far-right groups.

The word "we" being "used repeatedly in this context implies that the President and rally-goers would be acting together toward a common goal," Mehta wrote. "That is the essence of a civil conspiracy."

Insider reached out to representatives for Trump for comment.

 Donald Trump and his allies are facing a flurry of legal challenges this year. Investigations into his company's finances are ongoing, along with others related to January 6. Here are the dates to watch out for this year. Former President Donald Trump has had a number of surprising legal victories ever since he left the White House — though his greatest potential battles are still looming.In November, Summer Zervos, who had accused Trump of sexual assault following her appearance on "The Apprentice," dropped her lawsuit against him before he was forced to sit for a deposition. At around the same time, a New York state judge dismissed a lawsuit from Michael Cohen seeking to have the Trump Organization reimburse his legal fees for work he did on Trump's behalf.But greater dangers loom. The Trump Organization is the subject of a sprawling investigation from the Manhattan district attorney's office and the New York attorney general's office into alleged financial misconduct.In Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is weighing charges over his conduct in the 2020 election. Those investigations are proceeding as the Justice Department comes up on the five-year deadline to prosecute Trump over acts of possible obstruction that former Special Counsel Robert Mueller III scrutinized as part of his investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.Meanwhile, the Biden administration is sending a steady stream of Trump's White House records to the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. And Trump — along with many of his allies — face federal investigations and lawsuits stemming from the January 6 insurrection. Expect the judges in those cases to set court dates later this year.While Trump mulls whether to run for president again in 2024, 2022 is shaping up to be a year of legal headaches for the former president and his associates. Here's a timeline of the threats Trumpworld faces.

1/9 SLIDES © Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images; Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images

2022 IS SHAPING UP TO BE A LEGAL NIGHTMARE FOR TRUMPWORLD. HERE'S A TIMELINE OF UPCOMING COURT CASES AND LEGAL OBSTACLES.

Donald Trump and his allies are facing a flurry of legal challenges this year.
Investigations into his company's finances are ongoing, along with others related to January 6.

Here are the dates to watch out for this year.

Former President Donald Trump has had a number of surprising legal victories ever since he left the White House — though his greatest potential battles are still looming.

In November, Summer Zervos, who had accused Trump of sexual assault following her appearance on "The Apprentice," dropped her lawsuit against him before he was forced to sit for a deposition. At around the same time, a New York state judge dismissed a lawsuit from Michael Cohen seeking to have the Trump Organization reimburse his legal fees for work he did on Trump's behalf.

But greater dangers loom. The Trump Organization is the subject of a sprawling investigation from the Manhattan district attorney's office and the New York attorney general's office into alleged financial misconduct.

In Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is weighing charges over his conduct in the 2020 election. Those investigations are proceeding as the Justice Department comes up on the five-year deadline to prosecute Trump over acts of possible obstruction that former Special Counsel Robert Mueller III scrutinized as part of his investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is sending a steady stream of Trump's White House records to the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. And Trump — along with many of his allies — face federal investigations and lawsuits stemming from the January 6 insurrection. Expect the judges in those cases to set court dates later this year.

While Trump mulls whether to run for president again in 2024, 2022 is shaping up to be a year of legal headaches for the former president and his associates. Here's a timeline of the threats Trumpworld faces.

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