Newly-released text messages between former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and other officials show that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wanted former United States President Donald Trump to declare martial law following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The conversations, which took place in mid-January 2021, took place just days before the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Greene texted Meadows and revealed that some GOP members privately suggested the order. Last week, the Georgia representative testified that she does not recall whether she encouraged the president to declare martial law or not.
Newly-Leaked Texts
In a text to Meadows on Jan. 17, 2021, Greene said that the only way to save our Republic was for "Trump to call for Marshall law." She said that she was not familiar with those types of things and told the then-chief of staff that she only wanted to let him know. Greene continued to claim that Democrats stole the election and argued they will destroy the country next.
The text was only one of many that Greene sent to Meadows in the post-election period around Jan. 6, 2021. The Georgia lawmaker also told the former chief of staff that "we think" the people who assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6 "are Antifa" dressed like Trump supporters, as per CBS News.
The vast trove of Meadows' texts showed that many of Trump's inner circle, supporters, and Republican lawmakers worked behind the scenes to try and overturn the elections. They also showed the reactions to the violent siege of the Capitol prior to Biden's inauguration.
Meadows selectively provided the logs to the House Select Committee responsible for investigating the events leading up to, amid, and immediately after the Capitol riot. They showed that the former chief of staff was at the core of sprawling conspiracy theories that baselessly claimed voter fraud in the election.
According to CNN, the texts include messages sent by Trump's family, including Ivanka Trump, son-law Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr. The released logs also featured texts from White House and campaign officials, Cabinet members, Republican Party Leaders, Jan. 6 rally organizers, Rudy Giuliani, and several other high-profile individuals.
Conspiracy Theories
Meadows did not appear to respond to Greene's message regarding martial law and the Georgia lawmaker's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The remark was made in response to the large mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in support of Trump, who, for weeks, claimed that the election was stolen from him.
Greene, who has a history of embracing right-wing conspiracy theories, also repeatedly sowed doubts about the integrity of the 2020 election following Biden's win. However, election experts, politicians from both parties, and Trump's own attorney general denied the allegations. They said that the process was not affected by widespread voter fraud.
In a December 2020 text, Greene reached out to Meadows for advice about how to prepare for objections to certifying the election on Jan. 6. "We have to get organized for the 6th," the Georgia representative said, CNBC reported.
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