Page:Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.pdf/533

 Other InfoWars hosts promoted the "wild" protest as well. In late December, Matt Bracken told InfoWars viewers that it may be necessary to storm the U.S. Capitol. "We're going to only be saved by millions of Americans moving to Washington, occupying the entire area, if—if necessary storming right into the Capitol," Bracken said. "You know, they're—we know the rules of engagement. If you have enough people, you can push down any kind of a fence or a wall."

Far-right extremists planned to do just that.

From the Proud Boys' founding in 2016, violence was intrinsic to their mission. "We will kill you. That's the Proud Boys in a nutshell," their founder said. New recruits pledge an oath, established in the group's bylaws, identifying themselves as unapologetic "Western chauvinists," promoting an exclusionary, hyper-masculine interpretation of Western culture. They find common ground in an embrace of misogyny and hate for their perceived enemies. The group is somewhat ethnically diverse, but their public and private messages fester with toxic white supremacist, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic slurs.

The Proud Boys have participated in, or instigated, protests since their founding. They've long been known as street brawlers looking for a fight. But 2020 was a watershed year for the group. As protests spread around the country, the Proud Boys deputized themselves as agents of law and order—vigilantes against perceived threats. More often, they played the role of instigators. They portrayed themselves as counter-protestors and identified their targets as Black Lives Matter and Antifa—though they were hard-pressed to define their organizational enemies.

During the presidential debate on September 29, 2020, President Trump was asked to disavow far-right extremists, including the Proud Boys. The President did not explicitly condemn the group. Instead, he seemingly endorsed their mission. "Stand back and stand by," President Trump told the Proud Boys, before adding, "but I'll tell you what . . . somebody's got to do something about Antifa and the left." The President's words electrified the group, injecting new life into their recruitment and activities. According to Nick Quested, a filmmaker who spent significant time with the group and testified before the Select Committee, the Proud Boys had found their "savior" in President Trump.

Joseph Biggs, a senior Proud Boy, immediately trumpeted President Trump's debate statement on Parler, a fringe social media platform. Biggs made it clear that the Proud Boys were ready to fight Antifa. The group's