Page:Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.pdf/674

 Hazard, a Three Percenter from Texas who claimed to be allied with Proud Boys on January 6th, told a Washington Post reporter that he wanted his face recorded on video as he marched to the Capitol. "I want the enemy to know exactly who is coming after them," Hazard explained.

Leaders of the "Stop the Steal" movement continued to incite the crowd during the march as well. Alex Jones of InfoWars arrived at the Ellipse shortly before 9:00 a.m. on the morning of January 6th. After some initial difficulty gaining access to the event area, Jones was seated in the VIP section. While Jones stayed to listen to a portion of President Trump's speech, planning for the crowd's march to the Capitol was already underway and Jones intended to leave the Ellipse early to lead the march. The origins of the plan to have Jones lead the march are unclear. Jones has publicly stated that "the White House told me three days before, we are going to have you lead the March." Stop the Steal's Ali Alexander also believed "the White House" wanted him to lead a march to the Capitol. It is likely that both got that idea from Caroline Wren, a Republican fundraiser who helped organize the Ellipse event. Jones texted Wren at 12:27 p.m., asking when he should leave the Ellipse and begin the march.

While Wren originally expected Jones, Roger Stone, and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn to march to the Capitol, Stone did not attend the Ellipse rally and so he was not present to accompany Jones on the march as planned. Additionally, while President Trump was delivering his speech, Wren asked Flynn if he was going to march with Jones. Flynn responded, "Hell, no. It's freezing."

While Stone and Flynn did not march, Jones and Alexander led others to the Capitol, though it is not clear how many people followed them. Jones and Alexander gathered with Jones's camera and security crew just outside the event perimeter, near Freedom Plaza, to discuss their plans. The discussion, recorded by Alex Jones's film crew, sheds some light on what Jones and Alexander knew about the President's plans and what they intended for the march. The group, which included InfoWars host Owen Shroyer, huddled outside the Ellipse security perimeter to discuss how best to proceed. They tried to predict the Presidential motorcade's route to the Capitol. The video shows Alex Jones telling his crew, "I think the Wren lady, where's she at? She knows what they said they were going to do. Everything she's said has been accurate, so we need to call her real quick." They then decided to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, as the President had directed in his speech.

Shroyer recommended the group wait for President Trump to finish speaking, and they agreed to at least delay their departure from Freedom Plaza to allow Jones to gather a crowd. Jones began speaking from his