The sole member of the Proud Boys to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6 attack testified that members believed they had to “take the reins” and lead an American revolution to keep Trump in office. “We made this happen,” Jeremy Bertino said.
accuses the men of mustering and coordinating the movements of as many as 200 to 300 people around the Capitol.Bertino explained texts he sent Tarrio at 2:39 p.m., as rioters raced into the building from the east and the west, pouring into the evacuated Senate chamber and shouting for lawmakers’ heads.“I know,” Tarrio replied, referring to a palace raid during the Russian Revolution of 1917 and part of a plan shared with Tarrio calling for occupying Capitol buildings, “The Winter Palace.
told him of a specific plan to storm the Capitol ahead of Jan. 6, and that he initially told FBI agents that as far as he knew, the Proud Boys were only going to attend Trump’s speech and demonstrate peacefully. Bertino pleaded guilty in October to one count of seditious conspiracy and one count of illegal possession of firearms as a former felon after his home was searched in March. Tarrio is charged with havingBertino and Tarrio’s co-defendants were part an inner circle of Proud Boys leaders picked by Tarrio to join a leadership group for Jan. 6 operations named the “Ministry of Self-Defense.”
After the court defeat, Bertino testified, the Proud Boys believed they had to “take the reins, and lead the people to freedom” — “Freedom in opposition to a tyrannical government we felt was being installed, as opposed to voted in,” he said — and “all-out revolution.” The leadership group discussed the possibility that Proud Boys or Trump supporters could riot on Jan. 6. “Just let it happen,” Bertino counseled, “Maybe it’s the shot heard round the world and the normies will [attack] the cops.
“They need to get pelo[si],” Bertino wrote Tarrio, referring to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi . Explaining on the stand, he said Pelosi “was the talking head of the opposition, and they needed to remove her from power.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Proud Boys saw surge in membership after Trump's debate message, former member testifiesA former Proud Boys leader, Jeremy Bertino, took the witness stand in Washington on Tuesday in the trial of Enrique Tarrio and four other associates
Read more »
Montgomery police to patrol drag story hours after Proud Boys protestStory-hour supporters at a recent Silver Spring event for children blocked Proud Boys from entering the bookstore, according to attendees.
Read more »
Ex-member: Proud Boys were 'tip of the spear' after electionA jury is hearing testimony from a former high-ranking Proud Boys member who pleaded guilty to plotting with group leaders to violently stop the transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.
Read more »
Proud Boys saw surge in membership after Trump's debate message, former member testifiesWASHINGTON — Former Proud Boys official Jeremy Bertino -- who last year pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy related to Jan. 6 -- took the witness stand in Washington on Tuesday in the seditious conspiracy trial of the far-right group's principal leadership.
Read more »
Opinion | The Proud Boys are about to learn loyalty to Trump only goes one wayHis testimony likely wouldn't help the defendants, but Trump will probably invoke his Fifth Amendment rights anyway.
Read more »