As the January 6 Select Committee hears testimony (which has thus far included Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn not-so-subtly declaring that a “hitman” was responsible for inciting the insurrection) this week, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-SC) is coming under fire for his actions as a speaker at Trump’s “Stop The Steal” rally. In the above video, Brooks (who was later endorsed by Trump for a Senate run) declared, “Today is the day that American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.” And as it turns out, Mo Brooks also curiously decided to wear body armor while speaking at this rally.
Following this event, a MAGA mob of Trump followers pushed their way into the U.S. Capitol. It was a violent event that left 140 cops injured and five people dead. During his speech, Brooks delivered remarks about how “our ancestors sacrificed their blood” for freedom, and he asked the crowd if they would do the same.
Well, in an interview with Slate’s Jim Newell, Brooks disclosed the little body-armor detail. He expressed a desire for an investigation into why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t make sure that the Capitol Police were better prepared to fend off attacks on January 6, and then this happened:
[T]o prove his point about preparation, he revealed a new detail to me: that because of a tip he’d received about potential violence, he’d been wearing body armor at the very same Ellipse speech…
“I was warned on Monday that there might be risks associated with the next few days,” he said. “And as a consequence of those warnings, I did not go to my condo. Instead, I slept on the floor of my office. And when I gave my speech at the Ellipse, I was wearing body armor.”
Oh boy. That’s not exactly an explicit admission of prior knowledge of the insurrection, but it looks… not good. Meanwhile, NPR is reporting that the DOJ has declined to defend Brooks in court on any allegations that he helped to incite the insurrection. In other words, Mo Brooks probably shouldn’t be bragging to reporters, but for whatever reason, that’s exactly what he’s doing.
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