Ali Alexander, a YouTuber who has disputed the results of the presidential election, has named Congress members who allegedly helped facilitate the “Stop the Steal” protest that became a deadly riot.
Alexander, a right-wing activist, posted a now-deleted Periscope video in which he said Republican Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama and Paul A. Gosar of Arizona helped organize the event on Jan. 6, which began as a way to contest the certification of the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, according to The Washington Post.
The protest turned into a riot, with people scaling the Capitol, breaking into offices and charging at Capitol Police officers. Five people died in the aftermath of the insurrection, which President Donald Trump encouraged. Dozens have been arrested on federal charges as a result of their participation in the uproar.
“We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting,” Alexander said, adding that they planned to “change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body, hearing our loud roar from outside.”
The Congress members have not responded to the claims, but some past online activity of the representatives paints a picture of lawmakers who encouraged “patriots” to revolt against the election. Gosar, for instance, was seen in a video with Alexander in November purporting that Trump supporters would not “take the theft of this election lying down.”
As of Tuesday, Alexander had been permanently banned from Facebook and Instagram due to his link to “stop the steal” rhetoric. His account was also suspended by Twitter.
“We removed this account on both Facebook and Instagram for violating our Coordinating Harm policy,” Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said in a statement. He said the removal is part of Facebook’s decision to remove any content referring to “stop the steal” ahead of the inauguration.
Politico interviewed the activist about being banned from the social media sites. He responded that his concern was the “tens of thousands of threats against my life and safety by Democrat activists and Antifa.” He insisted the heinous pandemonium at the Capitol last week was separate from the rally he helped organize.
“I eagerly look forward to speaking to Congress and testifying about the events that led to and happened on Jan. 6,” Alexander said. “I fight for civil rights. I believe this election was stolen. I petitioned my government. I’m being punished for organizing millions of people,” he added in a text message written to a Politico reporter.
