On January 3, three days before the attack on the Capitol, Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right organization known as the Proud Boys, shared a cryptic post on the messaging app Telegram, “What if we invade it?”
The message was sent to his more than 7,000 followers via the app, with the first response being “January 6 is D Day in America.”
The Wall Street Journal looked at thousands of posts from the Proud Boys and their members through Parler, Telegram and Gab, the social media platforms where they gathered supporters online after being mostly banned from Facebook and Twitter. The reports show that the group has repeatedly invoked President Trump’s rhetoric in the weeks leading up to the January 6 protest as they built momentum towards what turned into a violent showdown.
Researchers have said they are scrutinizing posts like this online as they try to figure out the planning and intent of those involved in the attack on the Capitol.
The Journal’s review, which now included deleted messages filed by investigators, suggests that the Proud Boys viewed Mr. Trump’s messages as a call to action.